Modify LED lights for Conduit connection in end rather than top?

[bethomas]

Installing lights in my garage with surface mounted conduit. About 75% of my ceiling is not accessible from the attic, so i'm using surface mounted conduit with LED lights mounted flush to the ceiling. The lights i'm looking at (linked below) are Smart Electrician® 4000 lumens 48 x 5 LED Wrap Light from Menards. Based on Lumens/color/cost. The problem with these is the only hard wired connection point is on the top (ceiling). I have seen where some people have modified lights to have conduit into the end of them, but not these lights. Has anyone successfully modified these lights to except conduit from the end of the light rather than the top?


https://www.menards.com/main/lighting-ceiling-fans/indoor-lighting/strips-shop-lights/smart-electrician-reg-4000-lumens-48-x-5-led-wrap-light/blwr48638w840n/p-1493360352223-c-1472133557086.htm?tid=7806772363198307921&ipos=3


Disclaimer: I'm in northern IL outside of chicago and everything has to be EMT - in walls or out.

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[sberry]

Says they are linkable, wouldn't bother me to pipe from unit to unit. Be easier than connecting each overhead. Buy a couple pieced of scaffold for this .

 

[alfredeneuman]

Even if they're linkable, you'll still have to run EMT to feed the first one.
Normally the way is to drill a hole in the end of the fixture.
(I'll bet that the plugs for linking them is on the end, though)

 

[cybrdyke]

Voids UL listing.

CD

 

[neilc]

Looking at the product specs PDF on Menards it appears these use a plug and cord to 'link' them to another one. Specs

I installed these for my daughter last year and I don't think you can easily adapt these with conduit into the end. She lives in Madison WI and we installed in a basement to ceiling joists with the interconnecting wires between them. If you are installing and worried about code in IL it appears your choices are - run conduit with a receptacle box at each light that can all be switched to accommodate the plug cord, put a junction box at each end that you can do the wiring inside it with conduit feeding that box, or find another fixture. You could also just drop them down from the ceiling and put the junction box against the ceiling and run the wiring through the back.

 

[bethomas]

Thanks Everyone.

Correct, they are linkable end to end with a cord.

There is no plug cord.

My options were drill a hole in the end of it or attach jbox to ceiling and lights to j box.

thanks again

 

[cybrdyke]

Thanks Everyone.

Correct, they are linkable end to end with a cord.

There is no plug cord.

My options were drill a hole in the end of it or attach jbox to ceiling and lights to j box.

thanks again

Drilling a hole in the end will violate the UL of the fixture. You might think you are satisfying the Chicago code by installing these with conduit, but I'd bet that any Chicago inspector wont pass it because of the violated UL field modification. Just my 2c.
CD

 

[Radix2]

Drilling a hole in the end will violate the UL of the fixture. You might think you are satisfying the Chicago code by installing these with conduit, but I'd bet that any Chicago inspector wont pass it because of the violated UL field modification. Just my 2c.
CD

There are all kinds of strip lights on the market, most have knockouts in the ends...how in the heck is an inspector going to determine that this fixture is not one of them?...

https://beeslighting.com/lithonia-z...fnKuBbkEfvoX7Ut9iS12dBGW7A1i_iegaAlAhEALw_wcB

The question is, can the op do the modification in a safe and workmanlike manner. It's not like these fixtures aren't just empty boxes with wires stuffed in haphazardly from the factory.

 

[cybrdyke]

There are all kinds of strip lights on the market, most have knockouts in the ends...how in the heck is an inspector going to determine that this fixture is not one of them?

Very easily. Because the fixture the OP mentioned has plastic ends, not metal. It also has linking ports in the ends so there is factory wiring right where he would need to bore a hole.

The question is, can the op do the modification in a safe and workmanlike manner.

The answer is, no.

CD