Box of tricks

12-07-2022

Eager to find a quick fix to a common problem, Pete ‘Monty’ Monfort, Director at Arena Training Centre and Monty Electrics, reviews the Back Box Repair Clip.

I recently undertook an EICR at a property where I removed a socket front in the kitchen and, in doing so, discovered the threaded lug at the side of the metal back box had sheared off.

I was faced with digging the back box out and damaging the expensive glass tiles on the kitchen splash back or coming up with a method of repairing the box.

Time-consuming repair

I opted for the latter, drilling a small hole in the back box, threading it and using a long 3.5mm threaded screw. A functional but fiddly repair which was time-consuming and, as is often the case, the damaged socket was the one in the least accessible position.

Now a new product has arrived to offer a welcome tonic to this common issue. The Back Box Repair Clip, a product that won a PE 2021 Top Product Award, is a simple invention that clips on to the side of the back box, replacing the damaged lug.

As I'll often do with new products before actual use, I bench tested some samples in our workshop and discovered that it really is as simple as pushing the clip on to the side of the back box. That's it!

I'll admit to being slightly dubious about whether a clip of this size would be able to take any load. After all, a big oven switch, for example, can take some pressure, so I was sure the clip would just slip off eventually.

We set our appentices the task of lashing some wire to the clip and tied it to a heavy chair to see if it was able to take the load. We were all surprised to see that it passed the test with flying colours.

Now, a broken lug takes 20 seconds to fix and this little packet of life-savers is in my screwbox for good!