RBM wrote:
"Square Peg" wrote in message
...
We have a yard lamp on a post in the front yard. The wife likes (me)
to put a string in lights around the pole every Christmas. Several
years ago, just as a quick and dirty solution, I cut the male plug and
about 6-8" of wire from a string of lights. I then put one of those
adapters that screw into a lamp socket and provide a couple of
outlets:

http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model...2136F3CDAE8 F

I then thread the loose ends of the plug I cut off the string through
the small drain holes in the bottom of the lamp housing and reattach
them to the light string with electrical caps.

This has worked for several years, but it's not ideal. I think I'd
like to add a permanent outlet to that lamp post. I'd appreciate
suggestions as to the best way to do it.

Here are the solutions I came up with:

1. Do just what I am doing, but use a short (6-8") extension cord with
molded plugs on each end, rather than bare wires. This is the simplest
solution, but it requires drilling a much larger hole in the lamp
housing base. It also means that either I leave the adapter in the
socket year round with the extension cord plugged in and dangling out
the bottom, which is mildly unsightly, or I have to take the housing
apart every year, which is no big deal.

2. Install a permanent outlet on the pole. I would have to take the
pole apart and make a splice, then find a receptable that I would
mount in a hole cut into the pole. This is a nicer solution, but a lot
more work. It would probably be best to put the outlet at the base of
the pole, but the pole is in the middle of a round brick planter and I
bet the base is 12-18" down. I don't think I'll be allowed to dig it
up.

So, unless someone can suggest another solution, I'll probably go with
the short extension cord and take the housing apart every year.

There is a thing made, although I can't find it online. It's a short section
of typical 3" post, made to fit between the existing post and the existing
fixture. It has a built in GFCI outlet or at least a place to install one.
The other alternative is to use an "FS" box, also known as "Bell Box". Using
a hole saw, cut a 7/8 hole near the base of the post, snake a short piece of
cable up the post to where the splice is. Mount the FS box over the hole
attaching the cable to a connector through the back knockout. Screw the box
to the pole using self-drilling screws, and install a GFCI outlet with "in
use" cover




Or install a weatherproof box on a pipe adjacent to the pole, wire it
using direct burial wiring. The GFCI outlet (if the circuit is not
already protected by one) and the weatherproof cover are a requirement.
If in doubt, hire someone to do this for you, or at least buy and read a
good book on the topic. Electrical work is not for the inexperienced,
particularly the outdoor stuff. I'm still finding and gradually
correcting hack job work that was done when the original owner finished
the basement of my house, it's amazing the place never burned down.
Backwire terminals, wires cut way too short, switches on the neutrals,
cheap junky receptacles that fall apart. I lost count of the number of
times I pulled one out of the box and wires pulled right out the back of it.