Pocket Door and Electrical Box clearance?
pondball
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
We are installing fours Johnson 1500 pocket doors in two locations, each with two 24″ converging doors.
Space is limited so we are hoping to be able to put the electrical switches right near the door openings. We understand that there will not be sufficient room for these boxes and the doors so we are hoping to build out from the pocket door assembly. Will laying a 2×4 flat against the assemblies be sufficient for the switches?
Replies
You can even use one of those shallow 1" boxes (8 cu/in) for a single switch on 14-2 wire
When you take into account a 1/2" projection for the drywall, it fits in the standard 3/4" framing for a pocket door.
but for more than one switch?
There will be more than one switch in the one side... (see other response)... in fact I left out the chandelier (sort of) switch so there would be 3 switches. I could however place that switch by the left door with the switch for the shower thus requiring only 2 switches for each side. Both the chandelier and the overall room lights would be on dimmers... oops... forgot... on the left side there would also be the switch for ttheh panasonic ceiling fan and that will be a timer switch, so up to three switches on the left side... if necessary I could put all three switches on the left side back beyond the 2' required to slide the pocket door back, however that is where we planned to put the towel warmer rack... I suspect things can change though
Note that dimmers and fan controls very likely will not fit the shallow box.
And the number of wires you can fit into such a small box (legally or illegally) is pretty limited. It's hard enough to fit wires into a standard box.
You should be OK on the 2x4 side.
Use a 4x4x1.5" box with a 1/2" mud ring. That will take the 2 switches, even the timers and dimmers with room for enough wire.
This is pretty much what you are talking about. This was a site built pocket door frame with Anderson hardware
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/new%20room/Pocket%20door.jpg
I put the smurf tube in stand off clamps to get the 1.25" before the wall went up. The Romex going off to the side is in EMT conduit until it gets safely away from that shallow wall.
thanks Greg... I think this would work for us as well... and... I guess it's like they say... "a picture is worth a thousand words" cuz your photo helps a ton!
several switches
On the bathroom side of the right door there will be light switches for both ceiling lighting and a set of lights over the sinks. I am also hoping to be able to put a switch for the bedroom lighting on the opposite bedroom side of this frame as it will be just inside the bedroom entrance.
On the bathroom side of the left door there will be a light switch for shower lighting. An additional switch for the in-floor heating will be just beyond this door.