How To Extend an Electrical Outlet
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2015
- UPDATE: I got a few valid criticisms of this video which I addressed in a followup: • How to Extend an Elect...
I had an exterior electrical outlet that was too small; in overall bad shape; and not very accessible. In this post, I describe how I extended the old single gang outlet a couple of feet with liquid-tight conduit to be more accessible and also upgrading it to double gang outlets.
Even more details on the blog: granworks.com/e...
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UPDATE: I got a few valid criticisms of this video which I addressed in a followup: th-cam.com/video/eLUIK6IOw5Q/w-d-xo.html
Outstanding instruction. Great use of fast forward and voiceover. Just what I needed on that type of sleeve. Here’s a tip: when you make that final check, look to see if the path through ground on your new receptacle gives you all the voltage that your main panel is dishing out. That way you know your ground isn’t suffering any corrosion points or loose connections.
The wires inside the box are too short. The need to be about 6".
@Thomas Samoht I have seen TONS of complaints about the "push in" type connectors. I'm not an electrician though, so I can't say for certain if they are all wrong or not. Wire nuts seem to work perfectly, though.
@@user-nh3gu1ge3d Push in connectors are fine if they are installed according to manufacturer instructions.
@thomassamoht7874 another complaint about how "bad" America is. We invented electrical understanding and have contributed more to the field than anybody else. But please tell us how you are so much better in your tiny countries
To everyone here saying you must have 6 inches of wire sticking out from the face of the box you are WRONG. Code requires at least 3 inches sticking out of the box and at least 6 inches of free conductor from point of entry to point of termination. 300.14
Good job w. the fast forward and the clear narration.
i like that you twisted your wires together when you pig tailed your wires in the first box
That was so close my man. As many have said. You should have an extention ring on the old box to come to the outter wall. Due to not covering up your junction box. You'll want at least 5 to 6in of extra wire sticking out of the box on both ends..
The cover was a good idea with sealtite but a wp flat cover with a sealtite 90 degree would have been a better choice.
You would also want to add a clamp to hold to the sealtite to the wall.
Lastly. When it comes to weatherproof boxes. You dont drill holes through the side. Get your hammerdrill and run ur holes in the walls with the tabs.
Good concept. Just too many code violations.
Tip for removing an outlet where the screws are semi-stripped - use adjustable pliers to pull the outlet toward you to reduce you while you screw out the screws.
1 since you have a metal outdoor box, you do not need to wire the ground to the outlet ground screw, the screw attach the outlet to the box serves as ground, all you have to do is to ground the box
2 in the newest code Weather resistant gfci outlet is required
3 you have a big box, leave longer wires will make your future upgrade job easier
Agree with you
You MUST ground the rexceps. unless you use spec. grade type.
you so do have to ground the receptacle... because once you remove the receptacle from the box it is no longer grounded...
A few older homes may have outdoor outlets already protected by an upstream GFCI that is located inside the house.
strumpeteer I hate when outlets are wired to upstream GFCI since it isn't always obvious that they are protected and you don't know which one you need to reset.
Exactly the video I was looking for! I plan to install an outdoor in-use receptacle, taking power from the floodlight (middle port).
Very calm, very cool, nice background music. Understood all the little things that got in your way too, I feel better. Thanks
You aren't a seasoned electrician until you have assembled your liquidtight system and then realized you forgot the connector, so you have to take it all apart. Same goes for a cord cap. LOL. good job.
yeah wires a bit short in second box... just easier to give yourself the 6".
Thats code standards
1) No GFCI outlet installed. Won't pass inspection.
2) Your junction box is not accessible. Won't pass inspection.
3) Wires too short inside the electrical box. Need 6 inches. Won't pass inspection.
4) Not sure your conduit is correct. Might or might not pass inspection (jurisdictions differ).
5) Outdoor outlets are supposed to be on 20A circuits since most people use outdoor outlets to power high amperage tools. Won't pass inspection.
If your house burns down, your insurance won't cover it. There's a reason why electricians have to go through several years of training and why some housing boards will not allow home owners to do electrical work (unless the home owner happens to be licensed).
You did bond your metal receptacle box, which is a plus. Most DIY'ers won't.
Passing inspection is only required if you intend to have it inspected. ;)
@@agentx250 or if you want your insurance company to cover and damage from a fire....
@@joshualachute3448 If you really want to split hairs, sure. What did he really do here though? Pigtail off an existing line to effectively extend the box maybe 2 feet. All the new wire is outside the brick and he used conduit that's burial rated.
If something he did here doesn't pass then leads to a cascading failure which ignites the structure then yeah, insurance won't cover it but given the odds of that he has a better chance of winning the lottery.
Most engineering applications the average person would try around the house aren't _that_ hard to do properly. Grab a ~$10 book from your local hardware store on the subject, go to your local building department and get the codes then get it done. We're not talking about lifting a ceiling and adding a second story or digging under a slab to build out a basement; the latter being something my great grandfather did back in the day and that house is still standing.
You didn’t give yourself much wire length to work with, when adding the two outlets like you did the main power line when extending it. You only had like an inch maybe?
Good job, don’t listen to the rude criticism. But you can always tell and should listen to the guys trying to give you valid suggestions on the proper way! But really enjoyed your video.
#1 need GFCI outlet or Circuit Breaker at panel, #2 need weather resistant, tamper resistant outlets to be in modern code. #3 longer wires, #4 ground the box.
great video, I just had trouble with the background music. For some reason it does my head in trying to listen to instructions with the guitar
playing in the background.
Excellent job, only critique I have is I would have left another 4-6 inches or so on the wires you ran to the new box... looks like you cut them kinda short.. either way clean work looks good!
You should leave yourself 2-3 inches of extra wire on the initial cut inside the new box (always install a service loop).
Yes an receptacle does have a ground but not in the way you explain it. What you are referring to is the neutral, it is not the same as a ground. Ground is only for faults. It does not carry current in normal conditions.
Hah, you are right! I had to re-watch the video to see what you were talking about. So in five years and hundreds of comments, you are the very first person to catch that! 😆
That's funny, because I absolutely knew that. The second part of my "black goes to brass" memorization tactic is "green is ground", so I knew very well that white was the neutral. I even referenced the (actual) ground wires later in the video! No idea how I (and literally nearly half-million people) missed that?!
If the circuit you was working on isn't protected by a GFCI outlet then I believe it's code to put one when your outlet is outside
elgalloblanco1980 Unless it is fed by a GFCI breaker, than, you can use regular receptacles
Thanks for this post! So much great information that I can apply to what I am about to attempt. Not the same situation but the video had all the points to the mystery I had. Very clear to follow and most important... to the point!
Thank you for posting this. It was very informative and I definitely loved the speed of the vid as most take a long time. Good post.👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Or, on modern outlets (by modern I mean less than 50 years old) the HOT wire is black, red, blue, yellow, and always goes to the SMALLER (right) plug terminal. COMMON is always WHITE and goes to the LARGER (left) plug terminal on the outlet.
This Video is intended to Show the Viewer What Not to do can You Spot the Code Violations.
Conduit must have one clamp on that run!
Code for flexible conduit does say that it needs a clamp within 12 in of the termination point and my run between the two points is 16 in, so, yes, an inspector could absolutely require a clamp in this case. I don't think most would, though. I'm fairly certain that the inspectors I've dealt with to date would not care in this particular case. It's "essentially" clamped at 16 in rather than 12 in, meaning only 4 extra inches unsupported. It's also quite rigid between the two points and there's no indication that it could or would sag over time. As such, I feel pretty comfortable leaving it unclamped in this very specific instance.
Oh boo hoo. Because the absence of one clip is going to cause the entire world to implode.
@@oscarmuffin4322 It matters. People (who are dumb) hang ridiculous things off anything in sight. Laundry lines, dog leashes, potted plants. Use the clamp.
You mean Strap i have Never used a "Clamp" for Strapping EMT or MC Cable .
not allowed to make a raceway out of a coverplate. against 2017 nec
He could use a box extension with 1/2" side holes, what does it change? As long as it is watertight it works exactly the same. The "cover" is not just a cover, it is "Weatherproof Cluster Cover with 1/2 in. Threaded Outlets". Do you have a NEC article that prohibits that? The splices are totally accessible, nothing is hidden or burred. He didn't make that Threaded Outlet, it is all UL listed and approved for added weight. Please explain yourself.
Guess you’ve never wired modular furniture The cover is not the raceway the flex is.
when you put the wire around the screw connector you should have the wire wrapped in the direction of the screw so when you tighten the screw it pulls the wire in tighter instead of pushing it outwards
Agreed! I try to remember this by either putting the wire on the right side of the screw OR by ensuring the loop on the wire goes clockwise. I may not have done it in this video but haven't re-watched it in awhile so don't remember.
Nice video. I was wondering though if you if could have created a more flushed and cleaner look by connecting the WHIP to the side of the box instead of behind it with 90 deg connector. I have the same type of whip and in order for me to connect the 90 degree connector I have to rotate the electrical box 90 degree landscape orientation which will probably make it look weird but will still work.
The specific weatherproof box I had didn't have very many knockouts on the sides and so since I could access it from behind, I considered that a cleaner look. There are weatherproof boxes with more knockouts, though, and so yeah, you probably can make it more flush to the wall by using an available side knockout.
I use that knife. not what I was looking for persay. but good info about the light cover.
Looks fine...However, did you check if you got two feet of excess electrical wire to pull the wire out. This may be an option since some states and appentrice system require excess. The reasoning is for earthquake "shear" prevention. Another option is if the direction of the electric wire is from your left, remove the brick and replace with a support housing. If the electrical is wired for "economics" and using as little romex as possible...Your solution is the best option. Good Job.
I like your video, but I need some advice. I have a recessed outlet box in my patio that I want to keep and use the outlet. I want to add another outlet about 8 feet above it. How do I get the power from the recessed box without trying to fish for wire behind the wall? I want to do this all externally. Is there a box extender for the recessed box?
Thank you.
Yes, look for an "extension ring" with "knockouts". You can get them in single-gang, square, round, and weatherproof and they all attach to your existing recessed outlet box. Some example: granworks.com/homedepot/square-extension-ring and granworks.com/homedepot/weatherproof-extension-ring
Perfect. Thank you for the advice.
If all wires were originally WHITE in the box how do you know which to connect green/white/black?
I liked your black to brass tip.
That's a good question! I don't know why all of the wires look white in the video. Maybe there was dust on the black ones? In any event, the original box had two white; two black; and one ground wire so there was no guessing on my part. See this other picture: i.imgur.com/hhOcnHn.jpg
If you can’t identify the colors,you would have return power to conductors and test
I usually use a nightlight to verify voltage on an outlet because usually i can't find my meter or my son in law has borrowed it! haha
Dude, this was a good and informative video. Thanks!
The beginning you mentioned for such a short run you could have used ‘romex’ wire but you used THNN since you had them.
I have a short run from my junction box, less than 12” to my raceway in my insulated patio.
Can I use romex?
Reminds me a bit of how the Red Green show was narrated, except with less duct tape :)
6" of wire outside the box. The next electrician to work on that is gunna be pissed lol. Ur junction box was perfect. U acordian the wires back incase something happen and u need to re work w those wires
God , I'm glad I got an electrician to install power from my house to my shed , have a trip out inside the house , outside from the switch connected to armer coated cable that runs to the shed with trip out and a breaker system both ends . And then have it tested .
Heh, yeah, there is a WORLD of difference between a simple outlet extension and running power to an external building. When I ran 60 amp 240v power to my workshop, I got a permit; dug the trench to the proper depth; added the new panel in the workshop; pounded in the grounding rods; and ran all of the properly sized wires... and then got it all inspected and signed off.
Granworks Workshop , you obviously know more about it than I do , but your vids are very informative and helpful in case I need to add things at a latter date . Thank you 😊
@@granworks ... btw, ground rods at a subpanel is not code. All grounds must be hardwired back to the main panel. OTOH, they may have asked for a second ground rod at the main panel to bring that up to current code. You didn't specify.
First, thanks for a unique code note and not one that's been rehashed a hundred times already in the comments. That said, the addition of ground rods was a requirement by the inspector and he failed me the first time because I lacked them. This is from NEC 250.32(A). A separate building (in this case, 150 ft from the main building) requires its own grounding conductors -- two of them, spaced 6 ft apart in my case. Sub-panels may use the grounding path of the main panel only if they are in the same physical building as the main panel.
@@granworks ... thanks for the follow up. This may be something new or a local requirement that I am not aware of since I an semi retired at this point. I was never an electrician but my job, installing large stand-by generators, required staying on top of codes and working with local sparkies plus dealing with local inspectors. As a side note, I can't believe how often an inspector was wrong on his interpretation of code.... but there's no correcting some. You make them happy or you flunk! Personally, I feel more ground rods are better, but some of the smarter electricians I worked with explained how that's not always the case, technically speaking. Bottom line is soil conditions can make for variations and throw a monkey wrench in the works. A single ground "area" connected to the main panel seems to be better if you sit down and do the math.
Update: the code your inspector asked you to follow might be from 2008 or the NFPA code. (national fire protection association is different) There is new code since 2018. See what I mean about inspectors not always being right or up to date? Check this out : community.nfpa.org/thread/36014
if you have any questions with electrical work, always refer to the NEC book best electricians Bible
Not sure this guy’s ever looked at at the code book.
Wait! so all of that just to move the outlet about one foot?
and to make it a dble gang
Thanks for the video. Helped me to complete my own project.
The way I always remember which wire goes to which is, "white and silver are close to the same color" lol, it works for me😏😜👍🏼
Same.
Cool...I did learn clearly the how to on the flex conduit...helpful
very nicely done.
Your wires must have 6 inches in length outside of the box. So you might want to redo it or just keep it in mind for your next project around your house. Your work here was not up to code. Also, you need to strap the liquidtite to the wall.
Thanks for the feedback. I actually heard both of these criticisms (and one more) after this video was initially posted and so I posted a followup with fixes immediately after: th-cam.com/video/eLUIK6IOw5Q/w-d-xo.html
Wonderful!
+granworks
I tend to add little popup text boxes on the screen when I make mistakes and don't address them prior to uploading
That's a great idea! I'm planning on going through some of my older videos sometime soon and updating them with cards and/or links. I've only ever done the end-video annotations so I have a lot to learn on how to do all this.
Wrong. 3” outside the box. 300.14
Great video. Where did you buy the cover with conduit fitting that went over the old outlet?
It's this: www.homedepot.com/p/1-Gang-Weatherproof-Cluster-Cover-with-Three-1-2-in-Outlets-5189-2B/204208037
Anyone find a link to this or something similar in Canada?
Very helpful! Thank you.
I’m looking to change my wires coming from my circuit box that goes to my pool pump. What kind of outside wires do I need? The one that’s out there now has been there since 1987 and it’s old and rusted. What gauge and my pool pump is 3/4 HP with 115/230v
You will really want to research this in more depth, far beyond a TH-cam comment, since the electrical code is relatively complicated in this case. In general, though, you will be looking at 12 gauge wire in either UF (Underground Feeder) format buried to 24" or individual THWN wires in PVC buried to 18" or even the same in galvanized conduit buried to 6".
I would go with the PVC conduit route, personally. The conduit size also matters. 3/4" would work but I'd bump that up to at least 1" since pulling cable over long distances in an underground cable is no fun if it is cramped for space.
Hope this gives you a good jumping off point!
Granworks Workshop Thanks for your reply, I’m actually just wanting to change the wire coming from my circuit box switch we have outside by our pool pump. I’m not doing anything at the main switch board inside. We have a small circuit box outside and the wire run from the switch is just a little over 4 foot to our pool pump. I’m actually wanting to put a new switch in as well. So what gauge wire and switch do you suggest?
Ah, sorry, that's getting a bit farther from my wheelhouse to give any specifics.
Looks like there may not be an over hang so I gonna say that it could use an in-use cover .
Why run the flex to the back of the box? Why not put the back to the wall and come in the side or top? You need a strap on the flex too.
4:10 happens everytime
need to use THWN wire rated for wet environments
Thanks, best how to Ever and I have watched hours and hours
I could hear you and liked the back ground music. Thank you for not doing the stupid showing each thing like a hand model or something! I could stop and look and really really a good video done in Great time😃
Hi, what's the conduit part number?
Whats the name of the outlet cover
Nice idea. Thanks for sharing.
NEC requires GFCI receptacles to be safe.
Just two comments; first, I hope you dont completely cover that old outlet with wood. Would be illegal because it is inaccessible. Second, if there isn't a roof over the outlet it has to have a bubble in use cover on it, not a damp location cover
You cut those wires a little short?
you drilled 2 holes in the side of the box to mount it. you need silicon on them holes or they will leak.
look into ductseal its spark plumbers putty
Came here looking for this comment
Hello. can you sat where you found the 3-way cover? lease
I got them from Lowes or Home Depot. They are "3 hole weatherproof lampholder covers" or something very similar to this. Here is an Amazon affiliate link to one very similar, since I can't find the exact one I used: amzn.to/2M5vjYR
Smooth as Butter 👍
Can the liquid tight conduit be use for a out side light?
Yes, liquid-tight conduit is intended for exterior use where it might get wet.
@@granworks Thank you
Most local NEC requirements require GFCI outlets within an outdoor environment.
Probably a GFCI breaker back at the panel
Nice work. However I’d suggest leaving at least 6’ - 12’ of excess wire in the box
You wired them in series? Wouldn't that cause a voltage drop or difference between the two outlets?
Yes, there is indeed a voltage drop whenever wiring outlets in series and that's one big reason that doing so is against code in a lot of case... BUT there is one exception and it's this specific case. GFCI circuits can be and are often wired in series in order for the entire circuit to be protected by one GFCI receptacle. The voltage drop will typically be small enough that the compromise is worth it.
Oh, I see. Thank you for sharing!
I'm just here for the comments from the TH-cam certified electricians.
Looks good to me. probably better than most electrical contractors would do...if you could get them to show up!!!
Maybe you're just not calling the right person.
But you have connected in parallel....
you usually wire plugs parallel...you do it in series sometimes?
Yes, usually when adding on to an existing GFCI circuit where the first outlet is protecting the rest of the circuit.
Unless you had a GFCI breaker or outlet up line from there you should have installed a GFCI outlet.
if anything, I got "Brass goes to Black Because Both start with B." from this video.
this is neat how far can you extend that outlet like that
Per code, not at all. Need access to the junction box he is about to bury
Super honest explanation
Couple things I see. 1. You must have no less than 3" of free conductor from the face of the box. 2. you now effectively have a junction box in an in accessable space if you plan on closing that space. 3. Any screws put inside an outlet box cannot be more than 1/2 inch from the back of the box. 4. You need TR/WP outlets(tamper proof/ weather proof). EST Instructor NGTC
Curious how you would connect a power outlet in series. Then you would need to have an appliance in both outlets or no current will flow. And if one appliance has a lower resistance than the other then it will have more voltage over it than the other LOL. I guess you mean something else than the normal series/parrallel meaning. Any outlet that works on its own (as any outlet in the world does), is connected in parrallel, no matter what routing tricks you do.
Serial, in this case, is referring to the fact that if you wire up the outlets linearly, with the input hot/neutral on one side and the outgoing hot/neutral on the other, then all electricity flows through this outlet on the way down the circuit. This especially matters with GFCI outlets since if the outlet trips, then the entire circuit from that point on is cut. That's how all of the bathrooms in my house are currently wired -- one GFCI outlet at the beginning of the circuit that protects all outlets in the room.
In a parallel installation, there are no wires on the outgoing terminals and thus if the outlet trips, only that outlet is switched off and all of the rest in the circuit will continue running.
Series electrical wiring is not like series electronic wiring of batteries, resistors, and such. It does not mean that the neutral connection of one outlet is fed to the hot connection of the next outlet. It means that the hot connection of one outlet is fed to the hot connection of the next outlet, and the neutral of the outlet is fed to the neutral of the next outlet in a daisy chain sequence. All current drawn from the downstream outlets also flows through the upstream outlets, and a failure of any upstream outlet kills all downstream outlets, too.
Parallel electrical wiring connects the in-the-wall wires directly together and includes pigtail wires to each outlet from that same connection point. The hot wire into the junction box is connected directly to the hot wire leaving the junction box and hot pigtails from each outlet are also fed from this connection. The same goes for the neutral and ground wires (if the boxes are not metal). This means that current only passes through an outlet when something is directly plugged into that outlet. All other current travels directly through the in-the-wall wires, and a failure of any one outlet does not affect any others.
Many, many residential circuits are wired in series. Why? Not because it's the best method. It's because it's the cheapest. It takes fewer wire nuts and the least amount of work by the electrician, maximizing profit. The "simplest" installation is to backstab the incoming hot and neutral wires into an outlet, then backstab the outgoing hot and neutral wires into the same outlet, and so on,, using the outlets themselves as the bridges for current. No screwdriver. Just strip wires and push them in (ok, ground wires may require the screwdriver for at least one connection per box). This is a horrible method of wiring, but nonetheless it is extremely common.
Parallel wiring requires at least two (or three) wire nut connections per junction box and two (or three) pigtails to be cut, stripped, and connected for each outlet. If you're going to go through this effort, then you should also either purchase back-wired outlets or use the screws on the outlets to make solid electrical connections instead of the poor backstabbed connections.
Great idea. Very cool!
Work was done incorrectly!
Is looking as no certificated electrician 1- Per 2008 NEC all the receptacles using outdoors or wet location have to be GFCI2- Per the same, the cover have to be closed when in use or not ( bubble covers)3- The boxes using in wet locations never have to be drilled (lose weather tight condicion ) be supported used the metal ear supplied in the package
The GFCI is handled in the Followup video. And no, this doesn't need a bubble cover because this is NOT a wet location.
It looks like this is mounted on the exterior of the structure? If it is, I believe NEC does require a bubble cover
You are not allowed to bury the j-box in the wall,must be accessible.
Great info my friend!
You cut the wires in the two gang box too Short by code they have to be at least 6 inches from the face of the box out.
Dont these need to be gfci because outside in potentially wet area?
4:48 Silver was a white horse.
Great video thanks for sharing
why did you choose THHN I want to something that looks like it's outside instead of THWN? wood THWN be better outside since it's for wet and dry places and it can stand temperatures up to 167 degrees Fahrenheit. THHN is for dry and damp places but it can stand temperatures up to 194 degrees Fahrenheit. hopefully it doesn't rain too hard Where You Are.
The cables are actually dual rated THHN/THWN good to 90C (194F). I only mentioned THHN because I don't care about the "wet" part of this, since my installation is not considered a "wet" location. But yeah, it's difficult to even find plain THHN around here without going to speciality suppliers so all of my single strand insulated wires are dual rated.
granworks qq
M. Low yy
how about supporting the box?
I'm not entirely sure what you mean. The electrical box is screwed into the french wall frame (the "studs") and so it is super solid. The original electrical box that I'm replacing is embedded into the block wall, so that's not going anywhere.
Good illustration but entirely to fast for wire hookups. Had to pause and play several times..thanks for a neat job.
If you’re covering that whole opening you can’t bury the j-box. If it’s exposed I’d use emt not sealtite
Right, this is a slat wall so it will remain open -- what you see is what you get. I used the liquid tight conduit since it is rated for exterior use and, as I think I said in the video, my EMT bending skills are horrid and and I wanted to see if liquid tight would do the job easier. Indeed, it did. I absolutely would have used EMT if I thought that this might get bashed around a bit.
Great job !
Hopefully that is on a GFCI breaker if not then uh oh
"Rough shape?" You should see mine, they were so loose the squirrels were hiding nuts in them.
Why not use GFCI outlets?
My guess the original outlet came from a GFCI circuit (GFCI breaker or another GFCI receptacle). The new ones inherit that GFCI characteristic. But again, my guess could be wrong and GFCI outlets must be used instead.
Little short in the wires into the box, code requires 6".
Great video. I don’t understand how there’s people that voted 👎🏽’S. Thank you for
Your time.
if you cut the wire be make it longer.. if it too short will make the others difficult to make repairing somedays..
great video thanks
Man, it’s distracting how much this guy sounds like Edward Norton!
I was ready to bring that up so I'm glad I'm not alone lol
Actually sounds like something Red Green would do or say (the proper way and without Duct Tape... the handyman's secret weapon)