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Mounting a Barn Light

pv74

Active member
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
41
Location
Boise, ID
I wanted to mount a traditional barnlight on my new shop, but didn't want an unsightly junction box or dealing with cutting a huge hole in the metal siding to mount a recessed box while balancing on a ladder.

Scouring the web, looking at dozens of pictures of barn lights, I came across a mounting arrangement that seemed to suit the predicament that I was in... Use a small hole saw to drill a hole the through the wall, put the fixture tubing through the hole and mount the box on the inside.

As most of these lights use 1/2" rigid metal conduit, the threading is the same as on outdoor junction boxes. Use a rigid conduit ****** and a threaded coupling to take up the width of the wall, and screw the fixture into the threaded hole on the backside of a metal outdoor junction box. Secure the box to a wooden brace. Cap with a blank plate. Put some clear silicone around the tube... less than 10 bucks and your done. All the parts can be purchased at your local bigboxdepot store.

I drilled the hole from the inside as it was easier that way and had my daughter stand outside and shout when the fixture was level to secure the box at the proper angle.


I don't see a problem with proper support of the fixture as the fixture is supported by the back of the box and further by the wooden brace that the hole is drilled through.

I used a radial wave RLM fixture from the Steel Lighting Co. It's built like tank, made in the USA and priced reasonably. It also uses a standard 1/2" rigid conduit thread. The bulb is an A21 GE reveal LED. It looks very similar to an old school 150 watt bulb, is made of glass and is rated for damp locations. You can find these at Lowes.

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Fixtures under the overhang are vaportight LED fixtures from Lowes.
I used 1/2" LFNC-B Liquid tight conduit.
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Bert_

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Dec 24, 2016
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NW Iowa
That was actually a really common way of mounting these back in the day when these were common. Works good and looks clean.
 

checkthisout

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Sep 5, 2008
Messages
5,232
I did mine the same way you did.

I'll probably go back and add these for a more robust look. They wont be doing any actual support, just trimming out the hole where the support passes through the siding.

View media item 90602
 
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pv74

Active member
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
41
Location
Boise, ID
I did mine the same way you did.

I'll probably go back and add these for a more robust look. They wont be doing any actual support, just trimming out the hole where the support passes through the siding.

View media item 90602

The fixture comes with a nice looking mounting flange with standard 1/2" rigid metal conduit threads for mounting to an electrical box. I thought about drilling the threads out of it and using a set screw to mount it over the pipe. The only problem is that the ridge of the steel siding aligns with the center of the building, where I wanted the fixture mounted. A flange just wouldn't sit flat in my case.
 

checkthisout

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 5, 2008
Messages
5,232
The fixture comes with a nice looking mounting flange with standard 1/2" rigid metal conduit threads for mounting to an electrical box. I thought about drilling the threads out of it and using a set screw to mount it over the pipe. The only problem is that the ridge of the steel siding aligns with the center of the building, where I wanted the fixture mounted. A flange just wouldn't sit flat in my case.

Agreed.
 
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