Tape the switch in the Off position so other people know not to turn the switch back on while you’re working. Never work on your electrical system while the power is still on. Doing so could result in serious injury or death. Use a contact voltage tester on the wires inside your circuit breaker box to see if they still have power if you want to double check if they have a current through them.
You can buy outlet boxes from your local hardware store. Deeper outlet boxes work best since you have to hide multiple wires inside of them. You can also choose to mount the outlet box directly on your wall, which may be easier if you have cement or brick walls.
If possible, it’s usually easier to run the wires vertically through the floor than horizontally through your walls. You may need to take multiple measurements depending on the layout of your home and the obstacles between the outlet and circuit breaker box.
You can buy 10/4 cable and wire cutters from your local hardware store. The “10” in 10/4 refers to the wire gauge. You may also use 8-gauge wires if for your 220 outlet if you want.
If you need to cut through concrete or brick, use a drill with a masonry bit so you don’t cause any damage to the tool or chip the wall.
If the 220 line goes through the floor, then you must also install conduit through the floor. You don’t have to run conduit in your walls.
You can buy fish tape from a hardware store or online. If you don’t want to fish the cable through your walls, you can also attach metal conduits to your wall and feed the cable through it instead. You can buy metal conduits from your local hardware store.
If you’re attaching the outlet box directly to a concrete or brick wall, be sure to use masonry anchors so the screws don’t slip out of place.
If you can’t get a wire stripper to take off the cable’s coating, carefully cut through it with a utility knife and peel the coating back to expose the wires.
Sometimes, the screw on the outlet may be painted white so you can easily see which wire is supposed to go around it.
The screw may also be on a metal grounding strap rather that extends out from the back of the outlet.
It doesn’t matter which unlabeled screw the red or black wire is attached to since they both will carry the same current to the outlet.
Screw a wall plate over the outlet to hide the inside of the outlet box and wires. When you need to access the wires, unscrew the wall plate so you can get to them.
Use a utility knife to cut through the coating on the 10/4 cable if you can’t remove it with your wire strippers.
Never remove the safety panel cover while the power is still on. This could cause to get electrocuted.
You can use a hole in the side of your circuit breaker box that already has wires running through it if there’s room for your cable. You may have to drill through the circuit breaker box if there aren’t any more knockouts you can use. Be sure to use a drill bit meant for metal.
You can buy cable clamps from your local hardware store.
Don’t feed any part of the 10/4 cable that still has the outer coating since it won’t hold the wires as securely. You can always loosen the clamp if you need to pull more wire into the circuit breaker box if it wasn’t initially long enough.
You can buy double-pole breakers from your local hardware store. Make sure you get a breaker that matches the circuit breaker box brand you have. Make sure the breaker is off before you install it. Different brands of breakers snap into place in various ways, so check the instructions before you install it so you don’t accidentally damage them.
It doesn’t matter which ports the black and red wires go into since they’re both transferring power to the outlet.
Don’t wrap the wires around screws that already have other wires around them since you could short out the power or cause a current to travel to a different appliance.
You don’t have to punch out any slots if the breaker already lines up with an existing hole in the panel.
