How to Deal With Electric When Siding With Vinyl

As you attach siding to your house, you will probably encounter exterior electrical outlets and lighting fixtures that must be covered by protective J-box casings. J-boxes come in different styles for different purposes, but the installation process is generally the same for each type. On boxes where wires must be pulled through the front of the J-box, as in the case of a light fixture, the J-box will look like a solid panel with a single hole through the center. In the case of an electrical outlet, typically the face of the J-box will be a door that opens to provide access to the electrical casing. The door to a J-box of this nature will close to protect the outlet from rain.

Nails
Hammer
Screwdriver
Utility knife

Instructions

- 1
  Choose the appropriate J-box for the type of electrical opening in your house. You may need to make structural adjustments to the J-box. For example, if you need a J-box with a hole in the front for a wire to protrude, but the hole is not large enough, you may need to widen the hole through use of a drill. Made adjustments to the J-box as needed.
- 2
  Mark the general area of the house where the J-box will be located.
- 3
  Attach siding to the house up to the point that you reach the J-box. Assuming you are siding from the ground up, then you stop when the siding reaches the bottom edge of the area where the J-box will be installed.
- 4
  Nail the back of the J-box case to the house so that the bottom of the J-box is positioned just above the last course of siding by 1/4 inch. There will be holes on the side of the J-box case where the nails will go. Use the same nails for the J-box that you use for the rest of the siding, or use 1-inch aluminum roofing nails.
- 5
  Screw the electrical box into the J-box casing, if the electrical orifice calls for an electrical box. Use the screws that came with the electrical box.
- 6
  Attach the siding to the house on either side of the J-box, using the same methods you used to attach the rest of the siding to the house. Leave a 1/4-inch gap between the J-box casing and the siding so that the siding has space to expand and contract with hot and cold weather.
- 7
  Attach the siding to the house on the top of the J-box. Leave a 1/4-inch gap between the J-box casing and the siding on top of the box so that the siding has space to expand and contract.
- 8
  Snap the front of the J-box to the back of the J-box already attached to the house. If there are wires that need to be pulled through the face of the J-box, pull the wires through the hole in the face of the J-box before attaching the front of the J-box to the back.

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