How To Remove Old Metal Ceiling Electrical Box

Outlets light switches ceiling lights ceiling fans and transition wires are just a few of the items that are installed in electrical boxes.

How to remove old metal ceiling electrical box.

Unfasten the screws if the box is held to the ceiling joist with screws. Some plastic boxes have nails permanently installed through flanges and nail to the side of the joist. Both metal and plastic boxes can be mounted to the side of a ceiling joist by driving screws through the bracket permanently attached to the side of the box. After you take down a light fixture from the ceiling and remove the wiring you re left with the ceiling box.

I posted some time back regarding this and someone mentioned to take a bar and bend it out. The typical metal box in a ceiling is either an 8 b octagon or a 1900 4 x4. These welds don t break very easily. Number 10 x 1 5 sheet metal screws were used to secured the pancake box to the ceiling joist.

How does one go about removing this. This seems to be destroying the wall. Electrical boxes are the workhorse of electrical repairs and remodels serving as end or transition points for electrical cables. Go into your attic to identify and remove an old ceiling light box.

Use pliers to remove the nuts and release the box. Remove the box from the ceiling. Remove the fixture mounting bracket by taking out the 8 32 screws holding it in. The 8 b does not usually have a mud ring installed.

If the box is nailed to the joist loosen the box by striking it with a hammer. Any tips on how to remove a metal outlet box the older ones that have ears on the top and bottom that are nailed into the studs. Remove the box and pull the bars from the ceiling joists. If a bar hanger supports the box between two ceiling joists cut through the bar with a hacksaw.

The finished replacement of an old style pancake ceiling electrical box ready for a standard light fixture the box above is ready for a standard light fixture installation. Many ceiling boxes are plastic and. Turn the power off to this circuit. Removing the screws releases the box.

I have searched high and low even looking for older products and their manuals but no luck as this box seems to be ancient. Both are typically mounted using a metal strap spot welded to the side of the box. If the box is installed in the ceiling two nuts in the top of the box may be holding the box in place. They are secured very well.

The current electrical box in the ceiling is a very old type as shown in the picture i attached. Repairing a loose ceiling electrical box.