The electrical receptacle on the front of our house gets some heavy use around the holidays, powering lighting decorations. When I put up the Halloween lights, I realized that the outlet was open to the elements. It hadn't been an issue for years, since it was covered by a massive, ugly overhang, tunnel thing for years. Alas, I tore that sucker the heck down a while back. Now the receptacle is open to the elements. (Yes, we do have rain in Phoenix ,... occasionally)

The outlet is covered and secure from rain when nothing's plugged in, but once I open the cover and slip an extension cord in, it's exposed to the horrors of the great out-of-doors. In electrical terms, that's not cool.

I'd Mac Gyvered a temprary solution, by rubbing a piece of quality electrical tape over the open half of the outlet. The EchoTape electrical tape I used is great stuff, but it's not a permanent solution and it  is not meant to properly / safely seal this situation permanently.

More modern homes are equipped with "In-Use" covers by code, but this old 1979 tract home, pre-dates the requirement. I'm going to show you how to install a good one.

Since it's just a cover and you don't have to go poking about the electrically live parts and pieces of the receptacle, technically this can be done without shutting the power off. However, you really don't know what the condition is inside the box. Some chump before you could have left something lose that could wiggle free while you work. I recommend cutting the power before getting into it. (see AZ DIY Guy's Scary Electrical Warning)

Luckily, my receptacle is controlled by a switch. I made sure it was off and took out the two face screws holding the flip cover in place.

Wearing shorts in November = revenge for all those summer comments about the heat

Eat your heart out cold-country!

After the cover slipped off, I peeled off the weatherproofing. Be careful if there's paint on either piece, you don't want to peel it off to far and require touch-up. It's easy enough to score the edge with a knife first.

Gasket madness.

You can pick up "in-use" covers at your hardware store, home center or on Amazon.com. If you want one like the one I'm installing, a heavy-duty model, you may have to hunt around a bit, perhaps stopping in to your local, professional electrical supply house. 

This is a Thomas and Betts -  Red Dot, Code Keeper - Extra Duty which features beefier construction than the basic grade stuff. It even has a steel hinge pin. Being located on the front of our house with heavy traffic, I wanted something I wouldn't bump into in passing or snag with a hose and break off. 

Since the cover allows for vertical or horizontal mounting, you have to remove a knock-out to allow for your electrical cord.

Important: Remove the knock-out from the bottom

It's an easy operation, just pry it out with a pair of pliers, like you are pulling a tooth. Uhhhh....

I can do dentistry for half price (cash only)

This model includes a foam gasket, wasp guard which folds over in the new opening. to prevent a beastie surprise one dark evening. It leaves a slit for the cord to slid through.

Installing the wasp guard

Of course, the new cover was imperceptibly larger than the old one. I had to shave a bit of the batten board out of the way to get it to fit properly. An oscillating multi-tool sure is handy to have around. It took seconds to neatly zip the wood out of the way. I'd hate to have messed with it with a hammer and chisel.

This cover comes with the foam gasket permanently adhered to its back. Others versions may require slipping a gasket behind before screwing it to the face of the receptacle. It mounts to the the same screw holes in the receptacle's yoke that a normal cover plate uses. 

No more Mr. Loose Gasket!

Most covers also include various slip-in adapters for different configurations of receptacles and switches. I didn't need to use any because this recept was a rectangular GFCI device that fit the standard opening.

With the cover case screwed on tight, I snapped the clear, outer cover on and slid in the hinge pin. The pin is loose in the packaging to allow for horizontal or vertical mounting (like this) using one of the two hinges. 

The cover opens up easily with plenty of room to plug stuff in...

... and snaps shut securely with the outlet "in-use". Get it?

Ready for action!

That's it! It's an easy project to do and only takes a few minutes. This is also a great time to test your GFCI by pushing the test button to see if it trips. If it doesn't trip, or won't re-set (with the power-on) it's time for a replacement. They don't last forever. 

Good luck on your projects and Happy Thanksgiving!

PS - There's still time to enter in the BLACK+DECKER - Your Big Finish Contest that I shared in the last post. 

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