Outlet covers always breaking...HELP!!!

[Tim Morton]

OK...I know you guys are the smartest people on the planet so let me explain my problem. I live in a home that has one major annoyance. The outlets are all set in about an 1/8" too far:mad: . So I have two options and I would like to find a better solution. The way the house came the outlets themselves where not screwed in tight and that made the outlet covers fit nice and snug to the outlets. BUT the outlets themselves sort of "swam" a bit inside t he box. To me that seemed unsafe so I went thru and removed all the plates and tightened the outlets snug to the juntion box. This makes them sit "into the wall" enough so that now when I snug the plates up to the box I generally have one or two break right there and within a few months i have half a dozen broken ones. Aside from callling in an electrician and having them all replaced what is my solution here?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tim....unscrew the outlet mounting screws...put a spacer....a couple of washers even between the outlet mounting tab and the box and reinstall the mounting screws. Does that make sense.......move the outlet out until it's flush with the wall surface. Then install a new cover.

[Mark Rios]

Tim, I have found some spacer material made just for this purpose at my local borg. It comes in a plastic bag packaging and may be found hanging from one of the posts in the electrical department. It consists of thin (maybe 1/16"?) rubbery/plasticy/nylony (non-conductive) wafers that are attached to each other in strips of.....oh, about 8 I guess (I'm really not sure how many are on each strip). The material is molded thinner between each rectangular wafer to facilitate folding or tearing. You choose how many you think you may need and the tear off that number and fold them up accordian style. Then, you slide them on the screw, top and bottom of course, and then screw the recept on. You may need to get longer 8-32 screws for the recepts however.

Also, you should be able to find Nylon cover plates there at the borg. They are usually right next to the hard plastic ones or at least in the same vicinity. The Nylon plates are very flexible and give a whole bunch but because they give, they don't support the recept as well while pulling and pushing on a plug. Getting the recept to install tight would be my first objective.


HTH

[David G Baker]

OK...I know you guys are the smartest people on the planet so let me explain my problem. I live in a home that has one major annoyance. The outlets are all set in about an 1/8" too far:mad: . So I have two options and I would like to find a better solution. The way the house came the outlets themselves where not screwed in tight and that made the outlet covers fit nice and snug to the outlets. BUT the outlets themselves sort of "swam" a bit inside t he box. To me that seemed unsafe so I went thru and removed all the plates and tightened the outlets snug to the juntion box. This makes them sit "into the wall" enough so that now when I snug the plates up to the box I generally have one or two break right there and within a few months i have half a dozen broken ones. Aside from callling in an electrician and having them all replaced what is my solution here?
Tim,
In the electrical dept at Home Depot they have yellow colored flexible/stackable spacers made just for your needs. They come in a packet and are not expensive. If you have trouble finding them ask a store person (if you can find one) and they should be able to direct you to them. Another think I do is pay a little more money and get nylon unbreakable cover plates. I use the nylon blank plates to cut my own patterns into for special wall projects.
David B

[David G Baker]

Tim, I have found some spacer material made just for this purpose at my local borg. It comes in a plastic bag packaging and may be found hanging from one of the posts in the electrical department. It consists of thin (maybe 1/16"?) rubbery/plasticy/nylony (non-conductive) wafers that are attached to each other in strips of.....oh, about 8 I guess (I'm really not sure how many are on each strip). The material is molded thinner between each rectangular wafer to facilitate folding or tearing. You choose how many you think you may need and the tear off that number and fold them up accordian style. Then, you slide them on the screw, top and bottom of course, and then screw the recept on. You may need to get longer 8-32 screws for the recepts however.

Also, you should be able to find Nylon cover plates there at the borg. They are usually right next to the hard plastic ones or at least in the same vicinity. The Nylon plates are very flexible and give a whole bunch but because they give, they don't support the recept as well while pulling and pushing on a plug. Getting the recept to install tight would be my first objective.


HTH
Mark,
Great minds think a like.
DAvid

[Jim Becker]

Aside from proper spacers, I also like to use the "unbreakable" covers...they cost a little more, but can flex if you have to crank them down.

[Tim Morton]

I did not find the spacers....or any real employees...but I did find some powder coated metal covers that were only a couple bucks each. I will try these and continue to look for the spacers.

thanks!!

[Bryan Somers]

Take a look at this (http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=103391-223-B1EXT-CRD&lpage=none) extender that I used several times in the house when redoing a room. The fellow that built it I dont think undestood the concept of mounting the boxes so their flush with a finished wall.

[Mark Rios]

Take a look at this (http://

?action=productDetail&productId=103391-223-B1EXT-CRD&lpage=none) extender that I used several times in the house when redoing a room. The fellow that built it I dont think undestood the concept of mounting the boxes so their flush with a finished wall.


Actually, the outlet box installer (electrician) quite probably put that box and all of the other boxes in the standard place/positon. It's the drywaller's responsibility to cut the hole tight enough so that the ears on the recept hit on the top and the bottom. Depending on where you live in the country, the odds are good that the guy who cut any given hole for a switch or a recept has no clue about mounting/installing a switch or receptacle. All they know is that the hole needs to be roughly 2 x 4...."Uh oh...it's a half inch to big, oh well.....Just cut the hole....faster, faster, faster, faster, faster........it's close enough, it's close enough, it's close enough...." :mad: :mad: :mad: One thing the drywallers DO know about that outlet?...that they make oversize outlet plates. :rolleyes:


Here's one method for a fix from Family Handyman:

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/19468/

Here's a pic of the spacers that I referred to:

http://www.doityourself.com/invt/6312409

And here's another type although I've never seen this type over here in CA

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product.asp?product=150443zz&cm_ven=youramigo&cm_cat=0107&cm_ite=spiderlinker&code=macs=MP7SPDR


HTH

[David G Baker]

Mark,
The yellow spacers are the type I got from Home Depot. Every time I go to HD I check out the Electric supply area and every time I see the yellow spacers. I go to price the copper wire, hoping that the price will drop low enough to stock up for future projects.
David B

[Mark Rios]

David?.....You and me?.....We must be twins...............................;) :D

[Peter Stahl]

Most recepticles come with the little spacers on them but some electricians break them off. Try your local electrical supply or hardware store as they are usually much more helpful and they know where everything is. I thing my local electricle supply is cheaper and has better quality stuff than HD. I know what you're talking about but if you get the screws just right the cover and outlet/recepticle will stay put.

[David G Baker]

David?.....You and me?.....We must be twins...............................;) :D
Mark,
Maybe on the twin thing. I also know the Modesto area a little. Years ago I worked for Channel 10 news in Sacramento and they had a news bureau in Stockton. The reporters that worked the area were good friends of mine. I lived in Antioch CA for around 30 years. That is near Concord.
I now live in Michigan and really like it. Doubt that I will ever move back to CA. Still have a bunch of family in the Sacramento area. My youngest son worked for a forklift company in Modesto a couple of years back.
David B

[Terry Kelly]

Something I use regularly for this problem is a small diameter plastic tubing. Last stuff I bought was like $.10 a foot.. Works like a charm easy to cut to custom lenght too....

[Dan Mages]

As far as the plates are concerned, you are a wood worker... make som!! ;)

Dan

And yes, spacers are the way to go.

[Bryan Somers]

Actually, the outlet box installer (electrician) quite probably put that box and all of the other boxes in the standard place/positon. It's the drywaller's responsibility to cut the hole tight enough so that the ears on the recept hit on the top and the bottom. Depending on where you live in the country, the odds are good that the guy who cut any given hole for a switch or a recept has no clue about mounting/installing a switch or receptacle. All they know is that the hole needs to be roughly 2 x 4...."Uh oh...it's a half inch to big, oh well.....Just cut the hole....faster, faster, faster, faster, faster........it's close enough, it's close enough, it's close enough...." :mad: :mad: :mad: One thing the drywallers DO know about that outlet?...that they make oversize outlet plates. :rolleyes:


Here's one method for a fix from Family Handyman:

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/19468/

Here's a pic of the spacers that I referred to:

http://www.doityourself.com/invt/6312409

And here's another type although I've never seen this type over here in CA

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product.asp?product=150443zz&cm_ven=youramigo&cm_cat=0107&cm_ite=spiderlinker&code=macs=MP7SPDR


HTH

Good links Mark I will definatly have to be on a look out for them