grsthegreat
Super Star Member
ok..heres my 2 cents worth. I'm an electrical contractor..have over 30 years in the industry.
I have no problems with the plastic boxes, but their quality does vary. i've tried the blue boxes from home depot, and usually break quite a few of them while nailing them on the wall. However, the black BOWER brand boxes from my supply house, which are a little more $$$, NEVER break. you get what you pay for.
I always use plastic FAN RATED boxes for all surface mount light fixtures. they can support up to 150# stationary load or 75# fan ratings.
the above is for residential.
For commercial i always use metal boxes. Why the difference, because on commercial work i generally use metal EMT conduit, flex conduit or MC/BX metal clad wiring as per code here in Idaho. The code has loosened up some and now allows romex wiring in commercial, but i wont use that. Doesn't allow for changes later like EMT pipe does. And commercial businesses are always changing. When you use metal conduit, you HAVE to use metal boxes.
i really feel that there is no problem with plastic boxes in residential use. Most outlets have something plugged into them, and remains plugged in them forever. They don't have constant movements. That being said, i use metal boxes in all my shops and garages.
When i wire horse barns, i use metal EMT pipe and metal boxes (no rodents, horse damage).
I wired my shop and carriage barn in metal conduit. why not, its mine.
as far as bonding improvements with metal boxes go, you don't need to bond plastic, and the end result is that the outlet IS grounded, so the bonding is irrelevant.
also, as for the 1 gang vs 2 gang cost differences, im confused. i use whats called a 4 square box. its just a 4" x 4" open faced box with or without mounting flanges. cost about 1.10 here. then i can configure it for either a 1 gang or a 2 gang device by using a plaster ring (mud ring). the 1 gang costs the same as the 2 gang, about a buck. i get these at whatever depth the finish wall will be, 1/2", 5/8",etc.
i think you've been buying the 2 gang boxes with the device screws already attached....no one uses those. hence the high cost.
the boxes i use are available up to 8 gang configurations. i have included pics of the 4 square box with both covers, and also a picture of the expensive box i wont use. hope this helps
also, plastic boxes have a 2 hour fire rating. if the metal screws on the receptacle make contact with the metal box...BAMM, small explosion and tripped breaker. this is the reason to bond (ground) the metal box.
That's why you should wrap the side of the terminals with vinyl tape. I don't have this issue with plastic boxes. A commercial rated receptacle (about $4-6.00 each) have recessed screws to prevent shorting.
I have no problems with the plastic boxes, but their quality does vary. i've tried the blue boxes from home depot, and usually break quite a few of them while nailing them on the wall. However, the black BOWER brand boxes from my supply house, which are a little more $$$, NEVER break. you get what you pay for.
I always use plastic FAN RATED boxes for all surface mount light fixtures. they can support up to 150# stationary load or 75# fan ratings.
the above is for residential.
For commercial i always use metal boxes. Why the difference, because on commercial work i generally use metal EMT conduit, flex conduit or MC/BX metal clad wiring as per code here in Idaho. The code has loosened up some and now allows romex wiring in commercial, but i wont use that. Doesn't allow for changes later like EMT pipe does. And commercial businesses are always changing. When you use metal conduit, you HAVE to use metal boxes.
i really feel that there is no problem with plastic boxes in residential use. Most outlets have something plugged into them, and remains plugged in them forever. They don't have constant movements. That being said, i use metal boxes in all my shops and garages.
When i wire horse barns, i use metal EMT pipe and metal boxes (no rodents, horse damage).
I wired my shop and carriage barn in metal conduit. why not, its mine.
as far as bonding improvements with metal boxes go, you don't need to bond plastic, and the end result is that the outlet IS grounded, so the bonding is irrelevant.
also, as for the 1 gang vs 2 gang cost differences, im confused. i use whats called a 4 square box. its just a 4" x 4" open faced box with or without mounting flanges. cost about 1.10 here. then i can configure it for either a 1 gang or a 2 gang device by using a plaster ring (mud ring). the 1 gang costs the same as the 2 gang, about a buck. i get these at whatever depth the finish wall will be, 1/2", 5/8",etc.
i think you've been buying the 2 gang boxes with the device screws already attached....no one uses those. hence the high cost.
the boxes i use are available up to 8 gang configurations. i have included pics of the 4 square box with both covers, and also a picture of the expensive box i wont use. hope this helps
also, plastic boxes have a 2 hour fire rating. if the metal screws on the receptacle make contact with the metal box...BAMM, small explosion and tripped breaker. this is the reason to bond (ground) the metal box.
That's why you should wrap the side of the terminals with vinyl tape. I don't have this issue with plastic boxes. A commercial rated receptacle (about $4-6.00 each) have recessed screws to prevent shorting.