Replace electrical box

[etc6849]

This is what I would do too; if the boxes are alreay back to back, you don't have a whole lot of easier options. You could also try to move one switch lower or higher (whichever direction the wire length will allow), but this is a lot of patch work.

neuro - it sounds like there are two boxes back to back on opposite sides of the wall... so there isn't much depth to work with.

As far as getting the old box out - what I've done in the past (after reading the article that Dan linked above) - is expand the hole to the size of a 2-gang old work box, then you have plenty of room to pry the old box out and pull it out of the hole as you work the wires out of the box.

I just crammed a pry bar next to the box and worked it off the stud - since I had plenty of room to the side to wiggle/work it out... although the sawzall idea isn't bad.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

I've seen some boxes that have extra space to the side that you can use, you sort of rotate them into position. I.e. they're as wide as a double gang even though the portion coming through the drywall is only a single gang.

Example : http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Electrical-Boxes-Conduit-Fittings-Boxes-Brackets/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbohn/R-202077341/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Unfortunately, they don't seem to have any dual gang + extra space ones...

If it wasn't against a stud you could maybe manage to get two of them side by side (each one sliding it's extra space to the opposite side).

I checked Carlon's catalog they don't have any dual gang models.

 

[ddennerline]

I have the same situation, but every switch box is metal and shallow. The house was built 40 years ago. Leviton’s VRSXX switches have specific box size requirements. I started using a Sawzall, but gave up due to potential code violations and retrofit problems.

1. The wire length in some case is not long enough to handle the deeper boxes while maintaining 1/4 inch sheathing requirement.
2. The code requirement to staple within 12 inch. Due to age and using metal boxes, the big majority of wires are stapled much farther away in my house. Metal boxes have a secure connection whereas plastic boxes do not.
   

I have sort of become a master drywall repair and painter technician. The Porter store IMHO has the best paint matching capabilities.
I really like the new Rockwell SoniCrafter saw has become my new favorite tool for box extraction/replacement. It leaves very small amounts of dust and a thin kerf make patching easier. I have tried many different tools/techniques.

If I had known about all the retrofit problems up front, I probably would have thought twice about automated lighting. I am pretty sure all the HA lighting technologies require deeper-than-normal boxes.

 

[tmbrown97]

Since the OP has said he was just eyeballing the box locations, I find it extremely unlikely that the builder literally put two boxes back-to-back... so there's a huge chance that this is all wasted effort and he could go back to just pulling the existing box and replacing it with a deeper one.

The deep switchplates seem like a good find as a last possible measure - at least to me - but that's about personal opinion. It would never look "standard" - and that out-of-place protruding wallplate would drive me nuts.

If by some chance the OP eyeballed dead-on (I couldn't!) and found that the boxes were literally back-to-back, then I'd patch the drywall and move it over 3" so it clears and just put in an old-work box - those don't have to be attached to studs.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

I'm pretty sure the staple within 12 inches isn't really quite the same rule for retrofit / old work, if you're dropping a new line for example - i mean, how are you supposed to without massively opening up the wall? I was under the impression it was more to make sure that the lines never fell loosely where you wouldn't expect them and accidentally pierce them with a nail or screw, when doing sheetrock or hanging things or whatever. The clamp in the back of the box will take care of keeping it from falling out of the box ... ??

 

[Del91574]

Arlington makes a back to back box for being installed in a common wall, full stud bay.

 

[klindy]

Mike,

How old are the original boxes? In my house (build circa 1978) they used a fiber resin box (phelonic resin?) which is similar to fiberglass. I was able to simply slip a screw driver between the box and the stud and pry it into the box. This usually started to break up the box and I'd get either a pair of diagonal wire cutters or linesman pliers and break up the box the rest of the way. Generally I've even been able to keep the original switch(es) wired in place and just break the box from around the switch.

After I got all the old box out of the way, I rewired as required and replaced the box with a typical Carlon "old work" deep box. In all my situation I had to open up the hole slightly for the new box which gave me a chance to clean up any drywall damage around the hole and, in some case, a chance to drill the stud for additional wires.

Sometimes I had to drop a new power cable (for a required neutral or additional wires for switches). Those generally just came down the same stud space as the box. At all the locations I "changed boxes" I ran a cat5e cable for hardwired lights. In those cases, I ran the cable down the adjacent stud space and cross drilled a 1/4"-3/8" hole diagonally thru the stud starting just above the box location (imagine drilling upwards about at a 45 degree angle thru the stud. The 3-1/2" stud depth allows the hole to angle from the face of the wall to the back of the stud cavity.

Worked everytime and I was able to run LV to each switch location and install a deep box.

 

[potts.mike]

It's a 2gang galvanized metal box in a small bathroom. It's the only switch cover in the room so having a slightly deeper one won't stand out. Also, as soon as we save up enough money the entire bathroom is going to be gutted and redone, it's original to the house, 1958. I also have zero free time these days so it just seems easier To go with the switch cover which will be here on Wednesday. I'll let you guys know how it goes.