"jamesgangnc" wrote in message
...
On Mar 29, 10:08 am, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:
"Evan" wrote in message

...
On Mar 29, 7:56 am, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Ya know those wind-up timers you sometimes (or used to) see in hotel
bathrooms for the heat lamps? I need to mount one of those, and an
outlet
in
a metal box. It'll be used for a portable electric heater which we
regularly
forget to turn off. For grounding purposes, should the green from the
outlet, timer and cord all be attached to the box itself?

Is this a regular 4" square metal box you are considering using ?

I have made extension cords using these before but you have
to be careful where they will be used (normal 4" square metal
boxes are full of holes which will let any water or liquid spilled
near it into the box AND the knock-outs can become damaged
and push inward contacting live electrical parts inside) as
water and physical/mechanical damage can be a problem...

Find a water tight rated box... Those boxes have MUCH
fewer holes in them and use threaded knock-outs so they
are more durable...

Wrap all devices with several layers of electrical tape after
making up the connections... IF anything got damaged or
loosened it is better to have metal touching electrical tape
and hear it rattle around inside the box than have metal on
metal contact and blow a breaker...

~~ Evan
================

For my birthday many years ago, 3 unrelated people gave me the same gift:
The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook. They knew how I think. So, I'm
purposely keeping the cord short to guarantee that this box won't allow
the
heater to go anywhere near moisture, unless my 2 year old roof caves in
during a thunderstorm, in which case all bets are off.

It's a heavy duty "hobby box" from a local electronics supply place. I
wanted heavy enough metal so that the front wouldn't flex when we plugged
or
unplugged the heater.

Electrical tape is sloppy. No connections will come loose. I use top
quality
(Panduit) crimps connectors and the correct (Panduit) tool to attach them.
All possible scary scenarios have been pondered and crushed. :-)

I have used those outdoor boxes for similar purposes myself and do
prefer them over the regular metal old work box. But I agree about
the electricat tape, not fond of it either. I just use wirenuts but
don't have any problems with them as long as they are nice and tight.

===========

I'm not adverse to using wire nuts. But I refreshed my supply of crimp
connectors a few years ago. With the right tool, they're a pleasure to use,
and the results are rock solid. Sadly, it's almost impossible to find a
correctly designed crimp tool at the big box stores, so a lot of people have
had bad experiences with the connectors. I'll still use wire nuts anyplace
where I (or the next homeowner) might need to make changes to the wiring.