Clueless About Outlets

Ok, first of I have no idea about electricity and how to complete a job i have in my home.

Here's the set up.

In my basement I have an extra room that was built by the previous owner. Basically he took a corner of the basement and put up two walls. Inside this room are several outlets and outside the room you can see the outlet boxes and electrical wire piping going to the boxes.

Ok here's my quandry.

I have a freezer that I have placed in the basement. It is located along one of the walls of the extra room but it's not inside the room. It's located on the outside (other side of the room wall) I'd like to use the outlet that runs into the extra room but of course that outlet only faces into the room not the outside of the room where the freezer is.

Now my unskilled approach would be to just drill a hole in the wall and run an extention cord into the room and plug in the freezer that way. But then it looks seriously shoddy.

How do I actually turn the outlet box around or make it so that I can have it so there's outlets on either side. One facing the room one facing outside?

Any sites out there w/ diagrams or basic instruction? As I said I'm clueless and this is the first place I came to.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Puncture

 

Yikes I'm striking out here

 

You cannot install 2 separate receptacles into one single gang box. You could mount a box outside of the room and connect to the existing circuit. However, before doing this, a thorough investigation of the existing circuit is required. You must be sure it can handle the increased load of the freezer. Besides, you don't know if the previous owner wired the circuit correctly. In my house the previous owner did a little basement "remodeling" and connected a duplex receptacle in the finished area to the laundry circuit. Not only does the code prohibit connecting other rooms to the laundry circuit, but he also used 14/2 wire. It was a fire waiting to happen. Not to mention, he also fed the nm cable right through one of the knockouts in the metal box feeding the washer without using any kind of cable clamp and did not secure the cable run back to the box. My point is don't just assume that the previous owner wired it correctly and connect to it thinking you'll be okay.

In this situation, your best option is to run a dedicated circuit from the panel to the freezer and install a single receptacle outlet for use only with the freezer. If you install a duplex receptacle, you will need a GFCI in an unfinished basement area.

 

Wow!

Thank you for the reply.

I understood most of what you said except I don't know what a GFCI is.

I also remembered that an old co-worker of mine is married to a guy who runs his own electrician business.. Doh!

Time to call on an old favor

Thanks again.

Puncture

 

A GFI is a Ground Fault Circuit Interupeter: it is a device intended for the protection of personal the prime function is to deenergize a circuit, or part of a circuit in a specific amount of time when the current to ground exceeds some perdetermined value that is less than what is required to operate the overcurrent protection device of the incoming power.
If you under Chicargo code getting an electrician might be your best bet. I don't think your going to run conduit all over your basement unless 100% necessary. Your friend may be able to show you an easy way around a lot of extra work.

 

Correct me If I am wrong, but should you NOT put a GFCI
on a freezer, unfished basement,garage or not? And
code allows you not to, because it is a freezer (or refrigerator)?

 

The code does allow for specific devices not to be GFI protected
And personally I wouldn't want my freezer on one, (can't afford to replace all that food because of a trip) His electricain should know what to do that is why I didn't say anything. It might be easier for him to blank off everything on the circuit and connect the freezer so it is on a dedicated circuit. Or it might be he will have to pull in another circuit into the pipe and use it if he has enough space in the conduit to allow the extra wires in

 

You DO NOT need GFCI protection if a receptacle serves only a permanent, cord-connected appliance. For example, a receptacle serving a sump pump. You wouldn't want a nuisance trip to flood your basement.

You DO need GFCI protection in unfinished basement areas, not including the washer & dryer receptacles, and in garages.

 

"IF" I understand you.
First turn off the power.
2nd take a screwdriver and poke a hole right beside the exsisting outlet through the wall to the other side.
3rd trace the outline of an old work box on the wall.
4th cut it out.
5th run a wire from the 1st box to the new box.

If you need more info post back.

 

If this is Chicargo don't run a wire.
No permanufactured wiring systems allowed
Conduit.

 

Listen to gard. We are answering general questions. Always check with your local inspector.