So my wife and i just closed on our first home today and one of the first things i wanted to do was install new light fixtures.

Did the first one, it was a pain in the ass because the strap and the existing ceiling box holes didn't really line up all that great, but i got it done.

Went to do the second one and it was going very smoothly until the damn ceiling box was stripped. Only one screw to hold the strap on. The ground wire has a weird bracket that gets in the way of the strap and the screws lining up. And one of the mounting screws for the light itself doesn't go in because the box is stripped.

What do i do now? I'm a novice with electrical stuff but figured i could handle a task this simple. Can i use some kind of an epoxy? Can i re-tap the hole somehow? Can i use different screws? Also how can i tell if it's grounded properly, the copper wire is in the box and it calls for the grounding wire on the fixture to be screwed into the strap, is that the correct way?

The house was built in 1995 so it has new(er) electric i assume.

fill the hole with epoxy or Gorilla glue. When its dry drill a pilot hole for the screw. You should be good to go then

Find the next largest size tap and tap the hole.

Tap for 8-32 in stripped 6-32 holes, and 10-32 in stripped out 8-32 holes.

You might have to enlarge the slot in the strap.

It sounds like something is really wrong though.

The mounting strap should have slots to attach to the box, and threaded holes for the fixture screws to then attach.

Ok so i've torn into 3 fixtures so far, and here's what i'm finding........and i think this isn't right.

This home was built in 1995, so keep that in mind when considering if this is normal or not.

There are 4 holes in the box. 2 line up for mounting the strap, and the 2 outer ones are for mounting the fixture. On one side, the strap mount hole seems to be normal, been able to mount all 3 straps no problem there. On that same side, the mounting screws are too small for the hole provided.

On the other side, the hole for the strap is waaaaay too big. On the last one it was 1/4". It doesn't appear anyone drilled into it, it seems to just be the way it is. So obviously the hardware to screw down the other side of the strap is a no go. I pulled out my drill bits to confirm the size and it was a full 1/4" confirmed using that. The hole next to that again is slightly to large for the mounting screw. Again i used bigger screws which worked fine.

So what is going on here? Why are these holes in the box so friggin big? This is my first time doing this kind of thing, and despite all the things i've read on replacing light fixtures this has been anything but "easy".

And to top it off, the first 2 fixtures i installed fit fine. The third, the damn holes for the fixture mount were about 3" and the holes in the ceiling box are approx 3.5" rendering the light i bought useless. I take it that means there isn't a universal size for fixtures?

Thanks fellas, i'm new to this so bare with me

Yeah i understand that. Let me simplify a little if i can, perhaps what i'm saying doesn't make sense or i'm not using the correct terms.

I can only use 1 hole in the ceiling box to mount the strap, the other being a giant 1/4" hole where the screw is probably 10/32, and neither mounting screws provided with the fixtures fit the screw holes in the ceiling box that go through the strap. The strap itself sits flush with the holes in the ceiling box, so i don't see how it would be possible to mount anything to the actual strap itself.

I'll be back at the house later tonight (i'm not living there yet) and i'll snap some pics if i'm not explaining this properly. To me, the holes in the ceiling box and the hardware that comes with the lights simply aren't compatible. Perhaps the standard for ceiling boxes has changed since these were installed.

Yep.  Please post pics of the offending boxes.  I am in the middle of a remodel and just rewired and put in all new boxes for lights, ceiling fans, and hardwired smoke/carbon monoxide detectors so I may actually be able to be of a little help.

The strip should have at least two slots.

The strap mounting screws go through the slots and into the box ears.

The fixture screws then go through the canopy and into the threaded holes in the strap.

Some fixtures use screws in the strap that stick out of the box, and then some type of nut (often a decorative one) to mount the canopy pn the screws that stick through the canopy holes.

Close mount fixtures cone with long screws that are put into the strap and then pushed through canopy holes and the canopy is rotated slightly (the screw holes in the canopy are sort of comma shaped).
The screws are then tightened to hold the canopy against the ceiling.
.

Good call. I bet something is simply being overlooked.

Well I'm just an idiot

I kept seeing you guys say to screw it into the strap and I didn't understand what you meant until i went back today.

There are a total of 4 holes in the ceiling box, i thought 2 were for the strap and 2 were for the fixture screws. I didn't realize there were additional holes in the actual strap itself.

You guys got me squared away. Not sure how i got the first one installed, cause i didn't screw it into the strap, but rather into the second holes in the ceiling box itself

But i am now good to go.........for now.

I appreciate all the help. I'm sure you'll see more of me, got a lot of projects i plan on tackling around the new place and i'm only mildly handy.