Electrical – Using drywall screws for electrical boxes

Go for 3/4" plus the thickness of the drywall. So for standard half inch, the 1 1/4" should be fine. When we double up the drywall on a fireproof ceiling, we switch to the 2"+ screws for the second layer.

You can go for longer if you have some difficult joists to hit. There's no real downside to longer screws other than more work on the drill and more costs.

I'm not an authority, but start with this:

1. Keep the bit inline with the screw's direction of penetration. Most times I see newbies struggle with that. If the drill/chuck is cocked in relation to the axis of the screw, it creates all kinds of trouble.

2. Firmly push inward, not letting the bit slip back out of the screwhead.

3. Bits are consumable. They don't last forever. Are you trying to use a bit that's too worn? Once a bit has slipped badly even a few times, it's probably toast.

4. Slower, steady power is your general best bet, the only exception being when you need a BURST of torque, whereby you time your pushing/pressure effort with a burst of speed on the drill. But that's seldom needed, and you'd still use the low range.