Follow These Steps

Steps 1 - 6 of 6Print Project SheetEmail a Friend

• Step One

  CHOOSE THE SPOT WHERE YOU’LL ADD HOLIDAY LIGHTING
  Holiday decorations and lightning are no place to compromise. So find the perfect spot. In the following steps, we’ll show you how to get power to your chosen location.

• Step Two

  

  CHOOSE THE SPOT FOR THE OUTLET FROM OUTSIDE THE HOUSE
  From your holiday lighting spot, walk in a straight path to the closest outside wall of your house. Now measure how far this location is from a basement window, exterior cellar entrance, spigot, or other feature visible from inside the basement. Inside the house, use your measurement to track back from whichever visible feature you found to the desired outlet location. Mark this spot on the rim joist, moving as necessary to avoid obstructions.

• Step Three

  

  DRILL THE HOLE FOR YOUR OUTLET
  Drill a hole slightly larger than the conduit nipple through the rim joist and through the siding. If the exterior of the house is brick, change to a carbide masonry bit once you hit it. If it’s siding, drill through the entire hole with a spade bit.

• Step Four

  

  BEGIN INSTALLING THE BOX
  On wood siding, you’ll need to make the surface behind the box flat by building it up. Do this by cutting a short piece of siding and putting it upside down over the existing siding (as shown). Screw the buildup to the siding (see inset #1). Attach the nipple into the receptacle box and slide it through the hole. Caulk around the nipple just before you push the box all the way in.

• Step Five

  

  SCREW THE BOX TO THE WALL
  From inside the house, put a conduit bushing on the nipple. Run cable from the fuse or breaker box, or from an existing outlet or junction box. Strip off about a hand’s length of the outer jacket and feed the wires through the nipple. Use cable staples designed for electrical work to secure the cable to the framing every 4 feet and within 1 foot of the nipple. (These staples are driven with a hammer, not a staple gun.) Install a GFCI following the directions on the box. Put a gasket over the box, and screw the cover in place (see inset #2).

• Step Six

  START THE COUNTDOWN
  Then plug in the lights. Happy Holidays!