Home Improvement Today?

The way you described it - turning the box around to make it an exterior receptacle - anything that's wired in down stream would be protected, for better or for worse.

If everything was pulled back to a junction box and the now exterior receptacle was tied off of that, it wouldn't shut anything down besides itself.

 

Why do the other boxes on the circuit need to be on the load / downstream. That is my question. I don’t see why that is necessary but maybe that’s code? Anything entering a box with gfci must be protected downstream?

my suggestion was make the box serve two purposes.
1. Junction box
2. Outside power (needs gfci and waterproof plate.)

 

You can put a gfci in with the line and load wires connected to the line side of the receptacle and not protect whats downstream provided the load down circuit doesnt require gfci protection

 

I’ve never heard of such nor have I came across in any of my code book readings.

I have a few throughout my house directly under windows and the house is only 5 years old so…

Some AHJ might require it but it would need to be explicitly stated.

 

This is why I ended the sentence with a question mark. Trying to remember what electrician told me that.

 

I'm looking at three plugs under windows in my office. It's not a national code thing.

 

I'm not aware of any code that states you can't have outlets above or below windows. I know there are spacing requirements, a minimum number required for rooms and I think recommendations for height requirements. 18" - 48" I think?

 

There's no code about placements of outlets except in kitchens and baths near water sources. The NEC as far as I know doesn't even have a code requirement for height of outlet or switches. Basically you can put them wherever the fuck you want but 18 for outlets and 48 for switches is the standard most electricians use.

 

Kitchen countertops, rec must be no more than 4’ apart and other room must have receptacles no more than 12 ft apart

 

happy halloween! i would've chimed in sooner, but was busy throwing candy at kids!

yes, it's a mega-quote, because info is everywhere except where it needs to be...

those would be my initial 2 options.

2 further options

3. move it up and to the left of the picture. it would be more out of the way, and still be accessible. i've put outlets like that up in the corner and had the painters paint over the cover plate before in situations where i lacked access(ie. they didn't want to pay to cut open the ceiling, and have it repainted) above the ceiling, but they still wanted the outlet moved.
4. if there's enough wire, sometimes it can be pulled and re-installed via the attic in an existing light fixture box-- saves the zombie junction boxes in the attic, still remains accessible. but still requires attic work.

just to clarify, because i've seen it done-- drill through the vertical 2x4's at least 6" below the window sill. running in the gap underneath the window while feasible, is a really crappy way to kill a window replacement guy. and technically not to code, as it's not protected from damage. along this line, note that the wire must be ran in the middle of the 2x4. if it's not centered, nail plates must be installed to protect it from damage.

i don't know of any code for outlets that specify that.

air conditioners generally aren't installed under windows due to the noise permability, but that's a general rule of thumb that some ahj's enforce, not a code.

only if wired as such. it's very easy to wire the gfi to only protect itself, and then a splice behind it would maintain the circuit integrity to any other outlets on the same breaker.

not at all. but i've always considered it unfriendly to do if there's a problem, as outside boxes are inherently moisture-prone, which increases the chance the splice will deteriorate over time, and no one is going to first check an outside outlet for a problem that they're most likely to first complain about from inside a room, meaning that when it fails, it's going to piss off the homeowner after they get the rather large bill to hunt it down.

there is minimum spacing requirements--bedrooms and general-use rooms are 6' from any door/closet/break in the wall, and 12' measured along the wall after that, hallways only require 1 outlet if they're over 10' long, and garage's only require 1 outlet per vehicle stall) there's also countertop spacing standards-- 2' from the edge/wall, every 4' after that, 9" cabinet minimum still requires an outlet though.

there is a minimum recommended based on a calculation of the volt-amps-per-square-feet of the house, but i've never had to calculate it outside of apprentice class, as the typical 6'/12' and 2'/4' rules get close enough no ahj has an issue with it.

but there's no official heights required by the NEC. general rule of thumb is around 15-20" for wall outlets, and switches are generally 45-52". ADA Compliance has some more specific requirements that i know enough to know of, but don't know the specifics of.

 

This guy, is not a dummy like me

 

Made it back to that deck project to install the railing on that short angled section and wrap the rim joist with Azek. Ended up using a different brand of railing that had adjustable angle brackets. Can hardly tell the difference and certainly can't tell from the ground. Customer is very pleased.

 

meh, when you do something like electrical for 13 years, one tends to pick up on a few things!

 

What's the code say about cover plate screws? Horizontal or vertical? lol

The answer is match the longest run of the cover plate. So vertical for single gang, dealers choice for double gang, and horizontal for triple gang. Didn't we have this debate last year in this very thread? lol

 

vertical always

unlike wall plywood which should always be horizontal , stupid California

 

LMAO.

10' OSB has a strength axis. It's gotta be vertical if used as sheer. That's not true of 8' OSB or ply so it can be run either way. lol

 

Never messed with 10' OSB but I didn't know that.

I went vertical on the first wall in my shop with 1/2" (15/32") plywood. Because it fit and less cutting! It's been 1.5 years. Nothing has fallen or collapsed. So there!

 

I'd love to be able to run sheer horizontally. It's so much easier. lol

 

I'll let my structural engineer and the rest of North America know

 

Considering the sheer strength is provided on the outside wall, I'm only moderately worried and there was only insulation - no drywall, nothing on the inside, yeah just kidding about worrying!