I was hanging a ceiling fan in this room when I discovered that the mounting screw holes in the electrical box are stripped. My dad has suggested using JB Weld putty, letting it cure, drilling it out with a small bit and then using wood screws. First time homeowner and have neither the confidence nor the expertise to completely replace the box. Is my dad’s route the best course of action or is it a waste of time and/or dangerous to go that route?
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You could tap the holes one size bigger and use new screws. HOWEVER, You should replace to box with a “old work” box designed for ceiling fans. Using a box that is not made to hold a fan or using the stripped holes is inviting a ceiling fan to fall on your head.
Old work boxes for fans have a bar with spikesthat extend to span the joists and drive the spike into them, this supports the weight of the fan properly.
edit: here is a video on how to install the old work box. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf-qKY2bRlo
Op, I’m an electrician. This comment is the best advice. All boxes used for fans need to be fan-rated. This is possible to do without attic access.
I haven’t watched the video but this looks to be an okay start: https://youtu.be/DKWeyydoYTI
Just remember that ceiling fans are heavy and the little wiggle over time will cause more wear and tear than you might think.
Best of luck!
Edit: never mind, I misunderstood the question - thought you were talking about a stripped screw head, not that the hole threads were stripped
~~ I can’t see the stripped screws very well in that photo. But I’ve had some previous success with stripped screws by using a pliers to grip the outside of the head to turn it.
Sometimes an alternative bit can help (eg: using a hex bit for a stripped torx screw).
Putting a rubber band or other elastic material in between contacting surfaces (ie: in the stripped hole or around the head) can also help with these approaches sometimes.
You might also be able to deform/reshape the head (eg: dremel or grind flat sides onto the circumference of the head) to get a better trip with the pliers. Can take while, but might be the best option in some cases. ~~
Haha thanks for the reply either way. This issue being on the ceiling is what’s new to me. Hanging something on the ceiling is way scarier than on the wall.
Now is the perfect time to learn how to install a rework box!
I’d be wary of trusting JB-weld to prevent a ceiling fan from crushing my family.
I’ve never installed an old work ceiling fan box, but they definitely exist for exactly this purpose.
Thank you for the reply! Yeah, that’s what I was worried about too. I don’t know enough about jb weld to judge one way or the other so I thought I’d see what some strangers thought and that’s enough for me to avoid it.
