Installing a Light Fixture in a Metal Box No Ground Wire

I show the steps to install a light fixture in a metal box without a ground wire, and how to check to see if the box is grounded.

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#lightfixture #electricalsafety

[ianmarkmoore]

This is the first video I found where the box wiring was exactly like the wiring in my home, also in Chicago. Couldn't figure out those two twisted wires. Once I bought the bracket with a ground screw like you had, it all made sense. Thanks!

[ifyouwantoreplyjustclickth]

Omg thank you thank you thank you!! This is exactly the issue i was having. I almost threw out that blade that connects to the ground wire from the new fixture. I was getting so frustrated. I would have never known my lightbox was ground fixture was what you described. Very helpful video and straight to the point!!!

[UnnecessaryComment.]

Thank you sir.
This was exactly what I needed!
Very informative

[frankiet]

Hey! Fellow Chicagoan here!
Great video!
Subscribed to your channel, I hope to learn a ton from you

[keyfretter]

Very helpful! I'm replacing potlights with LED - I couldn't find a ground wire for the potlights I removed (the cans are also inside metal boxes) I assumed the boxes are grounded so now I know how to test that. Thanks!

[nadermostafa]

The fact that the EMT is used as the grounding path, along with the fact that if EMT is used, the hot wire can be any color (other than green or white) are two key pieces of info that I've been having a ton of difficulty confirming. This is exactly how my house is wired. Another video taking a deeper dive into these topics would be super appreciated - otherwise thank you for the peace of mind! There are not enough videos out there about the nuances of EMT.

[lcmlcm]

Thank you this video helped me out a lot.

[fxxs]

Thank you so much for this video! Helped out!

[patricktran]

hi sir. I just took out my old fixture ceiling out to replacement new fixture ceiling light...when I took out old one seen only 3 white wire connected to 1 white wire and black wire to black wire... my house old house didn't have ground wire!!! I just wonderwhy can I hook out same connection 3 white wire to 1 white wire and black wire to black wire to my light fixture ceiling without ground wire!!! thank you. I also email you.

[dorothybleeker]

I am putting in a vanity light. Do both screws have to be in the metal box? My box is very off centered to the wall, and I don't want my light off to one side.

[segelnnatur]

Thanks, excellent video. If I were installing a 3 prong outlet, I'm guessing I'd connect the outlet ground to the metal box? We do have metal conduit but no ground wire. One conduit enters the box with black and white. Another conduit enters ( or leaves ) the conduit with white, black and red. The box is outside that a light was attached to. Inside we have two different switches in two different locations to operate the light. I guess it's called a two way switch. Any suggestions or ideas appreciated. Thanks 💡

[lizzonthego]

Can i screw the braket to the wood on the ceiling and connect the grounf to the braket screwed on the wood?

[TheCupfulBoy]

Do I need to tighten the ceiling ground wire to the screw as well? How about connecting both ground wire with wire nut only instead of ground screw

[KJ_nyc]

Very helpful video. There are millions of high-rise apartment buildings in America's big cities that are wired like this. They have pipe conduit carrying the wires to metal boxes, and there are no green ground wires to be found. If you move one of the switches or outlets, electricians are required to use BX cable. I understand this process for a ceiling light, but what should you do for an outlet or switch box? My metal boxes have a threaded hole for a screw. Should I insert a ground screw in this hole, and then wrap ground wire around it and the screw on the receptacle? Would this provide added safety? What happens when there is room for only one ground screw inside a metal box, but you have two switches in one box. Is this what they call a pigtail opportunity? Thank you so much!

[kell]

Thank you for this video. I am trying to wire a ring floodlight camera. My light junction box has one black and one white wire. Used your video and tested junction box with multimeter, it's not grounded. Any suggestions are much appreciated. I email you this question and picture, after reading comments here I figured it probably went to your spam. So thought I'd ask here. Thanks

[brianzemach]

Thanks for this. Living in a Chicago suburb, it's nice to know that the metal box provide the grounding pathway, which explains my fruitless searches for that third, green wire.
A question, if I may: as with @keyfretter, I am swapping in direct wire LED Ubend tubes to replace old ballast fluorescent. Given the minimal contact each Ubend has with the wiring (4 pins on the G13 tombstones), whee - if at all -do I run the ground. Any thoughts gratefully received.

[kell]

Thanks for responding. The directions don't say the ground is required for it to work and I was reluctant to hook it up without the ground hooked to anything. Should I hook it up without the ground and see if it will work?

[ChayYP]

Thank you!!! ❤ You explained this perfectly

[echt]

What if the fixture is NOT connected to metal conduit? I'm doing a ballast bypass on an old fluorescent fixture and there's only L & N wires coming in. The existing metal fixture has a white wire connecting through a screw on the fixture. Do I still need to use this screw when it's direct wired for LEDs? Do you just run the neutral through that screw? But wouldn't sending the neutral through that screw make touching the metal fixture dangerous?

[MB-elve]

I live in Chicago and Im trying to install a ceiling fan. the pipe coming out of the ceiling is grounded but not the box. Looks like the box is not making contact with the pipe. What can I do?