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No boxes behind electrical outlets /Bob 08-02-2006
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Posted by FireBrick on August 2, 2006, 12:41 pm
Jim hit the nail.
A 30 year old house is NOT old. Codes when that house were built were good.
You didn't say where this house is, city or rural.

> /Bob wrote:
>> We've discovered that part of our 30+ year old house has no boxes
>> behind the electrical outlets. The switches and outlets are just held
>> in position by the stiffness of the wires. Is there a straightforward
>> way to add boxes "after the fact" without tearing out wallboard?
>> Thanks for your suggestions.
>>
>> /Bob
>>
>
> Yes, but the other question you should be asking is:
> "What *else* did they do??"
>
> Color me suspicious...
>
> Jim



Posted by z on August 2, 2006, 2:10 pm

Speedy Jim wrote:
> /Bob wrote:
> > We've discovered that part of our 30+ year old house has no boxes
> > behind the electrical outlets. The switches and outlets are just held
> > in position by the stiffness of the wires. Is there a straightforward
> > way to add boxes "after the fact" without tearing out wallboard?
> > Thanks for your suggestions.
> >
> > /Bob
> >
>
> Yes, but the other question you should be asking is:
> "What *else* did they do??"
>
> Color me suspicious...
>
> Jim

I've seen inexpert work before, but how inexperienced do you have to be
not to realize that such things as boxes exist?


Posted by John Grabowski on August 2, 2006, 4:10 pm

>
> Speedy Jim wrote:
> > /Bob wrote:
> > > We've discovered that part of our 30+ year old house has no boxes
> > > behind the electrical outlets. The switches and outlets are just held
> > > in position by the stiffness of the wires. Is there a straightforward
> > > way to add boxes "after the fact" without tearing out wallboard?
> > > Thanks for your suggestions.
> > >
> > > /Bob
> > >
> >
> > Yes, but the other question you should be asking is:
> > "What *else* did they do??"
> >
> > Color me suspicious...
> >
> > Jim
>
> I've seen inexpert work before, but how inexperienced do you have to be
> not to realize that such things as boxes exist?
>


Many years ago I was called to troubleshoot some outlets in a room that used
to be garage. I removed the wall plate and found that not only was the
outlet not mounted in a box, but it was wired with speaker wire. The whole
room was like that. Of course the owner did not want to pay me to make it
all right.


Posted by DT on August 2, 2006, 9:39 am
bob-morse@comcast.net says...
>
>We've discovered that part of our 30+ year old house has no boxes
>behind the electrical outlets. The switches and outlets are just held
>in position by the stiffness of the wires. Is there a straightforward
>way to add boxes "after the fact" without tearing out wallboard?
>Thanks for your suggestions.
>

Sure, they are available at any home center. Just look for boxes labelled "old
work" as opposed to "new work". Since the wires are no doubt pretty short, you
will need to completely remove the springy 'clamps' on the plastic boxes. Just
bend them out and twist them off so you can easily shove the wires through as
the box goes into the hole in the drywall.

--
Dennis


Posted by mm on August 6, 2006, 7:58 pm
On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:39:54 -0500, dthompson4389@SPAMwowway.com (DT)
wrote:

>bob-morse@comcast.net says...
>>
>>We've discovered that part of our 30+ year old house has no boxes
>>behind the electrical outlets. The switches and outlets are just held
>>in position by the stiffness of the wires. Is there a straightforward
>>way to add boxes "after the fact" without tearing out wallboard?
>>Thanks for your suggestions.
>>
>
>Sure, they are available at any home center. Just look for boxes labelled "old
>work" as opposed to "new work". Since the wires are no doubt pretty short, you
>will need to completely remove the springy 'clamps' on the plastic boxes.

DT is talking about the all-pastic clamps that are meant to hold the
electric cable in place where it goes into the box. Not the metal
arms that rotate out and then clamp down as the screws in the box,
where the arms pivot, are tightened.

I only say this because I didn't understand at first.

> Just
>bend them out and twist them off so you can easily shove the wires through as
>the box goes into the hole in the drywall.


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