Run Receptacle From Attic To Outside Wall

Disconnect the wires from the outlet and push them away from the center of the electrical box.

Run receptacle from attic to outside wall.

Make sure the electrical box is large enough to hold additional wires. Unscrew and pull the outlet receptacle from the wall. Find the easiest path for cable to reach an outside wall perhaps through a basement or crawlspace. When extending a circuit for example the electrician may run the cable vertically from an existing outlet box up to the attic or down into the basement across joists to a spot directly above or below the new box location then into that wall cavity to the new electrical box opening.

If the lb is held away from the wall by siding subtract this distance from the measurement. On the second floor run wires down the wall from the attic. When working from an attic space it will be significantly easier to access a wall space on the floor below by working either an interior wall or the exterior wall that is on the gable end of the structure. And use semi rigid wiring fish tape to pull your wiring down to your outlet location.

The procedure we show here allowed us to center our tv against a wall in the family room that had no outlet. No messy patching and repainting. Since there was already an electrical outlet in the other side of that same wall facing into an adjacent bedroom we just added a new outlet in the family room drawing power from the bedroom outlet. It will be next to impossible to drill downward under the portion of the roof that slopes to the attic floor without a right angle drill.

If the location is inconvenient or does not satisfy code install an lb fitting rather than a receptacle to run power elsewhere. Start by measuring from the last piece of conduit to the house wall. Use a long drill bit to drill a locator hole. If you will need to fish wiring through a wall drill a hole through the wood plate in the attic only.

On the first floor run wires up the wall from the basement. If you have access to your basement crawl space and attic you should be able to run wires without having to cut patch any drywall. Adjust the measurement for the distance the lb protrudes from the wall. When necessary use existing ducts or pipe runs to get wires from the attic into the basement.

Unscrew and remove the wall plate on the indoor outlet. When cutting through drywall from the interior of a room use a utility knife and cut carefully you don t want to drill through a hidden wire or the paper.