Blew a main line junction box in Wichita this morning

Tbh I was rushing on a commercial install and overtightened a connector. Snapped the plastic clean off and water got in before I caught it. Had to re-run about 30 feet of coax and swap the whole box. Anyone else had a cheap plastic part ruin their whole morning?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.tyler20d ago

I had a junction box crack on me last winter in Oklahoma when the temp dropped to 12 degrees overnight. The plastic got brittle and I didn't give it time to warm up before I torqued the connector down. Ended up chasing a water leak through a whole apartment complex. Now I always carry a couple of those metal junction boxes in my truck for outdoor stuff. They cost a few bucks more but I've never had one snap on me. For your situation, check the gasket on the replacement too - cheap ones dry out fast and let moisture in.

betty13619d ago

And @thomas.tyler nailed it with the metal boxes, that's been my go-to since I learned the hard way too. It's wild how one tiny cheap part can wreck your whole morning, but it's the same pattern everywhere you look. Like with car parts or phone chargers, you pay a little more upfront or you pay way more later fixing the mess. I swapped to the metal outdoor boxes three years ago and haven't had a single water issue since, worth every extra dollar.