3/4 inch screws, unsnap the snap edge and remove screws if need be, most of the time if you unsnap the edge you can get to what you need to or to run wire above soffit. unsnapped it creates about a 11 inch opening. also being it is in a space with a constant temp, it is less critical to allow it to float. A few degrees it does not move much as opposed to outside temp changes of 50 degrees.
I'm still finishing the walls...hadn't decided what to do with the ceiling yet. Is that vinyl or metal ironpony ?
Ima say vinyl. Metal wouldn’t perform favorably when loosening and “hinging” out of the way. My opinion of course... we’ve seen ironpony pull off some serious chit!
In your and my case with the heater in the basement, I’d be prone to warn that that super light gauge (in the case of it being metal) stuff would nearly evaporate like a pop can in a fire pit during the worst case scenario.
Yep, still better than vinyl. That brings up a good point...when I put my Yukon furnace in back in 2012, I sprayed all the wood in the furnace room with "No Burn" flame retardant spray No-Burn, Inc. Fire Retardant, Intumescent Paint, Spray-Applied Specialty Coatings Manufacturer and Supplier To test it I sprayed a scrap piece of 2x4 with it, then went outside to torch it...it eventually kinda "burnt"...with the torch held on it, but as soon as you pulled the flame away, it went out.
I have a 1840's vintage farmhouse and no insulation in the basement which makes it easy to see when I leave the lights on through the cracks in the floor.