elec outlet box - fix sloppy install

[varkpilot]

[attachment=9943]
This has been bugging me for years.
It's surprising....well, maybe not......that the builder's electrician did such a poor job [there are two others like this but I don't have to look at them!]
I assume this is nailed to a stud??
It's a third of a bubble out of plumb.
Suggestions on fix?
TIA!!!

[EricU]

is that a metal box?

I have been known to sawsall through the fasteners and put in an old work box.  That's for putting in a double outlet though, I think I would leave one that was just out of plumb.  But since it bothers you, I would pull everything out of the box and see if there are nails inside.  If the fasteners are screws, not much you can do short of the sawzall/old work fix.  If they used nails, you could use wedge shims to straighten it out. I suppose if there are screws inside the box you could loosen one up and use a wedge.

[Phil Thien]

Widen the screw slots in the receptacle if necessary so the receptacle is plumb. Reinstall plate. Done.

[EdL]

Widen the screw slots in the receptacle if necessary so the receptacle is plumb. Reinstall plate. Done.

This, and get an oversize plate.

Ed

[FS7]

Widen the screw slots in the receptacle if necessary so the receptacle is plumb. Reinstall plate. Done.

This. If you're not expanding the box, you can fix a lot of problems just by straightening the receptacle itself. It's also very easy to widen the slots if you need to.

[Bob10]

That box looks like it was added after the build and the guy didn't get the top screw or nail down tight or at an angle that wouldn't allow for it to sit flush.  I would trip the breaker and pull out the receptacle to see what's up.  I bet it is no more than addressing the upper fastener.  If you don't see one in the box it is more than likely attached to a strap that continues above and below the box and those can sometimes be adjusted using a pry bar

[EricU]

Widen the screw slots in the receptacle if necessary so the receptacle is plumb. Reinstall plate. Done.

that's why I asked it it was a metal box.  You can only go so far before shorting something out.  Or you can wrap it with electrical tape (ducking)

So on closer inspection, both screws are biased towards the same side of their respective slots.  It may be possible to plumb the receptacle without changing the slots at all.  Just pry the receptacle as close to plumb as you can and see how bad it is

[TDKPE]

Is the problem that the bottom tang is recessed behind the wallboard a bunch and the top is proud or flush?  In other words, not parallel to the plane of the wall, rather than not plumb about the screw hole in the center?

[srv52761]

Get a box extender.  (The box edge) should be flush with the finished wall, and it is not.  Adjust the ears and screw slots as needed for the receptacle to sit flush and plumb. 
edit: It has been my experience that difficulty getting an outlet plumb is often the result of jamming too many conductors into the box. Adding the extenders will not only give you wiggle room to plumb the end of the box and bring the box flush to the finish, it will also give you more space to put the wire.

edit: To handle the plaster gap:
  I have never had luck with spackle not cracking over time but your experience may be different.  I would remove enough material to use a sheetrock patch, tape, sand, paint..... or as suggested, an oversized plate.


Ps... the receptacle cover screw screwdriver slots should be plumb also.

[MarkSingleton]

There are also little rubber spacers that stack like legos
you can install behind the receptacle mounting ears that
push it out further from the box and allow a tight install.

 They are configured in such a way that they "hug" the
mounting screw on the receptacle.

 I discovered them by accident at home depot one day
some years back. Now I would not be without a package
in the inventory.



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