Should I rip out all junction boxes!

[thornton_chris]

I have just been reading this post....

http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=187857

Having just finished re-doing bits of my house I know that there are plenty of these junction boxes and some are concealed in ceiling voids which cannot be accessed and under floor boards. (not put there by me!)

Should I be concerned about fire?

To replace them I would need to rip out plasterboard which would obvisouly be messy and costly.

 

[ericmark]

It is considered that screws can come lose with the vibrations caused by waking on floor boards etc. So when doing an inspection and test one in theory should test all screws for tightness.

So when the next inspection and test is due then you should consider getting the junction boxes which are hard to access replaced with maintenance free types.

But until the inspection and test is next due no one is likely to test any junction boxes or any other electrical connection for being tight so it does not really matter how accessible if no one is going to test it anyway.

In domestic the periodic inspection and test is done on change of occupant or if occupant does not change every 10 years.

So to look at it in a sensible light then just before you get carpets changed in any room then change the junction boxes to maintenance free.

The problem is of course as soon as one disturbs anything the likely hood of something going wrong increases so never sure if routine maintenance helps or not when screws are tested for being tight. Although using earth loop impedance and prospective fault current meters to test the installation will in the main so long as records are kept for comparison high light problems without the need to disturb any connections.

 

[rebuke]

If you can get to any of them easily, then it's probably worth replacing them, if not I'd not be too worried, if you ever do any work that means you can get at them in future, then change them at that stage.

While I don't like JBs under floors etc, and never do it - it has to be said that many older properties have had JBs in place for years, and are absolutely fine. While there is in theory a small fire risk if terminals were to come loose, the most likely thing to happen is just for something to stop working...