Outdoor electrical receptacle question

I want to put an receptacle on the outside wall of my front porch. To get the wire out there and to keep it below the level of the tongue & groove flooring I have to bring it through the sill plate. Sill plate is 3 or maybe 4, 2 x 6's stacked on top of each other. Can I just drill a hole through these and pull my wire through? Or do I need to run it through the sill plate in metal conduit for more protection? Sice the wire is going to be protected from the elements by the tounge & groove flooring is there any reason to use UF wire? I know I need to use a GFI outlet.

 

Are you originating this circuit run from a basement or from a room in line with your location of the receptacle? If from below, it is usually better to drill vertically through your plates and into the hollow of a stud bay, running the cable to your preferred location. You can seal the drilled holes with fire stop caulk once you have it all done. Let us know a little more about your situation.

 

Sill plate are normally a single flat 2x on top of the foundation. Band or ribbon boards are set upright on the sill plates and are sometimes doubled. A beam could be 3 or 4 2x installed vertical and nailed together to carry a load over a span. It would help to have a better idea of what you need to drill through.

 

Thanks for the reply pcboss. The boards for the sill plate are horizontal not vertial. Its an old house. The original sill plate rotted away.

 

Oops and Chndler.( I over looked your post) YEs I am originating the circuit from the panel in the basement If I drill horizontal straight through the sill plate I will end up at just about the top of the floor joists. I can't drill vertical though the sill there isn't any room.

 

If drilling through horizontally puts you at least a foot above grade, all you need is a 1/2" hole for a cable. You can install a weather resistant box, GFCI and "in Use" cover and be done. Silicone the hole where the cable exits to prevent water infiltration. I like to silicone the sides and top of outside boxes just to run water off it all.

 

thanks chandler. 1 more question. Is UF cable necessary? IT will not be exposed to direct sunlight, rain or show. I suppose its possible snow could get near it but it will be tucked away between the porch floor joists

 

If it is protected from the elements, UF is not necessary. I am concerned about one statement about it being "tucked" away between joists. Why? You may want to post pictures of what you are trying to accomplish so we can see what you see. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html

 

When I say tucked away the wire will be run on the floor joists that support the porch floor. IT won't be out in the open where the weather can get to it. Nor will it be where it can be bumped. I will take some pics & post them.

Thank You for your input

Tim

 

If it is outside the house it needs to be UF cable.

 

Sorry for the delay. HEre is what I did. I used UF cable. Noticed I need to tighten GFI cover:

 

Glad you got it done, and thanks for the update. It looks like you may have caulked where the WP box sits against the wood, which is a good precaution. You might also want to slightly loosen the cover and run a narrow bead of silicone along the top and side edges before tightening it down.

Well done!

 

Thanks Nashkat1 I need to tighten the GFI cover more evenly I also put caulk on the cover per your suggestion.

 

You're welcome. Remember to leave the bottom edge open (uncaulked).

 

Never thought of that, THANKS

 

I didn't think to mention it earlier so I'll just ask, did you use a weather resistant GFCI receptacle?

 

Thanks didn't know there was such a thing.

 

Well, that was a new requirment in the 2008 NEC. If you have finished the project with a regular GFCI receptacle, I'd probably leave it alone, but in the future remember to purchase the weather resistant type. I don't see that new requirement as a safety issue as much as a longevity issue for the life of the GFCI device.