How to Do Outdoor Electrical Work
With just a few tools, some time and instruction you can make the outdoors ready to plug in your favorite lights and appliances. You can create an outside outlet box that looks a lot like the outlets inside of your home, but are rated for outdoors. This will lower your use of unsightly and dangerous extension cords running from inside your home or garage.
Tools:
- Electrical wiring
- Junction box
- Conduit
- Shovel
- Tape measure
- Drill
- Rigid Metal Conduit
- LB fittings
- Contact your local inspector to inquire about permits necessary to for wiring.
- Place the electrical wiring on the ground where you intend the wires to be placed in the ground. Be sure to call or look up your yards underground cable locations. Call before you dig.
- Measure about 4 inches between the electrical box and the mark the spot. Use your drill to make a hole in the outside exterior of the house close to the main electrical box for the junction box.
- Push the hole in the junction box backside out. Place the junction box so that it lines up with the hole.
- Measure and cut the metal conduit that holds the wires safely.
- Make a trench using your shovel to lay the conduit into. Make the trench about six to eight inches deep, but you should check on your locations electrical code book to make sure this is up to code. Dig enough width to allow the conduit to fit into the trench. Remember that metal conduit degrades over time, but it does not have to be grounded.
- Connect the junction box to the elbow fitting by pushing it through the hole in the wall to the junction box.
- Turn off the power to your home at the fuse box found at the interior of your home before attaching wires to the outside electrical box.
- Connect the junction box inside the house to the electrical conduit on the exterior, and attach the conduit to the to the elbow fitting. Secure the conduit to the house with the conduit straps and screws using your drill.
- Push the electrical cable through the conduit and into the inside of the house, and through the junction box.
- Attach the elbow fitting to the junction box and connect the wires to the junction box outside. Be sure to follow the instructions included with the junction box.
- Fill in the trench with the dirt and pat down to ensure the conduit does not move.
- Research electrical wiring diagrams and cautions to ensure safety while performing this electrical project.