plug mounting screws

[koditten]

The screws that are incluced with new plugs, the ones used to mount the plugs to the box. These flat blade screws are a pain in the ***. You can't use a drill motor with a screw driver bit because the the bit usually spins out of the slot.

My question is can you replace the screws with regular drywall screws. The dry wall screws work great on the plastic boxes. Any time I replace a plug I use these. I need to know if an electrical inspector would fail an inspection because the original plug screws were replaced with course thread drywll screws.

I have no idea why an electrical receptical has both regular screws and phillips.

Thanks
Kirk

 

[truckman5000]

yes, theres a pointed end to a sheetrock screw, and yes because its not perfesional

 

[MrMark]

Those screws **** for sure but I would not replace them with drywall screws. The recep screws are self tapping machine screws. The drywall are totally different. Using drywall screws is rather half-azzed. I don't know if an inspector would fail you but he should. You are ruining your boxes too.

Get the right screwdriver and you will be good to go. Wiha makes one, and so does Wera. Milwaukee even has one. You need a combo PH2/SL or R1/SL. Good luck

I don't know what you mean though by a receptical having both regular and phillips screws? All the screws - both the mounting and the wiring - are triple drive on the Leviton devices at least.

 

[mrb]

the screws that come with the device are part of the device's UL listing, and you cant replace them with something else. Ive seen alot of drywall screws in crappy tract home construction, i think they get away with it because the inspector doesnt see those screws due to inspections for rough and final.

 

[Aceman]

Are these new devices you're installing or old stock? Old houses are the only place I come across flatheads securing the device to the box.

All the devices I install have philips to mount them to the box and secure the wires to the side. The only flatheads are the cover screws.

I keep a philips bit chucked up in my 12v Li-Ion drill just for devices.

the screws that come with the device are part of the device's UL listing, and you cant replace them with something else. Ive seen alot of drywall screws in crappy tract home construction, i think they get away with it because the inspector doesnt see those screws due to inspections for rough and final.

I WOULD NOT use drywall screws as a replacement but replacing the factory screws with longer ones is done all the time when the box gets set back to far in the wall for one reason or another. There's no reason he can't change the screws to philips if he wants.

 

[koditten]

These are kind of the responses I was expecting. No worries. Until you try using the drywall screws with the plastic boxes you won't know how well they work. I plan to keep using the drywall screws for remodel porposes. I'll keep things "factory" if I do any new construction, which I don't plan. I'll leave that for the "professionals".

I was only looking for the reasoning for using the untra fine thread screws vs the speed and ease of the course thread of a drywall screw. We all know the course threads hold a lot better and resist stripping out.

Give me some real justifications besides its "not code".

 

[MrMark]

With that kind of attitude I doubt you'll get any more responses. You've been told why you shouldn't use them and if "code" doesn't mean anything to you why did you ask in the first place. Suit yourself and keep doing things your way as you obviously know better.

For lack of a proper screwdriver keep using drywall screws. I can put one of those fine threaded screws in a new plastic box in about 4 seconds with my 12 V Impact Driver and a wera phillips bit. I don't even bother with the ph2/sl on those as the Wera phillips does the job without stripping.

I wonder why anyone tries to help anyone on this forum sometimes. I never see any thanks given and then we have this . . .

 

[Aceman]

These are kind of the responses I was expecting. No worries. Until you try using the drywall screws with the plastic boxes you won't know how well they work. I plan to keep using the drywall screws for remodel porposes. I'll keep things "factory" if I do any new construction, which I don't plan. I'll leave that for the "professionals".

I was only looking for the reasoning for using the untra fine thread screws vs the speed and ease of the course thread of a drywall screw. We all know the course threads hold a lot better and resist stripping out.

Give me some real justifications besides its "not code".

If you can't do it the way a professional would I guess that just makes you a hack?

The factory machine screws IMO hold very well in plastic boxes. If you want to use a bugle type drywall screw instead of panhead type screw on a flat device yoke go ahead. It screams DIY but you don't care anyhow...

 

[MrMark]

Not only that Ace, but the drywall screws will strip that plastic after a few cycles and then you are done. I cringe whenever dealing with a coarse screw in plastic.

 

[Norcal]

Drywall screws are for what????? It irks the hell out of me to come behind someone who has used them to mount devices to a plastic box, use the correct tool & there is no problems driving the manufacturer supplied screws, my favorite tool for that is a Milwaukee 2.4V screwshooter (not sure if still made) because a regular cordless drill is too fast & heavy to do the job.There IMHO no reason to use drywall screws EVER for mounting devices. Drywall screws are for hacks.