Sealing an exterior light fixture box

Long time thread-stalker, first time poster looking for some advice from the community.

I am swapping out an exterior motion detector light that was installed on the back of the house by the previous owner. The light has seen better days and has a limited field of vision, so we opted to upgrade to a 270-degree LED fixture.

You can see the 180-degree version of my light here:
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-18...DISCONTINUED-DFA-CW-FL-180D-WH-120/202864982/

Right now I am smacking myself for buying it without checking the reviews. Last time I buy a Defiant brand anything. The problem is, the fixture comes with a back-plate that has a rubber gasket adhered to it. You attach that plate to the box in the wall, and then attach the light fixture to the plate. Sounds great, and waterproof, except for the fact that the gap between the plate and the light is only ~1". Between the wires, wire nuts, and screw posts, there is very little room to fold the wires and contain them in the base of the fixture.

After a lot of wrangling I was finally able to get everything contained, and the screws inserted. But there is still a slight gap (~1/4") between the fixture and the plate behind it. Obviously this is far from ideal, as it is not water-tight given that the fixture is not firmly against the gasket.

Anyone have suggestions? I wish I could return it, but I bought it on end-of-season clearance last Fall, and Home Depot/Defiant is refusing to stand behind their product.

My only thought is fitting some kind of shrink wrap around the gap and hitting it with a heat gun. But I am no pro in this area, so looking for some guidance.

Thanks everyone for the help.

I'd throw some silicone caulk and feather it with your finger. Make sure it is a paintable version so you can paint over the unsightly caulking.

Can’t you stick the light pigtails thru the plate and make all your connections on the back side of the plate in the box on the house. Then screw the plate to the box and then the light to the plate.

Welcome aboard, glad you said hi to the forum.

bud16415 said:

Can’t you stick the light pigtails thru the plate and make all your connections on the back side of the plate in the box on the house. Then screw the plate to the box and then the light to the plate.

Welcome aboard, glad you said hi to the forum.

Click to expand...

That'd be my ideal solution. Unfortunately the leads on the fixture aren't even long enough to go through the plate to be connected in the box. I could extend them with some scrap wire, but then I'm back to square one with wire nuts in between the fixture and back plate

Almost like they never thought about the installation of the product before manufacturing.

I appreciate the ideas though!

I would extend them. I would use a insulated crimp on splice connector the type that have heat shrink on the outside.

I took a look at their new product and now they wire to the base plate and there is a plug in connection for the fixture. I agree the one you have wasn’t very well thought out.