Used to just wire everything in plastic boxes until a fire call changed my mind

Tbh I spent the first 5 years of my career using plastic nail-on boxes for everything, even in basements and garages. Never really thought twice about it cause that's what my first boss always bought in bulk from the supply house. Then about 3 years ago I got called to a job where a plastic box had melted from a loose neutral, almost started a fire in someone's crawlspace. That scared me straight. Now I run metal boxes on any exposed work or areas near insulation, even if it's a little more expensive and takes longer to install. I still use plastic for simple wall boxes in finished rooms, but I definitely switched my approach. Has anyone else changed their box material choices after seeing something go wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

briancarter1mo ago

Well that's what I get for trusting a plastic box to hold more than my grocery bags.

william_henderson1mo ago

Yeah, plastic totes and grocery bags have this unspoken agreement that eventually one of them is going to fail. I had a bin full of old board games collapse on me last week. The poor Monopoly box took the WORST of it, all those little hotels and houses scattered across the floor like confetti. At least your groceries didn't start a miniature property war in your kitchen.