Tips for Stress free life > Expert Zone > Home Improvement
Home Improvement Tips
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Tips for Stress free life > Expert Zone > Home Improvement Home Improvement Tips |
|
|
|
|
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:
Debt-Relief - Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Hardwood Floors: Beautiful, But a Pain to Keep Clean Hardwood Floors are beautiful to look at and expensive to install. But keeping them clean is not necessarily the easiest thing to do. Hardwood Floors - 7 Tips For Selecting Perfect Flooring DESIGN STYLESWith thousands of colors and styles to select from today it can seem like a daunting task to make the right flooring choice. To narrow the field down it is recommended that you select a flooring style that complements your overall interior design style. Housing and Smart Houses; Energy Self Sufficient Possibilities Housing and smart houses. I believe that we could have avoided this upcoming Natural Gas Shortage by building smarter and more efficient homes. How House Plans Work The Ins and Outs Of Choosing Online Custom Home Plans!So you've decided to build your own home, congratulations! Now where do you go from here?If you are a first timer, it is sometimes confusing figuring out how house plans work. House plans, sometimes referred to as home floor plans, are easily deciphered once you understand the basics. What Are The Benefits of Radiant Heating: How Do They Compare With Other Heating Applications Some of the benefits of radiant heatComfort: Let your bare feet soak up the warmth of soothing heat without the dust and noise associated with other heating sources. Enjoy evenly distributed heat throughout your home kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and basement. Planning Permission Tips UK - Pre-application Enquiries to the Council - Is the Delay Worthwhile? The holiday season is now in full swing & for about the next 6 weeks we tend to see a noticeable downturn in the level of new enquiries which I think is pretty much typical amongst most services. This, for us, is a time when we normally attend to the updating & improvement of our internal administration, so the forecasted lull over the coming weeks will be put to good use. Planning Permission Tips UK - Is Todays Popular Quest For Contemporary Design The New Bad Taste Can you remember when people used to install slatted louvre windows as replacement units in their Victorian semis or the stone cladding revolution of the 1980's.We look back & 'tut tut' at these blunders with a comfortable glow of self satisfaction that we would never make such obvious design & development errors in our own projects - we have a far greater sense of good taste haven't we?Trends in the residential development world seem to go in huge swings of about 7 to 10 year cycles and it is often not until the end of one cycle we realise what the mistakes were which is usually triggered by the complete abandonment of the previous trend or methodology for another system. Choosing a Vinyl Replacement Window Contractor Whenever I write an article, it's usually tailored to the do-it-yourself homeowner to help them save some money on the high cost of labor these days. This article is for the "not so handy" homeowner who wants to have new vinyl windows installed in their home. Natural Gas vs Charcoal Grills - Which One Is Right For You? Barbequing outdoors is a pleasure that anyone can partake in and with so many types of grills available you can practically cook anywhere. One exception to the list is a natural gas grill which needs a permanent hook up. Stair Railings Styles The stair railing at home is more than a simple way to get from a floor to another. You can create an extension of your personal likes in decoration, with ornamental parts of wood, iron and other material easy to install that will increase the value of your home at the same time. Replacing Steel Casement Windows I have been getting quite a few emails from homeowners wanting to know how to replace their old steel casement windows. Those are the type with the handle that you crank and the window opens outward. Use Ladders Safely The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that eachyear more than 511,000 people are treated for cuts, bruisesand fractured bones from improper use of ladders. Morethan 300 people a year die from ladder related injuries. Enjoy The Beauty Of Hardwood With The Endurance Of Laminate Flooring Everyone likes the beautiful, timeless look of hardwood floors. Elegant, yet simple, hardwood is stunning. You Say Jacuzzi and I Say Whirlpool What's in a name? Whirlpool baths have been around forever, right? If it weren't for the Jacuzzi brothers in 1956, we wouldn't have the fantastic whirlpool baths of today. According to the Jacuzzi Company, the brothers invented the first pump that could be placed in a bathtub, circulating the water to aid arthritic aches and pains. How to build an energy-efficient home There are just a few important things to know and to remember, when building an energy-efficient home. These are; insulation, air intrusion, thermal mass, and that windows and holes in the wall of the house lose about the same amount of energy. House Plans - Research Is Key When you think about building your new home consider your needs and your lifestyle. If you are newlyweds your choices will be different from a couple who is ready to retire and is looking for a smaller home. Deck Building Ledger - The Secrets to Successful Deck Construction The Deck Building Ledger holds all the secrets to successful deck construction because it is the essential piece of wood that connects your deck to your home and from which all other measurements are taken.Choose the piece of lumber for your ledger carefully, hold it up and look down the side of the wood to check for irregularities like warping and twisting. Soy Candles? What Will They Think of Next? Quick: What comes to mind when you think of soy candles? Before my formal introduction to soy candles, I thought organic (read expensive) and BEIGE! And not just the color beige, but beige as an overall description for soy candles-blah like baby food, ground chick peas, and a pale winter pallor. I had no idea why it would even occur to anyone to purchase a soy candle. What Does It Take To Be An Interior Designer? When trying to decide if Interior Design is right for you, it helps to know what that really means. Interior Design is not simply the profession that "makes rooms and places pretty"; it takes a little bit more than that. Light Up Your Kitchen with the Right Lighting! The proper lighting in a room can make or break it. With lighting, you can create a soft, cozy room for reading and relaxing.
|
|
You are here |
|
| Home Improvement | Home Improvement - Complete list | |
|
| Main Home | | Meditation Corner | |
|
|
| Recommend us | |
|
[About
us] [Contact] [Privacy
Policy]
Copyright 2006, Meditation
is Easy.com, All
rights reserved
