Pro Handyman Blog

If you have outdoor electrical outlets, they need to be in a weatherproof cover. This helps prevent the old snap, crackle, and pop. There are lots of covers and some are better than others. The older style has the two swinging doors that allow you to access the outlets. The problem here is that if the doors are open, then rain can also get access to the outlets. Not good. The newer style has a hood that lifts up from a hinge at the top of the cover. The nice thing about this is that you can use the outlets during a rain storm as the hood has holes that allow the cords to exit the cover. This is good for holiday lights.

Installing a cover is easy. Turn the power off to the outlet and, after testing to make sure the power is off, remove the cover. You will need to pull the outlet away from the box to slide the mating cover backing over and behind the outlet. When this is done you can screw everything back together and restore the power. Make sure you properly seat the foam gaskets around the pieces before you screw everything back to keep the weather out.