HWQS WPM? Seroiusly, Who Designed this Thing?-Install Alert.

Went to a project where we needed to add 2 switching modules and 2 power boosters to an existing project due to the load schedule changing. Trying to have as much forethought as we can in the ever changing LED lighting world, we always tell the electrician to pipe a 4 square box to each of the WPM locations, with its own circuit, in the event we need to add an interface module in the future.

This has never been a problem in the past, as the Homeworks WPM was pretty well laid out, and fit nicely into a 4 gang deep masonry box.

Well, whoever did the redesign on the HWQS WPM I don't think ever installed one. With the top loading switchlegs, there is barely enough room to get the WPM into a 4G box as it is. Add wires coming from a conduit anywhere but at the back of the box, and you are hosed. The nipple on these conduits was barely protruding, and the WPM wouldn't fit. So after an hour of cutting, bending, and hammering, I was finally able to get the WPM and power booster feed wires in.

Total PITA.

Seriously, if you guys are going to do a redesign on the WPM boxes and make them so wide, and tight ( I have no idea how you would add more than one interface module and still be legal with boxfill), why not spec a 5 gang box with a 5 gang faceplate, an make everyone's life easier.

For those of you roughing these in now, MAKE SURE NOT TO HAVE THE CONDUIT PROTRUDE AT ALL INTO THE BOX, OR LOAD IT FROM THE BACK HOLES.

This little bit protruding is all it takes to prevent the WPM from going into the wallbox.

This should have been a 30 minute install, instead it turned into 3 hours of modification with the drywall saw, hammer, and hacksaw. Come On Lutron, make it easier for us to sell this stuff.

Fish

I would be mad at the electrician looks kinda sloppy. But since we are electricians and Homeworks installers I have a lot of control over the installation. With that said I generally have the guys put in a Steel City multi gang box with a 4 gang ring. You get more cubic inches in the box plus extra room on the sides. Unfortunately most companies only make a 3/4 mud ring so setting the box depth early is crucial. I attached an example of a steel city but many companies make these boxes.I never liked masonry boxes for anything other then masonry I have many situations where a masonry box just didn't work. Check out the 4G C ring Although the box I happen to show is only 2 1/8 deep plus the 3/4 ring Other manufacturers make them deeper. My question is why the wpm in that situation ? I see all kinds of stuff going on there. Is this a new construction ? Im not familiar with your job or circumstances just seems like a lot of wall clutter going on there.

On residential jobs where I might have some control early on, I will tell the electrician to install two 3-1/2" deep four-gang boxes with a nipple in between. The top box gets a blank cover and the bottom box gets the WPM. That way, with Type NM cable (Romex), all of the extra neutrals and bare grounds stay in the upper box. We run 9 THHN conductors through the nipple (hot, ground, neutral and six zones). The stranded THHN makes it really easy to push the WPM into the practically empty four-gang box.

I install a 4 square with an extension box and 5/8 ring. Plenty of depth, pipes to the rear kos of the masonry box.