Top 10 Residential Electrical Installation Tips You Need To Know
When it comes to residential electrical installation projects, it’s always a good idea to know the most important tips to help you DIY. But, of course, there’s no such thing as too much knowledge regardless of your experience. So even if you hire out the work, it’s important to know the top tips from the experts.
Electrical Installation Tips You Should Know
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When it comes to electrical installation repair, safety is always our first concern. Unfortunately, many folks enjoy DIY projects around the home but don’t realize how essential researching first is. That’s why the experts insist you know the dos and don’t beforehand. While it seems complicated and confusing, understanding the basic concepts and practices is essential.
More so, because of the intricacies regarding the electrical layout of your home, multiple ways exist for completing these projects. Depending on the type of job you’re focusing on, any electrical chore consists of numerous stages. Even the most experienced electrician can become confused on a job with intricate steps.
Below, you’ll find the top ten residential electrical installation tips to help you along the way on your projects.
1 – Uncoil Cables First
Primarily, this translates into prep work, but it will make the overall wiring job go a lot smoother. For example, when preparing a house for electricity, normally, you have to pass the cable through framing holes and sheetrock. Any electrician will tell you that uncoiling cables are vital for simplifying a job.
More so, if the cable uncoils first, you’ll find this task much easier and a lot neater. After you map out your route, slowly walk the distance of the cable and uncoil it as you go, stretching it to the space you plan on using. Above all, you’ll find it much easier needing an extra hand to uncoil it. And this holds while you’re in the middle of the job as well.
2 – Pack Electrical Boxes Neatly – And Electrical Installation Project Must!
If you’ve ever done electrical work, you know how important it is to keep things neat and labeled. Whenever you have to return to boxes and areas of importance later, subsequent work will be much simpler if you do it neatly the first time. Therefore, it pays to stow away everything in a good Storage Organizer for every electrical installation project.
Additionally, it’s always essential to properly identify important wires. And this includes placing caps on hot cables, so you know what you’re working with the second time around. Remembering to do something as simple as packing boxes neatly and labeling can mean distinguishing between risking shock and walking away unharmed next time. When it comes to electrical installation, staying organized and neat matters.
3 – Remove Sheathing From Underground Feeder Cables
Underground feeder cable can be buried directly into the ground without running it through a conduit. And this is because of the wrapping in the durable plastic sheathing. However, this sheathing can be extremely difficult to remove.
Whenever you desire to remove the sheathing, separate the black and white wires from the exposed copper. You can do this by grabbing each with a pair of pliers and twisting them. Do this for a distance of about one foot. When it comes to electrical installation, this step is essential.
Afterward, grab the end of the wires with one pair of plyers and the sheathing with another pair and maneuver them apart. Once the sheathing is open at the top, split the duration with a sharp razor, and you’re good to go.
4 – No-Snag Connections
Whenever you finally get fish-tape to the intended destination, the last thing you want is to get it stuck on a wall when you pull it back. Above all, you can avoid this by using the following trick with a fish tape kit.
Strip an eight-inch cable section and remove all but one wire, cutting them at a steep angle. Wrap the wire around the loop at the end of your fish tape, then wrap the entire setup with electrical tape. The electrical tape will stop anything from snagging during subsequent use.
5 – Check The Entire Wall
Once you find a wall cavity between two studs using a stud finder, you’ll want to do some additional investigating for additional obstacles. First, run your stud finder up and down to look for things like abandoned headers. Above all, this ensures you can continue to run your wire where you intend to.
6 – Mandatory Tools For Electrical Installation Projects
You’ll need some very important tools to complete certain portions of your wiring job. For example, flex-bits and glow rods are vital when fishing wires and pulling them through obstacles. Every electrician keeps these tools on hand when they’re completing a job.
Flex bits can drill holes in spaces that are extremely hard to access. They normally come in five- and six-foot options, but you can always purchase extensions. Use a glow rod to start your fishing wire to pull your cables through.
Glow rods didn’t get their name by accident. They light up in the dark, making it easier to see when you’re fishing your wires for your electrical installation project.
7 – Extra Wire
When you’re fishing wire, you want to make sure there’s enough distance to hook onto it. Once you’ve finally caught the wire, you don’t want to lose it in the middle of pulling. Making sure you have six to seven feet of extra wire can help you avoid losing hold of any wire. Primarily, this lets you keep plenty of tension on the hook when you’re pulling it.
8 – Label Roughed-In Wires
Always make sure to identify wires when you install them, even when they’re not in electrical boxes. Using labels can be a good idea, but sometimes these labels wipe off.
Using some form of color coding or some other type of identification system helps you out later. It’s always vital to understand which wires are line cables and load cables. Usually, any electrician will label wires to assist you and future contractors if more work arises.
9 – Always Test
Don’t mistake getting ahead of yourself when performing electrical work. It’s not uncommon for individuals to grab lengths of wire to pull them without testing them first. Sometimes this can give you quite a surprise.
To avoid electric shock, always test any wiring before you touch it. Doing so can save you a ton of pain in the long run.
10 – Test GFCI Outlets For All Electrical Installation Projects
Sometimes the test button on outlets doesn’t work when you need them to. Although these buttons can be lifesaving, like any other component, they tend to fail.
Use a circuit tester that has its GFCI button. Plug the tester in and press the button. For example, If the power goes off to it, then it means it works. If it doesn’t, then it means you need to replace it.
Above all, if you need assistance with any wiring in your home, you should never hesitate to contact a professional electrician. More so, this can end up saving you a lot of time in the long run and lowers your chances of injury. Remember, when it comes to your electrical installation projects, safety first is a must!
If you plan on some renovations this year, you’ll want to avoid some of the top home renovation mistakes. In addition, stay on top of your projects the right way with confidence and research.
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