Suspended ceiling receptacle.

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ritelec

ritelec

Senior Member
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Jersey
Hello.

Fluff question but ...
I’ve never installed a receptacle in a hung ceiling and will be looking at an installing a couple for a projector and screen.

Two questions.
Using a bar that goes from t bar to t bar.
Is a 1900 with mudd ring the usual method or a device box.

Any basic dimensions off hand
1900- 1 1/4” ? 1 1/2”? Deep
3/4 inch mud ring?

Device box depth?

Secondly.
Does this box need to be supported like a light fixture and not just from the t bar grid? Or is support from the grid only acceptable.

Thank you.
 
ritelec said:
Hello.

Fluff question but ...
I’ve never installed a receptacle in a hung ceiling and will be looking at an installing a couple for a projector and screen.

Two questions.
Using a bar that goes from t bar to t bar.
Is a 1900 with mudd ring the usual method or a device box.

Any basic dimensions off hand
1900- 1 1/4” ? 1 1/2”? Deep
3/4 inch mud ring?

Device box depth?

Secondly.
Does this box need to be supported like a light fixture and not just from the t bar grid? Or is support from the grid only acceptable.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Since you have a receptacle it needs to be able to take upward force when plugging something in as well as downward force so though simple tie wires from the structural ceiling are suitable for luminaires they may not be enough for a receptacle.
 
A Caddy bar and a standard 1900 box with a 3/4" or 1" mud ring will do the trick. I like a 2 gang with a barrier so that the LV cabling can go in one side and the receptacle in the other under one finished 2-gang plate. For my own HT I made a mount out of MDF for the projector and attached the box to it.

Projector Mount.JPG
 
infinity said:
A Caddy bar and a standard 1900 box with a 3/4" or 1" mud ring will do the trick. I like a 2 gang with a barrier so that the LV cabling can go in one side and the receptacle in the other under one finished 2-gang plate. For my own HT I made a mount out of MDF for the projector and attached the box to it.

View attachment 2565516
Click to expand...
I have usually put a ~2x2 piece of plywood behind a full tile, secure it to the grid and add needed tie wires to structural ceiling.

In dwelling where you can use NM cable, just attach a 2x4 to the plywood and use a regular nail on box for your outlet box. That 2x4 also reinforces plywood some so it doesn't end up sagging over time.
 
A standard grid bar should resist upward pressure, especially if you wiggle the plug as you push it in.
 
LarryFine said:
A standard grid bar should resist upward pressure, especially if you wiggle the plug as you push it in.
Click to expand...
In non dwellings this is usually true.

In dwellings with lesser spec grid and lesser spec tiles, sometimes the ceiling components are not heavy enough and are more likely to push up easier, plus you are more likely to have a smaller room so overall weight is less anyway.
 
Just be aware I see these installed incorrectly a majority of the time. On your typically caddy bar, one of the settings for the depth puts a 4sq flush with the underside of the ceiling tile. This is okay for some things, like fire alarm devices and maybe a quad with a flat mud ring, but I see a lot of people put a raised mud ring on and this pushes up the t-bar from snapping all the way on to the grid and the box sits on the tile.

Also there is a much better bar to use than your traditional one, can't remember maybe Arlington makes it?
 
kwired said:
In non dwellings this is usually true.

In dwellings with lesser spec grid and lesser spec tiles, sometimes the ceiling components are not heavy enough and are more likely to push up easier, plus you are more likely to have a smaller room so overall weight is less anyway.
Click to expand...
I'm referring to the type that clamps onto the T-bar.
 
A few fans I've hung in a grid ceiling I used 2x4's as supports. Make one 2x4 the length of the tile, then take two short pieces screwed into the longer piece of each side. Find the center of the tile, place the box as a template and cut out the tile for the box. Place the 2x4's above and centered over the hole. Place the box in the tile cut-out and screw it to the 2x4. Then you can lift the 2x4 so the box is flush then screw the shorts sides to the ceiling/floor joists. This is if there is joists above to mount to.
This should work for a receptacle too.
 
LarryFine said:
I'm referring to the type that clamps onto the T-bar.
Click to expand...
I was referring to some situations you will push the T-bar up as well as your receptacle and support assembly if there is hardly any weight to the ceiling components at all. If using some the TR receptacles out there it takes pretty good force to plug things into them at times. That said TR shouldn't be required on ceiling unless it is extremely low, but some use TR everywhere to make sure their help doesn't screw up.
 
A caddy 512 clipped to the grid will withstand the upward force of plugging in. I like to use SS8 wallplates when possible to aid in clamping the box to the tile. I also prefer to use an 1-1/2” deep box for a little extra folding room for the conductors.


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