DIY Outdoor Outlet - How to install an outlet in your garden or yard

** Update: After examining my breaker box, I do already have a GFCI breaker in place. This means the extra cost of the GFCI outlet is not required.

Our garden is not just a place to grow food. It is also a place to sit and enjoy the surroundings. Adding power to the garden not only allows us to obviously use corded tools, it also allows us to add a small water feature in the future. This video goes over the steps I took to install a GFCI outlet in the garden and get it connected to an existing service outlet beside our HVAC compressor.

***DISCLAIMER***
DO NOT ATTEMPT ELECTRICAL WIRING IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH ELECTRICITY, TOOLS OR LOCAL CODES!
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Below are links to some of the products and tools I used during this project and some of my favorites.
(Some of these are affiliate links that I earn a small commission from that help support the channel)

Camera Gear:

Timeline:
0:00 Introduction
0:29 Where to install power outlet in the garden
1:00 How to get power out of the house
1:29 Know what your doing with electricity!
1:45 Digging the trench for electrical conduit
2:16 Installing underground conduit
2:42 Preparing entrance to the house
2:54 Pulling wire through pvc conduit
3:29 Backfilling the conduit trench
3:45 Installing GFCI outlet in the garden
4:18 Installing outlet and cover at the house entrance
4:59 Next steps for electrical
5:28 Closing thoughts

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[dutchy]

Thanks for sharing, looks like a good job. My only concern would be the height of the box at your garden bed. I would guess to code the box should be 12-18” off the ground ? Just for people thinking of doing this, check your local code and raise that box well off the ground. Especially if your in an area with snow. Cheers

[lamarwinters]

Excellent job. Very straight forward and simple. I've done one of these project before many years ago. Your video was a very helpful reminder. Thank you.

[catatonicbug]

There are 2 different types of outlet boxes for outdoor installations. The one you installed is for occasional, temporary use, where you plug something in, then unplug it and put it away (i.e., an electric lawnmower). The type you probably should have installed is for continued use, so the lid can remain closed, but it allows the cord to come out and remain plugged in. It prevents rain from getting to the outlet, but does not prevent floodwaters from entering the box from underneath. If you plan a fountain for that location, and the fountain is not hard-wired, you'll need to change the box.

[stevenbyrne]

National code requires the outlet by the AC unit to be 20amp, 14 Guage wire can't run on a 20amp circuit so one of those two things is out of code. Always use the largest wire in the circuit

[bobmariano]

Great video thx, wish you showed how you piggy backed & wired from existing outside outlet ! Going to do the same thing for an outside fountain ⛲️ in front of my home & already have an existing outlet on the outside. Thx again 👍⚾️

[briank]

Should tell people to call before you dig that's #1 and also apply for permit in town. How deep is the trench suppose to be.? What about sand and electrical cautious tape in the trench wire buried below before filling the hole all the way just with dirt.?

[LifeofBliss]

Well look who I found... 😂 doing my research before running some outdoor lines for a sewage pump. Thanks for the info man! Great video

[wonderwhat]

Some commenters lose the ability to type coherent sentences for some reason when they are putting in their 2 cents. 🤣 Thanks for the video. Nice garden. 👍

[heroknaderi]

I enjoyed watching I appreciate your time. Very helpful. I find this very convenient. I have a huge backyard and planning on doing a couple of them in the middle and back. To eliminate the use of long extension cords😁😎👍

[brianwest]

The outlet near the heat pump should be GFCI protected. No need for a GFCI at the end of the run. Why not just use 14/2 underground feeder(UF) and delete the conduit? Use short pieces of conduit into each box. Think about using weather and tamper resistant (WR/TR outlets. Otherwise, pretty good overall. I agree with getting it up higher and out of any snow. Cheers!

[johnlong]

Plenty of problems it’s this install that are pointed out in other comments. A couple of suggestions, (1) make it deeper 18” to 30” deep, (2) backfill the first few inches with sand and place warning tape on that, this means the next person will be warned and stop when they are digging in the area later. (3) do not dig anything without making a call to Dig Alert USA, a free service that locates and marks all underground utilities. They need maybe 3 days notice. Quick and easy

[RealStevenBanks]

Good job but maybe install box slightly higher in case of flooding. 12” or so.
Beautiful garden area!!!

[rqi-gx]

Should the outlet be at least 18 inches above the ground?

[EilandMeisje]

Great job. Thanks for tutorial. I will say that the new outlet should have been placed much higher.

[KitchenFamilyHomestead]

Nice video. Do you have a video on that netting around ur garden?

[AmericanWoodsmith]

Nice work Sparky! Hope all is well. Enjoyed your video!

[rodeolove]

WHOA… whats the flexgrate downspout filter!

[honeybeehelper-]

Nice job. But the title of your video is misleading. I wanted to see details on how you connected the conduit to the box. How is the conduit secured to the box - particularly to the bottom? Is it sealed against moisture and insects? Just would have like to see all the details.

[chevyvantravel]

excellent project thank you. did you say how deep the trench needs to be?

[nathanyoung]

LOL I'm in Camp Hill googling running power and multiple outlets to my backyard and I see this video is from Hershey.