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In my garage, I installed a series of 4" round ceiling boxes and put plastic (later ceramic) lamp bases on them for some basic lighting. This is the type of box I'm referring to:

enter image description here
Image courteously supplied by Lowes. No particular endorsement implied

I've recently purchased some plug-in LED light fixtures and would like to replace some of the lamp bases with a standard NEMA 5-15 outlet so I can plug in the lights.

  • Will a standard 5-15 outlet fit properly in this box?
  • Is there an appropriate cover plate that can be used?
  • As an alternative, is it safe/legal to clip the plug and hard-wire these otherwise plug-in lights directly to the Romex in the boxes?

If the answer to either is "no", then I guess I'll have to pull the boxen and replace them with standard rectangular boxes, but I'd prefer not to.

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2 Answers 2

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They do make receptacles designed to fit round boxes, for example a Leviton 1228 (I'm sure other brands have it as well, this was just the first I found when I googled Round Box Receptacle):

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Depending in the screw holes on your box, you may also be able to fit a standard duplex receptacle and fit a wall plate designed for that purpose. These act as a wall plate and mounting bracket/adapter for mounting a standard receptacle in the round box.

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Finally, if all you need is an ungrounded two prong plug, the easiest option might be to get some light bulb to socket adapter, like these GE 54276:

enter image description here

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  • Porcelain fixture w/ outlet.
    – Mazura
    Commented Oct 14, 2019 at 21:09
  • This does, indeed, answer the question I asked. Unfortunately, I asked the wrong question. :( I'd actually installed 4" square metal boxes, not round plastic*. The good news is that there are plenty of duplex outlet cover plates available for that setup, and I was able to find them at <local big-box retailer>. I picked up a couple of samples, realized that I grabbed 2 different styles out of the same pile, realized I like one better than the other and will get more of those. *In my defense, I'd just installed a round plastic on the back porch - it was on my mind.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 15, 2019 at 12:15
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PhilippNagel nailed it. The only thing I would add is don't put GFCI devices on the ceiling (must be reachable) and don't use cord and plug connections above a drop ceiling.

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  • Is it legal to snip the plug and hard wire it?
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 14, 2019 at 17:40
  • If your plugs are open-air, i.e. You can visually see them and (to the point) observe if they are smoking or smell the smoke, then cord and plug is absolutely fine. If the plugs are behind a drop ceiling, then you may snip the plugs and hardwire into proper strain reliefs if the appliance cord has the correct labeling for use as cordage. Which most do.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 14, 2019 at 17:44
  • The boxes are attached to the roof trusses and there is no ceiling - just bare trusses, so I may just do that and skip the outlets. Put on some sort of blanking cover with an appropriate punch-out and a cable clamp and call it a day.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 14, 2019 at 18:04
  • All receptacles in a garage shall be GFCI protected as per NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE!
    – Jason Stanger
    Commented Jul 18, 2020 at 15:52

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