How to Remove an Electrical Floor Outlet

by DoItYourself Staff

what you'll need

Screwdriver
Wire nuts
Flooring materials to repair hole

You may find that you have a floor outlet in a place where you no longer need it. With few tools you can remove an electrical floor outlet safely. You will need to determine if your outlet is stand-alone or inline, which will determine how you deal with the wires. It is not a bad idea to determine this before you begin to cut the wires, in case you need to buy more supplies.

Step 1: Locate Electrical Panel and Turn Electricity Off

The first thing you must do when working with anything electrical is to be sure the power is turned off. If you are replacing an existing outlet, you should turn off the power to it. Often the breakers are marked by the builder, although sometimes they are incorrect. You may have to turn the breakers on and off, one by one, until you locate the correct one for your wire source. Always be sure to test with a circuit tester to be sure power is off.

Step 2: Remove the Outlet Box

You will remove the outlet box in the same way that it was installed. Remove any screws holding the plate cover onto the box and pull the unit out. If there was a bead of caulk placed between the outlet box and the subfloor, you may need to release this. You can use a flat screwdriver or a chisel and gently slide it under the lip and slowly pry it out. Do this gently so as not to damage the unit in case you want to use it again and so as not to damage any more of your floor. Once the caulk is released, you can easily remove the outlet box.

Cut the wires and use wire nuts on the ends to cap them. Be sure the wire nuts fit tightly. You can now push the wires safely back into the opening.

If the outlet is in a series and not stand-alone, for instance, other outlets run off its power, you will need to do some more work with the wires as you will need to use them as a sort of junction box. If this outlet is inline and not directly fed from the panel, simply capping off the wires here will cause the rest of the outlets down the line to be nonfunctional. See instructions on splicing wires inline to proceed from this point.

Cover the hole in your subfloor with proper flooring materials. You may want to access this area again since you have left wires under the floor, so be mindful of how you repair the floor.