# Manufating shop lighting change



## AndreConnection (Nov 9, 2017)

I have a client who is looking to change out their lights with a commercial grade LED fixture. The only problem is the lights he purchased come with a 12" cord with a male plug end. He wants to reuse the existing BX and chain and keeping the same heights. i have no problem with the upper ones as i can just mount a receptacle to the steel. However the lower ones have a BX running down into the existing fixture the chain and was thinking he can just add a female plug end and call it a day. Legit?


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## scotch (Oct 17, 2013)

A box with the correct BX connector ....and a single outlet receptacle may do it .


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

AndreConnection said:


> I have a client who is looking to change out their lights with a commercial grade LED fixture. The only problem is the lights he purchased come with a 12" cord with a male plug end. He wants to reuse the existing BX and chain and keeping the same heights. i have no problem with the upper ones as i can just mount a receptacle to the steel. However the lower ones have a BX running down into the existing fixture the chain and was thinking he can just add a female plug end and call it a day. Legit?





scotch said:


> A box with the correct BX connector ....and a single outlet receptacle may do it .


Yes and no depending on how it mounted .,,

if mounted in ridge pattern ( non moveable or swayable ) you should ok as scotch mention it.

but for flexi mount like chain or cable or something can sway some then no because the BX cable can get broken up over the time and I am not sure how your Canada codes are for using SJO or extra hard cord useage for dropdown lights., 

I would just get rid of the BX and go with hard cord if possible to redue the amount of damaged conductors.


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## btharmy2 (Mar 11, 2017)

Can you just remove the cord and run the existing cable into the fixture?


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I just love when customers get drunk and order lighting not knowing what problems they create for us.


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## Helmut (May 7, 2014)

Southeast Power said:


> I just love when customers get drunk and order lighting not knowing what oppurtunities they create for us.



Fify


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## AndreConnection (Nov 9, 2017)

btharmy2 said:


> Can you just remove the cord and run the existing cable into the fixture?


No i could not take the cord out as it was sealed it the unit. I was going to do drop flex cords down with horse **** hangers but the customer didn't like that so I passed on the job. 

Still hasn't found anyone to do it.


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

BX is supposed to be supported and there's a legitimate argument about movement of the fixtures but honestly even when they're hung off chains I haven't really seen any movement at all. It's not uncommon for me to have to go back behind someone else's crap and often leave it to the customer to make a decision.

For instance yesterday a piece of I think two 3/C 500 MCM shielded 5 KV ARMORED tray cables were run into the motor peckerhead..don't laugh this is a motor on a shredder. Anyways the idiot before me used two CGB's that were too large in the first place so he simply wrapped enough rubber tape (not even vinyl) around it to make up the difference and sort of kind of hold it up into the connector after the nut was compressed down as far as it would go. Horse crap work. Idiot also got all happy with a razor knife and sliced about 6 inches of jacket off leaving just the armored ribbon hanging out there so if the tray cable was ever disturbed, it unwinds the ribbon right at the connector. Also there is ZERO slack anywhere...it's already about as tight as it gets.

So to fix this, we'd be cutting everything out and buying 4 TMC's AND two new cables and 4 termination kits and redoing everything. But since TC-ER has to pass the same testing as MC, I'd just buy TC-ER instead and buy 4 new CGB's that are correctly sized to match the TC-ER, plus the 4 stress cone kits (12 stress cones). To fix a screw up that has existed for close to 10 years. So this is one of those situations where I get to explain it all to the customer so that they can make an informed decision and tell me whether to replace the cable or not since my job ended at the motor.

In the case of the BX runs it's not right in the first place since obviously it's not supported across the hangers which can freely move so the correct material would be some kind of flexible cord although Code would allow liquidtight there but I've had problems in the past over time where wires chafed inside it, or more of the "armored" variety of cords (MC, TC-ER, AC, etc.). Just has to be supported every 3 feet unlike flexible cords which don't have the same Code support requirements.


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