How To Relocate A 220 Outlet

A 220-volt outlet most commonly provides power to a dryer in a home; occasionally a stove uses a 220-volt outlet, but more often it feeds into a 240-volt outlet. If you're reorganizing your laundry room and want to move your dryer to a different wall, you may need to move the 220-volt outlet as well. As long as you follow code in keeping your junction box accessible, you can move the outlet.

Step 1

Shut off the circuit that sends power to the dryer (or the appliance that hooks into the 220-volt outlet) at the circuit breaker box. Then, take off the outlet cover and remove the outlet from the box. This will require loosening the screws holding the wires inside the outlet.

Step 2

Choose a new location for your 220-volt outlet. Then, open up the drywall and find a way to run wiring from the former location of the outlet to where you want it. You may need to put holes in your wall studs so that the wire can get to the new location.

Step 3

Cut enough new six-gauge wire to run from the old location to the new location. Cut two inches of sheathing from either end of the new wire. Then peel off a half-inch of insulation from the red, white and black leads on either end.

Step 4

Use the hammer to nail the gang box for the new outlet into a convenient stud. Connect the wires going into the old outlet gang box to the new wire by wrapping red, white and black wires around each other and covering them with a wire nut. Cover each nut and the connected wires with electrical tape.

Step 5

Run the other end of the new wire into the new gang box, leaving four to eight inches of wire coming into the box. Connect the white wire to the negative terminal on the new outlet and connect the black and red wires to the positive terminals.

Step 6

Attach the mud ring to the front of the gang box using the screws that came with it. Slide the outlet into the box and connect it to the mud ring. Put the new cover on the outlet and screw it into the wall.