How to recess a switch box or receptacle box in plaster-and-lath walls

The book Wiring Simplified has an excellent print guide with illustrations, for how to install beveled wallcases into plaster-and-lath walls. Since I install receptacles outlets and switches in old walls at least once per week in West Philly (Philadelphia, PA), I figured I might as well make my own guide using photos. Here’s my guide on how to recess a switch box or receptacle box in plaster-and-lath walls

Lighting & Controls Products

Lighting & Controls Products

There are too many good, and innovative products to list them all here. But I’ve included a few that I particularly like to install and that I’ll always be happy to hear requests for. Here are my favorite lighting & controls products.

Intermatic

Intermatic’s mechanical timer switches have been a standard for decades and they are tanks for durability and longevity. I’ve pulled 30-year-old units out of fire-damaged buildings that continued to function. They now offer a digital timer version that included a wealth of new features. My favorite intermatic products:

• Digital astronomically-auto-synched timer (ST01C). Timers are comparing increasingly favorably with surge-susceptible photo-sensors that can be difficult to locate properly. Equipped with a replaceable lithium battery, this digital programmable 7-day timer includes astronomically accurate dusk-til-dawn pre-programming for southern, central, and northern hemisphere locations, plus user-configurable custom off-sets for up to 7 different programs running each week. Manual override and ‘random’ settings are also available to enhance the security lighting applications where this timer will most often be used.
  

  Versatile switch installs virtually anywhere, controls virtually any load, and includes wealth of pre-set and/or custom configurable 7-day unique settings, all for under $20.

  The battery-operated timer and switch mechanism mean that this is a good candidate for DIY-ers and applications involving CFL’s or other high-efficiency lamp types, since the switch does not rely on voltage through the lamp filament to power the timer or switch. Also, the timer and switch servo are 100% isolated from house wiring, so surges will be far less likely to damage the device’s critical electronic components.

  The switch may be installed on almost any location except a 4-way position in a multi-location coordinated switch system (it is equipped for use in a 3-way location or a switch-loop location). Not bad for under $20.

• Z-wave compatible network/wireless switched split-duplex 15A receptacle (CA3500). Although users report the switching relay inside this device is very noisy, the advantages of a remote(automated) switchable receptacle include introduction of new switchable circuits for miscellaneous lighting, or implementation of a DIY demand-response program for your home, interrupting power to high-energy appliances such as refrigerators or window air conditioners (window a/c) based on network controlled automation in the z-wave device network. For customers who have access to time-of-use electric rate-payer tariffs,  a device like this could pay for itself in a few months by time-shifting cooling (or heating) loads out of the super-peak demand hours. I have not personally evaluated this product for initial quality, installation ease, or longevity.

Leviton

Manufacturer of electrical devices including lighting and automation controls. Thanks to the historical origins of electrical distribution technology in our region, we’re lucky to have a world-class manufacturer headquartered nearby in Melville, NY.

• Vizia RF+ is a line of wired/wireless controls that interlink programmable configurations via a network of zone and scene controllers and handheld remotes. The line includes switches, dimmers, fan controls, controllable receptacles, and interoperability with security systems and other network devices. Hard wired/network devices inserted into the circuit at conventional light switch locations allow custom network pre-programming and/or remote controllers to customize multiple lighting points and lighting groups as individual and grouped units in accordance with programmable scenes, maximum brightness levels (for energy and lamp life savings), fade on/off rates, timed operations, and more. The system complies with a standards-based networking platform, Z-Wave, at the ‘pro’ tier, which means Vizia RF+ products can integrate with other manufacturers’ products, sending and receiving Z-wave compliant commands and status reports in any Z-Wave network.
• Enclosed CFL lampholders for fire safety in closets, and breakage protection on tight ceilings. Available with integral occupancy sensor.

Lutron

Manufacturer of lighting and automation controls, especially dimmers. We’re lucky to live in the region of electrical invention, and to be able to get world-class products from a company headquartered in nearby Coopersburg, PA.

• Maestro Wireless is a line of wired/wireless controls that interlink in programmable configurations via the Pico remote, which may be mounted as a fixed switch and/or deployed as a cradled and/or handheld remote(s). The line includes wired/wireless switches (for wirelessly grouping separate existing light control locations), wireless auxiliary switches (for adding new control locations), wireless occupancy/vacancy sensors (for short-term usage areas such as laundry, hallway/pathways, or garage/storage), and wireless daylight sensors (for reducing energy consumption when artificial lighting is unneeded).

• RadioRA 2 is a line of radio-interlinked controls coordinated through a programmable ‘brain’ that manages the functions, programmed scenes, timed events (and more) of all connected/registered devices, all using a proprietary radio control frequency that ensures the system operates without delay or interruption — like wired switches but with a lot more magic.

Utilitech

Utilitech appears to be a Lowe’s store brand specializing in electrical power and lighting products, including a robust line of LED lighting products, from fixtures incorporating LED’s to standard Edison (type A19) screw-in LED retrofit lamps (‘bulbs’ no longer applies to CFL’s or most LED’s because the form factor is no longer, literally, a bulb).

• Utilitech Pro 7.5W dimmable 40W-equivalent A19 screw-in lamp (LA19DM/LED) sells at Lowe’s today for just under $10 and appears to be a vastly superior dimmable high-efficiency lamp to any CFL lamp on the market. And with a rated lamp life more than double that of CFL’s, its price is very competitive.