110 Outlet --- How?

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I have an exterior 110 outlet--GFCI with a weather proof cover. You have to lift the cover to use the outlet. I want to plug a transformer for low voltage lights into it so I can light the walkway from the house to the shop. The transformer just plugs into a 110 outlet, but how do I weatherproof it? Are there covers that can screw into the faceplate holes?

[Tom M King]

You can find several varieties of such covers in Lowes or Home Depot. Just back the screws out of the cover that's on there now, and put the new one on.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bell-1-Gang-Non-Metallic-Weatherproof-In-Use-Cover-Clear-MM420C/100173013

[Bruce Wrenn]

Just build a small shelter for your transformer (3 sides and a top), and use it with an extension cord.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

You can find several varieties of such covers in Lowes or Home Depot. Just back the screws out of the cover that's on there now, and put the new one on.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bell-1-Gang-Non-Metallic-Weatherproof-In-Use-Cover-Clear-MM420C/100173013

That's what I need, I have a similar cover on now, but it's not deep enough to plug something in while its in place.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Just build a small shelter for your transformer (3 sides and a top), and use it with an extension cord.

It's not the transformer I need to protect--its waterproof. I need something to cover the outlet where it's plugged in.

[John Coloccia]

The magic words are "In Use Cover". If you go to home depot, you will find in use covers that telescope out like an accordion, like this one:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bell-1-Gang-Non-Metallic-Weatherproof-Low-Profile-In-Use-Cover-Gray-ML450G/202266492
That will probably work for you.

[Jamie Buxton]

Sounds like a job for duct tape and garbage bags.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Bingo - John nailed it.

Leviton makes a whole bunch of different ones.

Look for "while in use GFCI cover".

HD and/or Lowes probably won't have them in stock.
@ least they didn't in my area last Fall when I looked.

[Tom M King]

I know the first thing people think about, when you talk path lights, are the low voltage packages.

When I built our house, barn, and first shop, in 1980, I put in 110v path lights. They're the multi-tiered green pagoda style that you can still buy. I 3-wayed the lights, so for instance, you can turn the barn path lights on and off in the house or the barn. They were cheaper then than low voltage. No transformer needed, but you would want to bury the wire deeper.

I put them in when I had everything trenched. They also mark the edge of the trench, so it can easily be found in the future, for electricity, water, and air to the barn. When you run such a trench to another building, put in a length of black polyethylene pipe, so you can pull a string through it with a vacuum cleaner, to pull something you forgot later, or something that hasn't been invented yet, without having to dig the yard up again.

They have 25 watt regular bulbs in them. Of course, bulbs were better quality then, but I've never had any problems with them, and only remember changing bulbs a couple of times over those years. We use the ones to the barn every night.

http://www.electricbargainstores.com/product-p/rab-ll322vg.htm

[Julie Moriarty]

I've installed these in-use covers on the house GFIs: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Red-Dot-1-Gang-Weatherproof-In-Use-Vertical-Box-Cover-CKMUV-R/202077331?N=5yc1vZbohmZ1z141bi

In front, I have a two-gang GFI. I bought a 600W transformer for the front landscape lights and it had a heavy duty cord. After I plugged the cord in, I could barely close the cover. This brand was the largest I could find at HD. Unless the xfrm is really small, it won't fit under these covers.