Dear Mr. Electrician: How do I install an outdoor electrical outlet box on the surface of vinyl siding?
Answer: Use a weather-rated outdoor electrical outlet box with a raintight flip cover or a bubble cover depending on the location.
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WHERE TO GET POWER FOR THE OUTDOOR OUTLET BOX
In the example below I tapped into an existing electrical outlet originally dedicated to a no-longer-used air conditioner.
I cut the above access hole in the drywall using a compass saw held at a forty-five-degree angle. By cutting at an angle it creates a surface that the cut-out drywall piece can sit on. This makes it very easy to patch without any joint tape or mesh.
The edges of the cut-out piece and the edges on the wall opening get buttered with joint compound. Then the cut piece just gets pushed back in place. The joint compound gets smoothed down and the next day receives a finish coat.
Duct Seal was used to fill in the gaps in the hole that was drilled into the wood stud.
Click here to see a patch job of mine, where I had to cut several access holes and then repair them for a lighting installation.
I used a hole saw to cut through the vinyl siding and a spade bit to drill the wood.
Applying the Duct Seal inside and outside prevents outside air and insects from entering the home.
The standard aluminum alloy outdoor outlet box comes with two mounting tabs that are screwed to the exterior back side of the box and protrude from the underside of the box. You would screw into those tabs to attach the box to a surface.
In the example below, I drilled holes in the back of the box to mount the box because there wasn’t enough room for the tabs on the vinyl siding.
The electrical code has changed since this outdoor electrical box was installed. The box must be grounded using a separate grounding pigtail that gets spliced to all the grounding conductors in the box. You can no longer wrap the feed ground around the screw and leave a pigtail from that.
I used a half-inch button-style Romex connector in the threaded rear knockout opening in the outdoor electrical box. In order for it to fit I have to cut about a quarter inch off the connector.
A metal Romex connector could have also been screwed into the threaded hole in the back of the box. However, a bigger hole in the siding would be needed for the metal connector to fit behind the box.
Weather resistant (WR) GFCI electrical receptacles are used outdoors and in wet locations. They have a WR on the face of the receptacle.
A side view of an outdoor electrical receptacle outlet with a bubble cover on and some caulk on the top and sides of the electrical box.
An in-use bubble cover is used on outdoor electrical outlets when it is directly exposed to the weather. A flip-style outdoor outlet cover can be used if the outlet is located under a canopy or roof and not directly exposed to the elements.
I applied silicone caulk around the gasket for the bubble cover as well as the back edge of the outdoor box where it comes in contact with the vinyl siding.
An outdoor electrical receptacle outlet with an in-use bubble cover keeps the water out when a plug is inserted.
You should also read my articles about GFCI’s.
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