Terminate electric outlet

[squirrellydw]

I am remodeling my kitchen and I have an electric outlet in a wall I need to get rid of.  How can I remove the outlet and terminate the wire?  I need to know how to terminate the wires.

[TOK]

If its jumped from another outlet, figure it out with a meter and disconnect it there. Don't leave it live and try to put wire nuts or something on it. Its most likely just fed from the outlet to the right or left of it.

[whammoed]

Is it the last outlet on the circuit or does it feed another?  (how many sets of wires are hooked up to it?)

[squirrellydw]

it is the last outlet and it just has hot, neutral and ground.  My microwave was plugged into it.  It look as if it is comming across the ceiling.  I haven't even looked into tracing it back yet.  I just wanted to know how I can terminate it if I need to.

[whammoed]

If you aren't totally confident working on it yourself, of course hire an electrician.
If it goes to the microwave it very well may be a dedicated circuit.
Flip the breaker when working on it of course.
Cut the stripped ends off and definitely use wire nuts to cap off the wires and cover the box with a blank plate if you are going to be leaving the wires in the box.
If it is a dedicated circuit you can also disconnect it in your electrical box, or have an electrician do it if you're not comfortable doing it yourself.
When you have the breaker flipped to it, does anything else not work?  (outlets, lights, etc)
If it is on a circuit with other things, do what TOK said and disconnect it from the outlet it comes from and clip off the stripped ends and wire-nut there too.
If you know you will never want to hook this back up again, once it is disconnected at both ends (not live anymore) you can push the ends out of the electrical boxes and abandon them.

[danny_galaga]

to see if its live, just put the wire on the end of your tongue 

[squirrellydw]

to see if its live, just put the wire on the end of your tongue 

OK did that and its live now what

seriously what if I can't trace i back and disconnect it?  Do I have to leave an outlet on the end or is there something else I can do?

[Ed_McCarron]

If you do cap them off, you need to leave a blank cover plate on the box - code won't let you cover over (sheetrock, paneling, MDF (if you can get it home...)) the box.  If you want to truly get rid of it, you'll need to remove the wire from the source.  Some inspectors won't even let you abandon the wire in place - your best bet is to remove the wire AND the box.

[protokatie]

Hire an electrician to do the work of covering the outlet box with a blank face plate. Then the next day, take the plate off, hot wire it to some explosives and let your house burn down. Blame it on the electrician, and get a huge cash settlement from their insurance company and buy yourself a mansion.

BTW the past week I have been reading through the entire archive of Dilbert comics, I am at year 2006 or so now. I think I am becoming either catbert or dogbert...

If you want the link to the complete archive, please send me 50 dollars in unmarked bills to an address I will send you via PM.

[danny_galaga]

If you do cap them off, you need to leave a blank cover plate on the box - code won't let you cover over (sheetrock, paneling, MDF (if you can get it home...))

 

[shardian]

If you do cap them off, you need to leave a blank cover plate on the box - code won't let you cover over (sheetrock, paneling, MDF (if you can get it home...))

 

Yeah, that was funny the first 100 times Ed said it. Now it's just annoying.

[Ed_McCarron]

Yeah, that was funny the first 100 times Ed said it. Now it's just annoying.

And, if -anyone- knows what annoying is, its shardian.

It's one of those things that makes me chuckle.  I refuse to let it die.

[FrizzleFried]

I've not heard the story...linkage please!

[JackTucky]

Yeah, that was funny the first 100 times Ed said it. Now it's just annoying.

And, if -anyone- knows what annoying is, its shardian.

It's one of those things that makes me chuckle.  I refuse to let it die.

We have several members who know funny.  Wait for them to weigh in.

[missioncontrol]

on a scale of 1 to funny, I say funny

this post has been ********* approved

[boykster]

Yep, still funny 

[leapinlew]

[DaOld Man]

The thread about hauling the MDF boards should be a sticky..

As for the electric outlet... just use a couple of ropes to fill the box..

[Blanka]

Some inspectors won't even let you abandon the wire in place - your best bet is to remove the wire AND the box.

Who gets inspected? Here they only inspect your house, on paper, before it gets built. Never again. Way easier.

I would just say pull the cables real hard. They probably pop out of the screw-terminals in the next pot or at the meter. Exact the place where you should disconnect them.

[shardian]

I would just say pull the cables real hard. They probably pop out of the screw-terminals in the next pot or at the meter. Exact the place where you should disconnect them.

I seriously hope that was a joke...

[protokatie]

I would just say pull the cables real hard. They probably pop out of the screw-terminals in the next pot or at the meter. Exact the place where you should disconnect them.

I seriously hope that was a joke...

I've seen worse. Just last week we had the overhead lighting that was imbedded into the hung ceiling where I work taken out. The way the guy terminated the wires involved him wrapping the ground wire around the insulation, twisting the black and white wire together, and then putting a wire nut on the end of it. Luckily the basement where the jumperboxes are located is only partially flooded or puddle filled about half the time (IE when the sump pumps are working and/or turned on). I only hope that I am not there when someone needs to hit a breaker because the walk-in cooler's got tripped. Love to see what happens when the breaker for these removed lights is turned back on....

[TOK]

I think connecting the hot and neutral will just immediately pop the breaker, but can't say I ever tried it. Perhaps you should tell someone and not just hope you're not there when someone flicks it on and possibly gets shocked by a hot panel.
 

[shardian]

I think connecting the hot and neutral will just immediately pop the breaker, but can't say I ever tried it. Perhaps you should tell someone and not just hope you're not there when someone flicks it on and possibly gets shocked by a hot panel.
 

Even if it does pop the breaker, it is still a fire hazard.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, you have to consider that breakers malfunction.  I had to have my whole panel replaced because the weatherhead for the entry point turned upside down in a storm and had been pouring water into the box when it rained.  The top three or four breakers, including the house main, all corroded and froze in place.  I discovered this when we had one circuit that kept browning out, probably because of a developing short on the bus.

[Ed_McCarron]

probably because of a developing short on the bus.

You heard it here first, folks.

While still developing, Chad rode the short bus.