Metal bar in way of junction box
 

I removed the light above my vanity and found that the the previous installer did not install a junction box. The house was built in 1985 so I think there should have been one. Anyway, there is a metal bar that is crossing the hole that conflicts with a new installation. I am prepared to cut this bar away to make room but I would like to know what it is before I create a new problem.

Does anybody have any idea what this is? And if I can cut it away without any regrets?

The bar is shown in both of the attached photos. For background. This is an exterior wall. There is a stud located about 1" to the right of the existing cut out. There is a vent pipe on the left edge of the cutout. The metal bar appears to extend from the stud on the right generally in the direction of the stud on the left (outside of the photo). I have seen something like this as bracing for pipes in other locations of the house but in those cases they used copper pipe.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Derek

It's one of these adjustable braces. Each end has teeth to dig into the sides of joists. If you loosen the setscrew the thing comes loose.

Google Image Result for http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2289593/fanboxbrace_Thumb.jpg

Or, if you have a wrench like in the pic below
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Monkey_and_Stillson_wrenches.png/300px-Monkey_and_Stillson_wrenches.png
you might be able to put enough torque on the thing so that it releases its grip on the joist sides, and so you can then pull it through the hole. Use a pipe on the wrench handle for extra torque if needed.
Take it slow with this process.

You have enough depth for a junction box?

That looks like a match. I guess the question I have to ask now is do I find a box to fit the bar or remove the bar and install an standard box.

Thank you for the rapid feedback!

Derek

If you're not hanging anything heavy I'd remove the bar and use an "old work" box.
http://www.foxelectricsupply.com/Content/Media/Images/Product/b618r.jpg

Yeah, that was fast. Coincidence, I guess. . .

How was the light up there without a box?

Peraps the old light did not need a box. The light itself was the junction box.

As long as the splice is in a fire-resistant enclosure I don't have a problem with it, but the NEC might.

Another thing is that some ceiling light fixtures require 90 °C cable instead of 60 °C, and the changeover was around 1985.
In this case, if you have 60 °C cable you should halve the max fixture wattage and relabel. E.g., the fixture from the store says 200w max, so you never put over 100w worth of bulbs in it, or use CFLs.
I brought up this idea with UL but they wouldn't say yea or nay on this derating plan. But they understood my point.

A fixture must be installed based on the max wattage rating and the manufacturers specs. If it says you need 90ºC wire then you must have it to be code. You can say you will use CFLs but you don't know what the next guy might use.

UL's only real objection to the derating seemed to hinge on the label being permanent or not.

In any case, can you imagine how many fixtures there are in 110M homes in the US that are not in compliance with those labels?

And have you noticed that the outside of the packaging never mentions this 90 °C requirement? They might lose a sale if they did that.

NEC code requires that work install fixtures as labelled and use the highest watt rating when doing any calculations or installation.