Replace Ceiling Electrical Box

Installing a ceiling fan chandelier or other heavy light fixture in an existing ceiling requires the right junction box j box.

Replace ceiling electrical box. Then pry the bar from the joists. You also should replace a ceiling box if the existing one is loose or damaged. If it s nailed to a joist pry it free with a flat bar. Remove the old electrical box from the ceiling.

Pry out the box s mounting nails and pull the box down from the ceiling. Disconnect the cable from the box. A square electrical box also known as a double gang box houses two devices. If the box has a cable clamp remove the locknut.

The box shown has a slot that the cable slides through. Number 10 x 1 5 sheet metal screws were used to secured the pancake box to the ceiling joist. We use an old work electrical box to replace a damaged or loose. Typical 1 1 2 to 2 in.

Deep octagonal or round ceiling boxes are quite large and overcrowding is rarely a problem. Broken plastic electrical box swing clamp supports allowed the box to fall from the ceiling leaving the light fixture hanging by its electrical wires. Having access to your attic is convenient when replacing an electrical box in the ceiling but you also can do the work from inside your room under the ceiling. Ceiling light boxes consist of metal or plastic boxes.

See the section on calculating box sizes. The round or octagonal box houses lightweight fixtures or safety devices in the ceiling. The family handyman editor in chief gary wentz will show you how to remove an old light and install a ceiling fan brace so you can properly install a new c. Most ceiling boxes are large enough.

The nec dictates how many wires and clamps you can safely put in an electrical box. Even so you should run through the calculations to be sure. They ll have a combination outlet switch or a pair of outlets switches inside. How to replace electrical box for ceiling light.

Hold a 1 2 inch thick pancake box against the ceiling centered on a joist and trace around it with a pencil. If it s suspended from a bar you may have to take off a metal plate to unscrew the box. Pry the tab and pull the cable out.