Making a Outdoor J Box Weatherproof

[mobiledynamics]

I had a pro-electrician do a exterior run for our Hvac.

Regular Bell Box used a J Box to transition from interior to exterior.
Noticed that one of the cover screws was rusty.
Removed the cover and found water inside it.

I ended up proceeding to make weep holes on the bottom of this box.
Also replaced his regular wirenuts with the ones filled with the silicone.

Also removed the regular cheap gasket they provide with these boxes, and bought a piece of silicone sheet and made a better gasket between cover and box.

Need some ideas or suggestions on resolving this

- Any idea on to drill out a screw that is sheared off inside one of the screw mount holes in the cast alum box. I don't think a regular drill and retap will work.

-Suggestion on further alternative means on weatherproofing this box. I suspect water may also be coming in from either the hub fitting or the other 2 screw covers ontop of this box.

-The run from this box is PVC so it's not a easy fix on redoinng the hub connection unless I cut it, and the use a coupler..

 

[sberry]

put a cover over it, anti freeze jug with top cut off works great.

 

[Mustang51js]

Silicone around box and where wire comes into box. Most of the time water gets in from the cover so if you put a better weather seal you should be good. Haven't found a way to get the broken screws out yet either.

 

[alfredeneuman]

As an alternate to removing the broken screw,

There are 6 or more 6-32 tapped holes meant for covers in a Bell box.

They're on both sides of the 2 you would normally use.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Remove the plugs that are used to plug the unused threaded holes, RTV/silicone them and screw them back in and wipe off the excess.

Charles

 

[RECox286]

Throw the pot metal box away (as far as you can toss it)

and look for a PVC box with the features that you need for

the installation. You can get wx proof entrance connectors

that will actually keep water out. Your idea of replacing the

cover gasket is a good move, as well as using silicone filled

wire nuts. When you tuck the wire nuts, insure that the

wire nut is in the wire-down position so that any condensation

running down the wire will not end up in the nut. I have a

devil of a time with electric construction here on the Island

in central NJ. Most electricians keep the few of us that take

pains to keep things dry, busier than a hive of one armed wall

paper hangers. We have a terrible time with wx proofing and

that doesn't mean just on the outside-in-the-wx stuff. The

humidity, salt and air infiltration makes it a really 'fun time'

vocation. Then Sandy comes along... Still digging out !

Uncle Bob