| |
| |
|
Home Improvement Information |
|
|
|
Save Time & Money Doing Your Own Basic Electric Wiring
Hiring a professional electrician can be very expensive and is often the reason why people try doing their own basic electric wiring themselves. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly results of these efforts and I have come to the conclusion that basic electrical wiring is not something anyone should do without proper guidance, tools and confidence. It is so important that before attempting any of these basic electrical wiring projects that people are aware of how dangerous electricity is and how important safety is for you and for your family and family home. 90 percent of the time I recommend hiring a licensed electrician over doing your basic electrical wiring yourself. Not doing this will usually end up costing even more money than before and increase the risk of bringing your family into danger without even knowing your doing it. But doing your own basic electric wiring really isn't that hard to do if you "educate" yourself on the topic. Licensed electricians had to learn the stuff themselves too. So as a 'do it yourself person' this isn't different. There is no escape possible. You will see that the more you read about it the easier it will become and the more confidence you will get. Just to give you an idea, here are 3 questions I recently got from people just like you who tried doing their own electric wiring: Question 1: I installed a grounding probe in your aquarium and every time anyone in the house turns on or off the lights, the fish jump. What's going on? A couple of suggestions: 1. (easiest) Pull out that grounding probe and return it from whence you purchased it. 2. Check the wiring on your outlet. You may actually have 'Neutral' instead of 'Ground'. 3. Check the wiring throughout the rest of the house. There are some people out there that insist on doing their own home repairs, yet don't understand basic electrical wiring. Outlets are easy to check by getting a $7.95 outlet tester from the hardware store. Wired-in appliances, lights, heaters, etc. are tougher. 4. Check all your electrical fixtures to make sure they aren't leaking some voltage to Ground. Question 2: What is the NEC? Where can I get a copy? The NEC is a model electrical code devised and published by the National Fire Protection Association, an insurance industry group. It's revised every three years. The 1993 version has been released. You can buy a copy at a decent bookstore, or by calling them directly at 800-344-3555. The code exists in several versions. There's the full text, which is fairly incomprehensible. There's an abridged edition, which has only the sections likely to apply to most houses. And there's the NEC Handbook, which contains the ``authorized commentary'' on the code, as well as the full text. That's the recommended version. Unfortunately, there's no handbook for the abridged edition. And the full handbook is expensive -- US$65 plus shipping and handling. Question 3: Can I do my own wiring? Extra pointers? In most places, homeowners are allowed to do their own wiring. In some, they're not. Check with your local electrical inspector. Most places won't permit you to do wiring on other's homes for money without a license. Nor are you permitted to do wiring in "commercial" buildings. Multiple dwellings (eg: duplexes)are usually considered "semi-commercial" or "commercial". However, many jurisdictions will permit you to work on semi-commercial wiring if you're supervised by a licensed electrician - if you can find one willing to supervise. If you do your own wiring, an important point: Do it NEAT and WELL! What you really want to aim for is a better job than an electrician will do. After all, it's your own home, and it's you or your family that might get killed if you make a mistake. An electrician has time pressures, has the skills and knows the tricks of the trade to do a fast, safe job. In this FAQ we've consciously given a few recommendations that are in excess of code, because we feel that it's reasonable, and will impress the inspector. The inspector will know that you're an amateur. You have to earn his trust. The best way of doing this is to spend your time doing as neat a job as possible. Don't cut corners. Exceed specifications. Otherwise, the inspector may get extremely picky and fault you on the slightest transgressions. Don't try to hide anything from the inspector. Use the proper tools. Ie: don't use a bread knife to strip wires, or twist wires with your fingers. The inspector won't like it, and the results won't be that safe. And it takes longer. And you're more likely to stick a hunk of 12ga wire through your hand that way. Don't handle house wire when it's very cold (eg: below -10C or 16F). Thermoplastic house wire, particularly older types become very brittle. As you can see, getting the right answers to your questions can make the work a lot easier. You save time by doing it "the right way" from the first time and you save money because you won't need to hire an electrician to either do the entire job or to fix your screw-ups. In any case, no matter what you, be very careful when working on electricity! If needed cut down the entire power of your house just to be sure. Keep It Safe, -------------------------------------------------------- Nico De Baere is a licensed electrician with over 10 years of experience with home and industrial electric wiring. He is the author of the ebook Basic Electric Wiring which gives answers to 77 of the most ask questions on basic electric wiring. Visit his site now at http://www.basicelectricwiring.com ----------------------------------------------------
MORE RESOURCES:
Home-Improvement - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Complete Home Rehab In 10 Days This report is about taking a house and restoring it to an aesthetically pleasing dwelling that has reclaimed it's functional utility. In effect, it is the anti-aging medication for bricks and mortar. How To Artify Your Home Would you like to make your house feel more like a home? Is it comfortable enough, but not really special? If so, I have some easy 'arty' tips to make your environment that bit more special.Before you start making any alterations, or adding anything, you need to clean and declutter. Bamboo Flooring for the 21st Century Bamboo flooring has emerged as a new material for the commercial design market. It's unique look and earth friendly properties have made it popular for flooring and panels. Here Comes The Sun: Solar Energy is Becoming More Attractive for Mainstream Consumers The price of a barrel of oil has never been higher ($62.00+ in summer 2005 even before the chaos caused by Katrina). Can You Buy Luxury Home Brands Online and Save - Worry Free? Are you frustrated with the high prices you've been quoted for luxury home decor?What if you could safely take advantage of the great selection and value of online shopping for home decor items that are normally $1,000, $5,000, even $10,000?Here's some great news for people who need to bring their new dream home or home renovation costs under control.Multitudes are making the most of their dollars by shopping for bathtubs, bath fixtures, fireplaces, and kitchen fixtures online with "customer first" outlet sites. How to Build a Home Sauna - Three Important Questions to Answer Before Building Considering that home saunas are believed to produce numerous health benefits and provide a relaxing spa experience, it's no wonder than more and more people want to know how to build a home sauna. The answer to this question depends on several factors, including your budget, the space available, and how handy you are. Refinishing A Hardwood Floor Want to bring your hardwood floors back to their former beauty, but don't have the money? Then read on for some tips on how you can refinish the floor yourself.If you have the time and don't mind doing the work, then refinishing your floors yourself is a great option but before starting out, it's not a bad idea to get an estimate from a professional so you can compare the cost of doing it yourself to what they would charge. Five Easy Ways to Give Your Kitchen Designer Wow! A beautiful kitchen is the heart of any home (even for those of us who spend most of our cooking time around the microwave!) Time spent together in the kitchen can bring a family closer together and make wonderful memories (although my own memories of doing dishes as a teenager are less than pleasant - something about dishwater being *disgusting!*) Turning your plain kitchen into something special isn*t as hard as you might think. Here are a few simple ideas which can make your kitchen a designer showcase. Basement Dehumidifiers Basements are the most common location for dehumidifiers. Because of their low elevation and lack of air circulation, the air can moisten and stay moist for a long period of time. Make Your Home Secure The following list offers some inexpensive ways to make your home secure:* Do not leave a ladder outside of your home. A thief could easily, and they do, gain entrance to a second story window. A Checklist for Bathroom Remodeling Plans Careful planning is the key to a successful bathroom-remodeling project. Before you begin any work in the bathroom, create a budget, a floor plan, a list of supplies, a timetable, and important legal considerations. How To Choose House Style Mailboxes Your mailbox is not simply a receptacle for your mail; it is an extension of your home and a statement of your good taste. You can find extraordinary house style mailboxes that will be a beautiful addition to your outdoor décor. Planning Permission Tips UK - What To Show And What Not To Show On Your application Drawings Many successful business deals are the result of being a bit canny with the information that you already know - keeping a tight lip when needed and only letting the other side know just the bare minimum requirement of information and never laying all your cards onto the table. Successful negotiators use this tactic all the time. Log Homes - Finding the Perfect Log Home Plan One of the first steps in building a log home is deciding on a floorplan. Many people spends months, or even years, searching for the perfect plan. Using A Hardwood Floor Sander Refinishing your hardwood floors yourself can be time consuming and a bit scary at first but well worth it in the long run. It can cost a bundle to hire a professional to refinish your floors for you, but if you have the time, you can do it yourself. The Cost of Remodeling a Bathroom Before beginning any bathroom remodeling, you should create a budget. Pick an amount of money you can reasonably afford, and then check the costs of supplies to estimate what you can do in your remodeling project. Planning For a New Deck Part of the fun of a new deck is the planning! When you plan your deck, you can let your imagination run wild and add all kinds of fun features. As your planning process moves forward, you can whittle down your design to a more practical (and buildable) plan. Finishing Your Basement Can be Very Rewarding Transforming your home's basement into a finished space can prove to be very rewarding. Frequently the additional living space is used for a variety of entertainment functions including: Recreation Rooms, Bars, Gyms, Billiard Rooms, Home Theatres and Family Rooms. Maintaining Your Hot Tub Purchasing a hot tub is a big investment and one that should not be taken lightly. Hot tubs cost thousands of dollars and if not maintained properly they can become ineffective within just a few months. Conservatory Planning Permission in the UK It is quite unusual in the UK for a new conservatory to require planning permission. However, as we shall continually state in this article it is always sensible to check with your local authority.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
