Outdoor Outlets on Deck or Pergola | Skip the Conduit!

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Welcome to the official April Wilkerson YouTube channel. I’m April and I’m the creator of Wilker Do’s. I'm not professional or have any training, so I just pick the project I want to tackle and figure it out step by step. On this channel you will find a variety of content like DIY home improvement, How-To’s, construction and more.

[kmoecub]

Conduit isn't just for watertightness. Conduit protects the wires from being damaged accidentally. It'sa safety feature that should not be skipped in an outdoor installation.

[TomCee]

Always check with your local inspector. External receptacles may have extra requirements. In my area, outdoor outlets must be weather resistant and all exposed wiring must be in conduit. She says it quickly towards the end, but always check local requirements. They are intended for your safety.

[markgallagher]

Nice job April. For those that don’t know, UF stands for underground feeder. UF cable is rated for wet environments and direct burial. Romex is not rated for wet environments so UF is the right cable for under the deck.

[deanrhodenizer]

Nice. You may want to have a look a Klein Tools or Knipex pliers for electrical work. Also Wago lever nuts are preferred by most DIYers. One suggestion... Regarding the box (or boxes) you mounted below the deck, I suggest you leave drip loops where your wires enter the box that will mean much less dependence on those rubber bushings. And, you may want to mount these boxes slightly off horizontal and drill your drain hole in the lower corner. This reduces the chance for standing water inside the box.

[gregryeii]

That is a neat trick, and it probably is legal in most areas. I used to work at a big box hardware. When customers always asked what the purpose of conduit was I always told them it is to keep fools and dogs from chewing on the wires. Please remember the elements are not the only thing to worry about.

[ronlovell]

Nice job! Glad to see you used gfci protection and great idea putting it indoors. Gfci outlets don't really last long with outdoor exposure, even the Wet Location ones. As an electrician I can tell you, UF cable is usually intended for burial because it's protected when used underground at certain depth. The cable should not be exposed and should be mechanically protected anywhere above ground. The jacket is more water resistant but not really UV or critter resistant. If you are going to leave it this way, maybe change the outlet to a combo gfci/afci for better protection, incase case a rodent gets the munchies or gets damaged by a piece of yard equipment.

[Chris_In_Texas]

I hate to be Safety Sally here, however;

Keep in mind that NM-B cable shouldn't be installed in conduit. Individual rated wires such as THHN would be used only in conduit. Because of the outer sheath, NM cable can't get rid of the heat, and is already derated to 60C even though the wires are rated for 90C. If you remove the jacket you also remove the approval of the wire.

Also any conduit used below grade or above grade in wet locations is indeed considered to be wet inside. (article 300-5(b) and 300-9) And because NM-B can't be used in wet locations, you can't use it in conduit, again THHN or equivalent approved should be used Also NMC (UF-B) must be protected (article 334-15(b)) states in part: 334.15 Exposed Work. In exposed work, except as provided in 300.11(A), cable shall be installed as specified in 334.15(A) through (C).


(B) Protection from Physical Damage. Cable shall be protected from physical damage where necessary by rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, Schedule 80 PVC conduit, Type RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or other approved means.

Article 340 also goes on to state that because UF-B is NM cable, it must be protected and in conduit above ground in wet locations. It can be directly buried at least 18-24" deep without conduit, but once out of the ground must be protected in conduit.
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[dennishinkle]

Electricity is not hard if you just pay attention to what you are doing. My dad was in that business and now we hardly ever have trouble. Like you said getting the wire to where it needs to go is the toughest part of the job. That was an excellent video. Thank you.👍♥️

[SeanReifschneider]

If I'm doing old work, I've switched to using Southwire Smart Boxes if I'm near a stud instead of the butteryfly types.

[ral]

I used romex in PVC conduit on my deck and the one issue I never counted on, was how much expansion / contraction I had with the seasons ... It's a fairly long run and an expansion joint needs to be put in the run. Nice video...

[glencrandall]

Nice installation. I prefer conduit just because I think it makes a neater installation. I have not seen the water proof outlet cover before. Looks very good. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[chargerman]

Been married to my wife and living in a house she already had for 18 and a half years. We have a very large covered deck out back and I always wanted a plug. Had an electrician install a Generac last year and I got him to put in a plug which has been great. Now we have sold our house and moving in about 30 days to a brand new house that will have a deck plug and ceiling fan. Great video and recommend anyone who has a deck to have a plug.

[lexuannhi]

Thank you. It's very informative, short, straight to the point.

[ironmartysharpe]

I always use PVC conduit for outdoor installations because type UF is for direct burial and not only does the installation have to be water tight, There's critters that will chew on UF cable if ran on the surface, Even though it's ran under the deck, It's still exposed which critters can get at it and depending on your area, may not meet code so check the codes in your area before you begin
Also whenever I do an outdoor installation installation I use single conductor wire, Not run Romex or other cable in the conduit because if you plug in a high wattage appliance, Single conductor wire allows for heat dissipation and Romex or other cables ran in conduit is not allowed by code in many areas, So always use PVC conduit to protect the wiring not only from moisture but from critters as well
One of my electrician friends was telling me about alot of calls he had to go on fixing shorted out electrical equipment caused by rodents and other critters and almost every time, Had to replace the wiring because of the damage the critters did along with the short circuits

[louroberts]

Good afternoon, April! Thanks for sharing! Something else to add to my list. 😁

[charliehustle]

Even though I've done jobs like this in the past, I always pick up something new from you, April. Thanks!

[mlubecke]

The deck series is amazing April…. Nicely done ❤

[kargandarr]

FYI, you are only allowed to use 40% of the internal volume of the conduit to run wires. NEC (National Electric Code for the US) states that in black and white inside of it.

[yellowboxster]

Great video you are certainly well versed on the subject. I would tend to stick with a conduit unless I was convinced the cable run couldn’t be physically damaged or eaten by critters. I live on the Texas coast and salt fog corrosion is a nightmare especially for GFI circuits. So the value of this video to me was seeing what material options may work best.

[alexrosenberg_tube]

Please note that what meets electrical code in your area does not necessarily mean it applies elsewhere, even within the same country. Much of what was shown here would not meet code in my county.