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#62968 03/03/06 04:44 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 5
L
Lesmcw Offline OP
Junior Member
Hi: Do you electrical contractors in the USA ever use gasketed electrical boxes in house wiring. We have to use either them, or plastic vapour barriers around any boxes in outside walls and ceilings to ensure a continuous vapour barried in the house. If so, who makes the gasketed ones you use. Also, i was looking at some of the US Boxes, and could not see a ground bar in them. Do you have to tie your grounds to the box (Yes, Even the plastic ones here have a metal strip that we have to ground, and it goes to the screw hole where the device is mounted in. The reason i am asking is because these boxes (Single gang) cost about $3.25 each at our wholesalers, and i was wondering if i can find them any cheaper elsewhere.

#62969 03/03/06 05:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 687
A
Member
There are plenumn boxes, wips, etc. at Garvin: http://www.electrical-supply.net/index.asp

I don't think that's what you want?

Tom

#62970 03/04/06 01:20 AM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 91
G
Member
Quote
Also, i was looking at some of the US Boxes, and could not see a ground bar in them. Do you have to tie your grounds to the box?
Yes, but it's achieved by simply connecting one of the grounding conductors to a screw in the back of the box.

Quote
Even the plastic ones here have a metal strip that we have to ground, and it goes to the screw hole where the device is mounted in.
The US solution: say hello to Mr. Wirenut. [Linked Image]


-George
#62971 03/04/06 11:16 AM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 599
J
JBD Offline
Member
I have used the Union Box line from Thomas and Betts.
Page 5 at: http://www.tnb.com/contractor/docs/union.pdf

#62972 03/04/06 11:39 AM
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 212
G
Member
Les- If we use an all plastic box for holding a device such as a switch or receptacle the box is not bonded. We must splice all the grounding conductors together and then pigtail for a termination on the device. Multi gang boxes require multiple pigtails or 1 long one that hits all the devices.
We don't use gasketed boxes much but I have seen them. We add a gasket between the trim plate and wall or ceiling, but they are so easy to remove and throw away afterward I consider them worse than useless.

#62973 03/04/06 02:21 PM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
Florida may be changing the plastic box situation. They have an emergency amendment to require bonding steel framing members and that will probably mean some type of bonding box. Of course metal will work but metal boxes are rare here. I guess contractors will have to decide what the best way is to accomplish this. I think a metal box here and there will do it (one per each isolated wall segment)


Greg Fretwell
#62974 03/04/06 04:41 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 57
D
Member
[Linked Image]

[This message has been edited by distributor x (edited 05-03-2006).]

#62975 03/05/06 04:33 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 5
L
Lesmcw Offline OP
Junior Member
Hi Distributor x...
You wrote: There are cheaper boxes coming into canada now from China, however there is a noticeable difference in quality when compared to Iberville or Temco
Hell, there is a huge difference in quality between Temco (Hubbell) and Iberville (Nu-tek) but you still sell them both?

Would i pocket the money or pass on savings to customers and erode the market???
Hello!!! Of Course i will try and save the customer money...you call it "erode the market" AND yes, i will also pocket the money as well! It's called Contracting.

Your Good Contractors tell you to raise your prices? I have spent a lot of hours at suppliers and NEVER heard anything like that, but i often hear contractors asking for better prices. Maybe your business would boom by raising them even higher? (Or are you trying to "Erode the market" by selling them so cheap to begin with?.

As for CSA or ULC, as soon as i find a Manufacturer that can make them cheaper, i will see if they have or will get CSA or any of the other 7 accepted approvals. If they already have "UL" approval, it is quite easy to have it tested for ULC.

#62976 03/05/06 01:09 PM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,158
Member
distributor x I was wondering if you know what brand the cheaper import boxes are. I am asking this so I can avoid buying these things. #1 if they are plasticx I have a feeling that these would be a nightmare to use in winter temperatures.

#62977 03/05/06 01:51 PM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,876
E
e57 Offline
Member
"I have a feeling that these would be a nightmare to use in winter temperatures."

We just had a cold snap here, it got down to a whopping fridgid 45 F, (that's cold for here!) and had boxes blowing out the whole back. Really I can't imagine working anywhere colder....


Mark Heller
"Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason
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