- 1). Locate an indoor outlet close to the area where you will be installing the outdoor outlet. Turn the power off to this outlet at the main circuit panel. Remove the screw in the center of the outlet cover, using the screwdriver, and set the outlet cover and screw aside. Loosen and remove the screws in the top and bottom of the outlet that is securing the outlet to the electrical box. Pull the outlet out of the box as far as the wiring will allow. Knock or twist out one of the knockout holes in the back of the electrical box to allow additional wiring into the box.
- 2). Locate the area outside where the outdoor outlet will be installed. Select a location that is in the same wall cavity as the indoor outlet to avoid having the run the wiring through the studs. Measure up from the ground about 18 inches or 12 inches above the home's foundation. Mark the measurement on the wall.
- 3). Drill a 1/2-inch hole on the mark from Step 2. Use the drill and wood or masonry drill bit depending on your type of exterior wall. If your outlet kit is designed to be recessed into the wall, line up the hole in the back of the outlet box with the hole in the wall, and trace the shape of the box onto the wall. Cut out a hole in the wall, following the traced outlet using the wood saw, or hammer and chisel, depending your type of exterior wall. Cut the hole just large enough for the outlet box to fit inside.
- 4). Insert the electrical cable into the hole in the exterior wall and run it though into the hole in the back of the interior outlet box, and out the front. Have an assistant help pull the wiring through as you feed it through each outlet box hole. Run about 6 to 8 inches of cable out each indoor and outdoor electrical box and cut away any extra cable.
- 5). Strip away about 3 inches of the outer sheathing on both ends of the electrical cable. This will reveal three wires inside the cable, two insulated and one bare. Strip off 1 inch of insulation off the two insulated wires again at both ends of the cable.
- 6). Insert the outside cable through the back and out the front of the outdoor electrical box. If the electrical box is to be mounted to the exterior wall, line up the hole in the back of the box and the hole on the wall, and secure it to the wall using the included screws in the kit and screwdriver. Insert a screw into each hole in the outlet box, and tighten them securely to the exterior wall. If the electrical box is designed to be recessed into the wall, insert the box into the hole and secure it to the wall, inserting a screw through each hole in the outlet and tightening it securely to the wall.
- 7). Connect the outdoor wiring to the GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet using the screwdriver and the following connections. Connect the black (hot) wire under the brass screw labeled "Line," the white (neutral) wire under the silver screw labeled "Line," and bare (ground) wire under the green screw. Tighten each of the screws down on the wires holding them securely in place.
- 8). Push the wiring back into the outlet box, and line up the GFCI outlet holes with the holes on the electrical box, and insert a screw and tighten each down to secure it in place. Attach the outdoor outlet cover over the electrical box, by also inserting a screw into each hole and tighten them down to a snug fit.
- 9). Cut about 1 inch off the nozzle on the tube of caulking. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle. Insert the caulking tube into the caulking gun. Squeeze the trigger at a slow and steady pace, applying caulk around the exterior outlet box edges, where it meets the wall. This will seal up the box and prohibit water or moisture from entering the interior of the wall.
- 10
Connect the wiring on the inside outlet box to the existing outlet. Connect the black (hot) wire under the brass screw, the white (neutral) wire under the silver screw, and the bare (ground) wire under the green screws. Tighten each screw down on the wire to hold it in place. Push the wiring back into the box and insert a screw in the top and bottom of the outlet to secure it to the electrical box. Replace the outlet cover and insert the screw through the center hole and tighten it securely. - 11
Turn the power back on at the main circuit panel, and plug a light into the exterior outlet.
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