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Electrical Wiring

Rust in lighting fixture - what do you think?

9 years ago

Hello,

I took down two pendant lights in my kitchen because one of the lights began flickering when vibration disturbed it (e.g., someone walking by). I found that some of the AC wires attached to the light socket were severely rusted. The light fixtures were quite old so I discarded them and am replacing with new ones.

Before installing the new fixtures I examined the electrical boxes in the ceiling. Some of the hardware in one of the boxes was rusted (see attached photo). Does this seem concerning to you? What steps/actions would you take?

I've examined the box from above, in the attic and did not notice anything abnormal. I am unsure what caused this rust. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Dave

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Comments (5)

kudzu9
9 years ago
It looks like surface rust confined to a few small areas and that most of the old metal box is fine. Maybe at one time there was a leak in the roof and moisture got to the box. As long as you are sure you don't have any current moisture problems in that location, I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't look like it presents a hazard or needs to be replaced.
ionized_gw
9 years ago
Chinese drywall?
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kudzu9
9 years ago
ionized-
That's an inspired observation, but the problems with Chinese drywall have only been an issue in the last ten years or so. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that the OP's installation predates that by quite a bit.
bus_driver
9 years ago
Looks to be the result of temporary indoor relative humidity levels of 60% or higher. Corrective action not necessary at this time.
For exterior, I use 100% stainless steel fasteners, even to the point of replacing all the original fasteners except for the exposed decorative ones. Makes a difference after 10 or 15 years.
Vitabaker
9 years ago
I say just replace the box, Since you already have everything exposed you may as well go ahead and cover that concern. Its a simple fix.

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