PROPERLY CREATING AN OUTDOOR OUTLET
Electrical activities in London vary in task and type. An example is making an outdoor outlet from an existing circuit. It is quite easy to add another electrical receptacle or outdoor outlet. It becomes cheaper than fixing a brand new circuit. This is commonly done by tapping into an existing circuit somewhere around the house. Here, you can make use of a London based emergency electrician, and you’re in luck because our company boasts of some of the best emergency electricians for your electrical needs.
You should also be wary of overload and short circuits. Before creating an outdoor outlet, make sure it complies with the standards and regulations of the residential area. Also, make sure the power demand is feasible in a way that does not lead to an overload. In doing so, avoid connecting to dedicated circuits. Dedicated circuits come with their breakers since they are for specified appliances or electrical functions.
Note also that the outdoor outlet must not be directly exposed to weather conditions. Thus, its electrical box must be well protected. It must be able to withstand the activities of moisture and dampness. Adding a ground-fault circuit-interrupter should also be a form of protection. Also, make sure the ground-fault circuit-interrupter and cables are of similar amperage with the circuit you wish to tap from.
Things You Need
In addition to the ground-fault circuit-interrupter and a covered electrical box, to fix in an outdoor outlet, you’ll also need exterior screws and screwdrivers, a hammer, drill, wire strippers, cable ripper, cable clamps, NM-B 2-wire cable, exterior sealant, wire connectors, non-contact voltage tester, metal coat hanger, a long ¼-inch drill bit, a ¾-inch drill bit and an acumen for the electrical.
Doing it
-
Decide where to place it
First, you begin by locating a wall outlet inside the house that fits and corresponds to the place outside that you wish to situate the new outlet. That is, the new outlet should be on the same cavity or wall stud as the one you’re tapping from. This saves time and energy as you no longer have to drill a new cavity to place a circuit cable.
-
Cut the power
Make sure you prevent electrocution hazards by turning off the power. You can do this by switching off the circuit breaker in the breaker box responsible for the particular receptacle circuit you’re working on.
-
Double-check
Test to see if cutting the power was successful or not. Make use of a non-contact voltage tester to ascertain that the power supply is absent from each of the outlet slots. Then proceed to check the wiring and terminals of the outlet after taking off its cover. If the tester indicates no sign of electric charge, you can safely assume the power is off.
-
Taking out the outlet
Take out the outlet from the electrical box by loosening the screws. Proceed to disconnect the circuit wires, afterward, pull out the receptacle. Position the wires in a way that does not interfere with further activities.
-
Exposing the wall
Expose the outer wall by taking away the knockout. Depending on what material is used, use a screwdriver and hammer to knock it out if it is metal. Plastic boxes can be taken out with the existing holes in them.
-
Drilling operations
You are now ready to drill from the inside to the outside. Drill through the knockout area after exposing the wall, making use of a drilling machine, and the ¼ -inch drill bit. You would also want to enlarge the hole on the outside to allow for wiring operations. Another way to the drilling operations would be to drill only from the outside using a ¾ -inch drill bit. Make sure it is aligned with the outlet on the inside or close to it.
-
Wiring operations
Pass the NM-B wire cable from one outlet to another, measuring the appropriate length. Where the box outlets are not aligned, make use of a metal coat hanger to drag the cable from one box to the other. Apply cable clamps to hold cables in place.
It is now time to prepare pigtails. From the roll of cable available, cut out six inches of the cable. Remove the insulation from the cable using a cable ripper. You’ll find three sets of wires – black, white, and earth wires. Strip away about an inch of insulation from the white and black wires. These would now serve as pigtails. However, note that most metal indoor boxes contain a grounding pigtail. During connections, this grounding pigtail should also be connected to the other earth wires.
From the NM-B cable passed from the interior to the exterior outlet, also remove six inches of the insulation from the interior end. From the same process used in preparing the pigtails, also strip away about an inch of insulation from the black and white wires. Connect the white wire from the installed NM-B cable to the white wire from the pre-installed circuit cable and the white pigtail. Make similar connections to the three black wires and earth wires, respectively.
-
Installing the outlets
Connecting and installing the indoor outlet should begin with identifying the terminals on the outlet. Start by wiring the ground pigtail to the ground screw terminal, the white pigtail goes to the silver terminal, while the black pigtail should be connected to the brass terminal. Arrange the wires to fit into the electrical box, reattaching the outlet and its cover with screws to hold it in firmly.
Installing the exterior outlet must begin with installing the electrical box. To do so, pass the new circuit cable through the knockout hole of the outdoor electrical box, holding it in place with a cable clamp. Administer an exterior sealant on the back area of the box and fix the box to the wall with screws.
To install the ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) outlet, also remove with a cable stripper about 6 inches of insulation from the circuit cable, exposing the three sets of wires in it. Strip close to an inch of insulation from the white and black wires. Recognize the terminals on the GFCI outlets and the three types of wires to their appropriate terminals. For further clarification, the neutral white wire should be connected to the neutral silver terminal on the outlet, the ground wire to the green ground screw terminal and the black wire to the brass terminal on the GFCI outlet. Then, arrange the wires to fit into the electrical box, attaching the outlet and its cover with screws to hold it in firmly, taking heed to whatever instructions are provided by the manufacturer.
If you are making use of a metallic outdoor box, you need to fix in two grounding pigtails. One should be connected to the box and the other affixed to the ground screw of the GFCI outlet. Use a wire connector to connect both to the circuit ground wire.
-
Testing
Power the circuit by putting on the circuit breaker. Use a voltage tester to confirm if there is an electric current in both outlets.