Electrical outlets, can I cap off temporarily?

Submitted by JSOCoperatorD t3_126rz5r in DIY

Hello, I have two concerns about some demo work I am doing before a cabinet company comes in.
One of which was a half wall with lines running to two outlets in the counter top. I'm in Florida, which the building codes states you need a permit to modify or relocate existing outlets. If I plan on putting these outlets back in the same place after the new countertops are installed, am I able to simply move the outlets out of the way temporarily? Or could I cap them off in a junction box temporarily just until the work is finished, and then put the outlets back in their original positions?

Second thought, is temporarily capping off an outlet in a junction box or moving out of the way considered modifying if it's to facilitate other work?

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allangee t1_jeb14tt wrote

Just confirm... you mean disconnect the wires from the outlet, cap the ends of the wire with, say, wire nuts, and then tuck them into the metal box during the renovation process?

That would be fine. It's exactly what the cabinet company installers would do. You're not modifying anything.

What you can't do -- as far as I know it's against code everywhere -- is have a junction box concealed/inaccessible behind anything. For example, if you decided you didn't want one of the outlets anymore, you're not allowed to remove the plug part, cap the wires, and put a cabinet over it.

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JSOCoperatorD OP t1_jeb29ab wrote

Exactly that. I just need to get them out of the way for a short period of time. The cabinet company wanted to charge me a lot to have to touch the electrical. The outlets are going right back into the countertop when the new one is laid, in the same place.

I planned to open the drywall, install a junction box onto the stud a few inches down the wall. Cap the wires off, and secure them in the box until the work is done.

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allangee t1_jeb2lbg wrote

I'm not sure why you want to add an additional junction box. Is the outlet not attached to one now?

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JSOCoperatorD OP t1_jeb325d wrote

Just to protect the wiring and keep it snug out of the way of the countertop installers. After the new counters are in I will need to cut holes in the counter top where the old outlets were and hook them back up. The outlets are currently assembled as they would be in the wall but hanging outside the wall. I don't know if it's ok or not so I just wanted to get them secured and not have any issues with the cabinet company about it.

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allangee t1_jeb3f62 wrote

Okay. I was picturing wall-mounted outlets, not counter-mounted. Sounds like you have it all in hand.

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S_A_N_D_ t1_jed5zdo wrote

Out of personal curiosity, what do you do if you wanted to remove the plug and put cabinets over it?

You can't remove the wire without taking down all the drywall. I assume there is a proper way to do it without having to demo a bunch of wall.

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allangee t1_jefpm55 wrote

As long as the wires are properly capped and in a junction box of some sort, with access, you're good. Ac over like below -- but they also come in plastic.

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The other option is to disconnect the wire at the other end -- assuming that connection box is accessible. That way you have a dead wire (nothing connected at either end) in the walls, which is no problem.

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