Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Part 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Turn off the main power on your circuit breaker box. Open the door on the circuit breaker box in your home, usually located in a basement, hallway, or kitchen.
Look for the breaker switch that controls all the power in your home, which should be alone on either the top or side of the box. Never work on your electrical system while the power is still on. Doing so could result in serious injury or death. Use a contact voltage tester on the wires inside your circuit breaker box to see if they still have power if you want to double check if they have a current through them. Use a drywall saw to cut through your wall along the outline you drew so that you can set the outlet box inside.
Deeper outlet boxes work best since you have to hide multiple wires inside of them. You can also choose to mount the outlet box directly on your wall, which may be easier if you have cement or brick walls. Measure the distance from the circuit breaker box to where you want to place the outlet. Find the shortest route from the hole you cut for the outlet to the main circuit breaker box in your home.
You may need to go through the floor or the walls in your home to find the shortest route. Extend a tape measure from the outlet box along the path you chose to the circuit breaker box and record the measurement. You may need to take multiple measurements depending on the layout of your home and the obstacles between the outlet and circuit breaker box. Once you are certain you have the right amount of cable, use a pair of wire cutters to cut through the ends of the cable.
You may also use 8-gauge wires if for your outlet if you want. Drill or cut a hole near your circuit breaker box so you can run the cable to it.
Install electrical conduit between the breaker box and the hole you drilled. Wires for lines cannot be exposed outside of your walls since they could easily get damaged, which could cause serious injury or death.
Get enough rigid metal conduit to run from the side of the breaker box to the hole you cut and attach it to your wall using conduit straps every 1—2 feet 30—61 cm. Fish the cable through the walls between the outlet and breaker box. Use a fish tape, which is a long flexible cable with a hook on the end so you can easily pull wires and cables through your wall.
Feed the fish tape into the hole near your circuit breaker box and push it through toward the hole you cut for the outlet box. Go back to your circuit breaker box and reel in the fish tape so it pulls the cable with it back through the hole. You can buy metal conduits from your local hardware store. Screw the outlet box into the wall so it stays in place. Part 2. Pull the wire stripper toward the end of the cable to cut through the outer coating and expose the wires inside.
Pull the wire stripper toward the end of the wire to cut off the insulation. Repeat the process for the other 3 wires that were inside the cable.
Feed the white wire into the slot with the neutral screw on the outlet. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screw and clamp the white wire in place. Attach the green wire to the grounding screw on the outlet. Put the black and red wires into the hot ports on the back of the outlet.
There will be 2 unlabeled screws left on the back of the outlet, which are known as the hot screws. Place the end of the black wire in the port next to one of the unlabeled screws, and the red wire in the port on the other.
Push the wires and outlet into the box so you can screw it in place. Bend the wires so they can fit in the back of the box. Push the outlet in front of the wires so the screw holes on the outlet line up with the ones along the sides of the box.
When you need to access the wires, unscrew the wall plate so you can get to them. Part 3. Remove the safety panel from the front of the box. The safety panel on your circuit breaker box is the cover that hides all of the wires and breakers inside. Locate the screws around the edges of the circuit breaker box and rotate them counterclockwise to loosen them from place. This could cause to get electrocuted. Take out the circular knockout on the side or top of the circuit breaker box.
Inspect the sides or top of the circuit breaker box to look for a circular piece that has a precut edge around it, also known as the knockout. Be sure to use a drill bit meant for metal. Put a cable clamp in the hole you just knocked out. Get a cable clamp that matches the size of the knockout on your circuit breaker box, and slide the clamp through the hole. Screw the locking nut onto the threaded end of the clamp to hold it securely against the box.
Feed the wires from the cable through the clamp into the box. Pull the wires into the box completely so you have 1—2 feet 30—61 cm of wire to work with.
Install a amp double-pole breaker on the circuit. A double-pole breaker allows twice the power to run through it as a standard amp single pole breaker, and takes up the same space as 2 single-pole breakers. Find a spot along the line of other breakers where the double-pole breaker will fit. Push in the top of the breaker into the metal clips inside the box so it snaps into place before pushing the bottom into place. Make sure you get a breaker that matches the circuit breaker box brand you have.
Make sure the breaker is off before you install it. Push the ends of the red and black wires in both ports of the breaker. Take the ends of the black and red wires and feed one of them into each of the ports. Tighten the screws on the bottom of the breaker with a screwdriver to hold the wires in place. Wrap the green and white wires around the screws on the grounding bar. Look on the inside walls of the circuit breaker box to find a bar with multiple screws and wires attached to it, which is the grounding bar.
Bend the ends of the green and white wires into hooks and wrap them around separate screws along the bar. Hold the safety panel up to the circuit breaker box so you can find where the new breaker lines up with it. Place the end on your screwdriver over the slots where the breaker would go, and tap the end with a hammer to punch it out. Pull off the piece of the safety panel you punched out so the breaker fits easily. Screw the cover back on the circuit breaker box before turning it on.
Hold the panel back up against your circuit breaker box and reattach the screws with a screwdriver. Make sure the safety panel sits tightly on the front of the box and that none of the wires are exposed.
Once you finish, turn the main power back on the circuit breaker box so you can use your outlet. Daniel Stoescu Master Electrician. Daniel Stoescu. Get 2 hot wires from 2 different phases along with a ground wire, which must connect to the properly-identified terminals.
The ground wire always connect to the green screw. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. For instance on Pushmatic panels the bussing is usually energized. Without the proper knowledge you could accidentally short the bussing out and cause a catastrophic failure phase to ground or phase to phase short. The symmetrical amperage faults available are only limited by the primary fusing on the transformer and the overall design of the system.
Just something to keep in mind when doing this job yourself. I would recommend disconnecting power and removing the meter and ring if possible to eliminate hazards. This too is often outside the scope of do it yourself type work. Run a cable from the circuit breaker panel to your new outlet location. Size circuit breaker for wire size. If a cable is run from the panel to the outlet, then a 15 amp circuit breaker is the largest that can be used to protect that circuit.
If a cable is run from the panel to the outlet, then a 20 amp circuit breaker is the largest that can be installed to protect the circuit. Support cable. Prepare the cable for entry into the box. The end of the cable needs to be carefully stripped of the outer jacket prior to installing into the box. Strip back 8 inches Install cable into box.
Use of plastic or fiber electrical boxes are quicker to work than steel boxes because they do not require additional grounding. A steel box must be grounded so that it does not require the device for it to be grounded pigtailing the ground to the device AND the box solves this. Connect the neutral wire to the device. The white wire neutral wire needs to be secured under either silver screw on the side of the receptacle.
Connect the "hot" wire to the device. The black wire "hot" wire needs to be secured under either gold screw on the opposite side of the neutral wire. Connect the ground wire. The free end of one wire will connect to the green ground screw of the outlet, and the other free end is to be connected to the metal box with a green screw expressly for that purpose or other approved means special clips, etc.
If a plastic or other non-conductive material box is used, simply connect the bare copper wire directly under the green screw of the outlet. The ground wire is usually green and connects to the green terminal. Gently fold the wires to the rear of the box and secure the outlet to the box and attach the wall plate.
Remove the panel cover, and set aside. Exercise extreme caution working near this switch. These are available in a variety of styles, and materials. The easiest to install are the low profile plastic push in type.
Cut cable to length. Again, strip the entire jacket except to allow for about an inch of jacket cable inside the panel.
Wrap the end of the cable with a couple of turns of electrical tape. Push the cable through the connector and help pull it with your other hand once it enters the panel.
Once about an inch of jacketed cable is INSIDE the panel, stop advancing cable, and secure it within 18" of the panel with an insulated staple. Inspect the panel. Look carefully at the bar s. Regardless of which type you have, you must maintain the integrity of the grounding and neutral systems by duplicating the termination scheme outlined below. Connect the neutral and ground wires.
The white and ground bare wires are to be secured under the bar s in the main panel. Cut these wires to length PLUS 12 inches If you have the combined neutral and ground style, secure these two wires in terminals as close together as possible. Do not install BOTH wires in the same terminal!
If you have separate neutral and ground bars, install the wires in the respective terminal bar. Connect to the circuit breaker. Cut this wire so as to allow it to be connected to ANY breaker position in the panel - plus a little slack.
You never know when you might have to move the circuit to a different location in the panel, having enough wire to do so will make the job much easier.
Set the handle of the circuit breaker to OFF. Install the circuit breaker into the panel by first hooking or clipping to the grounded or insulated slot or rail manufacturer dependent on the outboard side of the insulated electrical contacts, then line up the clip or slot of the circuit breaker with the electrical contact rail or bus. Press the circuit breaker firmly into the panel. Some styles "click" into place others just "bottom out".
If the new circuit breaker is "even" and aligned with adjacent circuit breakers, it is most likely properly seated. Remove circuit breaker k o from panel cover.
Once complete, you will probably have to remove the appropriate rectangular metal k o for the new circuit breaker on the cover of the panel. After doing so, reinstall the cover onto the panel. Restore power to the panel. Next, move the new circuit breaker handle to ON and it will power up your electrical outlet that you have just installed. Test the work. Use a meter or plug the appliance or device into the outlet and turn it on.
Verify that it is working and return to the panel. Listen for hum and or crackling. Either condition is indicative of a potential connection failure or heat build up. Label the circuit breaker. Do NOT install breakers from another manufacturer because "they fit" or even packaging states it is for use in these panels. Have you work inspected by your locality's code enforcement office. Plug circuits installed in bedrooms require use of an Arc Fault circuit breaker s.
Plugs installed in but not limited to basements, garages, outdoors, or indoors and accessible from grade, bathrooms, etc. Arc Fault and Ground Fault circuits are not compatible with fluorescent light fixtures! How do I know what size circuit breaker I need to install an air conditioning and heating system? There is no way to know because every AC is different. The only thing you should trust is the specifications from the manufacturer.
You can find this information on the manufacturer's website, manuals, and on the unit itself. Regardless, the maximum circuit breaker you can put in is determined by the smallest size of wiring you have in a circuit. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 5. I have a 20A breaker V which services one outlet dart board game ; I am thinking of splitting off of that line right before the outlet in a junction box to supply two 80W fluorescent fixtures.
Will Romex be OK to use? Use 12ga copper wire for a 20 amp circuit. Not Helpful 6 Helpful How do I connect a mid run outlet at the end of the run? Do I need a single pole outlet?
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