Junction boxes are handy little devices in an electrical circuit.
They’re enclosures that help to protect wires (and, in particular, wire connections) from any damage from the environment.
They also ensure that nobody can accidentally touch the exposed connections.
They’re a legal requirement for most electrical connections in the home, but what about outdoor lighting?
Do you need to make sure you’ve got a junction box for every light in your garden?
Low voltage lighting systems are covered by their own article in the National Electrical Code and don’t require junction boxes. Any outdoor lights wired on a standard voltage circuit will need a junction box unless they are recessed patio downlights with their own housing.
Let’s explore more with a dive into:
- Whether all outdoor light fixtures need a junction box
- How to install a new junction box
- Things to consider if you don’t use a junction box
Do All Outdoor Light Fixtures Need A Junction Box?
Junction boxes are designed to protect high voltage wire connections from outside forces, including elemental dangers (such as liquid) and accidental contact with humans.
But landscape lighting is almost always a low voltage electrical circuit, with light fixtures usually powered by 12V.
So, while you should be using junction boxes for any light fixtures, light switches, or anything else connected or spliced into a circuit inside your home for low voltage landscape lighting, there isn’t any legal requirement.
Instead, as long as you’re properly waterproofing your wire connections, they should be safe.
You should still avoid touching bare wires when the power is turned on though – a safe approach is always better.
When Do You Need A Junction Box?
There are two instances outdoors where you would need a junction box…sort of.
The first is where you do need an actual junction box, and that’s where you’re using any lighting which isn’t low voltage.
Some patio wall lights may be wired into your internal circuitry, so there should be a junction box to protect you.
If they’re recessed, patio downlights normally have their own wire housing and so don’t need a junction box even if they’re on the internal circuit. So they essentially have their own junction box built in.
The second instance where you need a ‘junction box’ is when you’re connecting your low voltage lights to the mains, but that’s where the transformer comes into play.
Essentially the transformer doubles up as the junction box – and some electricians may use the term interchangeably.
Because it’s the only part of your low voltage lighting system where a standard mains voltage is connected, it needs to be protected. Still, the transformer will have its own waterproof metal case, which does the job.
So, you don’t need a junction box inside a transformer – the transformer IS the junction box.
How To Install Outdoor Lighting Junction Box?
If you have a wall light outside your property, you should have a junction box to protect the wires. If you don’t, then you should install one.
How you install one will depend on the material of your home. Most American homes are made using timber, but some use brick.
Here’s what you need to do:
Disconnect the power and remove the existing light fixture if you have one, and if not, just make sure the exposed wires are visible outside your home.
For brick homes, you’ll need masonry drill bits to make room for a junction box.
It will be easier to use a circular cutting bit and around the junction box, but you can take the time to drill a square one using a masonry drill chisel, provided you have a hammer drill.
For timber homes, use a cutting saw to remove a section of the outside frame of the house.
You don’t need to cut into the inner frame, as long as the junction box will sit flush with the outer frame when you add the light fixture.
If the junction box doesn’t sit flush, you can add an extra wooden frame to support the light fixture and use caulk to seal it in place.
Once you’ve cut the space out, insert the junction box.
If your home is brick, you may need to drill the holes to screw it into place, but if it’s timber, you should be able to screw it right into place.
With the junction box in place, feed the wires through it, and then you can install the light fixture over the junction box
Things To Keep In Mind When Not Using Junction Box
While you don’t need to use a junction box for low voltage lighting, you should still make sure the wire connections are properly protected from the elements and from accidental contact, not just with humans but with your garden wildlife.
You can waterproof wire connections using dedicated waterproof connectors or by using waterproof heat shrink tubing over soldered connections.
There are other ways you can protect your landscape wiring and connections from the elements and wildlife too.
For example, adding soft insulation layers to wires and making sure you bury the wire at a safe depth of at least 6 inches.
If you want to use a junction box for landscape lighting connections, then you can – it’s not necessary, but it will add an extra layer of protection, giving you peace of mind.
But as long as you properly waterproof your connections and ensure they’re safely protected from garden rodents, then junction boxes aren’t necessary.
Final Words
Most outdoor lights won’t need a junction box because you’ll connect them on a low voltage circuit.
It’s only when you have outdoor wall lights that are wired into your standard voltage circuit that you’ll need to consider it.
There’s a little bit of DIY involved in adding a junction box where there isn’t one, but as long as you’re comfortable with tools, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Feel free to get a professional in if you’re worried about making a mess of the outside of your home, though.
Do you have outdoor wall lights, and do you know if they’re up to code with a junction box?