Understanding Home Wiring For DIY Projects
Understanding Home Wiring For DIY Projects
With the downfall in our economy many people have resorted to saving money by doing it yourself (DIY) methods and most are intimidated by home wiring. Yes, understanding electrical current can be a difficult concept to grasp because you can't see it, but you sure can feel it. This article will give you an overview of one part of home electrical wiring so that you may better understand home wiring for the DIY projects.
What is the Circuit Breaker Box?
Old "Sparky" (electricity) enters your home from your electric supplier into the breaker box or in older homes the fuse box. The power enters your main circuit breaker in the box at 220 Volts and 100 Amps. Your average household electrical accessories will run on 110 Volts, which can be achieved through dividing the 220 Volts. For example, two 110V (110 Volt) 20A (20 Amp) circuits are the same as one 220V 20A circuit. In most homes all electrical power is broken down into 110V and 220V circuit breakers at the circuit breaker box.
What is the purpose of the circuit breaker?
The purpose is to break the electrical circuit when too much amperage demand is put on the circuit. This will normally happen when you have too many electrical appliances running on the same circuit at the same time.
Understanding the Wiring
Not that you have power to your home being distributed by the circuit breakers at the circuit breaker box or fuse box, you will need to deliver the electrical juice to the plug in points for your appliances. This, of course, is done with electrical wiring.
Before running electrical wiring check with your local building codes as to what wiring you'll need to install. In most cases your code will specify 12 or 14 gauge nonmetallic cable, known as Romex. Inside your cable are color coded plastic coated copper wires. In older homes you may find aluminum wire, which is very dangerous and has been discontinued. All of your wiring is run through your framed walls and connected to switches or outlet boxes. You may find that many of the industrial look homes are now using exposed electrical conduit to run electrical wiring, which makes it very easy to work with.
What do the different color wires inside the Romex stand for?
Standard electrical wiring will use the black for the hot wire. You may find a few using blue or red for the hot wire. This wire will carry the electrical current for your appliances. The white wire is a neutral wire that returns the power. You'll find the grounding wire may be bare copper, or can exist of either green or yellow, and it gives the electrical current a source to ground with in case of a electrical failure.
Do's and Don'ts for electrical DIYers
* DO always turn off the breaker before working on anything, such as changing a ceiling fan, replacing a light switch, or installing a home theater.
* DO test wires with a meter.
* DON'T work off a metal ladder.
With the downfall in our economy many people have resorted to saving money by doing it yourself (DIY) methods and most are intimidated by home wiring. Yes, understanding electrical current can be a difficult concept to grasp because you can't see it, but you sure can feel it. This article will give you an overview of one part of home electrical wiring so that you may better understand home wiring for the DIY projects.
What is the Circuit Breaker Box?
Old "Sparky" (electricity) enters your home from your electric supplier into the breaker box or in older homes the fuse box. The power enters your main circuit breaker in the box at 220 Volts and 100 Amps. Your average household electrical accessories will run on 110 Volts, which can be achieved through dividing the 220 Volts. For example, two 110V (110 Volt) 20A (20 Amp) circuits are the same as one 220V 20A circuit. In most homes all electrical power is broken down into 110V and 220V circuit breakers at the circuit breaker box.
What is the purpose of the circuit breaker?
The purpose is to break the electrical circuit when too much amperage demand is put on the circuit. This will normally happen when you have too many electrical appliances running on the same circuit at the same time.
Understanding the Wiring
Not that you have power to your home being distributed by the circuit breakers at the circuit breaker box or fuse box, you will need to deliver the electrical juice to the plug in points for your appliances. This, of course, is done with electrical wiring.
Before running electrical wiring check with your local building codes as to what wiring you'll need to install. In most cases your code will specify 12 or 14 gauge nonmetallic cable, known as Romex. Inside your cable are color coded plastic coated copper wires. In older homes you may find aluminum wire, which is very dangerous and has been discontinued. All of your wiring is run through your framed walls and connected to switches or outlet boxes. You may find that many of the industrial look homes are now using exposed electrical conduit to run electrical wiring, which makes it very easy to work with.
What do the different color wires inside the Romex stand for?
Standard electrical wiring will use the black for the hot wire. You may find a few using blue or red for the hot wire. This wire will carry the electrical current for your appliances. The white wire is a neutral wire that returns the power. You'll find the grounding wire may be bare copper, or can exist of either green or yellow, and it gives the electrical current a source to ground with in case of a electrical failure.
Do's and Don'ts for electrical DIYers
* DO always turn off the breaker before working on anything, such as changing a ceiling fan, replacing a light switch, or installing a home theater.
* DO test wires with a meter.
* DON'T work off a metal ladder.
