I'm not sure exactly what sort of boxes you're talking about there, but 16mm surface-mounted boxes are obviously still widely available (and could, I suppose, be sunk into plaster if one really wanted to).
Kind Regards, John
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Kind Regards, John
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I'm not sure exactly what sort of boxes you're talking about there, but 16mm surface-mounted boxes are obviously still widely available (and could, I suppose, be sunk into plaster if one really wanted to).
Kind Regards, John
The plastic inserts are for Decoration/ Aesphetics, not really designed to protect from unearthed Exposed conductive parts
They can, but as they are normally the size of the switch it would be hard I quess to get a nice finished edge, best PVC box maybe, to flush in would likely be a Dado trunking box
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True, but if one wants to be pragmatic .... if the screw is recessed enough to enable a cap/insert to be fitted, then the chances of anyone ever managing to touch one of the screw heads must be very small - and the probability of anyone doing that at the same time that the backbox was 'live' is incredibly small ... and the probability of that happening when there is also some bit of plastic (even if intended for decorative/aesthetic purposes) in the way is ....... (I'm thinking about people being struck by lightning!) !
Kind Regards, John
16mm surface-mounted boxes CAN be sunk into the plaster - but you can't plaster up to them nicely and the switch faceplate can't hide the imperfections.
A flush box is smaller, so you can plaster round it, and the faceplate sits on the plaster and should be a perfect fit.
EDIT. Were you referring to the PVC flush boxes I mentioned that are not available easily now?
These were like the metal flush knockout boxes we know, only plastic. They were often used in purpose built flats in conjunction with round conduit, which had made the switch from metal to plastic.
These boxes often experienced the exact problem described by the op, and I have often had to find a way of overcoming this problem - usually changing for a metal one or fixing a surface pattress over it.
Fortunately these were fairly short-lived, AFAIK.
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Even using a plastic surface pattress, the screws could become live - so is using an unearthed metal box with metal lugs really any different?
No, as I said, I wasn't aware of the PVC boxes you referred to.
Kind Regards, John
I would have thought that one would have to scrape the barrel of 'incredibly unlikely scenarios' very deeply to think of a way in which the screws of a plastic surface box could 'become live', wouldn't one?
Kind Regards, John
Pinching a wire when screwing the screw in?
Others (including you) might disagree, but I think I would probably regard that as qualifying as 'barrel scraping'
Kind Regards, John
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Its one way of getting around the risk of shock, they need a tool to remove them, ok its not the original purpose but better than nothing
Indeed - and, as I said, the probability of managing to touch a screw head of such an accessory, let alone the probability of managing to touch a screw head whilst the backbox is 'live', is so incredibly small that the "better than nothing" addition of a plastic insert/cap is, in common sense terms, surely 'enough'?
Kind Regards, John
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Site applied insulation lol
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