Reply To: Miscellaneous Electric Tips

squeak-

This setup is absolutely fine, safe, and (as far as I know) according to code.

The fixture is not live if the switch is off – there’s a live wire in the fixture box, which is entirely different.

Sometimes the electricity goes to the switch box first (switch before) and sometimes it goes to the fixture box first (switch after). Either is OK. Your setup seems to be the “switch after” variety. (I keep hedging with terms like “seems to be” because I haven’t actually seen the setup myself.)

Unless a three-conductor cable is run between the switch box and the fixture box, you will either have a fixture box with no true “hot” (if switch before) of a switch box with no true “neutral” (if switch after).

You’re quite welcome – it’s my pleasure to share what I know, especially with folks whose brains I’ve picked on other topics.