NEC Requirements for receptacle placement minimums from inside wall corner?

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richbl

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Hello all,

I can't seem to find any information regarding placement minimums for receptacles relative to room corners. So my question is this: is there an NEC requirement regarding how close to a room corner (inside corner) a receptacle can be placed?

Could I, in theory, place the receptacle 1/16 inch from an inside wall corner (odd, but would it be legitimate)? If there's no NEC requirement, is there a "best practices" standard for receptacle placement?

Thanks.
 
The only guidance the NEC provides for receptacle outlet placement is in PART III of Article 210. Everything beyond these requirements is design preference. As long as you can properly install the box, receptacle and trim plate, there is no restriction on locating a receptacle outlet near a corner. Keep in mind ADA requirements if applicable...
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks all for the response.

I fully understand that placing a receptacle close to a wall corner will cause grief and is unwise... just wanted to know if the NEC had something specific to say about it.

That said, anyone have a rule-of-thumb that they use for placement near a wall corner? I've been using a 6-inch minimum, but again, more for aesthetics than anything else...

Thanks again.
 
There is a maximum spacing you can have between receptacles. But the wall space on both sides of the corner is included in that spacing, just as if there were no corner. So my answer is that I would like to see some aesthetic sense of balance. So it would depend on how much wall space there is to the side of that corner, and how many receptacles you need to put into that space. I simple prefer even spacing. But that is a design choice, just as your ?6 inches from corner? is a design choice.
 
digging out drywall?

digging out drywall?

I don't know about any of you others, but I would gladly dig out the compound if the drywall contractors would STOP CUTTING MY WIRES WITH THEIR ZIP CUTOUT TOOLS!!!

HAHA
 
daver828 said:
I don't know about any of you others, but I would gladly dig out the compound if the drywall contractors would STOP CUTTING MY WIRES WITH THEIR ZIP CUTOUT TOOLS!!!
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They will if you charge them for the repairs.
 
as a rule I use a 3'' minimum on rough framing from a box to a corner. This gives room for drywall, taping, mud, and a trim plate. It comes out as clean as you are going to get if you go closer the taper will really get you.
 
I keep a small supply of (approx) 12" & (for stacked boxes and joist cavities) 18" 2x4 scraps in my van for spacing boxes. I salvage them from construction sites I work in.

I also have a 24v DeWalt 6" circular saw for cutting to length. Its a LOT better than using a reciprocating saw.


360Youth said:
Good luck. Let me know how you do it. One of the very first things I teach newbies is to get those wires in the back of the box.
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I should have been more specific: charge the GC.
 
I don't know about any of you others, but I would gladly dig out the compound if the drywall contractors would STOP CUTTING MY WIRES WITH THEIR ZIP CUTOUT TOOLS!!!
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This will be addressed in the 2008 code.
NEW 300.4(H) Conductors Inside Electrical Boxes. Conductors, inside electrical boxes, subject to physical damage from router bits, sheet rock saws, and knives, and nonconductive coatings, such as drywall mud, paint, lacquer and enamel, shall be protected during the construction process by means of a rigid cover, plate, or insert of a thickness and strength as to prohibit penetration by the above mentioned items.
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Don
 
allenwayne said:
That requirement is going to make it allot harder to uncover boxes that get rocked over.
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The ones I've seen have a big "tab" that protrudes from the face of the plate making it almost impossible to board over.

Although maybe I'm underestimating the drywallers.:roll:
 
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