Accessing a bathroom cabinet light switch. Help needed.

[FrederickH]

I have a bathroom light that was installed in 1953, when the house was built. In all of the bathrooms, a 4-light medicine cabinet  was installed above the sinks. One of the two side lights has stopped working and I can't access the medicine cabinet(has two of the left side lights) to check the wiring and can't remove the cabinet without major damage to the surrounding plaster. I can post a photo if this post is allowed, to show the problem. Any advice would be appreciated.

[DuckSoup]

 The older lights like you have had a starter, round little barrel, post a pic .

Edited January 22 by DuckSoup

[Grandpadave52]

@John Morris...would you move this thread to the Home Improvement Forum please? Will prevent it from getting lost in the FfA. Good topic for others at some point.

[lew]

Post some pictures, Rick!

[lew]

19 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

@John Morris...would you move this thread to the Home Improvement Forum please? Will prevent it from getting lost in the FfA. Good topic for others at some point.

 @John Morris  Moved it

[Artie]

So by the NEC all splices are supposed to be accessible after the installation. Doesn’t mean that sometimes people don’t do things that aren’t code. Pictures would help. Are these bulbs incandescent or fluorescent?

[FrederickH]

Here are some photos of the offending bathroom light. They are a tubular incandescent light(4).

[lew]

What happens if you remove just this screw/bolt?

[FrederickH]

"What happens if you remove just this screw/bolt?"

 

Lew, that fooled me at first but it's the button catch for the glass door!!!

[HandyDan]

These two screws and two on the other side appear to hold the whole cabinet in.  My guess anyhow. 

 

[Ron Dudelston]

I think Dan is right. Are there two screws on the right side also?

[FrederickH]

"These two screws and two on the other side appear to hold the whole cabinet in.  My guess anyhow."

 

Yes, there are two screws, right and left, but they hold the cabinet in(my guess).

[lew]

I wonder if the white glass "globes" unscrew from the metal base

[HandyDan]

26 minutes ago, FrederickH said:

 

Yes, there are two screws, right and left, but they hold the cabinet in(my guess).

 

It appears the cabinet is going to have to come out to make any repairs to the wiring.  The cabinet may be stuck to some paint but should come out without wrecking any plaster.

Edited January 23 by HandyDan

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

I think Dan is right, it probably has to come out and shouldn't damage anything when being removed. You may have to watch to see how much slack is in the wiring as it comes out.

[lew]

Just so I understand, you have changed the bulbs but that didn't help?

[FrederickH]

1 hour ago, lew said:

I wonder if the white glass "globes" unscrew from the metal base

The globes do unscrew to gain access to the bulbs. The bulb is a new replacement but still doesn't work.

[lew]

With the globe unscrewed, can you see any mounting screws inside the chrome base that may connect to the rectangular mount?

[lew]

If you take the globe off of the left, upper light and remove the bulb, you should be able to see the back of the switch. Are the two connectors or four connectors?

 

[FrederickH]

1 hour ago, lew said:

If you take the globe off of the left, upper light and remove the bulb, you should be able to see the back of the switch. Are the two connectors or four connectors?

 

I've gotten off the lower socket(pulled down) and could see that the wires(3) go up to the switch. I'm, afraid that if I pull on things that the wires will break and I'm not sure if I could remove the switch through the openings that are there. I did remove the hex nut from the switch side and was able to move the switch in and out a bit.