Grounding Light Fixture
I have been searching and reading but haven’t found an answer to this question:
I am replacing a light fixture in my second story bathroom. The wires to the previous fixture I believe run from the light switch box to a hole in the drywall (no box) via BX/Armored Cable; the house was built in 1987 in the Chicago Suburbs. There are only two wires, no ground and there does not appear to be a ground wire inside the flex tube/BX/Armored Cable. The previous fixture was wired to the two existing wires and screwed to the drywall and when uninstalling the previous fixture did not undo any grounding wires. So wanting to install the new fixture, the grounding is my main concern. The hole in the drywall is centered between two studs because of the plumbing being centered and there is a PVC pipe running floor to ceiling right next to the hole in the wall where my two wires stick out of the flex tube/BX/Armored Cable which makes adding a box somewhat difficult. I would like to know what options I have to ground this new fixture.
1) Not ground, which seems like a bad idea.
2) Can I ground to the flex tube/BX/Armored Cable somehow without adding a box because of location and obstacles
3) Do I need to install a box
4) Call an electrician
You will most likely need to install a box because most of the new lights I have seen are made to mount on a box of some kind. If you do not need a box to mount the light, then do as PCboss has said. If you do install a box, make sure it is metal and bond the sheath of the cable to the box and also bond the ground wire either to the box or to the sheath of the cable.
