You have an Electrical Project AND Questions!


Fried Freddy

I have answers! You realize that information on how to accomplish this project SAFELY, would be helpful. Electricity is straight forward once you understand a few basic safety rules.


Rule 1):

Always turn the power off in the circuit you are working on! I learned this the shocking way and survived, I suggest that you follow these rules so that you do not get seriously zapped! Do this in the electric panel where the breakers or fuses are. If you can not determine which breaker or fuse controls your circuit then turn off the main breaker or remove the main fuses. You do not want to end up like our friend, "Fried Freddy" here. ---------------->


Rule 2):

Always treat the wires that you are working on as if they were HOT(power ON), even when you are sure that they are turned off. Do not grab bare wires in both hands or ground yourself while holding a bare wire. No standing in puddles, wear rubber soled shoes, gloves can be nice, heavy ones will severely limit your dexterity, light leather or rubber/latex models work well.


Rule 3):

Never stand in water while working on electric circuits and if you are standing on fresh poured Green concrete, put a piece of plywood or other boards down to stand and walk on. Green concrete conducts electricity very well! I have felt it through rubber soles of my boots. What happens is the concrete acts as a ground plane capacitor with very mobile electrons that will gather a charge right under your feet and there is a coresponding charge build up in the feet. A very shocking experience!


Rule 4): Wire Colors, Residential, USA

Bare Copper________: Earth ground, or

Green_____________: Earth Ground, or

Green w/yellow stripe: Earth ground

Whited____________: Neutral/Return, tied to ground in service entrance panel only

Black______________: 120V to ground, phase 1, 240V to phase 2

Red_______________: 120V to ground, phase 2, 240V to phase 1

You should not run into other colored wire in residential wiring unless it was done by a weekend worrior who did not have the right colored wiring handy. Usually you will be working with "Romex" which has the Bare, White and Black, or Bare, White, Black and Red all bundled in a overall insulation cover.


Tools ):

Now that we are thinking safety, let us look at some tools that are very handy. Ideal and Knopp both make a very good selenoid voltage tester (wiggy), or you can use a digital volt meter (DVM). I use both a Fluke and a Meterman DVM, they each have special appications I have not found all in one meter. You will primarily need the AC voltage testing function and the continuity function is very handy also. Next we need some screw drivers. One #2 phillips and a pair of straight slots, (1/8 & 1/4). For grabbing and cutting the wire we need a pair of diagonal cutters. Again, I am assuming that you are fairly handy and have an assortment of tools.


Who am I and Why would you listen to me?

I started playing with electricity at 6 or 7 with electric trains, I would help other kids set up their trains, from there I started building electromagnetic toys for fun and amusement, as a teenager I did electrical systems in cars and trucks. Friends would build cars and I would take care of the electrical system for them.

When I was in the Navy I got a lot of electrical schooling, then got to work on big carrier based bomber and their radar navigation and bombing systems, keeping them flying. This is where I encountered my first computer experience, old electro-mechanical analog units. I worked in the computer industry too, as a tech and engineer. I love technology!

I have worked as an electrician for a long time helping many people and have held a California Electrical contractors License for 20+ years. My preferrence is residential electric and electronic systems design and installation. Power, lighting, telephone, cable, local area networks for internet, satellite internet, audio distribution. This is where I really get to help people to have a home that is electrically user friendly for them, especially my "Whole house, flow through Lighting systems" "I get to turn you ON and light you UP!"


What do You get from working with me?

It very much lights me up when I get to help people make their house the way they want to live in them, User Friendly. By using the internet, I am able to help many more of you get your electric needs taken care of because you are willing to do the work and I supply you with the "How To". This is called team work, the better the team, the more we can get done!


Codes ):

Codes are another set of rules, these tell us where electrical devices should be, and how many there need to be in a given area. In the United States we follow the National Electric Code (NEC). This is the basic minimum requirements that electrical installations should meet in this country. Other countries have their own set of regulations. As I said, the NEC is the minimum standard, local jurisdictions may adjust, change, modify or add to these requirements.


Example: California has their "Title 24 Energy Codes" Section 6, which modifies the NEC primarily in lighting and other electrical devices. Other forms of energy conservation are covered in the other sections of this set of energy codes.


If you are just changing switches or receptacles then you are working with existing layout and function. You are not as concerned about following the location codes since you are not really adding or moving anything.


The NEC is for basic useability, one switch for a luminary (light) in each room (NEC 210.70), it does not matter if there are four doors leading into the room. I place a switch by each entry point into a room, it is more user friendly that way and it exceeds the minimum code requirements. To do this, I use multiple switches (3 & 4 way). The wiring is very straight forward for me, and it is something that throws a lot of DIY people into frustration, even changing a 3 or 4 way switch. I will cover this in a later section. The only place the code calls for multiple switches is for stairways (NEC 210.70(A)(2)(c)), I like them at every entry/exit point into every room.


Receptacles, this is where you get to plug in for power, placement of receptacles is covered in (NEC 210.53) this article spans two pages and is quite detailed as to exactly how and where the minimum amount of receptacles are placed in just about room/location that you can think of. If you are designing or building a house OR an addition, then you will need to adhere to this section as a minimum. Remember, you can always put in more for your convenience.

I was in an older house (1970's) the other day and in the bedroom there were only two (2) receptacles, on opposite walls, and one light switch. the one light switch was OK except, it was behind the door when you open it to go into the room. Very inconvenient, the woman told me that she had lived there thirty years and had gotten used to it. She did say she wanted another receptacle on one of the empty walls.


If you are doing something like remodel of an existing room, adding one or more rooms or building a complete new house then you are going to become subject to the code requirements.


Topics to be covered.



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