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janeway452

Installing a recessed floor outlet--floor about to be refinished

janeway452
9 years ago

I'd love to have a recessed floor outlet to avoid floor lamp running across the carpet. This is the family room which is just about to be refinished. It's on a crawl space that unless you were a monkey is inaccessible. There are wall outlets about 6 feet on an angle from where I'd want it. Would this be possible? I can imagine cutting out a spot for the box, but wonder what would be involved in fishing a wire from the wall outlet. After the floor is refinished the walls and trim will be painted in this room.

Comments (17)

  • Ron Natalie
    9 years ago

    Depending on how the joists are run, it might be possible with just a hole cut in the wall and a box sized hole in the floor. The other option since you're redoing the floor is to cut enough openings to make it easy.

    Many electricians are only slightly genetically removed from monkeys so they may be able to work from the crawlspace side.

  • joefixit2
    9 years ago

    Yes my apprentice only needs about 11" and if I give him two weeks notice he can slim down to about 10"

  • hippy
    9 years ago

    Either way. The electrician will need to go under the floor into the crawl space. For he will have to drill a hole up from the bottom plate into the space between the studs to pull the wire down and over to the box in the floor.

    Unless you want the wire to exit the wall near the base board and run across or under the carpet to the box.. Which is a big NO NO..

  • elltwo
    9 years ago

    The electrician doesn't have to go under the floor. It's an easier job than installing a remodeler kit over your head in a ceiling where the electrician doesn't have to work from the room above or the roof. Make sure that the proper box is used.

    www.legrand.us/wire-cable-management/floor-boxes.aspx

    is a page that may give you and your electrician some ideas.

  • Ron Natalie
    9 years ago

    I have no problem getting through the bottom plate from the TOP.

  • janeway452
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Please, guys, let's not insult monkeys! Here's a pic of what elltwo's apprentice would need to train for. If we were to remove those bottom 2 1/2" blocks he'd have about 17" high and 11" wide to squeeze through. While I was doing this research I noticed that one of the floor heat registers is on this side of that middle concrete support wall. You can see the heat pipe running to the right and that wall straight ahead. There is an wall outlet a couple feet to the left of that floor register. If I could find a seriously skinny electrician or elltwo's apprentice that would work. However, I'm glad to hear that it just might be possible to have a box there using the principle of installing a ceiling fan in a room with no access from floor above (that is a future project that now seems possible).

  • elltwo
    9 years ago

    Joefixit2 is the poster who made the reference to an apprentice.

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    Running the wiring does not mean the person has to crawl into that space. It looks like it would be very easy to fish wire in that location.

  • janeway452
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ohhhhh, kudzu, that makes a big difference. I'm going to call an electrician and have him come take a look. I think with all your info, I think it's possible. And the monkey can take the rest of the week off!

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    That looks like a snap to me, though I've been wrong before. I've fished wires under floors with runs of 20' where there was 1-1/2" of clearance, and I didn't even have a monkey at the time. Let us know what you find out. Good luck.

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    That looks like a snap to me, though I've been wrong before. I've fished wires under floors with runs of 20' where there was 1-1/2" of clearance, and I didn't even have a monkey at the time. Let us know what you find out. Good luck.

  • janeway452
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks. I will!

  • janeway452
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I've just found another idea that would eliminate the need for the recessed floor outlet. Who knew! There are battery operated floor lamps (and table lamps, too). I don't use it very often, so batteries probably wouldn't be a problem. I'm going to check into that more. Thanks, everyone.

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    Janeway-
    You should check out the quality and amount of light, as well as how long the batteries will last, before you decide that this is the best solution.

  • ionized_gw
    9 years ago

    Trained rats are sometimes used to pull cable, but as pointed out, you might not need animal help here. I just mention it as a point of interest. They are certainly easier to work with and less expensive than primates of any kind. That probably includes apprentices.

  • joefixit2
    9 years ago

    How about remote controlled toy trucks and helicopters? I heard ferrets are pretty good too.

  • janeway452
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yeah, ferrets are pretty good, but it's so hard to keep those little hard hats on!

    Thanks for the tip, kudzu6. I had been looking at a suspiciously cheap battery floor lamp and after reading the reviews that said the light was poor, I checked further. There's one for about $100 with much better light output, takes 4 D batteries. If I get that one I'll start with regular batteries and if quality or light and battery life are okay, I'll look into rechargeable batteries. What tips the scales to battery lamp over the recessed floor outlet, is the fact that I do not use this a great deal. Maybe 15 minutes a day, tops. Cost/benefit leans towards battery. Also, I was embarrassed to admit this, but I had not factored in rug placement. I've moved out the area rug I was using anticipating the floor refinishing which was when I started thinking of a floor outlet. That rug is not likely to be used there again, but chances are that there will be some kind of replacement. A portable floor lamp would be much more practical. Also, the room is fairly small.