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Posted by Mark on May 5, 2007, 9:37 pm
They do make a full size 'old work' box that might work. You'd cut a full
size 3 or 4 inch hole thru the siding and sheathing and the box has 'wings'
that spring out inside the wall to hold it in place. I might prefer this to
the thinner pancake box on the surface since it would let you get the wires
back further inside the wall and help prevent water from causing more
corrosion.
>
>> Yep, they come in 3 and 4 inch
>>
>
> Yeah that'll work, the fixture is 1/2" deep, the wire's will be a tight
> fit with the wirenuts and all that but otherwise it should work. I can
> cut the siding with a knife (its cedar) and caulk around the fixture.
> Damn, this might actually work out.
>
>
>>
>>>
>>>> If you have boards or plywood sheeting behind the siding, you could use
>>>> a three of four inch hole saw . Just cut through the siding then screw
>>>> the pancake box to the sheeting.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Just to be clear, when you say "pancake box" you are referring to the
>>> circular 1/2" and 5/8" metal boxes?
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> PS, there is no box behind the siding
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Damn. Well I can try using one of those 1/2" high boxes and see if I
>>>>> can inset it into the sheathing beneath it. In some ways I wish I
>>>>> hadn't uncovered that little mess - but on the other hand it was an
>>>>> absolute fire waiting to happen.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Three options: You can use a siding box, which would probably look
>>>>>>> silly on the wood, You can cut in a gem box, right around the
>>>>>>> existing cable, which would work fine, or you can mound a pancake
>>>>>>> box right on the surface and get new fixtures with deep canopies to
>>>>>>> accommodate the pancake box. You need new fixtures anyway
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Secretly in the back of my mind I think I know what I'm gonna have
>>>>>>>> to do, but I'm hoping for an out.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The porch lights on my house are firetraps and have to go. So I
>>>>>>>> get some new ones and begin the process of unmounting one of them -
>>>>>>>> big mistake.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050111.JPG
>>>>>>>> As you can see its simply screwed onto the siding.
>>>>>>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050112.JPG
>>>>>>>> And the romex is fed to it through a hole in the house.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Dare I cut the siding and hope that there's an electical box behind
>>>>>>>> it? I really really hope there is, otherwise I have quite a task
>>>>>>>> ahead of me - ripping out the drywall and installing an box to
>>>>>>>> mount the new fixture.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So staring at that mess I look at the old fixture - bigger mistake
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050113.JPG
>>>>>>>> No that isn't green insulation - that's exposed hot and neutral
>>>>>>>> wires that are almost corroded through. In fact the Romex wires
>>>>>>>> that it was connected to were corroded as well - not terribly but
>>>>>>>> there was a definite green film on the wires.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So what am I looking at here - completely removing the old Romex,
>>>>>>>> installing an exterior box, then cutting my siding to install the
>>>>>>>> new fixture?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> For now I've clipped the connection, wirenutted both the hot and
>>>>>>>> neutral wires and wrapped them with electricians tape and put the
>>>>>>>> old fixture back on the siding to keep it moderately covered from
>>>>>>>> the elements. Should I be safe until I can do a permanent install
>>>>>>>> or would it be a good idea to unhook the wires from the actual
>>>>>>>> switch inside the house too?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
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