How to Wire Exterior Receptacles
Exterior receptacles must use a ground fault circuit interrupter, known as a GFCI. The GFCI is a device that contains a built-in circuit breaker. Essentially, a sensor in the GFCI measures the incoming and outgoing currents, and if the two currents do not remain nearly the same, then the circuit breaker trips. When a GFCI receptacle trips, it disconnects the electricity to its outlet and any other receptacles wired into the GFCI's "Load" terminals. Local building codes determine exterior outlet placement in relation to doors, windows and height. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Find the wire that leads to the circuit breaker in the receptacle's exterior electric box with a voltmeter. If the electrical box contains only one set of wires, then skip this step. Place a voltmeter probe on the exposed tip of each insulated wire in a wire set. Test both wire sets. The voltmeter should read between 110 and 120 volts across the wire set that connects to the circuit breaker.
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Turn off the receptacle's circuit breaker. In most cases the exterior receptacle's circuit ties into the adjacent interior room's electrical circuit and shares the same circuit breaker.
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3
Inspect the exterior receptacle. GFCI receptacles have labels identifying the "Line" and the "Load" terminals. Each set of terminals uses a silver-colored screw for the neutral wire and a gold-colored screw for the hot wire. Non-GFCI protected outlets use two silver-colored screws and two gold-colored screws for neutral and hot, respectively. A green-colored screw attaches to both types of outlet's housing near the top.
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Remove 3/8 inch of the insulation from the insulated wires in each wire set with wire strippers. Each wire set contains two insualted wires along with an uninsulated wire.
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Bend the end of each wire into a hook with pliers. Keep the hook in the stripped portion of the insulated wires.
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Loosen the receptacle's terminal screws with a flat-head screwdriver. If the electrical box contains one wire set, then loosen a GCFI receptacle's "Line" terminals or one set of terminals on a non-GFCI receptacle. If the electrical box contains two wire sets, then loosen all wire terminals.
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Slide the hooked ends of the uninsulated wire(s) around the green-colored screw and tighten the screw with the flat-head screwdriver. If the electrical box contains two wire sets, twist the two uninsulated wires together before placing the hooks on the green screw.
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Slide the hook on the black-colored wire from the circuit breaker around the exterior receptacle's gold-colored screw. Choose the gold-colored "Line" screw when using a GFCI receptacle. Tighten the screw with the flat-head screwdriver.
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Slide the hook on the white-colored wire from the circuit breaker around the exterior receptacle's silver-colored screw. Choose the silver-colored "Line" screw when using a GFCI receptacle. Tighten the screw with a flat-head screwdriver.
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Slide the hook on the remaining black-colored wire, if used, around the remaining gold-colored screw and tighten the screw with the flat-head screwdriver. Not all exterior electrical boxes contain more than one set of wires.
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Slide the hook on the remaining white-colored wire, if used, around the remaining silver-colored screw. Tighten the screw with the flat-head screwdriver.
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