Shoutout to the old electrician who caught me using a drywall screw on a junction box

I was wiring up a new outlet in my garage about 2 months ago and just grabbed whatever screws I had left over from a drywall job. This old timer, must have been 70, walks by my van and asks why I'm using those. Told me they snap under vibration and that I'd be back in 6 months fixing a short. Sure enough I go to tighten one and it shears right off in my hand. Now I keep a box of 8-32 machine screws in my truck at all times. Anyone else learned the hard way that not all screws are the same?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_miles18d ago

My uncle had a spare 8-32 box in his truck from when he rewired his whole basement, so he just threw me one after I told him what happened. I still keep that same half empty box in my glove compartment, never letting it run dry. The trick is to always grab a handful from the hardware store whenever you're buying wire or outlets, even if you think you're good. It's one of those little things that saves you from cussing at a stripped screw at 9pm on a Sunday.

briancampbell18d ago

Bro. I learned this exact same lesson trying to hang a light fixture with a random wood screw I found in my cup holder. That thing snapped clean off the moment I put any torque on it lol. Machine screws or nothing for electrical work now, I don't even mess around anymore. One bad connection in a junction box and you're chasing a ghost short for hours.