I would like to add some extra exterior electrical outlets to my house. Mostly for holiday lights and landscape lighting. Is there a step-by-step procedure for available online ? This is a 8 year old standard suburban house in Ohio.
Adding outlets in finished construction, especially in exterior walls, is more of an art than a science. It is not a good first electrical project.
Agree: The electrical/insurance code in the posters jurisdiction probably requires the use of individual GFCI outlets. Or the requirement to run/wire them in such a way that the outside outlets are 'downstream of' and therefore protected by an existing or additionally installed GFCI.
Agree if a householder has to ask a basic question like that it IS NOT a suitable first time wiring project. It might work but could be unsafe, a fire or safety hazard and/or invalidate insurance coverage if something happened. Judging by the number of decorations some people put up the amp load can be considerable! Far more than one uses from an outside convenience outlet for say a grass trimmer or electric mower?
Be careful out there; could be one of YOUR children or pet that gets a shock while changing a bulb or steps on a wet wire.
Let's not get all bent here. I can remember when I was a kid my father used to plug at least 10-12 strings of 25 7-watt C9 bulbs into the 2-prong "convenience" plug on the front porch light, as did practically everybody else on the block. It maxed out the circuit though and I'm sure the #18ga. inside fixture wire that was used to connect this outlet to the house wiring got pretty hot.
No one died, though, as an electrician I wouldn't recommend it.
This was long before GFCIs or even fuses appeared in holiday decorations. One of the easiest ways to add an outdoor outlet on the house is to drill out of the back of an existing outlet box through the exterior wall, and surface-mount a GFCI protected outlet in a weatherproof box right there, covering the hole.
Don't do this off diningroom or kitchen circuits.
Sparky, Watch "Xmas Vacation" w/ Chevy Chase.
JJ> I would like to add some extra exterior electrical outlets to my house. JJ> Mostly for holiday lights and landscape lighting. JJ> Is there a step-by-step procedure for available online ? JJ> This is a 8 year old standard suburban house in Ohio.
You can sometimes tap an indoor outlet to power an outside outlet -- the electricans did it here in a couple of places during the remodeling for the decks. (Outside outlets are GFCI protected.)
Several years prior I had added some outdoor outlets, mainly for the electric weedwacker and to vacuum the car out, plus 'security' lighting. (Had the electricans check -- was OK.) Wire is tucked between the siding and cement blocks of the basement. Where it goes over the front steps is in conduit. (The conduit is under the door at the stoop - not on the stairs themselves.)
- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®
HH> >> Adding outlets in finished construction, especially in exterior walls, i
HH> >> more of an art than a science. It is not a good first electrical projec
RC> junk junk wrote: RC> >
RC> > I would like to add some extra exterior electrical outlets to my house. RC> > Mostly for holiday lights and landscape lighting. RC> > Is there a step-by-step procedure for available online ? RC> RC> Sparky, RC> Watch "Xmas Vacation" w/ Chevy Chase.
You mean this isn't a How To video?!
- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®
snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (HA HA Budys Here) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m13.aol.com:
Actually, I did this on all 4 sides of our house, adding a total of 12 outlets at convenient locations. I put the GFCI outlet in the inside box and wired it so that the outside box was the downstream load. Doing this protected the GFCI from the elements and made resetting easier.
Most of the outlets were used for low-voltage lighting transformers and, seasonally, for holiday lighting. Never a single problem in ten years.
One question... I can understand not adding to kitchen circuits, but why not dining rooms? The most electrical load our diningroom sees is a few low-wattage lamps and the chandelier. And, of course, our vacuum cleaner when we vacuum that room.
Wayne
The dining room is allowed to be part of the kitchen appliance circuits. If it is, you shouldn't extend it to outside or elsewhere.
Allowed to be? According to NEC it had to be either a part of the kitchen, or on it's own 20a small appliance circuit. (Not the diningroom lights, only outlets.)
I've never seen any home built since the late 60's not have 20 in the diningroom. And yes, typically it's grossly under-utilized, hence the NEC allowing it to be on with the kitchen convenience circuits.
I suppose the intent was to accomodate portable Woks, coffeemakers and/or food warmers set out on the once-yearly buffet table, maybe for making waffles AT the table for hubby's birthday, whatever.
Are you implying that these occasions since they only happen once a year justify having once a year electrical fires also???? (;->
You are correct, of course, for the current code. I should have worded my answer better. I do not know when the code changed, but it appears that it was not required in the late 50's - early 60's, many houses exist with dining room circuits that are "normal" 15 amp rather than small appliance circuits.
I suppose back then, people were less inclined to break such hardfast rules, like cooking in the eating room, or eating in the cooking room. And, heaven help you if you weren't seated, at 6pm, clean and presentable, at the diningroom table.
And not a George Foreman grill in sight...
But in the 70s, things changed.
NEC required and allowed the kitchen, diningroom, breakfast nook AND, if on the same floor and "open" to either the kitchen or diningroom- the den (If it was in fact a den, i.e there had to be a livingroom) to all share the same 2 20a small-appliance circuits.
I wired many a home in the 80's that way. Since each room had to have both circuits, there would be a 50/50 chance the blender was on the same circuit as your entertainment center.
Not at all, lol.
"Paul A" wrote in news:1xNwb.4084$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrdny01.gnilink.net:
Oh, okay, agreed. In my case it would be the breakfast room that is part of the kitchen appliance circuits, although I'm not positive about that. The diningroom, OTOH, is totally separate.
Wayne
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