Hi there,

Just moved into this house last August and *finally* getting started on fixing up the basement. One of the things I wanted to fix immediately was a couple of very crooked electrical receptacle boxes (crooked in that on the left side of the receptacle, it's flush with the wall; on the right side, it it *very* far out from the wall). Since the whole box is crooked, I removed the wall covering (paneling, thankfully, so very easy) to see what was happening. Turns out that the wall stud to which the box is attached is very crooked at the bottom. Looks like it may have been that way all along or possibly warped over time. It doesn't look easy to try to straighten it (and, I did try this, but with the cross studs attached to it, it's fairly solid).

So, my question is: is it safe to place a wooden shim between the box and the wall stud in order to straighten this box out? I know it will work since I set it up but my only concern is of a safety nature. I would have to nail it in since it's a tight work area (as opposed to screws). Anyone else ever had this problem? If so, how did you fix it? I am thinking since the wall stud is wood, and the shim is wood, it should be fine but paranoia is a good friend when it comes to electricity... Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
-Steve

 

Perhaps this is an obvious suggestion but can you replace the box with an old-construction workbox? They're the kind with the flaps. When you tighten up the screw, the flap turns 90 degrees and holds the box in place.

Jim

 

Steve, your idea and Jim's idea would both work fine.