DIY Adding Length to Electrical Outlet
- 1). Turn off the power to the electrical outlet by turning off the breaker at the main electrical panel. Test to confirm that the power is disconnected. Use a two-prong electrical tester and place both prongs into the original outlet as you do when plugging in a lamp. When the tester fails to light the power is correctly disconnected.
- 2). Cut the hole for the new electrical box. Using the template provided with the single gang "old work" electrical box, trace around the template. Carefully cut along the trace lines using a keyhole saw.
- 3). Locate the wall in the attic where the original outlet is installed. Directly above the original outlet, bore a 3/4-inch hole through the wall top plate using a 3/4-inch spade bit. Repeat this process above the new outlet location.
- 4). Fish a length of 12/2 nonmetallic (NM) cable from the original outlet location into the attic. From the attic, thread the fish tape through the bore hole in the top plate and out the original outlet box. Attach a length of 12/2 NM to the fish tape and secure it with electrical tape. Pull the fish tape up through the wall, pulling the cable with it. Continue to pull the cable up and over the attic to above the new outlet location. From the new outlet location, feed the fish tape up the wall and into the attic. Attach the 12/2 NM cable to the fish tape and pull the fish tape from the attic and out the new outlet location. Leave 6-inches of cable exposed at both outlet locations.
- 5). Install the "old work" box in the new outlet location. Pull the electrical cable through a knockout in the back of the electrical box and slide the box into the wall. Turning the screws located on the "old work" electrical box flips the tabs connected to the screws up behind the drywall and clamps the electrical box to the wall.
- 6). Install the new outlet. Use a dual NM wire cutter/stripper and remove the sheath from the NM cable exposing the three wires inside the cable. Strip a 1/2-inch of insulation from the black and white exposed wires. Wrap the black wire around the screw on the right side of the outlet and wrap the white wire around the screw on the left side of the outlet. Wrap the bare copper ground around the green ground screw on the outlet and tighten all three screws. Attach the electrical outlet to the box at the top and the bottom of the box using the screws provided with the outlet. Cover the new outlet with a single gang duplex receptacle cover.
- 7). Strip the wires at the original outlet location. Repeat the stripping process as you did in Step 6. Wrap the black wire around the remaining screw on the right side of the outlet and wrap the white wire around the remaining screw on the left side of the outlet. Loosen the green ground screw and wrap the bare copper wire around the green ground screw along with the original bare copper wire. Tighten all three screws to secure the wires to the outlet. Reattach the outlet box to the electrical box and cover with a duplex receptacle cover plate.
- 8). Turn the power back on to the electrical outlet by turning on the breaker in the electrical panel box.
