Outdoor GFCI installation tutorial
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- Опубліковано 3 лют 2014
- This is an excellent instructional tutorial on how to install an outdoor GFCI receptacle on the side of a stucco house -- drilling through the wall and tying into the gang box and receptacle outside. Some don't use conduit when running wire form an interior to exterior gang box, they'll just use outdoor Romex. In this video I run flex through the wall and I show you how to do it. Thanks for watching.
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After watching 10 how to videos, this was the best. Not too long, no redundant facts, not a lot of useless information. Good quality on sound and visuals. Anyone attempting this install will already have some basic knowledge. Last guys video was half an hour of talk about how good he was. Thanks.
Best wiring video i've come across, explanation was clear and logical. Thank you Sir!
Apprentice here. I've been wanting to mount an outside outlet for sometime now but have hesitated because we have stucco. You just answered all of my questions. THANK YOU very much. Excellent video.
High quality tutorial. Lots of great information without any unnecessary blather. Many thanks! Upvoted and subscribed.
Great presentation, thank you! And I wanted to add that although not likely, some homes may have split circuit receptacles so I check both receptacles at the outlet for power, might need to throw two breakers instead of one. (Not trying to be nitpicking, just in the interest of safety is all)
I liked the way you mounted the box. Looks good and solid. That being said I never saw you check for a ground on the inside receptacle. Just because it is a 3 prong outlet that doesn't guarantee a ground. Metallic Cable or Flexible Metal Conduit doesn't necessarily guarantee a ground either. So if the inside box wasn't grounded through the MC or FMC then the outside box isn't grounded either. Not pushing the "test" button on a newly installed gfci receptacle to verify proper operation is kinda suspy also because that's the first thing I always do.
Thanks for the no nonesense, laymen term install. I have to do it this week to power an outdoor mini fridge and TV for the patio. I will have to figure out how to do a double gang, or just mount a power strip under the bar for multiple plugs.
I found this video very helpful and plan to give it a go myself!
Excellent video. Exactly what I needed. It was to the point, voice was clearly heard and the music was low enough not to interfere with what was being said. Thank you.
Thank you Joyce. Your comment is very helpful. I have more tutorials on the way. :)
Looking forward to viewing them. Thanks
Good Video, exactly what I was looking for and going to be doing shortly. Thanks!
Very informative and well explained tutorial. Thank you.
Seriously great walkthrough! Thank you
Great video. Very clear and easy instructions. Thank you 😊
EXCELLENT tutorial. Just what I was looking for. Thank you.
Excellent and very clear, Starts at breaker and ends there with no steps skipped or things assumed
I have no complaints about your installation.Everything looked good. It must have been hell to get that connector through the knockout in the interior box.
Great, good reference for my 240V Level II electronic car charger cable.
excellent tutorial. Thanks
Great vid. As far as installing the ground side up as someone suggested, that only makes sense if you're plugging cords in that have a ground prong. I would say most residential appliances dont have a ground prong. TV, phone charger, kitchen appliances, lamps. Plugs strip yes..
Thanks, exactly the info I was looking for.
WOW, very well done tutorial. Just the video I've been looking for all night. I haven't done much electrical work to my house, but I need to bring electricity to my backyard shed. After, seeing several videos I have come to understand that I need to basically find an existing gang box and get electricity from there? All the other connections seem very simple.
If you're wiring a shed... what for? If for power tools or other high amperage devices, you might need to run an entirely new line from the power box with it's own breaker.
Thank you! This was VERY helpful :)
Thank you. simple and clear.
Holy shit a real electrician, finally. Well done
Great Video! Well Done!, Thank You!!
Great tutorial - my wife thinks I should get a electrician LOL -- I got this! Thanks again!
Very clearly explained tutorial, thank you.
You are very welcome CatNact. Thanks for your comment.
Excellent- thanks!
Thank u! I lv ur video, n I appreciate ur reply.
I can do that! Thanks for sharing!
Very well explained
very informative, thanks sir
Very well done tutorial. Very informative. Not flashy or jokey or silly. Very much to the point and serious. This is exactly the style I find most helpful. You made very effective and economical (concise) use of photographs. I like the use of zoom and pan (Ken Burns effect). I think it was more effective than most videos. Thank you.
Thank you Martin for your encouraging words. Stay tuned - more Roundel tutorials to come.
This helped me! I did it! Thank you!
That's great! Glad it helped.
great video
Clear and concise. I was going to hire this done. Not anymore....
Wow nice tutorial thanks a lot for help
No problem. Thank you for your comment Edwin. Stay tuned more coming.
Just a quick note. Your breaker is 20 amps as is your new GFCI on the outside but your interior receptacle is only 15 amps which isn't good. The breaker can supply more current than your interior receptacle is rated for and yet not trip. FYI
Very nice video, can you show how to install a gfci outlet/switch combo. The receptacle I'm referring to has the line and load terminals and then 2 black wires coming out of the receptacle. The outlet is on the end of my line so i know the load wire will stay covered but i want to attach a light for my back yard off the outlet thats already in place.
Thanks
Thank you good video
This is how to do a video you should make more that is a professional job a video I'm doing the same thing an this just saved me he'll. Bravo have a beer of your choice on me . Thanks and keep up the great work
Tried to do this, but when I drilled through the back of the receptacle, hit some sort of thick metal brace that's holding up the receptacle. previous owner was a terrible handyman. Left some receptacles unsupported. I guess I'll have to open the wall to do it right. it was a great video though. Thanks!
Sorry to hear about your issue. Anybody who's ever done this type of work will tell you that you don't know what surprises you'll find when opening up a wall. Most receptacle boxes that I've run into (whether old or new) are attached to the side of a stud either by nails or screws. Hope it works out for you.
Thank you
Good stuff
Very good video. I have a question maybe someone could answer. On the outside, is the end of the flex conduit flush with the outside wall? Or, is the fitting going to the box flush with the outside wall with just the threads of the fitting extending from the wall? Thank you.
You could have put the gfci inside and swapped the standard plug to outside, thus having two gfci protected outlets, as the gfci protects all downstream outlets. That is of course if you take power for the exterior outlet from the inside gfci instead of using those abysmal wire nuts, wiring in series instead of parallel as you did. Fewer connections and more safety.
Good idea but better to get a weather resistant outdoor outlet
Do you need to seal the mounting screws so that water/moisture won't penetrate past the stucco and cause damage?
Awesome video. If only you had links to purchase all items 🙁
Your great! Thank you very much!
My local always mounts the recepticals with the ground side up .
Look at most tutorials on youtube, you'll see the receptacle ground side is down.
+JOE64POW I was just making a statement to let watchers open their mind to other ideals. . I hate using this but to make a point i will. Many people also followed Hitler and u know how that following went right?
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Materials & Systems >> Electrical >> Ground Pin Up or Ground Pin Down?
Ground Pin Up or Ground Pin Down?
There is an age-old debate about whether an electrical outlet should be mounted with the ground pin up or down. Unfortunately, there is not a fully accepted answer. However, it is commonly accepted that the National Electrical Code (NEC) of the United States, or NFPA 70, does not provide any specific direction for the orientation of the outlet.
Ground Up or Ground Down?
Some theories about the orientation of an outlet:
The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin up because if the plug comes slightly loose and a metal object were to fall from above, the ground plug, which usually does not carry current, would deflect the object so that it would not hit is live prongs. It is accepted that this idea began in health care facilities where many tools used for patient care are metal. The story goes that hospitals were wired by union electricians and as the unions grew the practice spread to other types of buildings.
The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin up because this pin is longer and the plastic around the plug is meatier, so it will help to keep the plug inserted in the outlet.
The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin down because a person grabbing the outlet will have their index finger at the bottom side of the plug and the index finger sticks out further than the thumb. Having the ground down will keep a person's index finger from touching the live pins.
The outlet should be oriented with the ground pin down because many common household items such as nightlights, timers, and battery chargers are oriented with the ground pin down. In addition, GFCI outlets, which have text on the reset and test buttons, are oriented with the ground pin down (and the text readable).
A quick internet search provides comments that easily debunk any of these theories. The most basic answer is that it truly doesn't matter which way your outlets are oriented. Select the strategy that best works for you.
osz71 If you look at history of installs in local 98 out of Philadelphia, they started doing this in hospitals because lf something like a doctors knife or something else metal were to fall on a plug that was falling out, the metal object would hit the ground first instead of the hot. It makes sense to me and this is how I do my installs.
Michael Hinchey that's how I do them grounds up
Wow godwin's law in the first reply, that was fast!
Question, are your receptacle both 20 amp, or are they 15 A / 20 A receptacle? Can you install 2 different amp receptacle?? Thanks great video!!
You really should not. That's the whole point of the extra T shaped connector, you should not be able to shove in a 20A appliance into a 15A circuit. You will trip the breaker, yes. But it's still unsafe.
Can you mount the box to the wall with just the anchors and not the flex connector?
I am a bit concerned tht the box in the inside room may be over wired and have not the capacity. remember the 2.0 for #14 and 2.25 for # 12 gauge wire. Looks a bit tight, and I think new rules require pigtail wiring with wire nuts. the reason I am told is that if one connection becomes open , rest of circuit will be fine.
Where did you get the exterior gang box? I cannot find one that mounts on the exterior of the wall. I can only find boxes that require you to cut out the wall and recess it. Thank you!
I want to bring box out to run underground conduit on siding with crushing siding. Only blocks are to big for simple junction box. What can I use to build out 1/2 “?
The wiring from the inside wall just has the black and white and no ground green wire your running the green wire to the GFCI that goes now where . how dose that ground the GFCI receptacle . thanks
It doesn't.
A quick question, which drill bit you used for Stucco? I tried and all of them are slow, I use an metal drill bit on a impact drive.
+George Chen
Hi George, I used a concrete drill bit, you'll notice the tip is different then the multi purpose bits. Check the video, but I think I used a 5/8" concrete drill bit.
You want to use a masonry bit.
Is it possible to use romex instead of flex? And use a romex connector?
great video. can I use 14/2 wire, instead of 12/2 wire
12/2 for 20 amp and 14/2 for 15 amp. 14/2 is smaller wire then the 12/2.
+JOE64POW . Tha k you sir for replying. yes I know the amps for the wires. I should had ask you, what size breaker do you recommend. Is 15 amp breaker enough?
It depends, if you think you'll be drawing quite a bit of power from the outdoor plug by using, let's say, an electric lawnmower, you might want to run your plug from a 20 amp breaker.
If the box your tapping into is plastic? Sorry should have mentioned that.
I'm new to all this, so excuse a possibly dumb question. I'm curious why you used pigtails for all the wires at the interior receptacle instead of having the incoming wires attach to the top (line) screws and the outgoing wires attach to the bottom (load) screws on the sides of the receptacle. Isn't that what those screws are for? Seems like you'd only have to use a pigtail for the ground.
+Firstname Lastname Oops, I meant incoming wires to bottom screws, outgoing to top. At least on the gfci receptacle I have, it says line on bottom and load at top.
+Firstname Lastname
Thanks for your question. When more then one wire needs to be connected to a post, adding a "pigtail" reduces the multiple number of wires (that need to be connected) down to one wire. This is probably one of the most common reasons they are used. I find it's also helpful too because it gives some slack and wiggle room when you go to put a switch, receptacle etc. back into their box. You need room to move and adjust.
+JOE64POW That makes sense. Thanks for the quick reply!
+JOE64POW I agree with Firstname Lastname; the regular receptacles have 2 posts on each side so that you can easily wire receptacles in series and you don't have to pigtail at each box. You can save time on each installation if you just would use the other posts. Also on the gfci receptacles, they are set up to receive up to 2 straight wires on each post (because they have the clamp connectors). This also helps to cut down on pigtails. IF pigtails are needed, then by all means add them, but don't add them just to add them. My 2 cents anyways, thanks for sharing the video.
Hi Thomas, thanks for your reply. Yes, you and "Firstname Lastname" are correct - you can wire it that way, certainly. I have learned from watching others (who were much more efficient then myself) that many times the existing (sometimes old) wiring that comes into a junction box is not long enough to make the connections easy. If you have short existing wires and connect them straight to the receptacles it will leave you with very little "wiggle room." I like the ease of adding pigtails and the extra "wiggle room" it affords. Do you have too do it that way? Of course not. I'm just offering people what I believe to be a great alternative when folks find themselves struggling with wiring a receptacle or switch in an old junction box. I think you'll find that this makes sense as you go along. Thanks much.
Hi I have a question? Can I just use outdoor rated wire instead of flex an get the same results?
Hi 1MRALANIZ,
I have seen other tutorials where some have drilled through the wall and shoved romex through to the outdoor junction box as opposed to using flex. Some might comment that my wiring is a bit overkill. Using romex or outdoor rated wired would be fine as long as the solid copper gauge wire matches the existing wire size in the interior box you're tapping into.
Instead of a pigtail, couldn't you have just branched the new wires off the second set of screws on the existing receptacle?
This is what I am very curious about. I am searching online for the information now.
Just wanted to update, I just finished installing an outdoor outlet where I connected the wires to the second set of screw holes on the back of the interior receptacle that is located inside the house. I spoke to a very knowledgeable associate at Home Depot who works in the electrical department and asked him if it was doable and safe. He said it was fine. So I tried it and all is good so far.
I would not have had room for pigtailing inside the electrical box. It would have been too bulky so I am glad that this worked.
If you had a problem with the plug inside the house, you may at some point remove it. When you daisy chain receptacles you lose power to all downstream devices if an upstream receptacle is removed. So, pigtailing is preferred since downstream devices are unaffected when one upstream plug is removed. That may not seem like a big issue but in special cases it can cause big problems. For example on a shared neutral circuit (often used in kitchen appliances), if the neutral line is lost by itself you get 240 volt power overload to downstream devices. If you've got room and time to do pigtails, it's a better option. As you say, daisy chaining does work, and there is no advantage to pigtails for the last device on a circuit, although you do want to ground both the box and the device.
I have a brick exterior do I use same installation process? I am concerned about drilling holes into the brick. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Katrina, You can drill a hole with a masonry bit through brick.You'll want to be careful to consider how old the exterior brick is first. Old brick has a tendency to crumble and flake. I would start with a very small masonry bit at first and take your time drilling a pilot hole from the inside out, if you know the brick solid and won't crumble. If you can tell the brick is old and pretty weak then you'll want to find the spot where you're going to drill on the exterior wall and drill from the outside in. If you don't feel comfortable in doing it yourself you should call an electrician to drill the hole for you. The key is to take your time drilling and get a feel for the bit cutting through the brick. You can see other youtube videos where people are drilling through an exterior brick wall. Use an extra long masonry bit and you'll be fine. :)
Thanks. The house was built in 1978 so I would say it is old. Thank you for your quick response. It is very helpful.
Katrina Williams 1978 isn't that old. I work on a lot of homes in LA that were built at the turn of the century (1901-1911) and I've seen the crumbling brick issue on some of these homes. I'm sure the bricks on your 1978 home would be fine.
Is the flex pipe necessary?
No it's just an option.
Sounds like I am working with CIA and we are debriefing lol awesome
the only problem I have is that the green ground wire is NOT grounded.....you did not use (or at least show) a ground pig-tail connected to the interior metal box.....
Hi Todd, yes your right I didn't ground the green ground wire in the interior box. The box was old and there wasn't any place for a ground wire so I didn't worry about it knowing I would ground it in the exterior box. You're right. Thanks for your comment.
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To be honest I think it's kind of unsafe to put the GFCI protection OUTSIDE. Instead, you should really be putting a regular outlet outside, and put the GFCI protected outlet inside the house as close as possible to the panel, or at least far away from any sources or potential sources of water.
Also, it looks like you installed a 20A receptacle on a 15A line. This is theoretically unsafe. That's why they have 20A receptacles in the first place.
Hold on a sec. The breaker is 20A. Then this is actually terrible. Because I am pretty sure I saw you use a 14Ga wire at some point. This is actually super unsafe.
ou are drilling a handybox.....that makes no sense. you confuse me still
Confusing….. I know how to do this with my eyes closed but if I were an apprentice…. This video would be confusing….
I see two code violations. The gang box in the bedroom is overstuffed and won't pass inspection. Secondly, it looks like your outdoor receptacle is wired with 14 gauge wire while the bedroom receptacle has the (correct) 12 gauge wire. This is a major no-no and a fire hazard. 14 gauge wire cannot handle 20 amps. Also why not just replace that old gang box in the bedroom with a new one? That old box is not bonded to the ground, which is bad.
So, in other words, don't follow this guy's video if you are DIYing. It's not up to code.
The exterior wiring is 12 gauge. He even says so in the video.
Thank you