Fixing the exterior electric outlet

So we were putting up some new Christmas lights and outside decorations and when it was time to plug it all in - I was reminded that the outside front electric outlet was just hanging in the hole in the brick work and when something was plugged-in there - it usually flicked a lot until you wiggled it just right.

Fixing it has been on my list for a while but we don't use normally it except this time of the year.  Since it seems like a fire hazard that is waiting for just the right moment - I decided to fix it while I wait for my new job to start in a few days.

So here is what was installed and just hanging in a hole in the bricks.  It was pretty corroded as you can see.  I had bought a new box/weather enclosure a while back to replace this.  What I found out after removing this is that the new box was too big for the existing hole without removing some extra mortar and a little bit of brick on the side.

Below is the hole after I chipped out the extra mortar and took off a bit of brick on the right.  The brick on the right had been cut before and there was a bit that was pretty easy to chip off.  To chip this you just need a regular hammer and a "cold chisel" - the one that worked best for me was about 3/4" wide.  You have to take some care to not break the surround bricks. One thing you can't see in this picture is that there is an air gap behind the brick.

Below is my test fit of the back part of the enclosure.  It had holes on both sides and the back for wiring.  I used the included caps to close the side holes.  I did end up putting spray foam in the hole where the wires come out and also behind the box itself.  I pressed the box into the foam.  My goal with that was to help reduce the number of things living inside my wall.. 

In this picture, I am test fitting the outer enclosure. It has a foam gasket to seal against the back box.  Also, the pin that holds the cover on can be relocated to an optional location at the top so the cover opens vertically instead of sideways like you see here.  I just used a hammer and pin punch to gently pop it out and put it in the other location.

Here is the final result; I was holding the cover up so you don't see it here.  Around the edges of the back box, there was a small gap. I made up a few ounces of mortar and pressed some under and above the back box with some Popsicle sticks.  This was to help stabilize the box and hopefully prevent it from moving while inserting/extracting plugs from the outlet.  The insertion pressure is VERY high with this outlet - probably part of the child friendly support to help prevent electrocution of those that try to insert stuff in the openings.  

I had to press the 'reset' button on the outlet before trying to test it - after turning your circuit breaker back on as well..  If you do work like this, I'm sure you will remember to turn the breaker off before starting - right? 

Along with this, I replaced the inside outlet that is opposite this exterior outlet.  I had hopped I would have some access to the exterior outlet from inside and so started with the interior outlet first - I cut a small(ish) hole in the wall next to it so I could see what the wall interior was like.  It looks like it is a few inches of concrete. The front of the house is brick while the lower sections of the other 3 walls are stucco and the gables are now vinyl sided instead of wood sided.  

I replaced the old style (rounded) outlet with the "new" squared off outlet type you see here.  I did patch the hole up mostly before the wife got home.. she has an aversion to the critters that like to roam the floors some days.

I'm a thinking I'll need to do some cleanup in here yet.  I got a "look" from my wife when she got home..

Proverbs 10:4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Hope you enjoyed this!

Scott

p.s. Part of my curiosity regarding the wall construction is related to another project - replacing the 31 year old Heil AC unit at least and at some point the ~11 year old Frigidaire heat pump. I would like to calculate a "manual J" for our house but I am having trouble figuring out how to classify the r-value for the walls and this is one of the first parts of the calculation.  Here is a site with some high level info on Manual J, S and D calculations: 

https://www.griffithenergyservices.com/articles/manual-j-manual-d-and-manual-s-why-your-hvac-tech-must-go-by-the-book

Seems some of the contractors I have been getting quotes from are still doing the classical "rule of the thumb" calculations instead of a Manual J.  Of course, I'm not sure if Manual J takes our trees into consideration which I think does make a big difference with regard to how much sun the house gets.  Anyways, this is off topic for this post - will save for another time.