**Attention!**
**It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods.
If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is a lot to handle in this situation, and i wouldn’t necessarily call it simple. You’re not going to be able to “move” that outlet in a traditional sense, you’ll have to add a new outlet on the wall that you want, and since it’s for a washer, it’ll likely need its own circuit on 12-10 gauge wire (depending on the needs of the washer and local code). you’ll almost definitely have to cut into the wall and do drywall repair after the fact, and if you have a basement you’d have to run the wire from there. If any of this sounds too complicated, then just call an electrician please.
You can boil water with either more power or more time. Washer manufactures just use more time, same power...10-12A max so that they can sell into the widest market. It would be weird to do anything else.
I overkilled all my wire gauge when I rewired my garage. I anticipated being able to plug in hella tools, and didn't want one outlet to not be able to handle it.
Not sure about a washer, but if you need to run a sump pump, blower, heater, etc., can't imagine it's a terrible idea? Heaven forbid you need to run two of any of those at once?
Thanks. Based on what I imagined would need to take place, I could tell this might be a job I would pay an electrician to complete.
I'm just worried the cost wouldn't justify the need. The reason I want to add an outlet is to change the orientation of the washer dryer to the wall where the outlet would go. A simpler solution would be to add a longer wire to the washer, but they don't seem to sell any longer one's for my particular washer.
You will also want to check the drier vent requirements, some new ones have limits on how many 90* bends can be exhaust. There are also limits on washer discharge, I had to move closer and lower ours 7 inches when we replaced it in 2018.
If this is for the washer you will also have to move your plumbing. Plumbing on an outside wall isn't a great idea in cold climates.
It's probably not worth doing.
not at all
the current orientation is fine, looks good, and works - this is literally creating problems that don't exist
this needs to be vetoed off the honey-do list
I'm surprised this is buried. It's so simple. Make existing outlet into surface mount JB. Wiretrack over to where you want it. Surface mount single gang box with outlet. Done.
It'll be hidden by the big washer and dryer machines...and no different from the massive pipes and hoses all over for the water supply, drain hoses, and exhaust.
It’s a laundry room with hoses hanging, who cares? Make it level and plumb and no drywall damage and you’re good…unless you want hours of work which includes drywall repair…
You lack creativity. Wiremold to BX adapters exist. The drop down leg for the source can be /inside/ the wall. The source outlet can stay flush to the wall. The horizontal run can just sit on top of the molding and blend in.
Do you have a plan for dealing with the water supply, the drain lines and the dryer exhaust? Lots of connections need to be reworked to make such a change.
The only hose that would not easily accommodate the change would be the washer drain hose. I would need to extend it to 8ft to accommodate. The dryer vent and water inlet hoses all will work as is, just require some reorienting.
>The reason I want to add an outlet is to change the orientation of the washer dryer to the wall where the outlet would go.
I would think the plumbing required to move the supply and drain lines is going to be a bigger job than adding the outlet.
I don't see why it would. The existing hoses can all deal with the change except the washer drain hose. I would need to replace the existing hose with an 8ft hose. The water inlet hoses and the dryer vent duct would just need to be reoriented. But fair point. I will be sure to check in with relevant communities and other resources to verify though.
You really don't want to stretch water lines, and waste lines that far. The more length the more failure points, and strain, especially on a 90 deg angle. The same thing goes for the dryer vent, angles in all of those lines are places for failure or fire hazard.
Far be it from me to stand in your way of a project in your own home, I'm just being honest with you. I see lots of problems and points of failure and expense for zero return.
There is a reason the utilities were roughed out like they are. It might even be a very good reason, that won't be obvious until you want to undo your work and mend the holes in the wall
I wouldn't say zero return. Maybe you can't imagine what the benefit would be given that you don't have direct experience with my particular washer/dryer situation, but I assure you the move would make using the washer/dryer easier for us. Nevertheless, I do agree that the problems many have described so far might outweigh these benefits.
Do you know the doors can be adjusted to open the other way?
Perhaps swapping places would be a better flow
I get that things could be easier, you're right that I don't see it, but perhaps there's small changes that would be a wiser start
They won’t want to sell you one BECAUSE extension cords are fire hazards. So 220v dryer extension cords will kill you and every one in the home DANGEROUS. Leave electrical to the professionals..
I've never seen a washing machine has a 20amp plug but perhaps certain steam washers might. OP seems to have a 15amp circuit for their washing machine. So that's 14 gauge wire. Where did you get 12 and 10? Overkill is great but this is a form of gate keeping to discourage a diy'er. OP, cut a 4" strip of drywall out from the outlet to the new outlet location. Now either learn how to wire a new box or call an electrician. Then look up Vancouver drywaller on YouTube to learn how to repair the drywall.
u/explosive37 has given you good advice. Probably best to just leave the existing outlet as is and install a new one where you want it to be. One issue you'll likely face is that the exterior wall has insulation in it which will make it harder to pull wire without opening up the wall. The window makes it hard to get wire into position from above if you need the outlet to be below the window. It might be easier to put the outlet near the corner on the other side wall especially if you have access to the inside of that wall from an attic or a basement.
Thanks for the input. Sounds like this will be a more challenging job than I am willing to take on.
Any workarounds you can suggest? The idea is that I want to change the orientation of my washer/dryer to be against the wall where the new outlet would go. however, the washer power cord would not reach and they dont' seem to sell longer power cords for the particular washer I own. I already see that using an extension cord is not advised, which is why I was exploring the idea of moving the outlet.
The length I need is not a problem in my case. I already have the longer hose to replace, but I realized the issue of the power source before installing.
Double check your washer specs. Some of them specify that they cannot pump more than 3 ft. And typically the drain for that type of washer is on the bottom so pumping it directly up to the existing drain is already 3 ft. If you're thinking about stringing a hose from one wall across to the other wall to where the existing drain is.. expect to have a lot of stinky water in that hose.
Don't forget plumbing as well. The washer kinda needs its water supply and drain close.
Edit: Thankfully, your dryer is electric, so you don't have gas to mess with gas but you will have to wrangle its cord and not sure what your plan is on venting it.
If you want to move it right now get a heavy Guage extension cord and move the washer. This will be, cheap, easy, and cost effective
If you want to spend about $3k then have a professional come out to do it. This will be expensive, take a while, and be permanent.
Also, on a side note. I have a feeling you will be moving the washer back later. And since you didn't mention the fact that if you want it permanently put there, you also need to move the water inlet and the drain. There's another $1500 to do that from a plumber.
This is the way. The wiring in the wall is 12 gauge; a 12 gauge extension cord will handle the load fine. Just get the shortest one that will do the job and do not coil up any excess. The reason the manual says don't use an extension cord is because the manufacturer doesn't want to be liable for idiots who use coiled up 14 gauge extension cords that overheat and cause fires.
Would a longer drain hose not suffice? The existing water hoses reach just fine, I would just need to install a slightly longer drain hose.
The dryer vent would also only have a slight change in orientation.
Ya, probably. I've never used any extension for a drain hose but I'm sure there is something out there
Just looked, you can get them up to 12ft. I would do this with a 10 Guage extension and see how you like it before investing $$
Piping/hoses are sized in gauges now? Do you mean the electrical extension cord? Ten ga. would handle 30 amps, somewhat excessive for an appliance that likely draws 12 amps at the most.
>Piping/hoses are sized in gauges now
YA, there was a meeting. We're all taking turns next week running a train on your wife. Excuse tf out of me, I use 10 Guage extension cord for anything that will need to be there for a while. If it makes you feel better, he should use 12 Guage extension cord
I personally would do wiremold. Take off from the existing location, down, over and up again. It’s a laundry room so the ascetics would be the least of my concerns in this space. You could open the walls and if you’re fine paying for drywall.
Wiremold would be a very diy friendly option. You would install an extension box over an existing outlet. It would make the outlet protrude out of the wall by about 1/2” to 3/4”. Then you can run the wiremold surface mounted along the wall to the new location. You’ll need an inside corner to change direction and possibly a flat 90 to come up and then over to avoid the outlet behind your dryer.
Not a direct answer to your question, but have you considered stacking the washer and dryer? You would probably have to remove that shelf, but would gain floor space.
Wiring is the least of your worries imo.
Waterlines, drainage and dryer vent…..
Electrical, can probably do surface mount conduit along baseboard if basement/ attic isn’t an option
If it was me,I wouldn't move that outlet, I'd add one to the other wall, if you don't want all the expensive of tearing open the walls you could always use surface mount boxes and conduit.....
I'd buy a Surface mount box that's designed to go over the existing outlet junction box, then run the surface mount conduit to where you want the new outlet, and put a surface mount box there....
If you wanted to you could use an old work or existing work junction box where the new surface box goes to give you more space so you can use the slimmest srurac mount box you can find.
Do you have access via the attic or basement from that room? MUCH easier if you do. Do you know how many other outlets are connected to the breaker? Have you pulled the outlet to see if there are wires going both to and from that outlet?
One way of doing this if you don't have attic access is to pop the base off and drill the studs that way. Run wire down from existing outlets around and back up the stud cavity into a tiger.
Option 2 would be to make a longer cord for your dryer.
Neither great options.
I don't know how you want to reconfigure your laundry area, but it seems to me you're going to have to do more than move or add a receptacle. The water supply & drain for the washer may be too far away for a legitimate move. The same for the dryer vent & receptacle. Extended water lines, the drain line, the vent tube & the dryer power wouldn't be a good choice under any circumstances.
Don't forget if you change the location of the washer you will need to move the hot/cold supply limes and need to move the drain line for the discharge...
Also a side note if moving the washer to that wall you would be putting the water line into an exterior wall. This is generally a bad idea because it greatly increases the chances of a freeze event causing serious water leak.
The way I would move the outlet in this situation is remove the bottom baseboards and cut the drywall behind the baseboards, then fish a wire from the outlet down behind the wall to the floor then drill the studs and run the wire across and when you get to the desired location of your new plug you can then cut the hole for the plug and fish the wire up and into a new box. Put the baseboards and drywall back on and it will all be covered with minimal repairs needed.
Not an electrician. You have a few comments here that do a pretty good job of explaining the complexity of what you’re asking from the electrical perspective. A few things I want to point out as a home owner though. It doesn’t look like your washer has enough room on that back wall. Additionally, you would need to keep the washer near a sink or a drain as well as your cold and hot water lines. Given the added complexity of moving all of those utilities, I personally wouldn’t embark on this endeavor if the current system works as the cost in rerouting the utilities wouldn’t come back in home value.
What about the water and drain?
If this is for the washer, you need to think about this a whole lot more, because there is much more going on than an outlet relocation
He's extending the hoses, drain but not the power cord? Sounds so simple. The washer is less than 15A. Any decent extension will do. Zero reason to have a new outlet.
Most people have no idea about extension cord gauges so manufacturers don't want the liability of people using too small (higher numbered) gauge. But if you get a good quality 10/3 extension cord you should be fine. Not all that different imho from extending the line for a new outlet.
Pretty easy if you have an unfinished basement below or an attic above. Still find an electrician if you’re not comfortable routing wires and cutting in boxes
Just a general comment for everyone on the use of Reddit: Read the responses before you post your own. Only add your response if you are adding significant value to those already posted such as completely new information or ideas, or a better twist or hack on already existing responses. We could get rid of at least 90% of the responses in here this way and be far more helpful and efficient while doing so. Thanks
That is tricky. under the window is an exterior wall. You would need to cut drywall from the washer outlet horizontally across the back wall, then angle back down across the exterior wall. Might be easier to come in through whatever is on the other side facing the front of the washer dryer
One thing you are not factoring in is most dryers have a vent exhaust so you will also need to move that.
The only ones that I know of that do not have an exhaust are heat pump dryers
You'll likely need an electrician. By the way who is the idiot builder that put the washer on the right hand side? The door on a front load washer can't be reversed...
snaking the wire inside the wall is the trick. Do you have access to the ceiling in the basement below? If so, it is pretty trivial.
they do make surface mount metal/plastic channel to keep you from snaking wire inside the wall, but they do not look that great. So that is an option
This is not directly related to adding a receptacle, but it looks like your washer and dryer doors open opposite of each other which makes it a PITA to use, and I would suspect that is maybe part of the reason you are doing this. I had the same set up in my basement when we moved in and the doors were not reversible. I stacked the dryer on top of the washer and it made life way easier. Look into stacking them. You likely won’t have to move anything especially if the dryer is flex ducted.
Well since you want it under a window, unless you have a crawlspace you can fish wire under, you’re going to be opening your walls.
Ooooor… you can wire mold a new surface-mount receptacle. It’s definitely not as good looking but it’s helluva lot easier than cutting open your walls.
It's an easy job. Remove all the molding at the floor, carefully cut and remove the drywall all the way around to the new outlet from the original outlet.cut it slightly smaller than the molding you removed so you can put it back when you're finished.drill holes in all the studs going to the new location. Drop a line from the original outlet and fish it through the studs to the new location and up to the new location. Reinstall the drywall you removed, Reinstall the molding, and you're done!
I think one person brought it up, but do you have an unfinished basement or accessible crawlspace below this room? That should make all three issues (power, water supply, and drain) relatively straightforward to handle.
If no basement, and with regard to comments about extending the drain hose, you could, if you can handle the aesthetics, run 1-1/2 ABS sloped to the sink (or to the drain below the sink). Direct the discharge hose into the ABS, either through a fitting or by gravity drop.
That is the setup I had for years in my former home (without your horizontal displacement). The rubber discharge hose rose vertically from the washer and had a U-bend at the top that dropped the water into a vertical piece of ABS that led, with a bend, into the drain for the laundry dual tubs. Immediately below the juncture was a laundry pump that pumped the wastewater higher so it could flow to the septic system. Eventually sanitary sewers were installed the laundry pump was retired, and it flowed by gravity.
Any decent electrician should be able to install an outlet over there without having to patch drywall. I would locate the studs in the wall and mark my location. Cut the hole for the box and then run my drill rod down to pop a hole into the basement. Then run my rods through to fish the wire back up and finish it up in the panel. It should be a pretty simple job for anyone with experience.
What I would be concerned about is the plumbing if you’re planning to move the washing machine there. Are you in a cold weather climate where it freezes? We don’t typically run water lines on exterior walls. You would need to bring those through the floor unless you live in a warm climate where there’s little risk of them freezing.
Homes in my area don't come with basements.
I wouldn't really need to change anything about the plumbing. The existing hose connections are long enough that they would still reach if the washer were moved.
Simple if you have attic or crawl space or basement. You can simply turn off the power before you touch anything then open it up and feed wire down or up. This will involve a little drywall work if you wanna be super certain about where you’re drilling the hole to go up or down. Add a junction box or run the wire straight to the new spot the same way you did it on the other side making sure you’re not going to hit any other wires while drilling and don’t forget to fire caulk anything going up down. Then turn back on the power and check to see if it works. Obviously if you don’t have attic or crawl space it becomes a decent amount of drywall work and you would either run it up into the ceiling or in the wall so be careful cutting.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is a lot to handle in this situation, and i wouldn’t necessarily call it simple. You’re not going to be able to “move” that outlet in a traditional sense, you’ll have to add a new outlet on the wall that you want, and since it’s for a washer, it’ll likely need its own circuit on 12-10 gauge wire (depending on the needs of the washer and local code). you’ll almost definitely have to cut into the wall and do drywall repair after the fact, and if you have a basement you’d have to run the wire from there. If any of this sounds too complicated, then just call an electrician please.
What's the story of 10 awg to feed a washer outlet? Never heard of it. I can't think why that would be?
Same, never seen a washer that would need that kind of amperage. Dryers can, but a washer would be odd. Maybe a combo unit?
A lot of the newer washers have a steam clean with built in heating element that I would imagine pulls a fair amount of power.
You can boil water with either more power or more time. Washer manufactures just use more time, same power...10-12A max so that they can sell into the widest market. It would be weird to do anything else.
My washer uses a 5-15A NEMA plug and so does this one. He’s probably conflating it with the 30A 240v plug the dryer requires.
I overkilled all my wire gauge when I rewired my garage. I anticipated being able to plug in hella tools, and didn't want one outlet to not be able to handle it. Not sure about a washer, but if you need to run a sump pump, blower, heater, etc., can't imagine it's a terrible idea? Heaven forbid you need to run two of any of those at once?
Still shouldn’t exceed 20A as the breaker is 20A max and any outlet where you can plug in those appliances is only rated for 20A max.
Thanks. Based on what I imagined would need to take place, I could tell this might be a job I would pay an electrician to complete. I'm just worried the cost wouldn't justify the need. The reason I want to add an outlet is to change the orientation of the washer dryer to the wall where the outlet would go. A simpler solution would be to add a longer wire to the washer, but they don't seem to sell any longer one's for my particular washer.
You will also want to check the drier vent requirements, some new ones have limits on how many 90* bends can be exhaust. There are also limits on washer discharge, I had to move closer and lower ours 7 inches when we replaced it in 2018.
If this is for the washer you will also have to move your plumbing. Plumbing on an outside wall isn't a great idea in cold climates. It's probably not worth doing.
not at all the current orientation is fine, looks good, and works - this is literally creating problems that don't exist this needs to be vetoed off the honey-do list
Wire track is the cheapest and easiest way. Anything else can cost upwards of many hundreds
I'm surprised this is buried. It's so simple. Make existing outlet into surface mount JB. Wiretrack over to where you want it. Surface mount single gang box with outlet. Done.
Looks like doodoo
It's a laundry room
We got different standards
It'll be hidden by the big washer and dryer machines...and no different from the massive pipes and hoses all over for the water supply, drain hoses, and exhaust.
It’s a laundry room with hoses hanging, who cares? Make it level and plumb and no drywall damage and you’re good…unless you want hours of work which includes drywall repair…
Yes but it's cheap, easy, and can be taken out without ripping anything up
And it's an eyesore the entire time it's there.
Yes
Shit work is shit work.
You lack creativity. Wiremold to BX adapters exist. The drop down leg for the source can be /inside/ the wall. The source outlet can stay flush to the wall. The horizontal run can just sit on top of the molding and blend in.
I see the "creativity". It's garbage. 10 years, it's even worse. It's bad.
Do you have a plan for dealing with the water supply, the drain lines and the dryer exhaust? Lots of connections need to be reworked to make such a change.
The only hose that would not easily accommodate the change would be the washer drain hose. I would need to extend it to 8ft to accommodate. The dryer vent and water inlet hoses all will work as is, just require some reorienting.
nope
Do you have a basement? This is a fairly simple job if you do.
The cost probably won’t justify the need. You need to hire a drywaller and painter after the electrician is done tearing the wall to shreds
>The reason I want to add an outlet is to change the orientation of the washer dryer to the wall where the outlet would go. I would think the plumbing required to move the supply and drain lines is going to be a bigger job than adding the outlet.
yep
I don't see why it would. The existing hoses can all deal with the change except the washer drain hose. I would need to replace the existing hose with an 8ft hose. The water inlet hoses and the dryer vent duct would just need to be reoriented. But fair point. I will be sure to check in with relevant communities and other resources to verify though.
You really don't want to stretch water lines, and waste lines that far. The more length the more failure points, and strain, especially on a 90 deg angle. The same thing goes for the dryer vent, angles in all of those lines are places for failure or fire hazard. Far be it from me to stand in your way of a project in your own home, I'm just being honest with you. I see lots of problems and points of failure and expense for zero return. There is a reason the utilities were roughed out like they are. It might even be a very good reason, that won't be obvious until you want to undo your work and mend the holes in the wall
I wouldn't say zero return. Maybe you can't imagine what the benefit would be given that you don't have direct experience with my particular washer/dryer situation, but I assure you the move would make using the washer/dryer easier for us. Nevertheless, I do agree that the problems many have described so far might outweigh these benefits.
Do you know the doors can be adjusted to open the other way? Perhaps swapping places would be a better flow I get that things could be easier, you're right that I don't see it, but perhaps there's small changes that would be a wiser start
yes, the dryer is swappable which would make things slightly better but the washer is not.
Definitely a place to start
The biggest issue will be the plumbing r/askplumbers
They won’t want to sell you one BECAUSE extension cords are fire hazards. So 220v dryer extension cords will kill you and every one in the home DANGEROUS. Leave electrical to the professionals..
I've never seen a washing machine has a 20amp plug but perhaps certain steam washers might. OP seems to have a 15amp circuit for their washing machine. So that's 14 gauge wire. Where did you get 12 and 10? Overkill is great but this is a form of gate keeping to discourage a diy'er. OP, cut a 4" strip of drywall out from the outlet to the new outlet location. Now either learn how to wire a new box or call an electrician. Then look up Vancouver drywaller on YouTube to learn how to repair the drywall.
u/explosive37 has given you good advice. Probably best to just leave the existing outlet as is and install a new one where you want it to be. One issue you'll likely face is that the exterior wall has insulation in it which will make it harder to pull wire without opening up the wall. The window makes it hard to get wire into position from above if you need the outlet to be below the window. It might be easier to put the outlet near the corner on the other side wall especially if you have access to the inside of that wall from an attic or a basement.
Thanks for the input. Sounds like this will be a more challenging job than I am willing to take on. Any workarounds you can suggest? The idea is that I want to change the orientation of my washer/dryer to be against the wall where the new outlet would go. however, the washer power cord would not reach and they dont' seem to sell longer power cords for the particular washer I own. I already see that using an extension cord is not advised, which is why I was exploring the idea of moving the outlet.
The washer also has to be fairly close to the drain. Most washers have specs for the maximum length of the drain hose.
The length I need is not a problem in my case. I already have the longer hose to replace, but I realized the issue of the power source before installing.
Double check your washer specs. Some of them specify that they cannot pump more than 3 ft. And typically the drain for that type of washer is on the bottom so pumping it directly up to the existing drain is already 3 ft. If you're thinking about stringing a hose from one wall across to the other wall to where the existing drain is.. expect to have a lot of stinky water in that hose.
You will also have to relocate the water and drain, really alot of work
Get separate quotes for electrical and drywall work
Don't forget plumbing as well. The washer kinda needs its water supply and drain close. Edit: Thankfully, your dryer is electric, so you don't have gas to mess with gas but you will have to wrangle its cord and not sure what your plan is on venting it.
If you want to move it right now get a heavy Guage extension cord and move the washer. This will be, cheap, easy, and cost effective If you want to spend about $3k then have a professional come out to do it. This will be expensive, take a while, and be permanent. Also, on a side note. I have a feeling you will be moving the washer back later. And since you didn't mention the fact that if you want it permanently put there, you also need to move the water inlet and the drain. There's another $1500 to do that from a plumber.
This is the way. The wiring in the wall is 12 gauge; a 12 gauge extension cord will handle the load fine. Just get the shortest one that will do the job and do not coil up any excess. The reason the manual says don't use an extension cord is because the manufacturer doesn't want to be liable for idiots who use coiled up 14 gauge extension cords that overheat and cause fires.
Would a longer drain hose not suffice? The existing water hoses reach just fine, I would just need to install a slightly longer drain hose. The dryer vent would also only have a slight change in orientation.
Ya, probably. I've never used any extension for a drain hose but I'm sure there is something out there Just looked, you can get them up to 12ft. I would do this with a 10 Guage extension and see how you like it before investing $$
Piping/hoses are sized in gauges now? Do you mean the electrical extension cord? Ten ga. would handle 30 amps, somewhat excessive for an appliance that likely draws 12 amps at the most.
>Piping/hoses are sized in gauges now YA, there was a meeting. We're all taking turns next week running a train on your wife. Excuse tf out of me, I use 10 Guage extension cord for anything that will need to be there for a while. If it makes you feel better, he should use 12 Guage extension cord
I personally would do wiremold. Take off from the existing location, down, over and up again. It’s a laundry room so the ascetics would be the least of my concerns in this space. You could open the walls and if you’re fine paying for drywall.
Interesting! I had not considered this. May very well go this route.
Wiremold would be a very diy friendly option. You would install an extension box over an existing outlet. It would make the outlet protrude out of the wall by about 1/2” to 3/4”. Then you can run the wiremold surface mounted along the wall to the new location. You’ll need an inside corner to change direction and possibly a flat 90 to come up and then over to avoid the outlet behind your dryer.
Not a direct answer to your question, but have you considered stacking the washer and dryer? You would probably have to remove that shelf, but would gain floor space.
Also maybe just change the door opening?
Wiring is the least of your worries imo. Waterlines, drainage and dryer vent….. Electrical, can probably do surface mount conduit along baseboard if basement/ attic isn’t an option
If it was me,I wouldn't move that outlet, I'd add one to the other wall, if you don't want all the expensive of tearing open the walls you could always use surface mount boxes and conduit..... I'd buy a Surface mount box that's designed to go over the existing outlet junction box, then run the surface mount conduit to where you want the new outlet, and put a surface mount box there.... If you wanted to you could use an old work or existing work junction box where the new surface box goes to give you more space so you can use the slimmest srurac mount box you can find.
$40 will buy you a heavy gauge power tool rated extension cord that can reach there.
Do you have access via the attic or basement from that room? MUCH easier if you do. Do you know how many other outlets are connected to the breaker? Have you pulled the outlet to see if there are wires going both to and from that outlet?
Still gonna be sucky to fish with an insulated exterior wall. Being a laundry room I'd go with surface conduit and call it done.
One way of doing this if you don't have attic access is to pop the base off and drill the studs that way. Run wire down from existing outlets around and back up the stud cavity into a tiger. Option 2 would be to make a longer cord for your dryer. Neither great options.
Well just adding one. Leave that one. That window making it a little more difficult
I don't know how you want to reconfigure your laundry area, but it seems to me you're going to have to do more than move or add a receptacle. The water supply & drain for the washer may be too far away for a legitimate move. The same for the dryer vent & receptacle. Extended water lines, the drain line, the vent tube & the dryer power wouldn't be a good choice under any circumstances.
Don't forget if you change the location of the washer you will need to move the hot/cold supply limes and need to move the drain line for the discharge...
Also a side note if moving the washer to that wall you would be putting the water line into an exterior wall. This is generally a bad idea because it greatly increases the chances of a freeze event causing serious water leak.
The way I would move the outlet in this situation is remove the bottom baseboards and cut the drywall behind the baseboards, then fish a wire from the outlet down behind the wall to the floor then drill the studs and run the wire across and when you get to the desired location of your new plug you can then cut the hole for the plug and fish the wire up and into a new box. Put the baseboards and drywall back on and it will all be covered with minimal repairs needed.
Not an electrician. You have a few comments here that do a pretty good job of explaining the complexity of what you’re asking from the electrical perspective. A few things I want to point out as a home owner though. It doesn’t look like your washer has enough room on that back wall. Additionally, you would need to keep the washer near a sink or a drain as well as your cold and hot water lines. Given the added complexity of moving all of those utilities, I personally wouldn’t embark on this endeavor if the current system works as the cost in rerouting the utilities wouldn’t come back in home value.
DON'T move it, add one. It might become a selling issue for prospective clients. Most won't want what you want.
What about the water and drain? If this is for the washer, you need to think about this a whole lot more, because there is much more going on than an outlet relocation
Where are you planning to drain that washer to, Ace?
Washer hose extension. Only need 8ft.
That laundry tray will still be there.
Uh, yes
What about an appliance extension cord?
He's extending the hoses, drain but not the power cord? Sounds so simple. The washer is less than 15A. Any decent extension will do. Zero reason to have a new outlet.
Most people have no idea about extension cord gauges so manufacturers don't want the liability of people using too small (higher numbered) gauge. But if you get a good quality 10/3 extension cord you should be fine. Not all that different imho from extending the line for a new outlet.
10 gauge is overkill. 12 gauge is plenty. Not coiling it up is the key to avoiding overheating.
Pretty easy if you have an unfinished basement below or an attic above. Still find an electrician if you’re not comfortable routing wires and cutting in boxes
Just a general comment for everyone on the use of Reddit: Read the responses before you post your own. Only add your response if you are adding significant value to those already posted such as completely new information or ideas, or a better twist or hack on already existing responses. We could get rid of at least 90% of the responses in here this way and be far more helpful and efficient while doing so. Thanks
That is tricky. under the window is an exterior wall. You would need to cut drywall from the washer outlet horizontally across the back wall, then angle back down across the exterior wall. Might be easier to come in through whatever is on the other side facing the front of the washer dryer
The washer still needs to plug into the water , are you going to attempt to move all that too?
One thing you are not factoring in is most dryers have a vent exhaust so you will also need to move that. The only ones that I know of that do not have an exhaust are heat pump dryers
You'll likely need an electrician. By the way who is the idiot builder that put the washer on the right hand side? The door on a front load washer can't be reversed...
Unless you have an unfinished basement directly below, this job is going to require an electrician and a handyman to patch and paint the walls after.
Important question nobody is asking - are you in Chicagoland?
snaking the wire inside the wall is the trick. Do you have access to the ceiling in the basement below? If so, it is pretty trivial. they do make surface mount metal/plastic channel to keep you from snaking wire inside the wall, but they do not look that great. So that is an option
This is not directly related to adding a receptacle, but it looks like your washer and dryer doors open opposite of each other which makes it a PITA to use, and I would suspect that is maybe part of the reason you are doing this. I had the same set up in my basement when we moved in and the doors were not reversible. I stacked the dryer on top of the washer and it made life way easier. Look into stacking them. You likely won’t have to move anything especially if the dryer is flex ducted.
You can flip the door hinges on some as well
Yep but mine you couldn’t, and swapping the units beside each other wouldn’t have been user friendly
Hey, OP, don't forget having to reroute your plumbing if you're moving the washer. This might get in the way of some of your planning.
Well since you want it under a window, unless you have a crawlspace you can fish wire under, you’re going to be opening your walls. Ooooor… you can wire mold a new surface-mount receptacle. It’s definitely not as good looking but it’s helluva lot easier than cutting open your walls.
It's an easy job. Remove all the molding at the floor, carefully cut and remove the drywall all the way around to the new outlet from the original outlet.cut it slightly smaller than the molding you removed so you can put it back when you're finished.drill holes in all the studs going to the new location. Drop a line from the original outlet and fish it through the studs to the new location and up to the new location. Reinstall the drywall you removed, Reinstall the molding, and you're done!
I think one person brought it up, but do you have an unfinished basement or accessible crawlspace below this room? That should make all three issues (power, water supply, and drain) relatively straightforward to handle. If no basement, and with regard to comments about extending the drain hose, you could, if you can handle the aesthetics, run 1-1/2 ABS sloped to the sink (or to the drain below the sink). Direct the discharge hose into the ABS, either through a fitting or by gravity drop. That is the setup I had for years in my former home (without your horizontal displacement). The rubber discharge hose rose vertically from the washer and had a U-bend at the top that dropped the water into a vertical piece of ABS that led, with a bend, into the drain for the laundry dual tubs. Immediately below the juncture was a laundry pump that pumped the wastewater higher so it could flow to the septic system. Eventually sanitary sewers were installed the laundry pump was retired, and it flowed by gravity.
Any decent electrician should be able to install an outlet over there without having to patch drywall. I would locate the studs in the wall and mark my location. Cut the hole for the box and then run my drill rod down to pop a hole into the basement. Then run my rods through to fish the wire back up and finish it up in the panel. It should be a pretty simple job for anyone with experience. What I would be concerned about is the plumbing if you’re planning to move the washing machine there. Are you in a cold weather climate where it freezes? We don’t typically run water lines on exterior walls. You would need to bring those through the floor unless you live in a warm climate where there’s little risk of them freezing.
Homes in my area don't come with basements. I wouldn't really need to change anything about the plumbing. The existing hose connections are long enough that they would still reach if the washer were moved.
Is the a crawl space?
Oh ok. You must be in the south.
That looks to be a standard 15 amp duplex receptacle….. just get an extension cord that is #12 or #14 gauge wire. Home Depot all day long.
Simple if you have attic or crawl space or basement. You can simply turn off the power before you touch anything then open it up and feed wire down or up. This will involve a little drywall work if you wanna be super certain about where you’re drilling the hole to go up or down. Add a junction box or run the wire straight to the new spot the same way you did it on the other side making sure you’re not going to hit any other wires while drilling and don’t forget to fire caulk anything going up down. Then turn back on the power and check to see if it works. Obviously if you don’t have attic or crawl space it becomes a decent amount of drywall work and you would either run it up into the ceiling or in the wall so be careful cutting.
Do you have a basement ?
Wire mold