Electrical Information

Subscribe to the D.I.Y. newsletter!

Click è

d.i.y. home improvement newsletter

Blog

New Pages

Main Index

New Product Showcase

Bathroom

Electrical

Flooring

Kitchen

Landscaping

     

A

Additions

Air Cleaners

Air Conditioning

Air Quality

Appliances

Articles

Asphalt Driveway

Attic

 

B

Backsplash

Basement

Bathroom

Before & After Pictures

Blinds

Building Permits

 

C

Cabinets

Calculators

Carpet

Caulking

Ceilings

Concrete

Condensation

Construction

Contractor

Converters

Cork

Countertops

 

D

Decks

Demolition

Design / Layout

Doors

Driveways

Drywall

 

E

Electrical

Environmental

Exterior

 

F

Fans

Faucets

Fences

Financing

Fireplace

Fixtures

Flooring

 

G

Gardening

Garage

Glass Blocks

 

H

Heating

Hot Water Systems

Humidity

 

I

Insulation

 

K

Kitchen

 

L

Laminate Flooring

Landscaping

Lead Based Paint

Lighting

Luxurious Materials

 

M

Mold & Moisture

 

P

Painting

Patio

Plumbing

Publications

 

R

Roofing

Roofs

 

S

Safety

Security

Sinks

Skylights

Stairs

Steel Studs

Structured Wiring

 

T

Tile - Flooring

Toilets

Tools

 

V

Vacuums

Ventilation

Vinyl Flooring

 

W

Wallpaper

Walls

Window Decor

Windows

Wood Flooring

 
   
 
 
   
diy home design software and plans  
   
diy home design software and plans  
   
   

 

Electrical repairs, changes and enhancements in a home are an accepted part of home ownership.

Many items, such as repairing or adding a switch or receptacle, hanging a fan with a light or wiring a basement are items which a handyman should be able to complete with relative ease.

 

 

 

The following list will guide you to additional information on each aspect of electrical repair and improvement for your home.

 

3-way switch - switch fixture switch

3-Way Switch Installation

A 3-way switch is used to turn a light fixture "OFF" and "ON" from two locations.

4 way switch with power to light fixture

4-Way Switch Installation

A 4-way switch is used to turn a light fixture "OFF" and "ON" from three or more locations.

block wiring diagram

Addition / Basement Wiring

If you are planning on finishing a basement or adding an addition to your home one of the requirements to consider is what items will need electrical service.

fire in electrical box with aluminum and copper wires

Aluminum Wiring

When the approval agencies in the early 60's approved the use of aluminum wiring in homes, they did it without a lot of thought or testing.

afci circuit breaker

Arc Fault (AFCI)

A new electrical safety device for homes, called an arc fault circuit interrupter or AFCI, is expected to provide enhanced protection from fires resulting from these unsafe home wiring conditions.

ceiling fan with light

Ceiling Fan Wiring Diagrams

To understand how to wire a new ceiling fan and or ceiling fan light combo unit in your home you must first understand the basics of how the fans and lights are powered.

christmas tree with lights

Installing Christmas Lights -  Indoors,    Outdoors

Christmas season is upon us and as we commence to decorate our homes with lights it is important to remember that overloading electrical circuits is a common occurrence at this time of year.

PVC conduit accessories

Conduit

PVC electrical conduit is an easy product to work with.  A hacksaw, or a conduit cutter, if you are planning on doing a lot of conduit work, and a tape measure are the only tools required.

wiring for a 120 VAC receptacle

Electricity 101

Working with electricity, to make an electrical device such as a light go on or off is very simple if you follow some basic guidelines and absorb the basic principles.

extension cord

Extension Cords

One of the most common mistakes that is made during any renovation or construction project is using the wrong size extension cord to supply electricity to power tools.  This mistake is made be contractors and home handymen alike.

fishing electrical wires

Fishing Electrical Wires And Cables

With walls and ceilings finished getting a new electrical circuit, the continuation of an older electrical circuit, cable, satellite feeds or speaker wires from point A to point B generally requires a lot of thought and ingenuity.

residential electrical service

Fuse Panel To Breaker Panel

Electrical distribution fuse panels have become obsolete and in many jurisdictions a homeowner cannot get home insurance if they have a fuse panel installed.

GFCI circuit breaker and receptacle

Ground Fault (GFCI)

The GFCI is designed to protect people from severe or fatal electric shocks Because a GFCI detects ground faults, it can also prevent some electrical fires and reduce the severity of others by interrupting the flow of electric current.

 

lighting information

IP Ratings

IP ratings are used where water is present near the light source. IP ratings ("Ingress Protection") are also used in conjunction with zones.

kitchen remodel

Kitchen Remodel Wiring

Receptacles Relative To Countertops

The kitchen area requires more power than any other area in a home.  If you have an older home, you may face the problem of not having enough additional or spare circuits available to properly supply power to your new and updated kitchen.

electrical fire from knob and tube wiring 2

Knob & Tube Wiring

Knob and tube wiring has not been used in homes since the 1950's and the question that must be asked, is how has it been maintained and upgraded.

outdoor wiring

Landscape      Install An Outlet     Wiring

If you have a need to provide power in your landscaping project for lighting and motors such as pond pumps, there are some things that you should consider.

motion detector

Motion Detector Installation    Adjusting Sensitivity

A motion detector is an automatic switch.  Many outdoor light fixtures have built in or integral motion detectors.  However in many cases it is desirable to have the motion detector separate from the light fixture.

outbuilding electrical power

Outbuilding Power

Most individuals require power in all buildings on their property, and if that building is not physically connected to the house, you will need to run the power from the home to the outbuilding.

home electrical service

Panels

Your home’s electricity is delivered to your home through overhead wires or an underground feed.  This feed is connected to your electrical meter socket.

position of receptacle and switch boxes on wall studs

Positioning Receptacles & Switches

If you are adding an addition, finishing a basement or performing any major remodel that involves the addition of receptacles and / or switches you should consider their height and location.

heating mat for electric radiant heat for bathroom remodel

Radiant Electric

There are so many beautiful flooring materials for bathrooms, kitchens, and family rooms, yet they all have a major drawback.  They are cool and sometimes very cold to the touch.

receptacle

Receptacle- Replacing        

Installing New Receptacle On An Existing Circuit

Installing An Outdoor Receptacle

The vast majority of home electrical receptacles fall into 5 categories (the style of the receptacle (standard or decorator) does not change how it is installed:

receptacle positioning in a room

Receptacle Positions In Living Areas

The National Electrical Code (NEC) provides maximum distances from walls and other obstructions and between individual receptacles.  This is called the 6 / 12 rule.

re-rounting electrical wire / cable 1

Rerouting Electrical Cable / Wire

Anytime one considers opening up a wall for a pass-through, doorway or as a combining of two rooms, you face the possibility of finding cables and wires running through the area that you want to remove.

two wires on a breaker

Splitting Two Wires On A Breaker

Having two wires or circuits on a breaker generally occurs because the home has required additional receptacles or lighting.

standby generator

Stand-by Generators     Transfer Switch Wiring

Stand-by generators provide security and a level of comfort in the event of a utility power failure.  They can maintain indoor climate, provide lighting, keep food from spoiling and allow a family to function.

structured wiring for a home remodel or improvement

Structured Wiring

Structured wiring is the term used to describe a relatively new method of providing service throughout your home for all of your low voltage requirements.

electrical sub-panel installation

Sub-Panel Installation

An electrical sub-panel provides you with additional electrical circuits.  It does not change the amount of power available to the home.

lightning hitting home remodel or improvement

Surge Protection - Whole House

If you are upgrading your home electrical service, you should consider the addition of a “whole house” surge protector.

wiring a light with switch

Switch Installation

Lights with pull cords are a common occurrence in basements and closets and as most are not overly aesthetic many homeowners wish to change them to a standard light fixture with a switch.

switch and receptacle

Switches & Receptacles

The most common and least expensive is the toggle on/off switch.  This switch controls the power running in an electrical circuit.  With the switch in the off position the continuity of the circuit is broken with the switch in the on position the circuit continuity is completed.

telephone jack

Telephone Jack Installation

Installing a new telephone jack in your home is not a complex project.  The greatest amount of difficult is to get the cable from any currently live telephone jack or open piece of wire to the location of the new telephone jack.

correct wiring of a switch or receptacle screw terminal

Troubleshooting Flickering Lights

Nothing is more frustrating in a home than having lights that blink or  work sometimes and not others.  Troubleshooting a flickering light electrical circuit can take hours, but with a little patience and planning you can find the problem and correct it.

 

attaching 2 wires to 1 terminal on a switch

Wire Connections (Terminals & Wire Nuts)

If you are undertaking any electrical project it is important that you follow some basic rules when it comes to stripping and terminating electrical wire.

cartridge fuse and internal link

Wire Gauges

Residential electrical wiring can be confusing at the best of times.  The size of the electrical service coming into the home and how to take that service and deliver the various power requirement through-out the home.

   

Manufacturers, Retailers, Dealers - Advertise on this page!

 

Contact

 

home electrical knowledge

copyright 2006/8 - all rights reserved

receptacle, switch, sub-panel