33
votes
What is the proper way to remove a receptacle from a wall?
No, you need to retain the box
First, wire splicing needs to happen inside a box, as per NEC 300.15 if you are in the USA. Second, you need to provide access to what's going on inside the box once ...
- 81.8k
30
votes
Accepted
"Old Work" electrical box: should it be screwed into the stud?
Junction boxes are not to have additional holes drilled into them for securing them to studs. The box you have shown can be used and mounted fairly secure if you take the time to cut the opening as ...
- 78.8k
25
votes
Accepted
Covering a former service panel turned junction box
Hang a nice picture over it. Easy. Cheap. No inspector can complain.
24
votes
Accepted
Removing knockouts in old work metal boxes
A lot of handy boxes and old work "gem" boxes have knockouts that are made to knock from the outside in. This picture of a Steel City handy box shows it clearly
If you have to remove these ...
- 25k
22
votes
Are these pigtails inside the panel and outside a junction box allowed?
Pigtails in a panel are fine...
Wire-splicing and pigtailing within a loadcenter cabinet (panel enclosure) is expressly permitted by NEC 312.8(A), and is quite safe (provided the splices are made up ...
- 81.8k
22
votes
Accepted
What is this "loose faceplate ring" and is it something that should be fixed?
If you feel behind where the "extra screwholes" are, there should be a metal strap with holes in it (that's connected to the metal ring, and will be folded into place behind the wall to hold ...
- 202k
21
votes
Accepted
I need 30 amps in a single room to run vegetable grow lighting. How to accomplish?
Since you've got conduit, and since most lights are not designed to be directly on 30A circuits (normally in the US designed for 15A or 20A circuits), run two 15A or 20A circuits through that conduit ...
21
votes
What is this "loose faceplate ring" and is it something that should be fixed?
This is likely a low voltage mounting bracket kind of like this one:
There are fewer codes to meet than actual mains electrical boxes, especially with regard to plugging in and unplugging things ...
- 4,387
21
votes
Accepted
What is / was the purpose of these old openable-cover junction boxes?
They appear to have been fuse boxes, which goes with the openable cover and diagram peeking out from under the paint. Presumably they were decommissioned as fuse boxes but retained as junction boxes.
- 202k
20
votes
What is the proper way to remove a receptacle from a wall?
In addition to ThreePhaseEel's excellent answer about boxes and splices, there may be an additional problem: Required receptacles.
There are many required receptacles, including (but probably not ...
19
votes
Accepted
What is this thing on my junction box?
This is easy
What you have here is a low voltage (NEC Class 2) transformer that steps house voltage down to a safe voltage -- they're typically used to power doorbells or HVAC controls, but may be ...
- 81.8k
19
votes
Accepted
Do the quick connectors in my new bathroom fan need to be in a junction box?
All connections must be in a junction box. They're mentioned several times in the instruction manual.
Pull the wire through the hole and into the junction box (not
included). Using a quick ...
- 130k
18
votes
Accepted
Replacing an outdoor PVC junction box where it rains a lot
Wrong box. Bad installation.
Why is the lid so warped? Far too much stuff was crammed into that box than was legal (cubic inch rules) or practical. So the installer just cranked down the lid screws ...
16
votes
"Old Work" electrical box: should it be screwed into the stud?
No, and you'll crack the box if you try.
Plastic is not metal. Plastic boxes are flimsy things. They don't have any strength except where they have been gusseted specifically to have strength.
This ...
16
votes
Accepted
How can I bring cable into a junction box with no knockouts?
Most bakelite boxes have thin sections of bakelite that are covering the knockouts. Two at the top and two at the bottom.
They are hard to see from the inside, but are in the same place as where that ...
- 22.9k
15
votes
How do you mount conduit to a wall so that it stands off a standard box distance?
If you don't want to get a conduit bender, you can use conduit hanger clamps like the one shown below from Home Depot. The clamp fastens to the wall and holds the conduit away from the wall.
- 78.8k
14
votes
What is this thing on my junction box?
It is a transformer. It purpose is to reduce your house voltage to something lower, typically used for doorbells.
- 11.2k
14
votes
Best way to cover exposed THHN cables where conduit has been pulled out
The conduit entering the box evidently needed, but someone thought it didn't need, an expansion fitting. They appear to have also skipped glue, as I don't see any remains of glue or broken conduit in ...
- 202k
13
votes
How can I add a recepticle to this junction box full of push splices?
Good news and bad news.
The good news is, this is very strightforward. This box is being used solely for distribution. There are no switches involved here, so you have the good luck that the wire ...
13
votes
What are the dangers of hidden boxes?
I have heard and even participated in lengthy debates on this subject. The code is very clear, and the difficulty in maintenance and troubleshooting is of course easy to see.
Many of the arguments go ...
- 25k
13
votes
Accepted
How to remove junction box that is nailed on?
The two items that you were thinking are nails are in fact almost 100% sure to be rivets. See yollow circles in the below picture.
Picture Source
These rivets secure some type of metal bracket to ...
- 64.1k
13
votes
How do I fix an outlet where the junction box falls into the hole and the wires are too short?
Since you're apparently about to do some drywall repair anyway...
Purchase a new "old work" box. You'll probably need a metal one to accept your armored cable termination.
Carefully cut the ...
- 130k
12
votes
Accepted
OK to bundle wires together in conduit with colored electrical tape?
It's mandatory
When putting identical-appearing circuits in a conduit, you must differentiate them somehow. It's mandatory.
I would not bundle them but mark them individually. Black(blue) and ...
12
votes
Accepted
Outlet screwed directly into stud
It looks like you are up against a corner on the left, which means you can't simply shift the outlet into the box location. In a perfect world you have enough cable to move the box to the other side ...
- 130k
12
votes
How can I fix the mounting of these outlets in this box that is taller than the outlet?
All your listed options will work.
Folded edge covers always fit a bit wonky, unfortunately they don't make a crushed corner version for 4-11/16" boxes
Gap between faceplate and mud ring that ...
- 16.6k
12
votes
How do I remove this connector from a solid electrical wire?
These don't get "removed", they get cut off. Snip the copper solid wire at the end of those connectors, strip off the insulation and then use wire nuts or some other approved connector to ...
- 78.8k
12
votes
Accepted
Properly grounding junction box for conduit transition
NM wires are "mystery meat"
The UL specification for NM cable does not require the wires to be THHN, or marked with their insulation type for that matter. As a result, you can't just "...
- 81.8k
12
votes
Accepted
How should I repair a nicked wire in a junction box?
If just the insulation damaged and not the wire, tape and/or heat shrink tubing will work.
If the copper wire is damaged, usually better to cut it back to good wire.
Nicks in the wire could cause it ...
- 22.9k
12
votes
Are there drawbacks to plastic conduit fittings?
When properly installed, I'm sure they hold very securely, but I've always struggled to get the lock right tight enough
It's super simple. You need a flat blade screwdriver and a hammer. You put ...
12
votes
Accepted
What is the appropriate use for these metal gang box faceplates?
That mounts on a square steel electrical box and performs three functions:
It provides mounting screw holes for two single-gang devices. Square steel boxes don’t come with device screw holes.
It ...
- 5,825
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