# adding sconces to existing outlet/switch



## kwami-ishmael (Aug 28, 2014)

I'm planning to add two wall sconces to a receptacle that's controlled by a light switch, on either side of a three-quarter wall pass-through (wall on the living room side, cabinets on the kitchen side, not floor-to-ceiling). I want to run a wire from the receptacle up to the first sconce's placement, wire it, and then run it up the inside of the wall, over the pass-through inside some kind of conduit, back into the wall and down to the second sconce on the opposite side (where there's already an unused box from a defunct baseboard thermostat, so it's the obvious spot to put in a box for the light). Any immediate red flags come to mind? Possible pitfalls, etc., I'm likely to encounter? 

Many thanks!


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## bud16415 (Aug 28, 2014)

Is there a basement or crawl space below? 

Sometimes it&#8217;s easier to go down than up.


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## beachguy005 (Aug 28, 2014)

Anything that you have plugged into the receptacle will operate at mercy of the wall sconces, or vise versa.


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## nealtw (Aug 28, 2014)

Best if you can run a wire to one of the switches and add a box there for a switch or run them off that switch


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## Wuzzat? (Aug 29, 2014)

beachguy005 said:


> Anything that you have plugged into the receptacle will operate at mercy of the wall sconces, or vise versa.


Unless the receptacle is rewired so that one socket of the two is switch-controlled and the other is always powered.  Which may be a good idea.


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## kwami-ishmael (Aug 29, 2014)

Wuzzat? said:


> Unless the receptacle is rewired so that one socket of the two is switch-controlled and the other is always powered.  Which may be a good idea.


 
One socket is on, the other switch-controlled, yes. As for going down rather than up, up just seems easier due to the configuration of the wall (easy access, good visibility) and the already tangled web of crap wired from below. Especially when it comes to getting a wire to the second sconce....

Nothing screams "You're gonna burn the house down!" or anything else alarming, assuming I pay close attention to wiring diagrams, don't electrocute myself, etc.? I only ask because it's a little ambitious for me (mainly replaced ceiling fixtures, rewired old chandelier, lamps, etc.), but I have these two great sconces and a perfect location and need for them, so it seems silly not to use 'em. What I don't have is money for an electrician.... Or a new house.


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## bud16415 (Aug 29, 2014)

If the first sconce is straight above the outlet that one is easy to drop a wire down and tie into the power from the switched outlet. You don&#8217;t have to go from that sconce to the next though. The second one you could drill a hole down then run across to the stud bay where the second one will be and go up. Without a photo it&#8217;s hard to envision the conduit running across you talked about.


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## slownsteady (Aug 29, 2014)

From your 1st post, it sounds like the wire would leave the wall and be exposed as it crosses the pass-thru. Am I reading that right? Does the pass-thru go all the way up to the ceiling?

In answer to your primary question, no, there is nothing in this project that screams of a problem. This project is do-able. You need to read up on three wire installation unless you want to put the new light switch as your first  connection.


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## slownsteady (Aug 29, 2014)

> and the already tangled web of crap wired from below. Especially when it comes to getting a wire to the second sconce....



Have you been inside the wall below the pass-thru?


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## kwami-ishmael (Aug 29, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> Have you been inside the wall below the pass-thru?


 Sorry, I meant in the basement. The previous owner ran a couple of miles of cable, speaker wire, defunct phone lines and everything else imaginable around the house, been pulling it out for a year.


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## kwami-ishmael (Aug 29, 2014)

It would leave the wall and run along the intersection of the wall and cabinets (wall extends an extra foot or so, but doesn't go to the ceiling. It would be shielded, though. Cabinets are about eight feet high, tops inaccessible without a ladder, basically a dust bunny collection site (nothing would be visible from below) and it seems like the easiest way to get to the second sconce's location....


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## bud16415 (Aug 29, 2014)

If that&#8217;s the easiest way then go for it. I don&#8217;t see any issues. If you want to show it off post some pics as you go.


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## kwami-ishmael (Aug 29, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> Does the pass-thru go all the way up to the ceiling?


 
Shoulda been more specific; it's like a doorway with no door, if you take my meaning. Not sure of the technical name; maybe "hole in the wall"....


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## Wuzzat? (Aug 29, 2014)

kwami-ishmael said:


> Sorry, I meant in the basement. The previous owner ran a couple of miles of cable, speaker wire, defunct phone lines and everything else imaginable around the house, been pulling it out for a year.


Worst case, you can use this existing wiring to power 12vac sconce bulbs but then you'd need a fused transformer somewhere.
With the skinny wires and heavy current the bulbs would see less than 12 and so last a very long time.


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