Cutler-Hammer 15amp gfci breaker

[tk3000]

It would be most proper if the conduits went to the boxes. These cables should be rated for damp locations. (They look like UF cable, which is OK)

They also should be protected from physical damage, but where they are located chances are minor that they'll be damaged. Having them ground fault & arc fault protected would be ideal if they are left exposed.

One way to protect them if you don't want to re-pipe is to install running boards alongside the cables. They'll act kind of like guard rails. Putting a cover between the boards to hide the wire would be neat. Honestly, I don't know if this is to code, but it's some added protection.

If you leave the pipes ending in air, be sure to seal the open ends of the pipes with duct seal or similar to prevent insects from building nests. They'll go in to keep the larvae warm & protected.


You could finish the piping most easily by transitioning to flexible nonmetallic conduit. (Not the corrugated kind). Sealtite is one brand. I don't know where in Ontario you live, but I've noticed it at Home Depot in Windsor & in London. Last I saw, it was about $1.20 CDN per foot. Fitting are about $2.00 CDN each.

If the box isn't of sufficient size for the new device, you can buy extension rings or switch to 4" square box with a one device cover.



You mentioned tracing the wires to find the first receptacle on the circuit. Here are some hints:
A) Is there enough slack and access to install a GFI device in a new box between the load center & where the cable disappears? I have GFI receptacles &/or dead fronts next to the load center.

B) If you have to trace to find the cable path, Think Cheap! The installer certainly took the shortest path. Look for where the wire disappears into the floor or wall and go to the wall. The closest device is probably the first. (See "D", below)

C) Follow the wire to where it disappears into a floor or wall. Then go to the wall and try an inexpensive voltage sniffer to track the wire's path. Some sniffers will "read" the wire well inside the wall. One downfall is if there are several wires together. It'll read any of them.

D) Figure out all of the devices on the circuit & mark them with masking tape. Guess which device is the first. Turn the circuit off and open that device box. You will be able to tell which is "incoming" and which is "outgoing". Disconnect the outgoing. Turn the circuit on and check the other devices on the circuit. If they are all de-energized, you've found the first device on the circuit.

There are probably other & better ways to find the first device on the circuit in houses of which I'm not aware. I never worked residential, so hopefully one of the residential electricians will post better methods. They know lots of cool tricks & techniques!

Paul

Firstly, sorry about the delay in my follow up. At the moment, I am in Central Ohio where I have most of my stuff. In Fort Wayne (new house), due to an incident my computer went south, and I lacked the tools and instruments to address the issue (and only had one computer/notebook there). To make matters worse I lost most of the content I had typed (typed everything in a text editor/processor previous to post it).

I still have a condo in Lansing, MI, but I never lived in Ontario (Canada?). Due to some circumstances I ended up with place both in Lansing, MI, and one in Columbus, OH. I am trying to sell my places in both Lansing and Columbus, and settle down in my new house in Fort Wayne, IN.

Now to the nitty-gritty of the electrical issues. I used plastic conduit and fittings in the past to wire solar panels to a house in two occasions, but the thing about getting old and having done too many different type of things for only a few times is that you start to forget the details, all the steps, and approaches, etc. The part that the cable is exposed to the electrical box is very short run (about a foot or so); if the plastic (liquid tight) conduit is flexible enough (taking into account the room taken by the fittings), it would fix it in cinch. The electrical box (used a junction box, I assume) is a metal one and it has a metal clamp connector holding the electrical cable to the box (which should help to avoid the entry of bugs into the box itself). But in the case of the gray rigid plastic conduits, there is nothing sealing them and the use of duct seal is a great idea and quick fix for now.

Yeah, I plan on using plastic (liquid tight) and fitting. Maybe for now a simple 20amps dead gfci would suffice. But then, the dead gfci would also need be accessible (to test and reset the gfci). So, there would be a need for a cover too. Is there a combination of a ring + cover for that type of metal (galvanized steel) small 1 gang box?

Maybe something like the following combination:

https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-Electr...her+proof+electrical+box+,aps,269&sr=8-5&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GKXJX7...p_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM

The load center is in the garage and all the garage walls are covered by a thick perforated wall board panel (use to hang tools and stuff), and likely drywall as well. I haven’t opened the load center yet (will do it once I am back)

Right now I am in Columbus, OH, but will back in Fort Wayne in a week or so, and then will have better answers! But that it is project that will take some time, too many other things going on now. Right now, I am just doing some assessments; but the part of circuit in the deck should be done a few weeks since it is more straightforward. Thanks a lot for all the ideas, insights and hints. I will report back soon.

 

[PJB12]

Sounds like you're super busy!
I apologize for placing you in Canada. I was working with three in Ontario on ground fault protection & my mind got mixed up. (I'm a licensed master electrician in both countries)

If you're putting the dead-front GFI (or a GFI receptacle) in the bell box shown in the photo, an outdoor receptacle cover for a GFI duplex or a Decora style outlet will work. (Photo below).

If the exposed wire is only about a foot long, it might be hard to transition to flexible non metallic conduit. You might have to remove the box temporarily. If you have a copper tubing cutter & the conduit can come away from the wall/ceiling: You can cut the conduit with the cutter. It'll stop before the cut is finished. Snap the conduit off to finish. This will let you have more room for the flexible non-metallic conduit.

There are 90-degree & 45-degree fittings for the flexible, too. They may be of help.

Paul