How To Add Electrical Outlet To Existing Wall

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Distributing ability outlets evenly throughout a space can open up rooms and make new spaces much more friendly. Placing a new electrical outlet can aid make a firm more than livable. With the right planning and safe precautions, running wire from a ability source to a new outlet doesn't demand to have more than a couple of hours. Acquire to program the job properly, run wire safely, and test your project to make sure it's secure.

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Find out if you need a permit or professional installation. Depending on where you live, you may need a permit to add an electrical outlet in your habitation. In some places, you may need to hire a professional to do any electrical work. Check with your local code function to find out if either of these pertains to your area.
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Turn off the circuit breaker. Locate the breaker box in your dwelling house, which is commonly in a basement, garage, or hallway. Open the box and locate the power switch for the area where yous're working. Flip the switch to the Off position to cut power to the area. Apply a non-contact voltage tester to bank check the circuit before moving forrard.^[1]

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Assemble the necessary tools and materials. To install a new electrical outlet and make the connections safely, you'll demand a few basic electricians' tools. Make certain you have access to the following:
- Wire strippers
- Keyhole saw
- Drywall pocketknife
- Drill with a wood drill bit
- Lineman's pliers
- Needle-nose pliers
- Screwdriver, finishing and Philip'due south head
- Non-contact voltage tester
- A fish tape
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Determine the best location for the outlet. Measure the distance off the floor to the other outlets in the building. Mensurate from the center of the existing box location to the middle of the desired new box location. Turn off the power in the outlet. Take off the encompass plate held on by the single spiral in the middle of the outlet and measure to the pigsty cut in the wall.
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Find an opening in the wall. In virtually homes, there are two in × 4 in (v.ane cm × 10.ii cm) or 2 in × half dozen in (5.1 cm × 15.2 cm) studs typically at 16 or 24 in (41 or 61 cm) increments along whatsoever wall. Outlets must always be attached to a stud for security and safety. Mark a infinite at the appropriate height, at a location between 2 studs.
- The easiest way to locate studs if to use a "stud finder" available at many hardware stores. Y'all can also try tapping the wall lightly with a hammer and moving slowly across the wall and listening closely. The wall will sound hollow for virtually of the taps and then sound "solid" when you lot have reached a stud.
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Confirm there are no other mechanical or plumbing items in the wall. Check for plumbing from sinks showers or toilets on the opposite side of the wall. Be aware of whatever HVAC air returns or ducts.
- If there is a grill high up or at the bottom of the wall where y'all want the outlet, you tin't exercise it with the air render in the aforementioned wall infinite. Explore with a nail hole and hanger. Poke a hole and use something like a wire hanger to "experience" around inside the wall cavity to check.
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Notice out where you can get power. There are 2 basic ways to install a new electrical outlet, running electrical wiring from a circuit breaker to the new location, or from some other outlet in the same room. Depending on where you're installing a new outlet–living space, basement, or outdoor expanse–admission to power may vary. Find the closest and most convenient identify to connect to make the job easy on yourself.
- Exist sure to consider the existing electrical load and what the new load will add to the existing co-operative circuit. Calculate the load to ensure it is safe. The most convenient source of power may not exist the safest!
- In general, the load for the existing outlet has already been calculated for the circuit, and running a new outlet is likely to overload that excursion. It's typically all-time to have new wire from the panel and install a new outlet if you lot need information technology.^[2]
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Cutting a hole for the new outlet. Trace the outlet box on the wall where you want it to go. And then, use a keyhole saw (or strong utility knife) and make small and business firm incisions over and over until you lot accept cut through the wall material. Walls made with plaster may require yous to drill holes into the corners and cut the pigsty with a Sawzall.^[3]
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Run the wire from the ability source to the new outlet. Information technology's best to avert making additional holes in the wall if at all possible. Look for ways to extend the branch circuit wiring vertically from the source of power, such as through an cranium or basement. Or, use an external method such as conduit or wire mold, or run a fish tape through the hole for the new outlet to run the conductors.
- If you tin't find a way to run the wire, you lot may accept to cut a hole in the wall near the existing power source.
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Pull the appropriate kind of wire between the 2 locations. In one case you have access to the locations, become your Romex not-metallic wire. Give yourself 12 to 18 inches (xxx to 46 cm) of wire sticking out on both ends. Wire the new receptacle first and so go back and connect the new wire to the existing circuit. Cutting sheathing off Romex almost 8 inches (xx.three cm) long.^[4]
- Your home may use 12- or 14-gauge wires. Check the circuit billow to determine the correct amperage. Note that #14/two+grand is xv-amp rated wire and uses a 15-amp circuit breaker, while #12/2+g is xx-amp rated wire and uses a xx-amp circuit billow.
- You should use wire that is proper for the ability rating of that circuit and of the same size as the wire you are connecting to. Take a sample of the existing wire with you when you go to purchase the new wire.
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Install the outlet receptacle at the new end. Purchase the outlet and wires from a hardware or home improvement store and connect the wires to the receptacle. Within the electrical cable, there are three usher wires, typically blackness, white, and copper wire with no insulation. On the receptacle itself, there are 2 brass screws where the un-grounded or hot conductors adhere, two silver screws for the grounded conductor or neutral conductors, and 1 green spiral for the equipment ground usher. ^[five]
- Claw the bare copper wire around the ground wire screw and tighten the screw down.
- Strip the insulation ⁱⁱⁱ⁄_iv inch (ane.9 cm) off the end of the white wire. Exist sure to ready your wire stripper to the appropriate size for the wire that you're using.^[6]
- Curve a hook on the end of the wire using pliers, and so put the hook around 1 of silver screws and tighten the screw in a clockwise direction. The other argent spiral isn't used.
- The black wire goes to the contumely screw. Do the same thing: strip the wire, make a hook, and tighten the screw down.
- Wrap the wire and connections with electrical tape to keep everything from touching.
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Install the cutting-in outlet box with the fasteners supplied. The outlet box should be firm on the wall and not be able to be wiggled effectually. This is used to house the loose wires and proceed them wrapped and secure for condom purposes. These are available at all home repair outlets.^[seven]
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Install the wires at the starting outlet. Become dorsum to the starting outlet and connect the wires. Accept the existing receptacle and remove it from the wires, then match up the black wires with black, white with white, and ground with ground.^[8]
- Cut an 8 in (20 cm) pigtail (stubby piece of wire) and strip off both ends ³⁄_iv inch (1.nine cm). Take all 3 black wires together so the ends are matched up. The end of the new wire should meet the terminate of the old wire, and one cease of the pigtail. The pigtail wire is the i that will exist reconnected to the receptacle.
- Get a wire nut (plastic cone) that only screws onto the wire to connect them. Utilize lineman's pliers to twist the 3 black wires together, then twist on an appropriately-sized wire nut. The same goes for white and ground wires, respectively. Take the other end of the pigtail and adhere it to the screws the same manner as before: light-green goes to green, white goes argent, black goes to bronze.
- Older houses might have different types of wires, so you may need to consult an electrician if yours don't lucifer up.
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Put everything in the wall and install wall plates. You lot'll need 2 machine-threaded screws to spiral directly into the box. The outlet itself should then be screwed directly onto the box with the screws included.^[9]
- Once you put the device in, fasten the wall plate using a screw and put all the wires into the receptacle to tidy up the job. Spiral the encompass plate onto the wall and repair whatever holes you made in drywall, if necessary.
- Avoid using wood or drywall screws as they are non up to code and will not properly secure the device. Using them instead of automobile-threaded screws tin cause you to neglect an inspection.
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Plough the power on to test your work. The circuit should remain on and the fuse should not pop if you lot've installed the wires correctly. Test the outlet with a lamp, or some other low voltage device.^[x]
- If the fuse does popular, or the power doesn't piece of work, turn the ability back off and pull the connections back out to check them. It'due south likely a wire or ii came loose in the maneuvering process and should be reattached appropriately.
- Be very conscientious that you plow the ability back off before y'all check if there'southward some kind of problem. If the circuit'south on, there should be power, which means that you've got to be very careful.
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Test the outlet with a multimeter. Set up the multimeter to measure out AC voltage. Put the red concluding into the shorter slot on the outlet, which should be hot, and the blackness concluding into the longer terminal, which should be negative.^[xi] If the outlet is working properly, the multimeter will evidence a reading between 110 and 120 volts.^[12]
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Go an electrician to inspect your work. Even if your region doesn't require the work to be done by a certified electrician, you should still hire one to inspect the job. This could prevent problems downwardly the line, including potential hazards like fire due to improper installation.^[13]

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Tin I run wiring to a new electric outlet from an outlet in the same room instead of running new wire from the excursion breaker?

Ricardo Mitchell
Electrician & Construction Professional person, CN Coterie

Ricardo Mitchell is the CEO of CN Coterie, a fully licensed and insured Lead EPA (Ecology Protection Agency) Certified construction company located in Manhattan, New York. CN Coterie specializes in full home renovation, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, cabinetry, furniture restoration, Adjuration/ECB (Part of Administrative Trials and Hearings/Environmental Control Board) violations removal, and DOB (Department of Buildings) violations removal. Ricardo has over 10 years of electrical and structure experience and his partners have over 30 years of relevant experience.

Electrician & Construction Professional person, CN Coterie

Expert Respond

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I would non suggest anyone to just take power from an existing outlet and run a new outlet. When the original outlet was installed, the electrician calculated the amperes and voltage to be consumed for that excursion. If you add anything additional, yous tin overload the circuit. The best advice is to take new wire from the panel and install a new outlet if yous need it.

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Extension cords were made for this purpose (but merely for temporary use). It's cheaper, easier and less dangerous to buy a cord and run information technology to where yous occasionally need power.
If you are investigating the basement or crawl space, you lot may detect wires hanging down, but non electrical boxes. In well-nigh regions, it is acceptable to interrupt a wire so long as the connections you make end inside a new electrical box. Find a wire that appears to connect to an existing outlet in the room and be sure that it has some slack (you can get about half dozen inches of the wire folded onto itself). With the power off, you can cut the wire. Place both ends of the cut wire into a new electrical box, mount the box on a floor joist and tie in your new wire to the existing wires.
If you have an attic or basement/crawl space, yous must investigate the road for running your ability to it. Sometimes power is run to ceiling lite boxes in the middle of the room. Other times, but the wires for powering the light itself are in the box. You tin can bank check this past turning off the ability to a room (or edifice to play information technology condom), taking off the light fixture and seeing if more ii wires enter the ceiling calorie-free electric box. If more wires come up in (and then more probable go out a different fashion), yous more than than likely have live and constant power running through that box. You can perchance connect to those additional wires.

Do non put an extension cord where it would receive wearable and tear from foot-traffic and doors closing on information technology.
Household electric current is enough to cause electrocution (death or injury) if a person is grounded or touches ii wires, thereby completing the circuit.
Constant over-load electric current can cause wires to overheat and ignite the insulation and other edifice materials.
In most locations, there are code requirements for work such as this. Doing information technology yourself can increase the likelihood of burn too. It is easy, due to the complexity of this, to allow too much current to be fatigued through a single circuit.