bluedog225
Well-known member
I’m obviously no electrician. Am I thinking wrong or should this cover fit on this junction box? I can probably make it fit but I feel like I don’t understand something basic. Any thoughts appreciated.
Junction box covers
- Thread starter bluedog225
- Start date
racecougar
Well-known member
Looks like the corners of the box may have been over-bent.
ratflinger
Well-known member
Not a sparky, but I have stayed at the HI Express before. You have a junction box and a switch cover. They don't go together and they are not supposed to. You need to go get a switch box and a junction box cover, then you'll have 2 usable boxes.
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Wide angle cameras on phones make close up pics like this tough. That tab on the bottom left looks wonky though
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Cover should fit, box is tweaked. OP have you been shopping at Restore again? 
OP
bluedog225
Well-known member
Guilty. I picked up a dozen of these for a buck each.
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Well, now you know why they were only 1$
Bottom left ear in the pic looks like it's bent in a solid 1/8" more than it should be. Use pliers or a crescent wrench to bend it back to where it belongs and everything should line up. Top right ear might also be bent in too far - hard to tell from the pic.
racecougar
Well-known member
Sarcasm? Dry humor?
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
You should ask for a refund from Holiday Inn Express. That box and cover are certainly made to work with one another.
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Untweak em. Good as new.
ratflinger
Well-known member
Whatever you wish to believe is fine by meYou should ask for a refund from Holiday Inn Express. That box and cover are certainly are made to work with one another.
OP
bluedog225
Well-known member
Great. Thanks all. I had two boxes and they were both off. I worked it and they both can take the cover.
PopcornSutton
Well-known member
Set the box on the corner without the tabs and smack the opposite corner and it should expand the hole spacing.
racecougar
Well-known member
Have a link to the "switch box" you're recommending?
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
But then you have to use a standard wall plate cover that will overhang the box, looks silly in surface mount application and provides a edge to catch things (like fingers) on. The 4" square surface covers mount flush to the junction box edges. I prefer to use a 4" drawn box with round corners, matches the cover even better.
Might want to take a look at pages 7-14 in this document: Steel city Boxes and Covers Seems like the manufacturer intends for that style of cover to work with a 4 Square box.
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mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Wait til they respond and you'll get why I added the emoji
finn
Well-known member
Get a 4” box. Spend a few minutes in the electrical aisle and you’ll figure it out,
The box you have is a junction box, not an outlet box.
It’s not tweaked, it’s just that your photo is out of place, and thus distorted.
The box you have is a junction box, not an outlet box.
It’s not tweaked, it’s just that your photo is out of place, and thus distorted.
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It's impressive how confidently incorrect people can be in a thread with proof that they are wrong.
sparky 1971
Well-known member
********. You ought know by now that I only use the 1" deep handy boxes. Those 1-7/8 deep you posted are a waste of money. And I thought you were a good accountant.
You should have found the one with 8.5 cubic inch capacity.
sparky 1971
Well-known member
There are covers for handy boxes. Switch, decorator, single and duplex receptacle, and blank.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I'll be a better person, but have to ask... Be honest, how many of these are on your truck?
sparky 1971
Well-known member
It should fit unless there is something wrong with the box. It happens, yesterday I bent the side of a box in about 3/4" just trying to get a factory knockout punched out. Everythingbis junk these days.I’m obviously no electrician. Am I thinking wrong or should this cover fit on this junction box? I can probably make it fit but I feel like I don’t understand something basic. Any thoughts appreciated.
Those should work together, something is wrong with the box.
Not a 4-11/16. They have a goofy screw pattern.
Attachments
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sparky 1971
Well-known member
$1 is about right. I get them at the supply house for $.95 and the box stores for about $1.50.
sparky 1971
Well-known member
Thank you. No wasted cubic inches.I'll be a better person, but have to ask... Be honest, how many of these are on your truck?
sparky 1971
Well-known member
Of those, zero. I only use them as a splice box for the sensors for overhead doors when I wire pole barns and shops with exposed conduit. I do try to keep one 2-1/8 deep handy box for the once in a while time a 4" square box won't fit where I need it to. And I have zero use for the standard 1-7/8 deep not so handy box.I'll be a better person, but have to ask... Be honest, how many of these are on your truck?
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Did you happen to miss the post (#16) from the OP where after straightening the box, the covers work just fine?
The boxes were clearly tweaked. It is a 4" box and a 4" cover and they will work just fine together as the OP reported.
I despise the name "handy box". I instantly picture 8.5 cubic inches of hell surface mounted while in reality the thing in the package is a 2-1/8 inch new work deep box with a stud bracket.
sparky 1971
Well-known member
There are 2-1/8 deep surface mounted handy boxes, those are the only kind I will use if I have to use one for a device. The standard handy boxes that people get scolded for are 1-7/8 deep. I was going to take a picture, but I don't have one on my truck. Then I was going to post a link but my copy and paste won't work. Google Raco 8670.
I saw a work order once that specified a bunch of RACO 671s... not quite what I would call a "handy box" but I guess RACO had a different idea. To me a "handy box" was always a surface mount box with absolute **** volume.
Honestly if people would just use 4S boxes everywhere...
manwithtools
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Meursault74
Well-known member
OP
