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Thread: Height of 120 volt outlet on outside wall

  1. #1
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    Height of 120 volt outlet on outside wall

    I am going to be adding some outside outlets around the house and garage. Any thought s on a good height off the sidewalk. Higher then indoor seems better less water splash etc.
    Bill D

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    I am going to be adding some outside outlets around the house and garage. Any thought s on a good height off the sidewalk. Higher then indoor seems better less water splash etc.
    Bill D
    Rain and splash shouldn't matter outside since you will be using covers with protection from weather. I put outside receptacles either high or low depending on the location and their intended use. Higher may be easier to use by someone with physical limitations. Lower makes extension cords easier to step over.

  3. #3
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    24” to top of box measured from interior slab; 22-1/2” from the bottom plate.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  4. #4
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    To me, it depends on what weatherproof covering you use. Mine are mostly vertical opening, and if down low, you can hardly plug something in without being on your hands and knees. I wish I had put them all at switch height.

    All the plugs in my shop are about switch height, should have made the outside plugs the same.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  5. #5
    I do what John does. Heights vary depending on use. A grill plug will sit lower than one that’s going to be used for a low voltage transformer or irrigation controller, for example. Other considerations include aesthetics and ease of installation. A general use plug on the front of the house might be placed low because aesthetics rule over convenience.

  6. #6
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    Where I had the choice I put them ~4 ft up. Lower than that and they get buried in the snow and you have to hunt for them. More than 4 ft (of snow, that is) and I'll probably just stay home.
    Last edited by roger wiegand; 05-03-2021 at 2:12 PM.

  7. #7
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    My shop outlets are all slightly above 4', so I can place sheet stock against the wall and not block the outlets. This is true for both inside and outside outlets. The inlet in the outside wall next to the passage door for my central vacuum is lower at about 3', but I never place sheet stock there. I use it to vacuum my cars and trucks, plugging the 20' hose into it when vacuuming them. I have no room in my small shop for a full size dust collector installation or it's piping, so the repurposed central vacuum is used for all of the fine sawdust producers. My jointer drops it's chips into a waste can. My Unisaw into it's lower cabinet, and my DeWalt 735 planer gets used outside in the driveway with the original DeWalt hose and barrel cover option, to collect the chips in a 60 gallon plastic barrel. The vacuum lines for the central vacuum are in the shop walls and ceiling, and I have a Dust Deputy on top of a 20 gallon repurposed metal grease barrel in the vacuum line just before the central vacuum to collect the saw dust. The central vacuum exhausts outdoors, so even the micron fine dust never gets back into my shop air. Scroll saws, sanders, drill presses, etc. are all connected to this system when in use.

    Charley

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by roger wiegand View Post
    Where I had the choice I put them ~4 ft up. Lower than that and they get buried in the snow and you have to hunt for them. More than 4 ft (of snow, that is) and I'll probably just stay home.
    Depends on the loaton. The snow is not a prolem for those of use who see less than 2" a year.

    JKJ

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    Depends on the loaton. The snow is not a prolem for those of use who see less than 2" a year.

    JKJ
    Or zero.

    Although, to be accurate, it did snow here once 44 years ago.

    ab6b9516-06d5-4697-8968-c4860e1b4c91_1140x641.jpg

    Is there an applicable code as to what the height is supposed to be, out of curiosity?
    Last edited by Alan Lightstone; 05-05-2021 at 9:00 AM.
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  10. #10
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    Dont know about code but I matched hose bibb height

  11. #11
    Higher is definitely easier to access but they are more noticeable. Almost all of my outside outlets are low, but the few I added are at about 4 feet.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Lightstone View Post
    Or zero.

    Although, to be accurate, it did snow here once 44 years ago.

    ab6b9516-06d5-4697-8968-c4860e1b4c91_1140x641.jpg

    Is there an applicable code as to what the height is supposed to be, out of curiosity?
    I got more than that last week.

    If you haven't installed one lately the covers have changed. I had some of those old ones that have a spring loaded flap (one for each outlet) but the new ones are much bulkier. You may want to find a place (or paint them to match your siding) that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.
    Last edited by Alex Zeller; 05-07-2021 at 11:08 PM.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    24” to top of box measured from interior slab; 22-1/2” from the bottom plate.
    Glenn
    This is a very specific dimension. Sounds as if you've had some experience with California's BOCA codes.

    To the OP
    Both you and Glenn are from the same state. The same one I did my electrical apprentice program in many years ago.
    I would PM Glenn.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

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