Hey folks!

Is it OK to use a standard Insteon dual on/off outlet in an exterior application?

That is, the home has outlets on the exterior walls (in exterior enclosures). Would it be OK to use one of these non-GFCI outlets in these places if there is a standard GFCI outlet in-line?

Thanks!

Dual On / Off Outlet – Insteon

I’ve been using one on a bird bath heater and fountain for several years.

I've had multiple of the older on/offs at my last house for over 10 years in southeast Michigan.. -20 to 100 degrees

I installed the i3 outlet, the one at your link, 2 years ago. It runs our patio gazebo lights year round and a home made drip sprinkler in the summer. Same weather and no problems with it.

A few things

• The outside jboxes can be smaller or crowded, especially with an older home

• I recommend a cover box to screw in where a smaller outdoor faceplate would be so the wires and everything are covered. Caulk the edges of the plate cover and the house. I lost an i3 outlet because I didn't get a good enough cover.. the grill was right in front of it and water from rain splashed right in. Water was dripping out of the sockets when I removed it.... not insteon's fault.

• These are not GFIC. If there is another GFIC outlet, it needs to be between the Insteon outlet and the electrical panel. Wire it up and press the test botton on the GFIC. If if power remains at the insteon outlet, replace the breaker the outlet leads to with a GFIC breaker.

Edited Saturday at 06:57 PM2 days by paulbates

Thanks folks, much appreciate the quick replies!

I also recall that some have experienced communication problems when an Insteon device is protected by certain types or brands of GFCI outlets. Hopefully, that won't be the case here.

@paulbates I'm not an electrician, but I think it's good practice to have any outdoor power cord coming from above an outlet do a 180 degree bend below the box before entering the box, so there's a low point for water to run off. Perhaps you don't have a long enough run to allow for that, but if you do, it might be wise to add it.

-Tom

Insteon does offer an outdoor on/off plug. I think it's dual band it it works well for me for operating some water feature pumps. In case you are looking for an alternative to installing an Insteon outlet outdoors.

There are companies that make outdoor water-resistant boxes for running your cable into the box. You can use an on/off module in the box and keep it dry. The boxes come in all sizes for your specific installation requirements.

Edited yesterday at 01:14 AM1 day by matapan