Camera PV 2007 » Digital Camera » Cover plate for electrical boxes
Cover plate for electrical boxes
Question:
Strange sounding boxes. Still, you should be able to find screws to fit if you go to a decent hardware store. Worst case you can cut off some longer ones. (Crimping tools often have nice screw cutters incorporated in them.) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Dan: > It is not 3/4" behind, it is more like 0.1mm behind, or right underneath. > Even the short screw does not work. It is really hard to explain without a > picture. Wish I had a digital camera and there is a alt.binaries.home.repair. > Sum > > I had an electrician come by and added an electrical outlet and a coax > > cable outlet along one wall. He installed two boxes in the wall, one > > adjacent to another. The box is not the regular hexagonal ones, but a > > small rectangular galvanized steel one. When he was done he told me I > > need to buy my own face plates to match the color (I had white ones in > > the room, and he only had almond ones in the truck) so I said OK. When > > I got my own and screw them in, I found that the face plates with two > > holes do line up with the holes of the box, but the screw do not fit. I > > have never had trouble using the screws that come with the plates, I > > thought this is universal? but the hole in the box is smaller and I > > need smaller screws? Also after he mounted the outlet on the box, the > > holes on the outlet which lines up with the face plate, when I start > > inserting the screw, it goes through the plate, then a hole tip of the > > outlet, then it hit a "web" on the box. That box has a metal bridge > > above the slot and that metal thing is in the way, preventing the screw > > from going any further. This happens on both the top and bottom holes > > and I cannot adjust it enough to bypass it. > > Which leads to my question – did he use a non-standard box? all the > > holes line up, but the screws must be smaller and much shorter than the > > standard ones? > > I am sure my description is confusing, I do not know how to described > > it. > I think I might have the picture. The boxes have a metal plate in the > ends that’s fastened in about 3/4" behind the front plate where the > screw hole is. I’ve seen these and never figured out what the reason > for that plate is, but it makes it so you have to use shorter screws to > fasten the fixtures. You can get the shorter screws at any decent > hardware store. > Not sure why the screw holes would be a non-standard size, but the > hardware store should have screws to fit.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I had an electrician come by and added an electrical outlet and a coax > cable outlet along one wall. He installed two boxes in the wall, one > adjacent to another. The box is not the regular hexagonal ones, but a > small rectangular galvanized steel one. When he was done he told me I > need to buy my own face plates to match the color (I had white ones in > the room, and he only had almond ones in the truck) so I said OK. When > I got my own and screw them in, I found that the face plates with two > holes do line up with the holes of the box, but the screw do not fit. I > have never had trouble using the screws that come with the plates, I > thought this is universal? but the hole in the box is smaller and I > need smaller screws? Also after he mounted the outlet on the box, the > holes on the outlet which lines up with the face plate, when I start > inserting the screw, it goes through the plate, then a hole tip of the > outlet, then it hit a "web" on the box. That box has a metal bridge > above the slot and that metal thing is in the way, preventing the screw > from going any further. This happens on both the top and bottom holes > and I cannot adjust it enough to bypass it. > Which leads to my question – did he use a non-standard box? all the > holes line up, but the screws must be smaller and much shorter than the > standard ones? > I am sure my description is confusing, I do not know how to described > it. > Thanks in advance, > Sum
Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been off air for a couple of days. It seems to me that you should ask the installer to return with the proper parts to finish the job he is being paid for…
Response:
Dan: It is not 3/4" behind, it is more like 0.1mm behind, or right underneath. Even the short screw does not work. It is really hard to explain without a picture. Wish I had a digital camera and there is a alt.binaries.home.repair. Sum – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I had an electrician come by and added an electrical outlet and a coax > cable outlet along one wall. He installed two boxes in the wall, one > adjacent to another. The box is not the regular hexagonal ones, but a > small rectangular galvanized steel one. When he was done he told me I > need to buy my own face plates to match the color (I had white ones in > the room, and he only had almond ones in the truck) so I said OK. When > I got my own and screw them in, I found that the face plates with two > holes do line up with the holes of the box, but the screw do not fit. I > have never had trouble using the screws that come with the plates, I > thought this is universal? but the hole in the box is smaller and I > need smaller screws? Also after he mounted the outlet on the box, the > holes on the outlet which lines up with the face plate, when I start > inserting the screw, it goes through the plate, then a hole tip of the > outlet, then it hit a "web" on the box. That box has a metal bridge > above the slot and that metal thing is in the way, preventing the screw > from going any further. This happens on both the top and bottom holes > and I cannot adjust it enough to bypass it. > Which leads to my question – did he use a non-standard box? all the > holes line up, but the screws must be smaller and much shorter than the > standard ones? > I am sure my description is confusing, I do not know how to described > it. > I think I might have the picture. The boxes have a metal plate in the > ends that’s fastened in about 3/4" behind the front plate where the > screw hole is. I’ve seen these and never figured out what the reason > for that plate is, but it makes it so you have to use shorter screws to > fasten the fixtures. You can get the shorter screws at any decent > hardware store. > Not sure why the screw holes would be a non-standard size, but the > hardware store should have screws to fit.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I had an electrician come by and added an electrical outlet and a coax > cable outlet along one wall. He installed two boxes in the wall, one > adjacent to another. The box is not the regular hexagonal ones, but a > small rectangular galvanized steel one. When he was done he told me I > need to buy my own face plates to match the color (I had white ones in > the room, and he only had almond ones in the truck) so I said OK. When > I got my own and screw them in, I found that the face plates with two > holes do line up with the holes of the box, but the screw do not fit. I > have never had trouble using the screws that come with the plates, I > thought this is universal? but the hole in the box is smaller and I > need smaller screws? Also after he mounted the outlet on the box, the > holes on the outlet which lines up with the face plate, when I start > inserting the screw, it goes through the plate, then a hole tip of the > outlet, then it hit a "web" on the box. That box has a metal bridge > above the slot and that metal thing is in the way, preventing the screw > from going any further. This happens on both the top and bottom holes > and I cannot adjust it enough to bypass it. > Which leads to my question – did he use a non-standard box? all the > holes line up, but the screws must be smaller and much shorter than the > standard ones? > I am sure my description is confusing, I do not know how to described > it.
I think I might have the picture. The boxes have a metal plate in the ends that’s fastened in about 3/4" behind the front plate where the screw hole is. I’ve seen these and never figured out what the reason for that plate is, but it makes it so you have to use shorter screws to fasten the fixtures. You can get the shorter screws at any decent hardware store. Not sure why the screw holes would be a non-standard size, but the hardware store should have screws to fit.
Response:
I had an electrician come by and added an electrical outlet and a coax cable outlet along one wall. He installed two boxes in the wall, one adjacent to another. The box is not the regular hexagonal ones, but a small rectangular galvanized steel one. When he was done he told me I need to buy my own face plates to match the color (I had white ones in the room, and he only had almond ones in the truck) so I said OK. When I got my own and screw them in, I found that the face plates with two holes do line up with the holes of the box, but the screw do not fit. I have never had trouble using the screws that come with the plates, I thought this is universal? but the hole in the box is smaller and I need smaller screws? Also after he mounted the outlet on the box, the holes on the outlet which lines up with the face plate, when I start inserting the screw, it goes through the plate, then a hole tip of the outlet, then it hit a "web" on the box. That box has a metal bridge above the slot and that metal thing is in the way, preventing the screw from going any further. This happens on both the top and bottom holes and I cannot adjust it enough to bypass it. Which leads to my question – did he use a non-standard box? all the holes line up, but the screws must be smaller and much shorter than the standard ones? I am sure my description is confusing, I do not know how to described it. Thanks in advance, Sum