That old timer who told me to stop using self-tapping screws on outdoor panels

I ignored him for 3 months until I replaced 12 rusted-out enclosures last spring, and now I swear by pre-drilling everything with stainless screws instead, anyone else made that switch after fighting corrosion?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellys781mo ago

You ever notice how some lessons just have to beat you over the head before they stick? I had a similar thing with using those blue tapcons on brick. Buddy warned me to get the good ones with the hex heads, but I figured it was all the same. Three months later I'm fighting five stripped out holes on a backup generator install, had to drill new spots and patch the old ones with epoxy. Felt real smart that day, I tell you.

ray1361mo ago

Oh man, @kellys78 that's exactly the kind of lesson that sticks with you forever lol. My buddy Dave thought he'd save a few bucks on outdoor conduit fittings, went with the cheap galvanized stuff instead of the stainless ones I told him to use, and six months later half of them were rusted through on a parking lot light job. He had to rip everything out and start over, which cost way more than just buying the good parts the first time.

the_william1mo ago

Blew out a whole weekend on a sprinkler controller swap because I cheaped out on a weatherproof box. Figured the $12 special would hold up fine, but the lid warped after a few sunny days and water got in. Fried the board, had to redo everything and spent twice as much on a real enclosure the second time.