# Drilling and adding fitting to box wet location



## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

Hi All,

Helping a friend and this one is a little out of my area of expertise. We're installing a sch 40 pvc electrical box on a concrete slab and it needs to be installed on it's side with the box sitting right on the slab. This will be a new pour. 

The plan is to drill a hole in the side of the box and install a 3/4 in. Schedule 40 PVC Male Adapter w/locknut to allow the pipe connection to the side of the box. 

The box needs to maintain it's wet location rating and meet code. Can this be done and does it require silicone or a rubber gasket to maintain compliance for a wet location?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Use a sealing ring. It'll be decent. If you want to go nuts, use a Meyers hub and screw the TA into that. It'll look dumb as hell, though. 

PVC box on the slab? That's begging to get damaged. Sch40 right at grade is probably not even compliant, but I don't know the other conditions. 

By the way, it's not a male adapter, unless you're a plumber. It's a terminal adapter, or sometimes just a "TA".


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

Thanks. Just needed to know there is no code issue by modifying the box.

Yeah, not the best location for a box but no other options.




MDShunk said:


> Use a sealing ring. It'll be decent.
> 
> PVC box on the slab? That's begging to get damaged.
> 
> By the way, it's not a male adapter, unless you're a plumber. It's a terminal adapter, or sometimes just a "TA".


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

sparkyJones said:


> Thanks. Just needed to know there is no code issue by modifying the box.


No. That's what electricians do. 

I suspect now that what you are calling a "box" is actually a PVC FS-body?


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

MDShunk said:


> No. That's what electricians do.
> 
> I suspect now that what you are calling a "box" is actually a PVC FS-body?


They come with threaded holes....no drilling required

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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Can you describe what your up against? This solution sounds Mickey Mouse as hell.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

trentonmakes said:


> MDShunk said:
> 
> 
> > No. That's what electricians do.
> ...


I’m guessing he’s got his hands on a pvc fs body with glue in hubs and he wants to drill a hole in the side.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

trentonmakes said:


> They come with threaded holes....no drilling required
> 
> Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk


A PVC FS box with threaded holes? I have never seen that before.

I was just going to suggest putting a coupling in to meet finished floor level and using a box adapter.


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

That is exactly correct. The slab will hold a temporary structure so there is nothing to mount the box on and installing a post to mount the box is not an option either. Basically, not a great situation.



MDShunk said:


> I’m guessing he’s got his hands on a pvc fs body with glue in hubs and he wants to drill a hole in the side.


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

MDShunk said:


> I’m guessing he’s got his hands on a pvc fs body with glue in hubs and he wants to drill a hole in the side.


Thats the wrong box for what hes describing.

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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

sparkyJones said:


> That is exactly correct. The slab will hold a temporary structure so there is nothing to mount the box on and installing a post to mount the box is not an option either. Basically, not a great situation.


You should be aware that what you describe is actually a violation by itself. 

Since there's no slab yet, why can't you just stub up next to where the structure will eventually be and mount this whole business on that structure?


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

99cents said:


> A PVC FS box with threaded holes? I have never seen that before.
> 
> I was just going to suggest putting a coupling in to meet finished floor level and using a box adapter.


Pvc, plastic....the non metal ones

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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

The department of labor and industry for our State said that it complies with our electrical code and is not a code violation to set the box on the slab. There is no height requirement. 

The only requirement is that the box and receptacle be rated for a wet location and have a plastic cover over the plugged in cord.


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

sparkyJones said:


> The department of labor and industry for our State said that it complies with our electrical code and is not a code violation to set the box on the slab. There is no height requirement.
> 
> The only requirement is that the box and receptacle be rated for a wet location and have a plastic cover over the plugged in cord.


Ideally i set them so they wont get covered by snow, but you did say this is temporary?

I like Shunks suggestion of mounting to the structure, depending on what the future plans are


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

sparkyJones said:


> The department of labor and industry for our State said that it complies with our electrical code and is not a code violation to set the box on the slab. There is no height requirement.
> 
> The only requirement is that the box and receptacle be rated for a wet location and have a plastic cover over the plugged in cord.


They said that, huh? :biggrin: When you talked to that department, clearly you failed to mention the box would be unsupported?

Sounds like you have your mind made up. Just trying to help. 

/over and out.


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

Yes the structure will be removed for winter and then the box will be covered/wrapped to protect it during the winter months. In the summer, there will be no direct exposure to weather only incidental exposure





trentonmakes said:


> Ideally i set them so they wont get covered by snow, but you did say this is temporary?
> 
> Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

LOL. They also said to install rigid pipe into the box to support it so that the box is supported by the schedule 80 in which the THNN will run and it will also be supported by the second pipe -- thus preventing the possibility someone kicks the box and it rotates. 

My mind isn't made up and I genuinely appreciate the comments and suggestions. It needs to be done right. 




MDShunk said:


> They said that, huh? :biggrin: When you talked to that department, clearly you failed to mention the box would be unsupported?
> 
> Sounds like you have your mind made up. Just trying to help.
> 
> /over and out.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

This sch40 pvc suddenly turned into sch80? Or the PVC turned into RMC? 

Two conduits are permitted to support a box without additional support, but those conduits can't be PVC. 

my head hurts.


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## readydave8 (Sep 20, 2009)

sparkyJones said:


> installing a post to mount the box is not an option either


https://www.ebay.com/i/273247554737?chn=ps

just drive a rod and use the Arlington box support fitting to attach, stub out of slab with rigid


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

I have yet to find anything that's water tight and i don't even have any snow to worry about. 

Mounting a receptacle close to the ground just sounds like a problem. Mounting it as a trip hazard sounds even worse.


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

Sch 40 will be run in the ground under the slab. Code required sch 80 where the PVC penetrates out of the slab. So the 90 degree sweeps would be sch 40 and the vertical coming from the sweep and extending out of the slab going to the box was going to be sch 80.

So you're saying we would need to use RMC to the PVC box instead of the sch 80. Okay, that is extremely helpful. Thank you! 





MDShunk said:


> This sch40 pvc suddenly turned into sch80? Or the PVC turned into RMC?
> 
> Two conduits are permitted to support a box without additional support, but those conduits can't be PVC.
> 
> my head hurts.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

They have to be threaded hubs, which ordinarily rules out a PVC box. I've never actually seen one with threaded hubs.


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

I wholeheartedly agree. I wish there were flush mount watertight boxes but the boxes the Lew Electric sells don't meet code. Forum won't let me link to their box



gpop said:


> Mounting a receptacle close to the ground just sounds like a problem. Mounting it as a trip hazard sounds even worse.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Concrete pedestal that rises out of the slab maybe 24" and painted with neon red caution stripes and maybe plastered with reflective tape to boot. Sink a flush vertical outlet box into a form before pouring this slab and monolith pour the pedestal as part of the slab pour. I had to do one once at a field at an elementary school so they could set a microphone and give speeches to parents a couple of times a year.


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

I like this solution. Thank you so much for the suggestion.

QUOTE=readydave8;5060646] 
just drive a rod and use the Arlington box support fitting to attach, stub out of slab with rigid[/QUOTE]


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Maxine hotel 17th and Collins Ave Miami Beach.
I just grabbed this off of google maps.
We installed these about 10 years ago, still standing tall.
That green thing I circled next to the guy in the white shorts.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Southeast Power said:


> Maxine hotel 17th and Collins Ave Miami Beach.
> I just grabbed this off of google maps.
> We installed these about 10 years ago, still standing tall.
> That green thing I circled next to the guy in the white shorts.


That's gonna really f up my skateboard tricks............


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## sparkyJones (Aug 9, 2018)

Thought you might want to hear the outcome. We ended up going with the gray metal all weather 4-hole box and capping the rear and top holes. In the bottom holes we have a rigid 90 degree sweep screwed into the one hole. That sweep is tall enough to be vertical for the 4 inch thickness of the slab before it turns. The opposite hole has a rigid nipple and then a schedule 40 female adapter to transition from rmc to a sch 40 sweep. This was because you can't have two same height sweeps otherwise you can't screw it in! Someone here mentioned that tip!

This method will provide the 2 metal supports required by the code and we will have a metal box and metal supports so it should be sounder than it would have been using plastic. 

Boxes are still a trip hazard but no getting around that. We'll put a planter box or something near any outlet that someone could trip on.

Thank you all for the help!


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