NY wrote:

"Trevor Smith" wrote in message
...
Quess you mean plasterboard switch boxes, you could slide the screw post
forward and put some tape behind it and don't push too hard on the screw
until it catches the thread.

Yes that's what I'm going to do: either tape or glue the post in the forward
position and check that the screw (OK, bolt) threads itself cleanly into the
post (without cross-threading) with the faceplate removed, before fastening
it normally.

Sod's Law: it would be the three-gang two-way switch that has the fault, so
there are a *lot* of very stiff wires to cram back in as I push the
faceplate back into place.


Why is it that backing boxes are designed with the captive nut on a movable
slide rather than being securely moulded to the side of the box? It means
you have to use much longer screws than normal to account for the nut
retreating as soon as the screw touches it. All the boxes I've seen have
either had a metal or plastic slide which is separate from the metal or
plastic of the box, and rather loosely attached so it is prone to sliding.

It's so you can set the faceplate horizontal even if the backbox is
slightly skewed in one plane or another.

--

Roger Hayter