Installing new fixtures on outside of home

[sgregg003]

My wife recently purchased some new lights to mount on the outside of our home on either side of the front entry door. When I removed the old fixture and the mounting bracket I found that the mounting bracket was just screwed into the old siding, and not connected to an electrical junction box.

It appears that whoever installed the previous fixtures just drilled a hole in the old siding and ran the wire through. I have spoken with a few a my neighbors who have encountered a similar situation.

Granted my house was built in 1968, but if I remember the code correctly any electrical junction had to take place in a electrical box.

Currently my house has a layer of vinyl siding, followed by a later of insulation, and then a layer of old wood siding, after that I am not sure if there is plywood or, if the old wood siding is just nailed into the framing.

I am trying to find the best way to install the two electrial junction boxes for these fixtures. Should the new boxes be mounted flush with the old wood siding, or if there is plywood behind it is that where the box would need to go, any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Scott G.

[John Kogel]

It sounds like an electrician could install a shallow box there, sometimes called a pancake box, or Saucer box. It is designed to be screwed to the exterior.

[Greg Booth]

There are various types of vinyl-siding mounting blocks with integral J-trim, which are designed to provide a flat mounting surface for items such as lights and hose bibs. Several styles allow for firm attachment of a device box.

[Tom Raymond]

Check out these: http://www.midamericacomponents.com/_ho ... p#original

They are available with plastic workboxes already installed for around $10 each. You'll need to find a specialty dealer, these won't be at a lumber yard or big box mart.

Tom

[Jim Port]

In all the ones in the link posted by Tom I have ever seen do not contain a junction box. I like the ones by Arlington as a much nicer alternative.

aifittings.com

[Tom Raymond]

Funny they're not on the website, I have them in stock.

I went back and looked, they're on page 16 of the pdf catalog.

Tom