Exterior outlet on pole barn/corrugated metal

[KennyG]

I cut the siding. Secured to a post. I like the way it came out.

 

[ponytug]

I cut the siding. Secured to a post. I like the way it came out.

View attachment 885019

Personally, I would put a bead of caulk on that.

All the best,

Peter

 

[drumminj]

I cut the siding. Secured to a post. I like the way it came out.

View attachment 885019

Definitely a cleaner look than having an exterior junction box. Thanks for sharing!

 

[drumminj]

That would be all I would do to the siding. Drill hole, run romex, then screws waterproof box to the siding and into a pole barn support post.

This is my current thinking.

I'll run armored cable to a junction box mounted to the inside of the girt (that's what I ran for all the interior outlets), drill a small hole through the girt and the siding, and mount an outdoor rated junction box to the girt from the outside with a weatherproof cover. Have a GFCI breaker for the circuit already.

Would prefer the lower-profile look on the exterior, but not really excited by the thought of cutting a 3" by 2" hole in the siding.

 

[KennyG]

Personally, I would put a bead of caulk on that.

All the best,

Peter

Sealant is behind the cover plate. I've mounted fixtures that needed a bead of caulk to seal, but with outlets, it doesn't need to be visible.

 

[JeepHead]

This won't work as like Citydude I have a concrete floor. So I'm at least drilling a hole big enough to run romex or armored cable through.

Don't use romex, it should be MC cable to protect it from abrasions. metal can move from wind or even heat/cold so you want that cable protected.

 

[drumminj]

Don't use romex, it should be MC cable to protect it from abrasions. metal can move from wind or even heat/cold so you want that cable protected.

Good point.

Rather than put a 90deg bend in the MC to feed it through the girt to the outside (let me know if there's a cleaner way to do it I'm not thinking of), I think I'll drill a 1" hole and use some leftover flexible conduit I have to protect the wire run. Will caulk it sticking just proud of the metal siding to protect against any sharp edges, as the junction box has very small spacers on the back which will leave a small gap between the siding and the knockout on the back of the box. Will run the THHN wires from the MC without the metal conduit through it (vs NM cable)

Seems like there should be some kind of existing gromit solution for this though that you could insert into the hole from the outside to protect against the siding edges. Kind of like this, but a full circle: Halex 3/8 in. Flexible Metal Conduit (FMC) Anti-Short Bushing (35-Pack) 75401 - The Home Depot

 

[ponytug]

Good point.

Rather than put a 90deg bend in the MC to feed it through the girt to the outside (let me know if there's a cleaner way to do it I'm not thinking of), I think I'll drill a 1" hole and use some leftover flexible conduit I have to protect the wire run. Will caulk it sticking just proud of the metal siding to protect against any sharp edges, as the junction box has very small spacers on the back which will leave a small gap between the siding and the knockout on the back of the box. Will run the THHN wires from the MC without the metal conduit through it (vs NM cable)

Seems like there should be some kind of existing gromit solution for this though that you could insert into the hole from the outside to protect against the siding edges. Kind of like this, but a full circle: Halex 3/8 in. Flexible Metal Conduit (FMC) Anti-Short Bushing (35-Pack) 75401 - The Home Depot

Easy to do, and the parts are available. E.g If you use an LB and threaded connectors to the box, you can squeeze a EDPM gasket/grommet between the outside box and the wall with a threaded ring inside (which can be bought with integral seals as well). Have a chat with a few folks at your local electrical supply house and they should get you going.

All the best,

Peter

 

[drumminj]

Thanks for all the input all. I went ahead and did the install today going this route:

* Drilled 1" hole through girt and siding
* Installed a junction box inside to connect to existing MC inside the shop.
* Ran 1/2" flexible conduit in the 1" hole, caulked into place and sticking out past the edge of the metal siding outside and the metal junction box inside to protect wire
* Screwed outdoor junction box with waterproof cover into the girt with the outlet. Caulked top and sides with silicone for weather protection.

Now I no longer have to run an extension cord from inside when using the chop and table saws outside. Woohoo!

 

[drumminj]

Easy to do, and the parts are available. E.g If you use an LB and threaded connectors to the box, you can squeeze a EDPM gasket/grommet between the outside box and the wall with a threaded ring inside (which can be bought with integral seals as well). Have a chat with a few folks at your local electrical supply house and they should get you going.

All the best,

Peter

Not sure I fully follow your description here. Would the LB be inside, to handle the 90 degree turn necessary to run from indoor -> outdoor? And then thread into the back of the weatherpoof box?

I think I can see how that would work, but would be a change from the current wiring in the building which is all MC and 4" square metal boxes. I prefer to be consistent if possible (for whatever reason the looks of things matters to me