4 Advice to Choose a waterproof electrical plugs

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Before it rains again, homeowners in Jacksonville, Florida, should check that their outdoor electrical elements are safe. Here are tips from David Gray Electrical to prepare outdoor outlets and waterproof electric boxes.

As the changing weather in Florida this holiday season may bring rain, it's important to pay attention to your outdoor electrical elements. From putting up festive lighting to using devices outside, there are safety considerations to keep in mind. Are your outdoor outlets and electric boxes prepared for rain? Here are a few tips to keep your outlets safe and dry.

Use a GFCI Outdoor Outlet

Installing a ground-fault circuit interrupter is actually required by the country's National Electrical Code. You can tell if you have a GFCI outdoor outlet by seeing "test" and "reset" buttons with the embossed letters "WR" (noting that the outlet is weather resistant). All GFCI outlets for outdoor use will need to be controlled by their own dedicated 20-amp circuits. You'll be using these outlets for holiday and decorative lights safely throughout the year once you have a professional set them up.

Read more about outdoor outlet safety

Make Sure Outlets Are Properly Installed

If you're not certain that the outdoor outlets were installed properly or that they are up to current code, your best and safest bet is to bring in a professional to examine them thoroughly. The previous homeowner might have cut corners and had a friend or unlicensed electrician install them.

Please note that if we detect any problems, it's easy to rectify and make your outdoor outlets safe and secure. Contact David Gray Electrical to make sure your outlets are installed correctly!

Install a Weatherproof Cover

Yes, you can safely use electrical appliances outside while it's raining (assuming you are under cover, such as in an outdoor kitchen/dining area), as long as you have a waterproof cover in place. You may see these listed as "bubble covers" or even "flip up covers," and they are designed to let you plug in a cord while keeping it safe from moisture.

Also mandated by the National Electrical Code, waterproof covers come with grooves that allow for the extension cords to exit from the bottom. Consult your electrician for details on waterproof cover configurations to meet your family's particular needs.

Take Safety Precautions

There are a number of steps you can take to help ensure that your family and guests will be safe outside during inclement weather as you install and use various electrical appliances. This includes verifying that your swimming pool is wired according to the latest code requirements.

Never use permanent extension cords outside. It's much safer to rely on permanent wiring installed by a professional electrician. Avoid using power tools connected to an extension cord that is not grounded. Finally, if you are using any electrical appliances outdoors, never leave them unattended.

Read about electrical safety during the summer

Don't Let a Rainstorm Cause You Electrical Problems at Home!

The team at David Gray Electrical Services is devoted to ensuring that the homes of each of our customers stay safe from electrical hazards this holiday season as well as throughout the year. When the rain begins to fall, the situation outside can become perilous if you have not properly prepared all outdoor electrical outlets and electric boxes so they are safe and waterproof. For assistance with all your outdoor electrical safety needs, please contact us today.

Schedule Your Service Today

Contact us to discuss your requirements of waterproof electrical plugs. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Synopsis: Outdoor electrical outlets need to be protected from the weather, but there are a number of different products available to accomplish this. Deputy editor Matthew Millham explores all of the options, from surface-mounted vs. flush-mounted assemblies, to metallic vs. nonmetallic boxes, to weatherproof vs. in-use covers. He includes details about ground-fault circuit interruptors (GFCIs), as well as information about tapping into existing circuits or adding new ones for outdoor electrical installations.

If you ever need to plug in a saw or compressor for an outdoor building project, having a receptacle available outside, rather than running an extension cord into the house or garage, is a great convenience. It’s also safer, so model building and electrical codes require receptacles outside of new homes. But because codes are constantly changing, many older receptacles are not up to current standards. If you want to replace one that’s broken or outdated or add more, you can’t rely on what’s there as a template for what right looks like. My house is a great example. My wife and I bought it a few years ago, not long after the previous owners added a new deck. The deck had a code-required receptacle with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), but it wasn’t a weather-resistant type. On top of that, it had the wrong kind of cover installed in the wrong orientation, so water had probably been streaming in from day one. The receptacle never had a chance.

That this happened isn’t particularly surprising. For a novice, figuring out the right boxes and covers for outdoor electrical outlets can be a head-scratcher, which explains why many jurisdictions require that electrical work be left to the pros. With that in mind, what we’re discussing in this article is meant to provide an understanding of what goes into selecting boxes and covers for outdoor receptacles, and is not a substitute for local code requirements.

Before getting into specifics, it’s important to understand the intent of the National Electrical Code (NEC) with regard to outdoor receptacles. The two biggest threats to the safety of outdoor electrical installations are water and physical damage. To stand up to them, code and common sense require that exposed boxes and covers be sturdy and able to shed water. But these installations don’t need to be totally waterproof; like the rest of the house, they just need to be weatherproof. The NEC defines this as: “Constructed or protected so that exposure to the weather will not interfere with successful operation.” What’s required to achieve that intent varies depending on where you put the device.

Yes, the rules are more complicated than they used to be, but they make things safer and longer-lasting so that power is there when you need it.

Surface Mounted

Surface-mounting, as the name implies, means attaching the box to the surface, which leaves it exposed. This requires the use of listed weatherproof boxes, which are labeled to indicate their weathertightness, often with the words “suitable for wet locations” somewhere on the box. In addition, weatherproof covers are needed to keep water from getting in through the front.

Surface-mounted boxes are typically screwed to the siding or trim through external lugs that are either cast or molded into the boxes or screwed on prior to installation. Additionally, some metallic boxes have “knockouts” in the back that can be drilled through to mount the box without visible fasteners, though there are caveats to this approach. First, any holes other than approved weep holes must be waterproofed. Second, these may not pass muster in some jurisdictions because the holes fundamentally compromise the weatherproof integrity of the box—even the best sealants can fail. And just because the knockouts—or what look like knockouts—are there doesn’t mean the manufacturer intends for them to be used. Many nonmetallic boxes, for example, have what look like knockouts molded in, but metal fasteners are generally prohibited in these boxes. Check the printed instructions or call the manufacturer to find out what they allow.

Flush Mounted

Flush-mounted installations are a different animal. A hole is cut so the box can be recessed, leaving the front of the box flush with the surface. Because it’s protected, a flush-mount box doesn’t need to be weather proof itself if it’s in a location that would be dry but for the hole cut for the box; only the covers must be weatherproof and must seal against the finished surface to keep water out. In these kinds of installations, it’s common to use the same kind of box that’s used inside the house, but that’s not always a great idea. Interior boxes tend to leak a lot of air and are difficult if not impossible to properly integrate with water and air control layers on exterior walls, particularly when there’s an air gap behind the siding. Luckily, there are purpose-built exterior flush-mount boxes that are far easier to integrate and seal.

Purpose-built flush-mount boxes

Purpose-built flush-mount boxes are in a class all their own. The versions I’m familiar with—from Arlington Industries and TayMac—are superior to the type of flush-mount installations mentioned above because they can easily be flashed to integrate with water-resistive barriers on exterior walls. While they seem expensive compared to the standard way of doing things, they include integral in-use covers, so there’s one less thing to buy and separately install.

Arlington has a wider selection for a range of conditions, including exterior rigid foam, but both companies’ products work with various exterior claddings and wall systems, and can be used in new work or retrofit applications. Most of these boxes are made entirely of UV-resistant plastic, though Arlington makes versions with metal inserts for compatibility with metallic conduit.

From FineHomebuilding #290

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