How To Repair A Broken Light Socket Tab

Plastic Electrical Box Repairs
How to prepare or replace a broken plastic ceiling or wall electric box;
Causes of plastic electrical box failure, falling from ceilings or walls

• Mail a QUESTION or COMMENT about fixing a loose ceiling light fixture traced to a broken electrical box whose supports snapped off.

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Repair a broken plastic electric box mounted in a ceiling or wall

This article describes how to repair a ceiling low-cal fixture electrical box that was falling out of the ceiling, kickoff with an explanation of how and why cleaved plastic electrical box swing clamp supports allowed the electrical box to fall from the ceiling leaving the light fixture hanging by its electrical wires.

In the second part of this article, "Ceiling Calorie-free Fixture Installation" we employ an "old work" electrical box to replace the damaged box, secure the new box and re-mountain the light fixture safely.

Nosotros discuss the requirement for secure mounting of ceiling electrical boxes for fans and lights and we requite step by step details for installing a replacement electrical box, insulating around information technology, connecting the ceiling light wires, and then testing and completing the installation.

The electrical box repair or replacement procedures described in this commodity series describes stride by stride repairs for both metal and plastic electrical boxes used in edifice electrical wiring systems.

We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you lot can endeavor the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX equally a quick way to notice data you need.

How to fix a loose, cleaved or damaged plastic electric box falling out of place

Cause of Ceiling Light Fixture Back up Box Failure

The bathroom ceiling light shown in a higher place was found one morning time hanging past its electrical wires: the plastic electrical box from which the low-cal fixture was suspended was itself falling out of the ceiling - a unsafe situation risking fire or shock, more-so for a calorie-free fixture suspended over a bathroom sink. What happened?

Sentinel out: The circular Carlon B618R electrical box used for the original light installation was a Carlon 4 1/iv" diameter electric box that is specifically indicated by the manufacturer as not for fixture support in the ceiling.

The concern is that the weight of a light fixture may pull the swing clips through the drywall or crusade information technology to intermission, or the weight or movement of a heavy light fixture or ceiling fan may crusade the swing clips themselves to intermission.

A falling light fixture or fan can kill someone or could showtime a building burn down.

But this calorie-free fixture installation failed for a different reason: the swing clamps were tightened using a loftier-speed and powerful battery-operated drill mounted with a phillips flake to speed the fixture installation.

The swing clench screws were so over-tightened against the drywall ceiling that all three of them cracked and two broke off completely.

A closer inspection of the original blue plastic electrical box to which the light fixture had been mounted discovered that two of the three plastic clips or "ears" intended to connect the electrical box to the ceiling drywall had snapped off.

This immune the box to loosen and ultimately to autumn from the ceiling where it remained hanging by its wires. Below you can meet one of the broken-off swing clamp remains.

The swing clamp was cleaved past over-tightening of the clamp screw.

Article Contents

• PLASTIC Electrical BOX REPAIR
• One-time WORK BOX in NEW CONSTRUCTION?
• Sometime WORK BOX IN THICK CEILING
• Sometime WORK BOX TORQUE FAILURE
• OLD WORK BOX FAILURE FIELD REPORT
• OLD WORK Electrical BOXES for RETROFIT

Why was an Old Work Electrical Box Used in New Construction?

First, why was this type of "old work" electrical box used in the first place, rather than installing an electrical box securely fastened to the ceiling framing? Afterward all the light fixture had been installed during new construction. An "old work" electrical box is designed to exist installed neatly through a finished wall or ceiling.

Normally a "new work" plastic electrical box installed during new construction is either nailed to the building framing (shown below) or if information technology needs to exist spaced abroad from a stud or joist in a wall or ceiling information technology may be supported by a bracket that is in plough nailed to the edifice framing.

See ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX TYPES.

Only when the electrician is asked to leave a wire exposed for time to come installation of an electrical box whose precise location has not been determined, say for a ceiling low-cal fixture over a bath sink that has not yet been installed, she may leave the wire protruding through a ceiling or wall and may plan on after re-locating the wire precisely using an former piece of work retrofit type electrical box.

See details at Erstwhile WORK Electrical BOXES for RETROFIT

The installer used a Carlon B618R round plastic 18-inch electrical box (shown earlier on this page) that is specifically not recommended for carrying a ceiling calorie-free fixture.

But had the box mounting screws not been over-tightened or possibly had the box not used defective swing clamps that permitted them to break even if non over-tightened, this installation may all the same have worked for decades without a mechanical failure.

Nonetheless, why was this box selected?

That's what happened in this building, as we illustrate below.

Installing Wiring for Ceiling Light Fixture Whose Exact Last Location is Non Known

These photographs illustrate the sequence of construction and history of the wiring of the bath ceiling light fixture discussed beginning at PLASTIC ELECTRICAL BOX REPAIR. At below left you lot can come across that a bathroom has been roughed-in, a shower pan is in place, and the electric wiring crude-in is in place.

At above right we encounter that the bath ceiling light wiring for a light over the sink was left dangling through the ceiling with no electrical box (cerise arrow) because the verbal location for the bath calorie-free fixture had not been adamant.

Scout out: This was not the best practice: information technology would have been a better, more correct, and safer installation to have installed a ceiling light fixture box well-secured to the ceiling joists.

If the ceiling light fixture needed to be suspended from an electrical box that could not be nailed or screwed directly to the side of a ceiling joist or truss a supporting bar can be installed between the joists, assuasive the box to be centered between them.

If possible an old-piece of work electrical box can be secured directly to wood framing (below left, using a Madison Electric Products Smart Box every bit case), or if the exact light support location does non permit that directly connection one could use an one-time-work fan bar hanger that includes a deep 4-inch octagon box (below left - Racon fan box support).

Fan support and ceiling light support bars and boxes are provided with both steel and plastic electrical boxes attached directly to framing or mounted from a telescoping support arm that itself can exist fit up through a ceiling or wall opening.

Every construction projection experiences sequencing problems and the pressure (and sometimes mistakes) of decisions made nether the urgency of arriving contractors who, if not permitted to work on schedule, will throw an entire construction project off form.

What's needed is conscientious attention to the solution of each of the snafus left behind.

The insulation contractor arrived to spray insulation - leaving the wire exposed and dangling.

In this particular home the builder had left electric wires poking through the ceiling while waiting for the homeowner to determine exactly what fixture was to be installed and exactly what sink was to exist installed beneath: the owners wanted to center the calorie-free fixture properly over the sink, so the electrical box location was left every bit a later project.

Afterward framing, crude-in, electrical rough-in (above left), and insulation (to a higher place right) were all complete, the drywall contractor arrived to install ceiling and wall drywall, leaving the electrical wire for the bathroom sink light dangling through a modest pigsty in the ceiling drywall (yellowish circle in our photo at beneath left).

Clips on the erstwhile piece of work box rotate out over the drywall and and then pinch the box to the drywall as the 3 mounting screws are tightened.

This permits installing an electrical box without ripping open up a larger hole in the ceiling as might be needed to secure a new piece of work electric box to the edifice structure, and information technology permits mounting of an electrical box in a location where framing is not close by.

Above at left you lot tin can see the yellow electrical wires for the ceiling light hanging from the bath ceiling (in the yellowish circle). Why are in that location ii wire sets? One brings power to the light fixture and the other provides wiring to the wall switch for the light.

At above right is the bathroom ceiling calorie-free fixture newly-installed using an old work electrical box.

Why Did the Supporting Swing Clips of the Plastic Old Work Electrical Box Neglect?

There are several explanations offered for the failure of plastic swing clamps in onetime piece of work electric box failures:

1. Over-Torquing or over-tightening the screws using a powerful drill-operated screwdriver set to too-loftier torque - discussed below

   at OLD WORK BOX TORQUE FAILURE

2. Improper product selection or installation: using an one-time piece of work box whose swing clips cannot adjust the ceiling or wall thickness or installing an old-piece of work electric box in a ceiling or wall opening that is cut too big, such that the swing clips lack adequate purchase.

   An instance of this failure is reported below at OLD WORK BOX IN THICK CEILING

3. Possible production defects, mayhap a bad plastic mix or too-thin forming of the swing prune - this is currently only speculation and more than investigation is needed. That discussion is

   at Erstwhile Work BOX FAILURE FIELD Written report

Erstwhile Work Box Ceiling Fixture Failed from Over Torquing

Well they didn't spontaneously fail, that'south for sure. The electric box support clips were broken past a heavy mitt during installation.

How did I know that the swing clamps had been broken by the screwing performance?

When I removed and inspected this component information technology was obvious that the swing clamp trunk had been screwed all the way downwards tightly confronting the plastic stop at the finish of its travel. The screws had been forced confronting their stop and were difficult to loosen.

The finish has a thickness of about 1/4" - an amount certainly less than the 1/2" drywall that the swing clamp was expected to grab.

Some electrical work writers recommend and many electricians employ a power-screwdriver to speed their work.

As some electric box or device mounting screws are quite long, hand-turning these screws is tiresome, particularly when working overhead such equally at a ceiling low-cal fixture.

But running a high-power battery-operated screwdriver at full tilt when zipping in the sometime work electrical box mounting screws is asking for trouble.

That'south because as the old piece of work mounting box ears contact the drywall (and the installer should end turning the screws) the drill keeps zooming along, cracking or breaking these parts. In this particular case the quondam work electric box was damaged during original installation but the box didn't actually fall through the ceiling until months later later on contractor, drywaller, and electrician were long gone.

[OK so I sort-of faked the photo at left: this illustration of using a DeWalt bombardment operated drill to tighten the swing clamp screws on an old-piece of work retrofit plastic electrical box was made during a later repair footstep when I was killing time waiting for my foam insulation to harden.

Merely the indicate is, if you lot utilize a high-torque powerful tool like this without setting the torque to a suitably low level you will probably break the swing clamps and if you're lucky the electrical box will fall out now before yous're called back to supervene upon it a year from now. ]

The blue plastic box at beneath left is a new-piece of work electric box with nails intended for driving into a wall stud or ceiling joist, while at below correct is an old piece of work electrical box intended for retrofit box installation through a drywall or plaster ceiling or wall.

Watch out: comments posted at this commodity warn that some plastic one-time-work electrical boxes may accept a problem with failure of their securing ears that may suspension, allowing a ceiling light fixture to fall or a wall-mounted receptacle or switch to become insecure.

Besides meet this ZIP BOX for another case of an former work retrofit electrical box in a rectangular way.

The rectangular box at below left has spiral receivers but at the box corners: not a location where a metallic repair clip will fit.

The round plastic one-time work electrical box at below right, produced past Carlon provides eighteen cubic inches of wiring space and enjoys a wide surface-mounting flange (orange pointer). That flange is not a surface over which the G-clip would fit unless the box itself were modified past cutting abroad portions of its material.

The recessed location of the screw receiving opening on this round box leaves united states of america doubtful that a repair clip repair is possible for these electrical boxes.

These round plastic electrical boxes do sport a prissy feature if you lot are worried virtually piercing an electric wire while using a make-shift repair screw. The ruby arrow in the photos show that the device mounting screw receiver on these plastic boxes is manufactured with a deep rib running the full depth of the box.

At no point would a wire within the electrical box be exposed to impairment from the fixture mounting screw, as the screw passes through the hole above the red arrow tip continues inside of the raised rib.

Spotter out: do not rely on erstwhile work boxes with minimal support (merely drywall, for instance) to carry heavier fixtures or ones subject to vibration or movement such as a ceiling fan. Such installations are unsafe.

Watch out: we have found no code blessing nor listing agency listings or approvals for any electrical box repair methods, hardware or approaches. Bank check with your local electrical inspector most the acceptability of your repair approach.

Electrical box replacement rather than screw or screw receiver repairs will be required in some situations such as ceiling boxes carrying weight too as past local electrical code inspectors.

Former Work Box Swing Clamp Failure Field Reports: possible product defect?

Gary,

Thank you for posting a very important status written report on failures with one-time work plastic electrical boxes.

I've seen this problem likewise and I suspected that the chemical science of the plastic may have been defective or there may have been a fabrication quality command consequence.

Sometimes a manufacturer moves production from i plant or fifty-fifty i state to another resulting in glitches to be found and fixed.

Then of course we look forward to an update when you tin provide 1. These are important product's that are widely used.

I have a different experience with the Carlon Old Piece of work boxes failing. In the last 3 years of using the boxes hither in Florida, everyone of them has failed on me. I'm using rectangular and round Old Piece of work boxes.

Upon inspection, every one of them had the plastic swing tabs broken assuasive boxes to fall out of ceiling or wall.

I Practise NOT USE A Ability TOOL TO INSTALL THEM! I merely use a screwdriver and my aging mitt strength. The failures tend to happen most a year afterward install. Later on 1/2 dozen failures, I contacted Carlon over a year ago who said they never heard of this problem. However they sent replacement swing tabs (which accept also broken).

I recently contacted the new Carlon visitor Thomas and Betts who were unaware of trouble. Nonetheless they were eager to find out what was going on and take been working with me to determine cause of failures.

They did hold in that location is a manufacturing outcome and are working on solution. I would elaborate further but believe Thomas and Betts would prefer I don't hash out issue on this forum until they take completed their investigation and accept a solution. Just wanted to share this with the folks here who take had this failure.

I agree that information technology'southward not proper to torque the heck out of the swing tabs with power tools...that certainly volition accelerate the problem. Nevertheless T&B have agreed there is a manufacturing consequence and are working on resolving information technology.
Gary

Gary,

Thank you for reporting this of import field ascertainment of swing-out clip blazon Carlon old work boxes. As you doubtless read in the article above I establish a similar problem with another old work box, though it was non a Carlon blue box.

I would much like to meet a broken clip and box or sharp photos of those parts every bit it might be diagnostic.

It would too exist helpful to know if y'all are seeing the clip failure but on wall boxes or also on ceiling boxes (made of a heavier PVC plastic)
And it would be helpful to know if yous are seeing these failures simply in hot ceilings or in other building locations.

Do y'all think perhaps we are seeing a failure that might be due to

- poor plastic part durability where these boxes are installed in hot climates like Florida?

- perhaps an inconsistency in the chemic formula of the blue PVC boxes and their parts - we may not be able to find out from the company but sometimes companies modify their supplier, maybe to a different visitor in China (Where are these boxes actually manufactured?)

- some other failure such every bit a defective spiral or clip design or design modify?

For other readers, here is how Carlon Sales describes this product:

Zip Box Bluish™ nonmetallic switch and outlet boxes from Carlon are the contractor's selection for residential, light commercial and manufactured housing projects. The line is designed for utilise with nonmetallic-sheathed cable in accord with Article 370 of the current NEC.

Zip Box Blue outlet and switch boxes are manufactured from high bear upon lightweight PVC with clean and easy knockouts. Many are bachelor in single and multiple gang configurations with pre-installed nails for convenience on the job.

The line is complemented by a full array of circular and rectangular covers and adapter rings. - source: Carlon Sales, 2017/10/20 original source: http://www.carlonsales.com/oldworknmbox.php

From Carlon'south FAQs about this product:

Why are ceiling boxes made from a different plastic chemical compound than the wall boxes?

The ceiling boxes must pass a UL test where a 200-pound weight is supported for 5 minutes at 105°C. A PVC box volition not pass this exam. ... A ceiling box can support a fixture of 50 pounds or less. A ceiling box rated for "fan support" tin support a fan of 35 pounds or less.

• Gross Automation (877) 268-3700 · www.carlonsales.com · sales@grossautomation.com Carlon Lamson & Sessions 25701 Scientific discipline Park Drive Cleveland, Ohio 44122 USA, Tel: 216-464-3400 1-800-3CARLON (322-7566) Website: www.carlon.com

Ended up here at this site because of the multiple failures I'm seeing with ALL the blue Carlon Erstwhile work boxes that apply the swing out clips. I've used them for quite a few years. But later on moving to Florida and doing work here, I've had every box come loose due to broken swing out clips.

Contacted visitor who sent me replacements only still seeing failures. I exercise Not use a power screwdriver to set boxes...just my own hand torque. The clips hold for peradventure a year then one or more than of break. I'1000 not going to use them anymore. Have a new inquiry into visitor (now Thomas Betts) but oasis't heard back all the same.

It is right that an electrical box installed in a ceiling and that is going to accept a light fixture suspended from information technology must be itself strong enough, must provide sufficiently stiff connectors to hold the weight of the light, and must be adequately secured to the building framing.

When I installed a ceiling fan concluding week - heavier than a normal light fixture - I made sure to utilize an electrical box intended to support the weight of a fan, and I used construction screws (not drywall screws) to fasten it to the side of the ceiling joist.

When I read that a low-cal roughshod out of a ceiling I suspect that it was not properly installed.

Give thanks you so much for your response. I was pretty sure he was feeding me a bunch of love blaming it on the box acting equally if this was just something that happens with Carlon Boxes. If that's the instance, why is he standing to use them.?

This is not a Cookie cutter abode and they made enough of money on this job. Unfortunately, I don't take a significant other to climb up there to take pics and since they already sent guys out to hang another fixture the evidence may be gone.

I notwithstanding accept the wood flooring to replace so I may try and hire someone to become up there and look at it. Thank y'all again for your input.

Miechell

Cranium oestrus can in no style be an alibi for a light fixture falling out of the ceiling. There are millions of warm or hot attics above ceiling light fixtures that do not autumn out.

If the proper electrical box type were selected AND if it were properly secured to building framing AND if the fixture itself were properly secured to the box, then the low-cal fixture would not have fallen.

One would need to brand a very conscientious inspection of all of those connection points to empathize what happened and how to prevent its recurrence.

An onsite good volition ever find more of import details than a normal homeowner might observe around any building failure, but perhaps if you lot utilize our CONTACT link at folio elevation or bottom to transport along some sharp photos of the opening from which the box fell, the framing to which it should accept been attached, the box from all sides, its connectors and the fixture, nosotros might exist able to offer further comment.

I recently had a 32 lb light fixture autumn out of the ceiling in the foyer of my MBR. 2hrs before I had been standing under it for about 20 minutes then I feel very fortunate I was non hurt or killed. I was involved actively in building my business firm and hired the electric company we used myself.

I was totally shocked at beingness told by the owner they were not at mistake; it was, the Carlon box. Gave me reasons for pause downwards such as the heat in the attic (I have Radiant Barrier; information technology's non that hot) and used the word stripped but I was so upset I'chiliad not sure if he said screws or threads.

I have lived in the house v years this month. It concerns me of what else may autumn out of the ceiling! Later reading this article it confirms my opinion there was more to this than the the box breaking downwardly. He too said these boxes are skilful for up to 50 lbs so they had hung it correctly by using plastic rather than metallic. Would love to hear other'southward opinions on this.

Old Work Box Failure in Thick Ceiling

Jeff

I'd have tried the same thing, though there are other solutions including apartment metallic clips that will let you insert a box into a thicker existing wall.

An of import concern, however, is that on an exterior wall your electric box and encompass and fixtures need to be rated-for and actually weatherproof - lest water leak in and you become a short or daze.

Wall too thick for old piece of work box. My solution.

I only had a light fixture autumn out of an outer wall of the house. It was installed with circular box / old work / swing clips. The swing clips never engaged because the outside wall is 1 1/four" thick which was too much depth for the clips to become backside the wall.

I bought longer screws and modified the clips by cutting away textile of the engaging edge in order to allow for greater wall thickness betwixt box lip and swing clips. (The clip must remain in the channel in lodge to be checked half way when turning the screw. You tin can't just utilise a long screw and push the clip out of the aqueduct.)

Perchance one is not supposed to utilise i of these on an outside wall.

In whatsoever event, it volition now withstand a proficient tug. I should impress my electric contractor's name here but won't!

Waiting for the other 3 fixtures to pop.

The Falling of the Light Fixture and Subsequent Calling of the Light Fixture Repair Brigade

The bathroom was beautiful and the electrical piece of work seemed just fine too, until a year later the edifice occupants noticed that the light seemed a bit closer to the sink.

A closer inspection showed that the lite fixture was inching its way out of the ceiling along with the round bluish electrical box to which information technology was fastened.

For repair procedures for a loose or falling ceiling lite fixture due to electric box damage

encounter CEILING Lite FIXTURE INSTALLATION

...

Continue reading at CEILING Light FIXTURE INSTALLATION - continuing the article above, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete Article INDEX.

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• PLASTIC Electrical BOX Screw REPAIR

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