How to Install an Electrical Outlet in a Concrete Slab

Plan the conduit run from the power source (such as a light switch or another outlet) to the new outlet's location. Make any bends either 45- or 90-degree angles. Measure the conduit run's length so you have a rough idea of how much conduit you will need.

Turn off power to the power source from the main breaker box. Back out the screws holding the power source's cover over the electrical box with a flat-head screwdriver to expose the wiring. Hold a circuit tester against the wiring to check that it is safe to work with. Back out the screws holding the power source in the electrical box and pull it out.

Back out the screws holding the power source's electrical box to the wall with a drill and Phillips driving bit. Hold a screwdriver against one of the electrical box's knockout holes. Hit the screwdriver's handle with a hammer to drive out the knockout hole and insert an offset setscrew connector. Remount the electrical box in the same location using the screws you removed.

Measure along the wall from the knockout hole to the first bend. Subtract 5 inches from this length. Transfer this measurement to a piece of straight conduit. Insert the conduit into a conduit bender. Line up the measurement you took with the arrow on the bender's head. Hold the conduit in place with one foot and pull back on the bender's handle until the conduit lines up with either the 45- or 90-degree angle mark. Remove the conduit from the bender.

Insert the conduit into the offset setscrew connector and ask a friend to hold it against the wall. Position the new electrical box against the wall in the desired location and mark the screw holes. Mark the conduit where you will need to cut it so it doesn't extend past the new electrical box. Remove the conduit from the connector and cut it on the mark with a hacksaw.

Drill through the screw hole marks you made on the wall with a hammer drill and 1/4-inch masonry bit. Insert a wall anchor into each screw hole and tap it flush with the wall using a hammer.

Insert the conduit into the first electrical box's connector and tighten the setscrew. Set a strap over the conduit, about 3 feet from the electrical box. Use the hammer drill to drill pilot holes through the strap's screw holes. Insert a wall anchor into each pilot hole and secure the strap in place with screws. Repeat with a second strap about 3 feet from the second electrical box.

Remove a knockout hole from the second electrical box and insert an offset setscrew connector. Slide it over the conduit's other end and line up the screw holes with the wall anchors. Secure it in place with screws and tighten the connector's setscrew.

Run cable from the first electrical box, through the conduit, and 6 inches into the second electrical box. Cut off the cable's inner and outer insulation on both ends with a utility knife. Separate the wires and strip 1/2 inch of the insulation off each one with a wire strippers.

Cut a 6-inch-long piece of electrical cable and remove the inner and outer insulation. Strip 1/2 inch off each wire's ends. Loosen the power source's terminal screws with a flat-head screwdriver and unwrap the wires. Bend one of the 6-inch piece's ends into a hook and wrap each end around one terminal screw; the green wire must be wrapped around the green screw. Tighten the screw terminals.

Hold the black wires together and twist a wire nut over them. Hold the white wires together and twist a wire nut over them. Hold the green wires together and twist a wire nut over them. Push the power source back into its electrical box and secure it in place with the screws you removed in Step 2.

Move to the new electrical box. Loosen the electrical outlet's screw terminals. Bend each of the wire's ends into a hook and wrap one end around each screw terminal and tighten them. Push the outlet into the electrical box and secure it in place with the provided screws. Restore power to the power source.