Residential round ceiling lighting fixture -> receptacle cover question

asavage · Sep 7, 2021

"A friend in need is a pest, indeed."

I was helping a friend's family over the weekend, got in over my head with respect to fitment of a round receptacle cover.

The house is 2002 construction. The two-car garage has two ceiling light fixtures. It had two utility fixtures like this:

[ElectriciansForums.net] Residential round ceiling lighting fixture -> receptacle cover question

I was working with something like this:

(or the blue plastic equivalent? I can't recall)

To install surface-mount 4' strip lights -- with ground! -- I removed those util lamp fixtures, and installed these:

However, it doesn't fit well -- doesn't cover the sheetrock footprint of the lampholders:

It's a garage, it doesn't need to be cosmetically perfect, but I do not like leaving a ceiling penetration open, for fire safety reasons -- the sheetrock is a fire retardant feature of the room, and now I've got a clear hole into the attic above the garage: not good.

My questions:

1) Is there a similar 1-gang receptacle box cover for round boxes that has a larger OD?

2) Is this just the wrong way to convert a ceiling round box to a receptacle?

Wiring, I have no problem with. Trim, that's a 'nuther story.

littlespark · Sep 7, 2021

Was the hole there when the old fittings were up? The white fitting doesn’t look any wider than your plate.

It shouldn’t be a problem just filling the hole with whatever dry liners use. Maybe @Megawatt can advise on USA products that are suitable.

Megawatt · Sep 8, 2021

littlespark said:
Was the hole there when the old fittings were up? The white fitting doesn’t look any wider than your plate.

It shouldn’t be a problem just filling the hole with whatever dry liners use. Maybe @Megawatt can advise on USA products that are suitable.

Take all the metal fittings out and yes they make blue plastic boxes 1 size larger than you are showing now. Install the new box and trim your hole in the sheet rock with your pocket knife and please don’t use metal parts in a residential building or house

Megawatt · Sep 8, 2021

asavage said:
"A friend in need is a pest, indeed."

I was helping a friend's family over the weekend, got in over my head with respect to fitment of a round receptacle cover.

The house is 2002 construction. The two-car garage has two ceiling light fixtures. It had two utility fixtures like this:

View attachment 89752

I was working with something like this:

View attachment 89753
(or the blue plastic equivalent? I can't recall)

To install surface-mount 4' strip lights -- with ground! -- I removed those util lamp fixtures, and installed these:

View attachment 89754

However, it doesn't fit well -- doesn't cover the sheetrock footprint of the lampholders:
View attachment 89755

It's a garage, it doesn't need to be cosmetically perfect, but I do not like leaving a ceiling penetration open, for fire safety reasons -- the sheetrock is a fire retardant feature of the room, and now I've got a clear hole into the attic above the garage: not good.

My questions:

1) Is there a similar 1-gang receptacle box cover for round boxes that has a larger OD?

2) Is this just the wrong way to convert a ceiling round box to a receptacle?

Wiring, I have no problem with. Trim, that's a 'nuther story.

My friend that install is ugly