I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock) that
I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the same circuit
as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in place. My question:
Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on both sides from this top
outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and leave them in the wall before
I patch over the hole?

Thanks in advance.

No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you can't just
lose it.

toller wrote:
No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you can't just
lose it.



Whatcha bet he does it anyway...

kato wrote:
I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock)
that I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the
same circuit as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in
place. My question: Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on
both sides from this top outlet, then cap off and tape these wires
and leave them in the wall before I patch over the hole?

Thanks in advance.

Disconnect the wires from the lower outlet and yank them out of the wall.

Better would be to put the outlet to good use:

Neon beer sign.
One of those pendulum clocks that has a face whose eyes that move in sync
with the pendulum.
Lava lamp on a small shelf.
A device - you've seen them in the rest rooms at drive-in movies - that
squirts some deoderant every thirty minutes.

kato wrote:
I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock) that
I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the same circuit
as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in place. My question:
Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on both sides from this top
outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and leave them in the wall before
I patch over the hole?

Thanks in advance.




Ask yourself why there is a box there in the first place. The answer
you will eventually come up with is to contain the arcing that so often
occurs when splices or connections fail. If the connections are
properly enclosed in a complete and properly installed box a failure of
a connection is far less likely to kindle a fire. If you remove the
device, make proper splices and install a blank cover then once it is
painted not one in twenty people will notice that it is there. Then
when something goes wrong with the circuit you will still be able to get
at the splices without opening the wall.

When you paint the wall remove all electrical box covers and mask all
electrical devices with painters tape. Paint the blank cover with the
same paint. If you paint with the covers on the wall they will be
attached to the wall by a bead of paint. Removing the cover will then
mar the paint.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

"toller" wrote in message
...
No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you can't
just
lose it.



Got it, thanks.

"Member TPVFD" wrote in message
news:4jeGe.15580$uy3.7027@trnddc05...
kato wrote:
I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock)
that
I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the same
circuit
as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in place. My
question:
Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on both sides from this top
outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and leave them in the wall
before
I patch over the hole?

Thanks in advance.




Ask yourself why there is a box there in the first place. The answer
you will eventually come up with is to contain the arcing that so often
occurs when splices or connections fail. If the connections are
properly enclosed in a complete and properly installed box a failure of
a connection is far less likely to kindle a fire. If you remove the
device, make proper splices and install a blank cover then once it is
painted not one in twenty people will notice that it is there. Then
when something goes wrong with the circuit you will still be able to get
at the splices without opening the wall.

When you paint the wall remove all electrical box covers and mask all
electrical devices with painters tape. Paint the blank cover with the
same paint. If you paint with the covers on the wall they will be
attached to the wall by a bead of paint. Removing the cover will then
mar the paint.
--
Tom Horne

Will do, thanks for the reply.

"G Henslee" wrote in message
...
toller wrote:
No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be
accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you can't
just
lose it.



Whatcha bet he does it anyway...

If I was going to do it anyways, I wouldn't be asking now would I?
I'd just do it.

kato wrote:
"Member TPVFD" wrote in message
news:4jeGe.15580$uy3.7027@trnddc05...

kato wrote:

I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock)

that

I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the same

circuit

as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in place. My

question:

Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on both sides from this top
outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and leave them in the wall

before

I patch over the hole?

Thanks in advance.




Ask yourself why there is a box there in the first place. The answer
you will eventually come up with is to contain the arcing that so often
occurs when splices or connections fail. If the connections are
properly enclosed in a complete and properly installed box a failure of
a connection is far less likely to kindle a fire. If you remove the
device, make proper splices and install a blank cover then once it is
painted not one in twenty people will notice that it is there. Then
when something goes wrong with the circuit you will still be able to get
at the splices without opening the wall.

When you paint the wall remove all electrical box covers and mask all
electrical devices with painters tape. Paint the blank cover with the
same paint. If you paint with the covers on the wall they will be
attached to the wall by a bead of paint. Removing the cover will then
mar the paint.
--
Tom Horne


Will do, thanks for the reply.



Your Welcome
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 18:51:34 -0400, "kato"
wrote:

I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock) that
I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the same circuit
as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in place. My question:
Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on both sides from this top
outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and leave them in the wall before
I patch over the hole?

As others said, no you can't bury the box. What I do in that
situation, if I don't have something to plug in, is hang a picture,
plate, battery operated clock, or whatever over the outlet. It's
better to replace the outlet with a blank plate, but if you don't know
how to do that, leave the outlet, perhaps use child-proof caps in it.

--
Luke
__________________________________________________ _________________
"We have the media now."
-- Ann Coulter, on The Sean Hannity Show, July 26, 2005

kato wrote:
"G Henslee" wrote in message
...

toller wrote:

No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be

accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you can't

just

lose it.



Whatcha bet he does it anyway...


If I was going to do it anyways, I wouldn't be asking now would I?
I'd just do it.





Hey, relax. People do it all of the time - against good advice.

"Well, I'll just tape it up real good, and it won't be a problem".

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On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 23:03:52 GMT, "toller" wrote:

No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be
accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you
can't just lose it.



You can rip out the box, pull the wires into the attic or crawl
space, install a junction box there, and snake some romex down to
the lower box.
Then, you can close it up.



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--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info

~^Johnny^~ wrote:

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Hash: SHA1

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 23:03:52 GMT, "toller" wrote:

No!
The connection has to be made in a box, and the box has to be
accessible.

You can remove the outlet and put a solid cover over it; but you
can't just lose it.


You can rip out the box, pull the wires into the attic or crawl
space, install a junction box there, and snake some romex down to
the lower box.
Then, you can close it up.

Only if there are no connections in the box--which is the problem.
How's he to get an unbroken wire to the attic from the existing box to
make the junction there w/o (two) new junctions?

Kato,

I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock)
that I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the
same circuit as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in
place. My question: Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on
both sides from this top outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and
leave them in the wall before I patch over the hole?

If the outlet is near the ceiling, and this is in a bedroom, it might be
for a smoke alarm? If so, you should probably install a new smoke alarm
there.

Otherwise, if there is only the one cable entering the box, and you can
disconnect the power supply on the opposite end (with no chance of
reattachment), there's no reason why you couldn't take out the box and
leave the old wiring in the wall. It's done all the time when old wiring is
updated.

HOWEVER, if you have other cables connecting in the box, you can't just
bury the box. The connections have to remain accessable. Just use a blank
cover plate and paint it to match the wall.

If you REALLY want to remove the box, you'll need to find where those
cables go, then route a new single cable from source to destination.
Eliminate the cables in the box, then you can eliminate the box.

Anthony

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
Kato,

I have a wall outlet located near the ceiling (probably for a clock)
that I'd like to remove and then patch over. This outlet is on the
same circuit as another outlet near the floor that I want to leave in
place. My question: Can I just remove the box, connect the wires on
both sides from this top outlet, then cap off and tape these wires and
leave them in the wall before I patch over the hole?

If the outlet is near the ceiling, and this is in a bedroom, it might be
for a smoke alarm? If so, you should probably install a new smoke alarm
there.

Otherwise, if there is only the one cable entering the box, and you can
disconnect the power supply on the opposite end (with no chance of
reattachment), there's no reason why you couldn't take out the box and
leave the old wiring in the wall. It's done all the time when old wiring
is
updated.

HOWEVER, if you have other cables connecting in the box, you can't just
bury the box. The connections have to remain accessable. Just use a blank
cover plate and paint it to match the wall.

If you REALLY want to remove the box, you'll need to find where those
cables go, then route a new single cable from source to destination.
Eliminate the cables in the box, then you can eliminate the box.

Anthony

Thanks for the info, another set of wires does go through the box, so it's
staying in place with a blank cover plate. If I ever want the outlet again
I'll just change the cover plate back. Thanks again.

an old invalid fart wrote:



That's the easy way and the most desirable way to to solve this. Some
day you may want it, or a future home buyer may want it. So this is
the best solution. The outlet was probably for a clock.





Really? You don't think it was for a table lamp or maybe a blender?
geesh...