Floor Outlets

Post date: Feb 29, 2016 12:3:37 AM

I guess 5 years is long enough since I built the house to finish the downstairs tile floor outlets. When setting up the slab I buried carlon floor boxes with conduits to the nearest wall for electric and cat5e.

I figured out that the brass floor cover I had bought 5 years ago needed to be recessed into the tile about 3/16". Another wrinkle was the PVC ring that gets glued in to hold the outlet and to which the cover is screwed, was about 1/8" too big (diameter). I managed to grind the ring thinner with my big bench grinder. Did both floor outlets today. Was concerned about the dust inside. Tile and mortar is largely silica and that's hard on the lungs. Akiva, wearing hearing protection, did a great job holding the the shop vacuum wand close to the grinder. The diamond blad on the angle grinder worked great.

Here's the start, with the box cleaned out and extra tile mortar chiseled out.

Then I temporarily place the ring in the box in order to mark the circle for grinding the recess. The washer is just about the same thickness as the brass cover. See the black marker line?

Cover recess ground out with the diamond blade on the angle grinder.

closer up....

The ring glued in place..

outlet wired up and installed in the ring and cover in place..

and the cover closed.. note the cutout is slightly larger than the cover. Room for a little grout.