Do retrofit “air tight” electrical boxes exist?
I read with great interest this article back in Feb https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/air-leakage-electrical-switches-and-outlets
However, what continues to surprise me why they have not come up with a airtight retrofit electrical box. It would seem this market is where they should concentrate? New construction and using this type of box seems like a no brainier. Where help is needed in the old drafty houses!
Anyways……….. does anyone know of a manufacture that makes a airtight/vapor retrofit box? Could you simply cut the flanges off a new construction airtight box and then caulk the seam tight to the drywall/plaster?
That seems like the most efficient work around instead of trying to caulk all the penerations in a normal box
This would be an example of where I would cut the flanges off and then caulk the seam bewteen drywall and the box
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Cutting the flanges off those boxes would be a waste of time, IMO. If you're installing a new box in a closed wall, you need a box with clamps on it anyway. Just use a regular retrofit box, seal the holes you're not using before you push it into the wall, then caulk the gap between drywall and box before you trim out.