An alternative for shims?

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LouisianaApprentice

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Location
Forest Hill, LA, USA
This contractor I've been with doesn't believe in upsizing plates 1/8 for rock and this leads to the box being recessed back....we also have issues with the non natives not cutting boxes out all the way and them being hinged back into the wall.

I'm looking for somewhere I can find cheap 1/4 round pvc tubing that I can just cut with my small cable cutters as this would be the faster more ideal solution. All boxes have an egg and in commercial applications have a pigtail to box so I'm not worried about self grounding yokes.

I've done the coiling wire, those cheap yellow shims, cutting wire nuts, ect. All those methods take too long for me and others so my foreman has told to not shim them but I think that's a trash business practice that they will notice as soon as they go to plug something in.

An alternatives y'all can think of? Copper coil is too expensive.
 
LouisianaApprentice said:
I'll have to look into that...water lines for fridge hookup? I'm just trying to source the cheapest most mass produced way to get this part so I can keep a bundle in my bag. Thanks for the reply.
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PEX supply lines for sink. This one is 30 inches long for a couple of dollars.

I've bought them and cut into 6-8" pieces to have with me if the drywall isn't right

www.homedepot.com

BrassCraft 3/8 in. O.D. x 30 in. PEX Faucet Riser with Plastic Compression Sleeve P1-30A F - The Home Depot

BrassCraft - 3/8 in. x 30 in. PEX Faucet Supply Line with Sleeve - Perfect for use with potable hot and cold water in faucet and toilet installations, this supply line features a 1-piece reinforced nosepiece.
www.homedepot.com
 
What about just buying plastic spacers?

www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com

Might be cheaper at other suppliers but mcmaster makes buying this kind of stuff really easy, if you need huge qty would be better to get from wholesale electronics hardware distributor.
 
Todd0x1 said:
What about just buying plastic spacers?

www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com

Might be cheaper at other suppliers but mcmaster makes buying this kind of stuff really easy, if you need huge qty would be better to get from wholesale electronics hardware distributor.
Click to expand...
The issue I've consistently run into with spacers is that 3 is not enough, and 4 is too many, and so on
 
Todd0x1 said:
What about just buying plastic spacers?

www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com

Might be cheaper at other suppliers but mcmaster makes buying this kind of stuff really easy, if you need huge qty would be better to get from wholesale electronics hardware distributor.
Click to expand...
They take too long for me to fiddle with is the only reason and it usually takes too many
 
The box is only permitted to be set back from the finished surface up to 1/4". The standard screws on the device should be long enough otherwise you have a bigger problem.
 
I just used a hammer so the finisher could make things right, didn't take long for the GC to fix the problems with the rockers. I have big hands so big holes to fix my boxes (just like a plumber).
 
don't you have misc screws and other hardware assortment of some type you carry on truck/van? Keep those "plaster ears" from the places you need to cut them off, or even some that don't need to be left on for any reason in you assortment. They are great washers and spacers. Need to space about a 1/4", keep some 1/4 nuts in your assortment. I use them often, not just for spacers but seem to need 1/4 bolts/nuts for assembling things anyway and keep some assortment on the truck. 1/4 nut and a couple the plaster ears might be needed in some cases - of course if spacing more than 1/4 you should need a box extender anyway.
 
LouisianaApprentice said:
This contractor I've been with doesn't believe in upsizing plates 1/8 for rock and this leads to the box being recessed back...
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By "plates" do you mean raised rings on 1900 (4x4) boxes? If you (correctly) use a 1/2 inch raise with 1/2" sheetrock it will be about 1/8" from the face. The sheetrock opening should be cut tight to the ring or box. You WANT it to be recessed rather than sticking out, that way the ears can rest on the sheetrock. You tighten your screws enough so that when you install your plate and tighten those screws the plate pulls on the device screws and supports and holds the device in place. So it's the finish plate PULLING on the screws and pushing on the wall that secures the device from moving.

I have no idea why you would normally need washers or shims on the screws. Sounds like you aren't doing something right.

-Hal
 
James L said:
Yes, especially when using mud rings.
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Especially most rings under 1 inch of depth that typically have rounded corners. Square cornered rings I can see being much more like using rotary cutter around a straight edged box and easier to get a close fit cut, I hung my share of drywall before, but mostly around NM boxes, those mud rings I can see being a bit more of a pain to cut out.
 
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