WAGO 221 Kit: geni.us/7gVib Old Work 2 Gang Box: geni.us/H7Eja Legrand Commercial Grade Outlet: geni.us/A34B4 12/2 Romex (25'): geni.us/pfd7wB Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs Makita Cordless Drill Combo Kit: geni.us/t7dIA Dewalt Drill Bit Set: geni.us/oFlSl Dewalt Screwdriver Bit Set: geni.us/VDcr Craftsman Screwdriver Set: geni.us/jXqFI Eklind Allen Wrench Set: geni.us/7XfvO Pliers (4-Piece Set): geni.us/RIdx Milwaukee Fastback Utility Knife: geni.us/MlyiLk Stanley Tape Measure: geni.us/bUfD1R Studbuddy Stud Finder: geni.us/RySCuVw Johnson Torpedo Level: geni.us/wiLcDY Stanley Hammer: geni.us/bPDk8Wo Buck Bros Wood Chisel Set: geni.us/vk3cpTW Klein Voltage Tester: geni.us/h9Hl Klein Outlet Tester: geni.us/kdBAJ Milwaukee Wire Strippers: geni.us/5zuLAbC Little Giant Ladder: geni.us/fmlmTk DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
It would be wise to mention the BARE ground wire!! Even though allowing the bare ground wire to come into contact with the screws on the WHITE side of the plug (when stuffing everything into the box) will not cause "sparks to fly", it is advisable to make sure they DO NOT touch. The GROUND return is to remain separate from all the other wires throughout the system, it's a safety thing. This is why we typically first stuff the GROUND circuit into the back of the box (and along the bottom), then the white (NEUTRAL) and last the black (HOT) in the front of the box. A very good and clear presentation... Thank You. P.S. A deep box sometimes makes things easier.
This happened to my outlet and the breaker kept tripping.. I think it's called a ground fault circuit breaker? It was definitely not easy to find, I had replaced all the outlets in my house. Make sure you keep those ground wires away!
@@carlos33193 Great point I have a GFI that keeps tripping and know the entire circuit is wired correctly. Never looked for that, something to do today !!! Cheers !!!
@@brl5755 ground touching the hot would flip the breaker from short circuit. Ground touching the neutral on gfci would trip because not all the current is coming back on the neutral and it senses that it must be taking ground back and trips. His issue was likely ground touching neutral if gfci breaker was tripping off on that.
Been doing Electrical work well over 48 years....I try to use 20 Amp rated outlets on 12ga, 15 Amp rated outlets on 14 ga. Just my preference! You're clear and concise on your work and explanation of each task...another comment...I was unaware about the small hole by the ground screw on the recepticals...now I know! You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!
Always thankful for your videos! Wish I was able to see each of the wago connectors before you put them back into the box. I’m so new at this it was a bit to fast for me. Trying to really absorb and understand everything you’re doing. Thank you so very much…
Very nicely done videos. It's nice when you have a fairly new house to re-work. Things are what you expect as far as wire lengths, ground wires present, etc. I'm upgrading my 120 year-old home that was converted form knob and tube wiring many years ago. I have run into some really unique nightmares. Plug fuses instead of breakers, light switches that switch neutral, both phases of a split-phase system present in the same box (240volts inside), two different circuit feeds in the same duplex box, so killing one feed leaves the other hot, etc.
Couple of tips: you can also tell which side is the stud by wiggling the box. The side that wiggles more is not the stud. To tell where to cut, you can also reverse the new two gang box and hold the front of it to the wall. Put a level on top of the box and level it. Trace the outline, without the "ears", and that line is where you need to cut to precisely fit the new box.
I always start the jab saw about an inch away from a corner, cutting away from the corner, because if you start at the corner, you'll overshoot the corner as you wiggle the saw in. Also, doing this keeps the corners intact while you're doing your main sawing, preventing the piece from breaking prematurely and perhaps giving you a jagged edge. Then you can finish it by sawing towards the corners and gently releasing the drywall chunk. I also align my jab saw on the INSIDE of the line that I drew. The line is drawn on the outside of the box, so ideally after cutting, the line is still sorta visible RIGHT on the edge of where you cut. This will give you a super tight box fit, so that you're not relying on those two small clamps alone to keep it from moving.
Jab saw, also known as a keyhole saw. I have one that has changeable blades and it came with one blade for wood and drywall sawing and a second blade that is made for metal. That way you can use one blade to extend the hole and the other blade to cut the nails, which makes removing the existing wire box a lot easier.
Yep, keyhole saw. Never heard it called a jab saw before. Interesting how this simple old tool has morphed into a fancy one with interchangeable blades.
@@calrob300 Different professions often have different names for the same tool. Not many people have to create keyholes these days so calling it a jab saw when you are working on thin or soft material like drywall makes perfect sense.
HI Scott, I like what you did to double up on the receptacles. Where I live, all that you have is not to our "Quebec" Code. We are still with code stipulating metal boxes and using marrates. We also have another rule that we have to follow: If in the kitchen, where you could have 500 watt appliances, we are limited to 3 outlets per 15 amp breaker. Elsewhere (lamps in living room), that number can go to 6. We recently had an electrical code change, where each floor level lamp receptacle has to be a trr type,(tamper resistant). It has an internal shutter over the slots. No baby should be able to stick in a pointed knife into either slot. So, for us to do your type of doubling, here in Quebec, it is one of "depends". I should mention that sometimes some of our kitchen receptacles are split wired to a 220 15amp ganged breaker under the counter or to one such located at the main panel. The cabling is 14/3 The receptacle is split so that the upper plug is on one side of the 220 volts, and the lower side is on the other. This was allowed and done because of some counter islands have doubled receptacles, to support having concurrent active broilers, electric frypans, electric kettles and coffee makers at the one location. I did not see the split being one receptacle on one side of the 220, and the other receptacle connected to the other. People tend to use one recepticle beforee putting the third plug into the next one.. I do like the plastic boxes that you used. For the fun of it, check out home.depot.com and then home.depot.ca, and search for electric boxes. I do have a concern about wiring the grounds as shown. In the video, you show each ground wire folded and coming up the side of the receptacle. I would have wired the ground to first receptacle, and a short jump across to the second. As you did it, I would wrap electrical tape around the receptacles to prevent any accidental connection of ground to terminal connection before installing same into the box. I think that our electric code in Quebec lags by a few years versus your electric code. Thank you for a very clear and showing a clean way to double up on receptacles. Leslie from Montreal.
@@mrnapolean1 Yeah, people like me! When running pigtails like this I have rolls of both 12 and 14 gauge wire with green insulation to ensure no accidental shorts occur also! Edit: I also wrap the outlet with 2 to 3 wraps of electrical tape as yet another measure of protection!
Great video. I recently replaced a nonfunctioning single doorbell with side by side duplex /quad spo that i could replace the nonfunctioning singular doorbell with three off the shelf discreet ringtone wireless doorbells. Now can determine if there is someone at the front / rear doors or the deck. This video helped a lot with the project.
I had a similar problem with power supplies for my batteries. My solution was to mount a surge protector power strip to the wall, mount the supplies to the wall, and plug them all into the surge protector (and tie off the excess cables). This way I can turn on/off all of the supplies with one switch and all of them are behind some secondary surge protection (primary is a surge breaker in the main panel). My workbench already has 4 duplex receptacles so there's no need to add any.
I basically did the same thing a couple of months ago. I was remodeling and had the drywall pulled off so I could nail the box to the stud. Other than that it was the same process. I like that you can tighten the wire down in on your outlet and then connect your wires together. I suppose you could still do it this way with the old style wire nuts but the WAGO lever nuts makes it way easier. I wish I had some when I first started remodeling.
I like to wrap the outlets with electrical tape as an extra precaution. Also I suggest drilling in a drywall screw to add additional strength on the stud side of an old-work box when possible.
For the old work boxes, I prefer to bend off the little ears on the receptacle/switch so that it mounts deeper in the box. The old work boxes have a recessed area that will fit the rectangular part, but not the ears. That way, the faceplate goes flush(er) against the wall without a gap. I also like the old work boxes with screws (eg Madison Electric boxes) if you're mounting against a stud. The wing-boxes are ok for switches or if you don't have a stud in the location, but I don't like how unsecure they can be. I've almost ripped one completely out of the wall unplugging a plug in a tight outlet. This is especially bad with 2-gangs.
I've resorted to just driving a wood screw through when I reused an old work box. The wings sucked and putting a couple wood screws through the side into the stud solved it easy peasy
@@etherealrose2139 That's technically a code violation since those boxes aren't listed for that use. Not that anything would go wrong, but I would just spend the extra dollar on a box that is actually designed to be used in that way.
The tip on the 'J" hook was good I never knew that. I am not in this field of work and have spent way to much time trying to make those things to replace old and wore out one than I care to admit. Great tip.
I saved those Milwaukee stripper pliers from another one of your videos in my A. mazon Wish List. the hole to form a J hook on a wire shure is neat and supper quick. They look like they're built well with narrowed jaws.
Another reason for using a hand jab saw is that you are less likely to damage a wire in the wall. You usually can feel if the saw is touching a cable as you are sawing.
Correct. Though when running new wire, just use a hammer to bust the drywall out for ultimate safety. You can square out the edges later since you're likely going to buy new drywall and patch it anyways. Then there's zero chance of hitting a hidden wire. Plus you get to bust a wall open ;)
i think the biggest advantage of the Backwire outlet is the 4 terminals with a good tight connection on each side so it actually works better having two wires on a screw. just run supply to one outlet jumper over to other outlet and then have wire going out of box over there no wire nuts or wagos needed just twist grounds together leave 4-inch-long end on each and put on a crimp on sleeve so you can ground each outlet with free ends
Cheaper and cleaner looking than buying power strips, which have become quite expensive lately. On the other hand, there are so many charge based tools and devices nowadays that I have bought the long 12 outlet power strips. Also I always put a drop or 2 of lightweight oil on the screws of the old work boxes as the ones with the plastic tabs can be hard to tighten.
I’m a 24 year electrician, I’ve had my masters license for 18 years. I cannot bring myself to use the “quick connects” or Wagos to make up joints. I’m an old school wirenut guy. 😁 Great job on your project! 😎
@@Around_The_Home Wago is also the manufacturer, not the connector type. Kinda like the Kleenex vs. tissue thing. You're right - lever nuts are the proper name.
Personally, I use new-work boxes and cut the ears off. Then I just run two screws through the side into the stud. IMO way stronger than relying on two flimsy plastic tabs. And yes, I’m a believer of wire nuts….
I'd like to suggest you do a comparison of GFCI outlets from the different brands at some point, as well as cut them open. The comparisons are some of your best videos.
Those things can get expensive. Why don't you buy a couple of GFCI outlets and then send them to him so that he can cut them open and waste your money. 🤣🤣🤣 Just kidding. That would be an interesting video. The only thing is I'm sure they have electronics in them as well, so I don't know how he would also do a comparison of those.
This, and also use the Klein RT250 on them all to see which is fastest to trip. I got one and the novelty hasn't worn off yet! And from my goofing around with it, Leviton GFCIs seem to be the fastest in the west.
@@REXXSEVEN I think a comparison of GFCI should definitely include speed of trip... I'd rather get zapped for. 01 seconds instead of the maximum spec of 5 seconds.
Thank you for pointing out the detail about lining up the faceplate screws! Drives me nuts when screws are not aligned, looks like installer didn't care. Sadly, my OCD has also cost me a few cracked faceplates from trying to tighten the screw "just a wee bit more".
Carlon now offers a diagonal screw mount also. It also has nails (only on single gang) which won't be used in this case and a front of stud mount option that can be broken off like a knockout. I used a 2 gang box and 2 #9 gauge, 2 inch construction screws and it's very sturdy.
Thanks for this info, bud. I have never liked using boxes that grab the drywall with tabs except for switch boxes since switches don't cause any pulling on the drywall. It's just bothersome to think that every time you pull a plug out of a receptacle you are yanking on the drywall. The box you recommend looks good.
Very informative! I've been doing some electrical upgrades to my house that was built in the 60s so I've been running into a few nuggets here and there. This dual outlet setup might actually be useful in a few areas. My boxes however are metal and when I painted my paneling, I obviously filled in the gaps as well, otherwise it would've been really easy to find the studs. But since something like this was so helpful, I decided to sub so that I might be able to learn a few more tricks as I go along as well!
I've done this to several of my outlets thoughout my home. I have a manufactured home, so changing out from single gang to double is extremely easy! I also have made some double circuit setups for laserjet printers and other heavy equipment in my home office... I also did this in my bathroom making a dedicated outlet for a space heater. this is the easieat way to expand a circuit for todays electronics. never seems to be enough power when you need it...
Are your wet room outlet(s) such that 1 is the gfci, and the other is connected downstream of the gfci, so that all preceptacle openings are gfci protected.
If you get random GFCI tripping in the garage, I would start with your install. You left the ground wire extremely close to the neutral contacts on the left receptacle. Other than that, great instructional.
I've bought all my wagos at hd or Lowe's. They carry them in the southeast so odd that they wouldn't in your area. I've got 2, 3, & 4 slot wago nuts in small & larger count bags with no problem
I also like to drill a small hole into the box and a pilot hole for the stud after the old work box is installed, then just put a plastic or nonconductive screw to give the box extra strength in case something bashes into the outlet and tries to pull the box out of the wall.
Great video, I also like using the multi, old or new boxes, that allows you to use screws directly to the stud in my opinion better if they are going to have a lot of use.
I love these wagos. Im new to the electrical field and wire nuts are the general go to but sometimes dealing with low voltage and some drivers youre dealing with splicing together solid and stranded. These wagos make it a breeze. They have their obvious drawback in not being able to splice together a lot of conductors, also gauge of conductor can become an issue though rarely are you thinking about using a wago on anything bigger than 12, but I still think they should become the industry standard.
Best pratice is to punch a tiny hole in center of new box livation then insert a #14 wire and spin it. Do this at several depths to make dure mothing in the way. Does not appear that you have a minimum of 1/4" outer jacket.of MN cable pass the vable clamp. If not a coflde violation.
It was a little hard to see, but it looked like the ground wire on the left was very close to the neutral terminals. I know this is very unlikely to cause a problem, but best practice is to make sure the grounds are back into the box away from the terminals. I once had a situation where the ground was near the hot terminal and I didn't notice until some time later that due to vibration it had loosened the outlet and when plugging into the outlet it shorted the hot terminal to ground. The breaker tripped, and it took awhile to trace the problem.
Since the neutral and ground are bonded at the main panel it shouldn't be an issue though you want to avoid stray current going back on the ground. Best practice is to try to bury it back in there away from the conductors and terminals, especially the hot as you said.
Nice demo of adding a second outlet. I saw the same thing Tom Cee observed. I dislike uninsulated wiring "fluff" inside of the box and try not to add to it if possible. I would prefer substituting an insulated green wire for making up the ground portion of the pigtails (or a white wire marked with green tape). Neutral should not be touching ground except at the Main Panel (and it didn't in this case, but pretty close.)
Our outlet and device designs are kind of stupid. There are these big exposed spot on the side of switches / outlets. It would be no problem if the screws weren't hot or had a cover. It seems very dangerous especially if there isn't a cover on the outlet.
i had old house and figured i would go with metal electrical box and they don't seem to make them very deep like plastic and when pushing wires back into box the one black wire actually was nicked by sharp edge on the hex/slotted ground screw in back of box so it blew circuit breaker when i turned it on
i did this in the kitchen but the two outlets was not the same one was 20A the other was 15A one for toaster oven and microwave oven and they work great
Always good practice to poke a screwdriver or something flat on top of box to feel for and pipes or possibly another stud if it’s a tight bay just to avoid Sheetrock repair if you can’t fit the 2 gang
At 4:44 mark, it doesnt appear that there are two (2) Romexes coming into the box, and the fast motion made it difficult for a newbie like me to tell. Can you please confirm, and is this standard in single duplex outlet wiring?
How do you know if adding these extra power draw outlets from a circuit would create a fire hazard? You mentioned something about the gauge of wire, but I also assume it has something to do with the circuit breaker setup. Thanks
What are the technical reasons to add a second duplex outlet versus just using a power extender (with 3 outlets on it). I do see the space and neat point, but electrical I don't understand. It still an extension inside the electrical box.
Off topic. My home is electically heated. We have a 200 amp entrance. The furnace is a smart boiler. It heats water, and the hot water is circulated to the radiators with a pump. The smart part is that there is an outdoor sensor that determines the temperature of the water in the radiators. During November, the water is lukewarm. When it is really cold out, the circulating water is about hot 160F, and the boiler is drawing close to 80amps The main entrance is GFCI protected and as well, protected against lightning strikes. Both the boiler and circulation pump are in-home thermostat controlled. We also have a 60 gallon hot water tank. Its heaters demand 30 amps at 220volts. Here is a trick to save some money. Because hot water is less dense than cold water, even if taps are off, there is flow of hot water up the pipe to the tap, and in the same pipe there is a flow of more dense water downward back into the hot water tank. To stop that up/down flow, get some braided water connection cable and connect it in the form of a loop, such that the hot water out from the hotwater tank has to flow downwards before it flow s upward. With no taps open, you will notice that at the top of the loop, the braided cable is hot, but at the lower part of the loop, the water there is at home room temperature. The amount of braided cable I use is about 18 inches.
Overall, good job. This is why the NEC should be readily available. People generally aren't stupid, but ignorance is a thing (didn't see any of either of those things here.) Well done. I would expect the Wago wirenuts to catch on as they sell more and more to commercial/industrial users, the price will come down. It's always a little pricey being on the cutting edge....
SEE: around 09:07 to about 09:35 Hey bro, do you not normally snap off the "ears" of the recips at the top and bottom, those pair of holes that are NOT needed in a res. application when using a commercial recip. I am employed doing only commercial and when I allegedly do res. work and some how, come across commercial recips i almost always break off those ear tab hole things.
What makes a lever nut "acceptable" and the stab connector on the outlets not? Both are friction holds, both have a way to release. I'm not sure why one is ok while the other isn't...
At least from my standpoint I am not a huge fan of the simple lever arm that holds 14-gauge wire into the speed wiring / stab feature. This feature is 1 and done since the lever arm defects and does not spring back to maintain a consistent amount of force. For the WAGO 221 there is a piece of metal that serves as a spring and the lever simply releases the spring. That is what makes the WAGO 221 reusable and a better option as compared to speed wiring.
Wondering what you think.... I moved from my home to a senior living apartment building a few years ago. All of the outlets in this building have the 3rd prong rounded ground facing UP. To this day it still looks really odd to me, because all of my life I have seen them facing down, as you have installed yours. I know it's not a big deal, and have heard people say it has advantages installed up (still upside down to my brain)....What do you think? Keep up with the fantastic videos....I don't need to do any maintenance nowadays, but I still enjoy watching.
Nice work on installing the box but for double duplex an electrician would normally loop the hot and neutral wires between the outlets. In other words you wire the two outlets together. If the ground wire is long enough where you don't have to splice it to another wire you wrap it on one outlet screw and then over to the other outlet screw. If not then add a ground wire from plug to plug and leave a tail at one end. The idea is to reduce wires and connections. In construction you'd typically make as many double duplex receptacles as required all at once using a single ground across the two with one end extended out to tie in the plugs to ground. Then you go to the box and twist the ground wires together and add the plug ground to it and twist the wires together and add a wirenut. Continue with the neutral and then the ground. When you have several wires of each in the box you add a tail from the outlets and use that for your connection. It's a good safety habit to always cut the hot wires off first when you're removing them, then neutral, then ground. During hookup you reverse that hooking up the ground first, then neutral, then hot. Hope I'm not confusing you by my terminology but here in my area the outlets are generally called plugs and the end that plugs in is called a cord cap. If you go to a supply house and ask for a box of plugs they'll give you a box of outlets. Now as for your wire clips. I understand they are popular but for long term use I'd never use one. The best connection will always be straight wire to wire. That means twisting all the wires together and then adding a crimp sleeve or a wirenut. In forty years in the trade I don't remember ever seeing a single wire nut that failed. However I have seen lots of people who don't know how to install them. First forget the directions on the boxes. They are wrong. Always twist all solids together. Always twist all stranded together. Cut to length and twist on wire nuts. When you have a mix of solids and stranded you twist each as before but then you lay the solids and strandeds side by side even on the end and twist the wire nut on both at once. Tug one set at a time to make sure you got it right. Over the years I've likely installed many thousands of outlets and believe me the most important thing is reducing time and wire while ensuring the connections will last for the life of the building. Nothing that relies on plasic is going to last for the life of a building. I've rewired things in older buildings and found wirenuts that were from the forties still doing the job.
I am down to one recepticle in a bedroom duplex outlet. The number of outlets per room was fine in the 70s but with all the gadgets today, even a bedroom runs short. Hey could you also add the extra duplex and a usb hookup?
No usually you can bring the power into the GFCI (Line Terminals) and then run hot and neutral wires from the GFCI (Load Terminals) to the standard outlet. This will provide GFCI protection across both outlets. Need more info on Line vs Load check out this video ruclips.net/video/bWfveKM6NEk/видео.html
With so many chargers and power bricks, could you do a video to add six plugs plus perhaps usb A and/or C ports ? In my building which is ancient there are mostly 2 plugs except for in the kitchen.
You forgot to mention the tool you used for prying out the old box. I know it as a "cat's paw" and it works so much better than any other type of prybar or end of a hammer.
I prefer wire nuts even with all wire. Just twist them together with five twists or so linesmen's pliers first. Trim the ends even and twist on the nut. I wrap mine with electrical tape including the three or inches of the wires. If you use quality wire nuts you can't pull them apart. That way it is also waterproof for outside use.
So I’m embarrassed to say that I just learned this after being an electrician for some time. But when using the old work boxes, if you break the ears off of the receptacles they’ll sit in the recesses on the box and the cover will then be flush with the wall. With the ears on they sit proud and you’ll have a gap.
Thank you for your video. I think the easiest and cheapest way to add an additional outlet is to buy a 2, 3.4, 6..way grounded outlet adapter (110 Volt, 15 or 20 amp). It's only $.99c or less than $5.00. for each. I wouldn't recommend this kind of job for the first-timers. A small mistake will cause a short and scare the hell out of you.
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Old Work 2 Gang Box: geni.us/H7Eja
Legrand Commercial Grade Outlet: geni.us/A34B4
12/2 Romex (25'): geni.us/pfd7wB
Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs
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Dewalt Drill Bit Set: geni.us/oFlSl
Dewalt Screwdriver Bit Set: geni.us/VDcr
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It would be wise to mention the BARE ground wire!! Even though allowing the bare ground wire to come into contact with the screws on the WHITE side of the plug (when stuffing everything into the box) will not cause "sparks to fly", it is advisable to make sure they DO NOT touch. The GROUND return is to remain separate from all the other wires throughout the system, it's a safety thing.
This is why we typically first stuff the GROUND circuit into the back of the box (and along the bottom), then the white (NEUTRAL) and last the black (HOT) in the front of the box.
A very good and clear presentation... Thank You.
P.S. A deep box sometimes makes things easier.
An accidental bootleg ground is still a bootleg ground!
This happened to my outlet and the breaker kept tripping.. I think it's called a ground fault circuit breaker? It was definitely not easy to find, I had replaced all the outlets in my house. Make sure you keep those ground wires away!
@@carlos33193 Your issue was the ground touching the hot, and you're lucky it happened downstream of the GFCI protection and not before
@@carlos33193 Great point I have a GFI that keeps tripping and know the entire circuit is wired correctly. Never looked for that, something to do today !!! Cheers !!!
@@brl5755 ground touching the hot would flip the breaker from short circuit. Ground touching the neutral on gfci would trip because not all the current is coming back on the neutral and it senses that it must be taking ground back and trips.
His issue was likely ground touching neutral if gfci breaker was tripping off on that.
Not sure why, but the drawn-in duplex receptacle gave me a chuckle. 😂
LOL. They looked worried.
Been doing Electrical work well over 48 years....I try to use 20 Amp rated outlets on 12ga, 15 Amp rated outlets on 14 ga. Just my preference!
You're clear and concise on your work and explanation of each task...another comment...I was unaware about the small hole by the ground screw on the recepticals...now I know! You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!
Always thankful for your videos!
Wish I was able to see each of the wago connectors before you put them back into the box. I’m so new at this it was a bit to fast for me. Trying to really absorb and understand everything you’re doing. Thank you so very much…
😇❤ clear and to the point. This one I’ve done but with a steal box. It was a lot harder to get that box 📦 out of the wall. 😅😊
Very nicely done videos.
It's nice when you have a fairly new house to re-work. Things are what you expect as far as wire lengths, ground wires present, etc. I'm upgrading my 120 year-old home that was converted form knob and tube wiring many years ago. I have run into some really unique nightmares. Plug fuses instead of breakers, light switches that switch neutral, both phases of a split-phase system present in the same box (240volts inside), two different circuit feeds in the same duplex box, so killing one feed leaves the other hot, etc.
I'm glad to see your using the WAGO 221 Lever-nuts. I started using them a couple years ago, and have been using them every scene. GOOD JOB. AAA+++
This simple video convinced me that this is not a do-it-yourself project and I need to hire an electrician! 😆
Couple of tips: you can also tell which side is the stud by wiggling the box. The side that wiggles more is not the stud.
To tell where to cut, you can also reverse the new two gang box and hold the front of it to the wall. Put a level on top of the box and level it. Trace the outline, without the "ears", and that line is where you need to cut to precisely fit the new box.
Thank you, I finally understand the process ☝️
I always start the jab saw about an inch away from a corner, cutting away from the corner, because if you start at the corner, you'll overshoot the corner as you wiggle the saw in. Also, doing this keeps the corners intact while you're doing your main sawing, preventing the piece from breaking prematurely and perhaps giving you a jagged edge. Then you can finish it by sawing towards the corners and gently releasing the drywall chunk. I also align my jab saw on the INSIDE of the line that I drew. The line is drawn on the outside of the box, so ideally after cutting, the line is still sorta visible RIGHT on the edge of where you cut. This will give you a super tight box fit, so that you're not relying on those two small clamps alone to keep it from moving.
Great suggestion. I always learn additional tips and tricks from the comments! Thanks for sharing
Great teacher! Very clear, concise. I am learning a lot! Thanks for posting these lessons!
Jab saw, also known as a keyhole saw. I have one that has changeable blades and it came with one blade for wood and drywall sawing and a second blade that is made for metal. That way you can use one blade to extend the hole and the other blade to cut the nails, which makes removing the existing wire box a lot easier.
Yep, keyhole saw. Never heard it called a jab saw before. Interesting how this simple old tool has morphed into a fancy one with interchangeable blades.
@@calrob300
Different professions often have different names for the same tool. Not many people have to create keyholes these days so calling it a jab saw when you are working on thin or soft material like drywall makes perfect sense.
@@oldtimefarmboy617 That does make sense, thanks.
HI Scott, I like what you did to double up on the receptacles. Where I live, all that you have is not to our "Quebec" Code. We are still with code stipulating metal boxes and using marrates. We also have another rule that we have to follow: If in the kitchen, where you could have 500 watt appliances, we are limited to 3 outlets per 15 amp breaker. Elsewhere (lamps in living room), that number can go to 6.
We recently had an electrical code change, where each floor level lamp receptacle has to be a trr type,(tamper resistant). It has an internal shutter over the slots. No baby should be able to stick in a pointed knife into either slot.
So, for us to do your type of doubling, here in Quebec, it is one of "depends".
I should mention that sometimes some of our kitchen receptacles are split wired to a 220 15amp ganged breaker under the counter or to one such located at the main panel. The cabling is 14/3
The receptacle is split so that the upper plug is on one side of the 220 volts, and the lower side is on the other. This was allowed and done because of some counter islands have doubled receptacles, to support having concurrent active broilers, electric frypans, electric kettles and coffee makers at the one location. I did not see the split being one receptacle on one side of the 220, and the other receptacle connected to the other. People tend to use one recepticle beforee putting the third plug into the next one..
I do like the plastic boxes that you used. For the fun of it, check out home.depot.com and then home.depot.ca, and search for electric boxes.
I do have a concern about wiring the grounds as shown. In the video, you show each ground wire folded and coming up the side of the receptacle. I would have wired the ground to first receptacle, and a short jump across to the second. As you did it, I would wrap electrical tape around the receptacles to prevent any accidental connection of ground to terminal connection before installing same into the box.
I think that our electric code in Quebec lags by a few years versus your electric code.
Thank you for a very clear and showing a clean way to double up on receptacles.
Leslie from Montreal.
Who really cares
As a grandfather, I care.
@@TomCee53 still who cares
@@johnkulpowich5260 haha
You spelled marrette wrong. For everyone who's not French or French Canadian, it's a wire nut.
The ground on the left side outlet at 9:15 makes me nervous. Great Video! Thanks!
i was gonna say the same thing lol
Optical illusion… and besides… it’s the neutral side… not the hot side.
Its on the neutral side. Not a big deal but people with OCD would want to make sure its tucked away from the terminals.
@@mrnapolean1 Yeah, people like me! When running pigtails like this I have rolls of both 12 and 14 gauge wire with green insulation to ensure no accidental shorts occur also!
Edit: I also wrap the outlet with 2 to 3 wraps of electrical tape as yet another measure of protection!
Great video. I recently replaced a nonfunctioning single doorbell with side by side duplex /quad spo that i could replace the nonfunctioning singular doorbell with three off the shelf discreet ringtone wireless doorbells. Now can determine if there is someone at the front / rear doors or the deck. This video helped a lot with the project.
8:20 to 9:00 is where the magic happens! Don’t look away during those 40 seconds… Excellent video.
Oh My Goodness! I was just thinking I needed to do this very thing a couple of hours ago and here you put it up! Thank you!
Hahaha, good timing 👍
Uooo Tube has read my mind many times too!!! How day do dat?
@@blueplasma5589 😂
I had a similar problem with power supplies for my batteries. My solution was to mount a surge protector power strip to the wall, mount the supplies to the wall, and plug them all into the surge protector (and tie off the excess cables). This way I can turn on/off all of the supplies with one switch and all of them are behind some secondary surge protection (primary is a surge breaker in the main panel). My workbench already has 4 duplex receptacles so there's no need to add any.
I basically did the same thing a couple of months ago. I was remodeling and had the drywall pulled off so I could nail the box to the stud. Other than that it was the same process. I like that you can tighten the wire down in on your outlet and then connect your wires together. I suppose you could still do it this way with the old style wire nuts but the WAGO lever nuts makes it way easier. I wish I had some when I first started remodeling.
A note about old plastic work boxes. Sometimes they're brittle enough that you can snap off pieces with pliers.
I never noticed the J hook feature on my wire stripper. Thanks!! Great job as always!
I like to wrap the outlets with electrical tape as an extra precaution. Also I suggest drilling in a drywall screw to add additional strength on the stud side of an old-work box when possible.
Not code, though I understand the reasoning.
For the old work boxes, I prefer to bend off the little ears on the receptacle/switch so that it mounts deeper in the box. The old work boxes have a recessed area that will fit the rectangular part, but not the ears. That way, the faceplate goes flush(er) against the wall without a gap. I also like the old work boxes with screws (eg Madison Electric boxes) if you're mounting against a stud. The wing-boxes are ok for switches or if you don't have a stud in the location, but I don't like how unsecure they can be. I've almost ripped one completely out of the wall unplugging a plug in a tight outlet. This is especially bad with 2-gangs.
Thanks for the feedback 👍
Agreed with the Madison electric boxes. Screwing into the studs is optimal.
I actually just commented this same thing before I read this comment
I've resorted to just driving a wood screw through when I reused an old work box. The wings sucked and putting a couple wood screws through the side into the stud solved it easy peasy
@@etherealrose2139 That's technically a code violation since those boxes aren't listed for that use. Not that anything would go wrong, but I would just spend the extra dollar on a box that is actually designed to be used in that way.
Thanks. I'm trying to get the courage to do this on my own!
I’ve learned so much from your videos, THANK YOU.
The tip on the 'J" hook was good I never knew that. I am not in this field of work and have spent way to much time trying to make those things to replace old and wore out one than I care to admit. Great tip.
I saved those Milwaukee stripper pliers from another one of your videos in my A. mazon Wish List. the hole to form a J hook on a wire shure is neat and supper quick. They look like they're built well with narrowed jaws.
Another reason for using a hand jab saw is that you are less likely to damage a wire in the wall. You usually can feel if the saw is touching a cable as you are sawing.
If you have old drywall, a jab saw will crumble it to dust and make a jagged cut. The oscillating tool or roto-zip works much better.
Correct.
Though when running new wire, just use a hammer to bust the drywall out for ultimate safety. You can square out the edges later since you're likely going to buy new drywall and patch it anyways. Then there's zero chance of hitting a hidden wire. Plus you get to bust a wall open ;)
i think the biggest advantage of the Backwire outlet is the 4 terminals with a good tight connection on each side so it actually works better having two wires on a screw. just run supply to one outlet jumper over to other outlet and then have wire going out of box over there no wire nuts or wagos needed just twist grounds together leave 4-inch-long end on each and put on a crimp on sleeve so you can ground each outlet with free ends
I really enjoy watching your videos. Thanks for helping us DIY’s😊
Cheaper and cleaner looking than buying power strips, which have become quite expensive lately. On the other hand, there are so many charge based tools and devices nowadays that I have bought the long 12 outlet power strips. Also I always put a drop or 2 of lightweight oil on the screws of the old work boxes as the ones with the plastic tabs can be hard to tighten.
Also safer
Thanks for all the links for the items have been wanting to do that for my computer room.
Best of luck on the project!
I’m a 24 year electrician, I’ve had my masters license for 18 years. I cannot bring myself to use the “quick connects” or Wagos to make up joints. I’m an old school wirenut guy. 😁 Great job on your project! 😎
I like to call them lever nuts. Makes it more palatable.
@@Around_The_Home Wago is also the manufacturer, not the connector type. Kinda like the Kleenex vs. tissue thing. You're right - lever nuts are the proper name.
I’m an old school guy myself. I much prefer to walk than use automobiles.
Personally, I use new-work boxes and cut the ears off. Then I just run two screws through the side into the stud. IMO way stronger than relying on two flimsy plastic tabs. And yes, I’m a believer of wire nuts….
I'd like to suggest you do a comparison of GFCI outlets from the different brands at some point, as well as cut them open. The comparisons are some of your best videos.
Those things can get expensive. Why don't you buy a couple of GFCI outlets and then send them to him so that he can cut them open and waste your money.
🤣🤣🤣 Just kidding. That would be an interesting video. The only thing is I'm sure they have electronics in them as well, so I don't know how he would also do a comparison of those.
This, and also use the Klein RT250 on them all to see which is fastest to trip. I got one and the novelty hasn't worn off yet! And from my goofing around with it, Leviton GFCIs seem to be the fastest in the west.
@@brl5755 but that has nothing to do with what I just said.
@@REXXSEVEN I think a comparison of GFCI should definitely include speed of trip... I'd rather get zapped for. 01 seconds instead of the maximum spec of 5 seconds.
@@brl5755 lol 🤣🤣 I agree! Maximum spec of five seconds? My goodness. I don't think anyone would opt for that.
Great video. Straightforward and clear.
Thank you for pointing out the detail about lining up the faceplate screws! Drives me nuts when screws are not aligned, looks like installer didn't care. Sadly, my OCD has also cost me a few cracked faceplates from trying to tighten the screw "just a wee bit more".
Check out the 2 gang Madison Electric box that screws in at a diagonal for this next time, I prefer them if you have a stud like this!
Appreciate the tip!
Carlon now offers a diagonal screw mount also. It also has nails (only on single gang) which won't be used in this case and a front of stud mount option that can be broken off like a knockout. I used a 2 gang box and 2 #9 gauge, 2 inch construction screws and it's very sturdy.
Aside from the cleaner look of having the receptacles in the wall, it would have been a lot faster just to buy a quality power bar
Thanks for this info, bud. I have never liked using boxes that grab the drywall with tabs except for switch boxes since switches don't cause any pulling on the drywall. It's just bothersome to think that every time you pull a plug out of a receptacle you are yanking on the drywall. The box you recommend looks good.
For such wiring i use the WAGO pushing connectors, only. The 221 I use in combo with stranded wires.
Good info for a second Device. But for an additional Receptical, I would get a Plug in 6 receptical device, and many Have Surge/Spike built in.
Very informative! I've been doing some electrical upgrades to my house that was built in the 60s so I've been running into a few nuggets here and there. This dual outlet setup might actually be useful in a few areas. My boxes however are metal and when I painted my paneling, I obviously filled in the gaps as well, otherwise it would've been really easy to find the studs. But since something like this was so helpful, I decided to sub so that I might be able to learn a few more tricks as I go along as well!
I see that on the left outlet the ground bare strip that you used seats very close to the side connector bolts area,
I've done this to several of my outlets thoughout my home. I have a manufactured home, so changing out from single gang to double is extremely easy! I also have made some double circuit setups for laserjet printers and other heavy equipment in my home office... I also did this in my bathroom making a dedicated outlet for a space heater. this is the easieat way to expand a circuit for todays electronics. never seems to be enough power when you need it...
Are your wet room outlet(s) such that 1 is the gfci, and the other is connected downstream of the gfci, so that all preceptacle openings are gfci protected.
@@lsatenstein yes, the house came with the GFCI outlets already installed, so it was ready.
I liked the video and subscribed, simple and straight forward… you made it seems easy for those of us how are a little hesitant. Well done.
If you get random GFCI tripping in the garage, I would start with your install. You left the ground wire extremely close to the neutral contacts on the left receptacle. Other than that, great instructional.
definitely getting me some of those connectors …. versus the wire nuts
I've bought all my wagos at hd or Lowe's. They carry them in the southeast so odd that they wouldn't in your area. I've got 2, 3, & 4 slot wago nuts in small & larger count bags with no problem
I also like to drill a small hole into the box and a pilot hole for the stud after the old work box is installed, then just put a plastic or nonconductive screw to give the box extra strength in case something bashes into the outlet and tries to pull the box out of the wall.
Great video, I also like using the multi, old or new boxes, that allows you to use screws directly to the stud in my opinion better if they are going to have a lot of use.
Neatly done. Thank you for sharing
Great job. Excellent video and explanation. Bravo Zulu. And Thanks.
I love these wagos. Im new to the electrical field and wire nuts are the general go to but sometimes dealing with low voltage and some drivers youre dealing with splicing together solid and stranded. These wagos make it a breeze. They have their obvious drawback in not being able to splice together a lot of conductors, also gauge of conductor can become an issue though rarely are you thinking about using a wago on anything bigger than 12, but I still think they should become the industry standard.
Agree, they are great and even though they do make a lever nut for 10 gauge I only use them on 12 and 14 gauge.
Similar have been in use in Europe for over 50 years now. My trade is super conservative and slow to accept better practices,
THAT'S what that hole is for?! I had no idea. Thanks!
Best pratice is to punch a tiny hole in center of new box livation then insert a #14 wire and spin it. Do this at several depths to make dure mothing in the way. Does not appear that you have a minimum of 1/4" outer jacket.of MN cable pass the vable clamp. If not a coflde violation.
I'd like to do this with every outlet in my house.
It was a little hard to see, but it looked like the ground wire on the left was very close to the neutral terminals. I know this is very unlikely to cause a problem, but best practice is to make sure the grounds are back into the box away from the terminals. I once had a situation where the ground was near the hot terminal and I didn't notice until some time later that due to vibration it had loosened the outlet and when plugging into the outlet it shorted the hot terminal to ground. The breaker tripped, and it took awhile to trace the problem.
Since the neutral and ground are bonded at the main panel it shouldn't be an issue though you want to avoid stray current going back on the ground. Best practice is to try to bury it back in there away from the conductors and terminals, especially the hot as you said.
Nice demo of adding a second outlet. I saw the same thing Tom Cee observed. I dislike uninsulated wiring "fluff" inside of the box and try not to add to it if possible. I would prefer substituting an insulated green wire for making up the ground portion of the pigtails (or a white wire marked with green tape). Neutral should not be touching ground except at the Main Panel (and it didn't in this case, but pretty close.)
Our outlet and device designs are kind of stupid. There are these big exposed spot on the side of switches / outlets. It would be no problem if the screws weren't hot or had a cover. It seems very dangerous especially if there isn't a cover on the outlet.
@@abdulelkhatib2674 .. there is a section in the national code about covers for boxes and it seems they are required.
i had old house and figured i would go with metal electrical box and they don't seem to make them very deep like plastic and when pushing wires back into box the one black wire actually was nicked by sharp edge on the hex/slotted ground screw in back of box so it blew circuit breaker when i turned it on
Great job! Thanks for the video!
Very good demo. Thank you.
I did something similar like this, but there was an already existing two-gang box with one duplex outlet on one side and the other side blank.
Thank you for posting this helpful video
Nice easy project well done and explained 👏
A good option if you are by a stud for an old work box is the Madison Electric/Southwire Smart Box 2-Gang available at Menards and Amazon.
Thank you very much
Happy to help.
At 9:09 it shows the ground on the right touching the neutral screw. Could be better if it was not so close.
Or just use an electrical tape for the outlets.
@@taras_svirgun True
i did this in the kitchen but the two outlets was not the same one was 20A the other was 15A one for toaster oven and microwave oven and they work great
Nice Everyday Home Repairs !!! 💜🖤
Always good practice to poke a screwdriver or something flat on top of box to feel for and pipes or possibly another stud if it’s a tight bay just to avoid Sheetrock repair if you can’t fit the 2 gang
At 4:44 mark, it doesnt appear that there are two (2) Romexes coming into the box, and the fast motion made it difficult for a newbie like me to tell. Can you please confirm, and is this standard in single duplex outlet wiring?
How do you know if adding these extra power draw outlets from a circuit would create a fire hazard? You mentioned something about the gauge of wire, but I also assume it has something to do with the circuit breaker setup. Thanks
What are the technical reasons to add a second duplex outlet versus just using a power extender (with 3 outlets on it). I do see the space and neat point, but electrical I don't understand. It still an extension inside the electrical box.
Off topic.
My home is electically heated. We have a 200 amp entrance. The furnace is a smart boiler. It heats water, and the hot water is circulated to the radiators with a pump. The smart part is that there is an outdoor sensor that determines the temperature of the water in the radiators.
During November, the water is lukewarm. When it is really cold out, the circulating water is about hot 160F, and the boiler is drawing close to 80amps The main entrance is GFCI protected and as well, protected against lightning strikes.
Both the boiler and circulation pump are in-home thermostat controlled.
We also have a 60 gallon hot water tank. Its heaters demand 30 amps at 220volts.
Here is a trick to save some money. Because hot water is less dense than cold water,
even if taps are off, there is flow of hot water up the pipe to the tap, and in the same pipe there is a flow of more dense water downward back into the hot water tank.
To stop that up/down flow, get some braided water connection cable and connect it in the form of a loop, such that the hot water out from the hotwater tank has to flow downwards before it flow s upward. With no taps open, you will notice that at the top of the loop, the braided cable is hot, but at the lower part of the loop, the water there is at home room temperature. The amount of braided cable I use is about 18 inches.
.... plumbers have been doing this trick with solid copper pipe for decades.
I didnt see mention of breakers - do I need to be concerned with the size of my breaker?
thanks
You're welcome!
Overall, good job. This is why the NEC should be readily available. People generally aren't stupid, but ignorance is a thing (didn't see any of either of those things here.) Well done. I would expect the Wago wirenuts to catch on as they sell more and more to commercial/industrial users, the price will come down. It's always a little pricey being on the cutting edge....
So, if the existing outlet is a GFI, you could not use pigtails could you?
Yes you could jump off the load side of the GFI to another outlet.
Great video and super clear. I appreciate the explanation and tips. Thank you
SEE: around 09:07 to about 09:35 Hey bro, do you not normally snap off the "ears" of the recips at the top and bottom, those pair of holes that are NOT needed in a res. application when using a commercial recip. I am employed doing only commercial and when I allegedly do res. work and some how, come across commercial recips i almost always break off those ear tab hole things.
Nice video. Good advice. Thank you. It's appreciated.
Thanks
What makes a lever nut "acceptable" and the stab connector on the outlets not? Both are friction holds, both have a way to release. I'm not sure why one is ok while the other isn't...
At least from my standpoint I am not a huge fan of the simple lever arm that holds 14-gauge wire into the speed wiring / stab feature. This feature is 1 and done since the lever arm defects and does not spring back to maintain a consistent amount of force. For the WAGO 221 there is a piece of metal that serves as a spring and the lever simply releases the spring. That is what makes the WAGO 221 reusable and a better option as compared to speed wiring.
Wagos are awesome.
Very nice. I'll do it this weekend. Any videos for tapping an existing outlet to add a new outlet in another wall? Say 15 ft apart.
By code the ground faces up, the back of the outlet has an arrow showing the right direction. If the plug comes loose only the ground is exposed.
Where is that code located? Not an issue where I live.
I’d like to do this but add at switch to it. Do you have a video of adding a switch to an outlet by any chance?
Wondering what you think.... I moved from my home to a senior living apartment building a few years ago. All of the outlets in this building have the 3rd prong rounded ground facing UP. To this day it still looks really odd to me, because all of my life I have seen them facing down, as you have installed yours. I know it's not a big deal, and have heard people say it has advantages installed up (still upside down to my brain)....What do you think?
Keep up with the fantastic videos....I don't need to do any maintenance nowadays, but I still enjoy watching.
Thank you! 😊
You bet 👍
Nice work on installing the box but for double duplex an electrician would normally loop the hot and neutral wires between the outlets. In other words you wire the two outlets together. If the ground wire is long enough where you don't have to splice it to another wire you wrap it on one outlet screw and then over to the other outlet screw. If not then add a ground wire from plug to plug and leave a tail at one end. The idea is to reduce wires and connections. In construction you'd typically make as many double duplex receptacles as required all at once using a single ground across the two with one end extended out to tie in the plugs to ground. Then you go to the box and twist the ground wires together and add the plug ground to it and twist the wires together and add a wirenut. Continue with the neutral and then the ground. When you have several wires of each in the box you add a tail from the outlets and use that for your connection. It's a good safety habit to always cut the hot wires off first when you're removing them, then neutral, then ground. During hookup you reverse that hooking up the ground first, then neutral, then hot. Hope I'm not confusing you by my terminology but here in my area the outlets are generally called plugs and the end that plugs in is called a cord cap. If you go to a supply house and ask for a box of plugs they'll give you a box of outlets. Now as for your wire clips. I understand they are popular but for long term use I'd never use one. The best connection will always be straight wire to wire. That means twisting all the wires together and then adding a crimp sleeve or a wirenut. In forty years in the trade I don't remember ever seeing a single wire nut that failed. However I have seen lots of people who don't know how to install them. First forget the directions on the boxes. They are wrong. Always twist all solids together. Always twist all stranded together. Cut to length and twist on wire nuts. When you have a mix of solids and stranded you twist each as before but then you lay the solids and strandeds side by side even on the end and twist the wire nut on both at once. Tug one set at a time to make sure you got it right. Over the years I've likely installed many thousands of outlets and believe me the most important thing is reducing time and wire while ensuring the connections will last for the life of the building. Nothing that relies on plasic is going to last for the life of a building. I've rewired things in older buildings and found wirenuts that were from the forties still doing the job.
Nice and useful information I hope to be healthy and safe
Our Home depot in Santa Clara carries Wago.
Why is it important for the plate screw slots to line up vertically?
I am down to one recepticle in a bedroom duplex outlet. The number of outlets per room was fine in the 70s but with all the gadgets today, even a bedroom runs short.
Hey could you also add the extra duplex and a usb hookup?
Huge question. For my garage like I want to add this , l but with a GFIC . So do I used 2 GFIC outlets? For the install?
No usually you can bring the power into the GFCI (Line Terminals) and then run hot and neutral wires from the GFCI (Load Terminals) to the standard outlet. This will provide GFCI protection across both outlets. Need more info on Line vs Load check out this video ruclips.net/video/bWfveKM6NEk/видео.html
With so many chargers and power bricks, could you do a video to add six plugs plus perhaps usb A and/or C ports ?
In my building which is ancient there are mostly 2 plugs except for in the kitchen.
I SO LOVE your videos..!!
I might've missed it but the box wasn't grounded. Wasn't sure if it was protected upstream?
You forgot to mention the tool you used for prying out the old box. I know it as a "cat's paw" and it works so much better than any other type of prybar or end of a hammer.
Good call and thanks for calling out the Cat's paw. 👍
I prefer wire nuts even with all wire. Just twist them together with five twists or so linesmen's pliers first. Trim the ends even and twist on the nut. I wrap mine with electrical tape including the three or inches of the wires. If you use quality wire nuts you can't pull them apart. That way it is also waterproof for outside use.
So I’m embarrassed to say that I just learned this after being an electrician for some time. But when using the old work boxes, if you break the ears off of the receptacles they’ll sit in the recesses on the box and the cover will then be flush with the wall. With the ears on they sit proud and you’ll have a gap.
Boxes have ears? You lost me.
@@lostintime8651 how do you think they hear ? Lol. Ears on the receptacles. Not the box
And the ears can be used as washer/spacers on the receptacle mounting screws.
@@HoosierRallyMaster I like it!
Thank you for your video. I think the easiest and cheapest way to add an additional outlet is to buy a 2, 3.4, 6..way grounded outlet adapter (110 Volt, 15 or 20 amp). It's only $.99c or less than $5.00. for each. I wouldn't recommend this kind of job for the first-timers. A small mistake will cause a short and scare the hell out of you.