I'm replacing an old fixture... Its base was quite wide (about 7"), and had a large integrated crossbar similar to Atron's UB1. The installer fastened this directly through the ceiling materials (screw holes circled) instead of the electrical box, crushing some of the ceiling tiles so the surface around the hole is no longer flat. This is an issue as the replacement fixture's base is smaller.
The steel round electrical box is about 3.25" diameter. The threading of its ears is unknown or damaged - it wrecked the 8-32 screw I tried. I would like to replace the box, but this is unlikely due to the mess it would involve.
| Ceiling structure |
|---|
| 1. Blown-in paper/cellulose insulation |
| 2. Multiple layers of pink fiberglass insulation sheets |
| 3. Burlap/wool blanket-looking sheets |
| 4. Joists, electrical cabling, filled in with scary particle insulation |
| 5. Boards fastened joist bottoms, not sure how sparse these are. Maybe old pine baseboard? |
| 6. Electrical box fastened to board. Could not see into this layer, probably more wood boards to mount the drywall, probably more loose insulation |
| 7. Drywall layer, starts beneath edge of electrical box |
| 8. Wooden lattice to support ceiling tiles |
| 9. Ceiling tiles (fiberglass?) |
Possible solutions so far:
- Expand the hole beneath the electrical box to attach a 4" diameter box extension. This would add stable new ears with new threads, near the current ceiling surface. Probably means re-threading the old box's ears, and the hole might expose questionable insulation.
- Find a large crossbar (or cut one out of sheet metal?), wide enough to cover the crushed tiles and provide a flat mounting surface.
Any choice will probably need some form of medallion / "goof ring" to cover the marked up tile area, so my only real concern is securely attaching the fixture.
