Electricity is very powerful, and you should take some precautions before you decide to venture into electrical wiring.  While electricity can be intimidating and very dangerous, if you follow basic electrical wiring rules and tips, you could be able to tackle various electrical issues without having to contact a professional.

WARNING:  When working with any form of electrical circuit, ALWAYS make sure to shut the power off at the source.  Understand that the source is not at the light switch, it is at the main electrical service box.  Be sure to shut off the power at the main service box and indicate on the door that you are working on the power.  This will eliminate someone trying to turn it back on while you are working on it.

Basic Facts about Electrical Wiring:

• Electrical power travels at the speed of light.  Electricity must have a continuous path to ground.  This includes all 120 volt alternating current circuits (120 VAC).  The ground is the earth.  Household wiring has two types of wiring for accomplishing the return path for the electricity.  The first wire is generally called a white wire ground.  This wire is part of every household circuit.  The second wire is an emergency or earth ground.  It is considered the conductor and is a bare copper wire found in most household wiring.

• If you have an older home, you may not have the secondary grounding method.  In this case, new wiring should be of the three wire type “Romex”, which uses a bare copper wire as the grounding conductor.

• The wire that is black in a 120 VAC circuit system is the hot conductor.  This is the wire that carries the electricity to your appliances and lights.   It also connects to the end of the circuit breaker or fuse connection.  

• In a wiring system that has 240 VAC, both wires will carry a 120 VAC power to the appliance.  These two wires are connected to a special circuit breaker that is double or ganged.  This circuit breaker is generally used for the higher amperage appliances, such as your stove or water heater.  In a 240 VAC, the white wire can be used for carrying current and not as a ground wire.  The bare copper wire is the ground and is connected to the metal parts of the appliance.

Basic Tools for Electrical Wiring

• Screwdrivers:  Have two types of screwdrivers:  slotted head screwdriver and a Phillips head screwdriver.  The slotted screwdriver comes in a small head and a large head.  The large head is great for prying open new junction box openings.  The small head is great for making the wire connections to any switches, receptacles and appliances.

• Wire Pliers:  Have two types of wire pliers, which are:  regular flat-jawed pliers and a needle nose pliers.  There will be a wire cutter built into the jaws.   They should have thick insulation handle grips.

• Wire Strippers:  These should have multiple holes for wire stripping.  They are great for eliminating excessive wire nicking that can cause breakage and failure to your wiring circuit.

• Circuit Tester:  These are easy to use and are inexpensive.  An LED lights up when one or more wires is electrified. It will help to locate proper circuit breaker when you want to shut it off.  

• Multi-Meter:  These range in price.  The cheaper models are not recommended as they can be inaccurate.  This is because the wire that leads the multi-meter is generally super thin and a high voltage can cause over heating, which can cause a severe burn. 

• Electrical Tape:  It is important to check the UL rating on electrical tape.  If the tape does not carry the Underwriters Laboratory marks, do not purchase it.  This tape may fail.

• Wire Nuts:  The wire nuts you purchase for making multiple wire connections should be of quality, as well.  Make a mechanical connection to your wires with flat jawed pliers and then apply the wire nut connectors.  Consider applying a layer of black tape to help maintain a solid, moisture free connection.

Now that you are more familiar with electrical wire 101 basics and have been introduced to the electrical wiring tools, you are set to tackle some simple DIY electrical wiring projects.  Remember to always shut off the electrical power at the electrical box.

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Comments (8)

• |2010-03-09 11:27:45 mike freeman
  i am buying a hot tub and it needs to have its own spur from cosumer unit which is 15mtrs away .what type of wire should be used? it needs a 25amp fuse also
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• |2011-08-12 12:03:33 clint
  Hi!Mike,
  Question,will wire be buried? if so use wire
  for under ground application.On a run this far
  I would use a 10/3 wire,if you're putting wire
  in conduit(electrical)stranded wire of correct
  color (single strands)is more flexable and
  easier to work with.This size wire will carry
  enough current to throw the breaker,if breaker
  carries more current than the wire, the
  wire could over heat and cause and electrical
  fire. Hope this helps.
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• |2011-04-03 14:13:58 Joel
  I am trying to run the travel trailer on a 110 outside recepticle of my home. The AC and using the vacuum cause the circut breaker to blow. The breaker is a 20 amp unit and the trailer runs fine on a 30 amp circut. Can I simply remove a 20 am breaker at the fuse box and replace it with a 30 amp breaker? Will the wire handle the incresed amperage or does it have to be changed as well? Thnaks.
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• |2011-06-28 22:12:09 Bob
  Mike, Joel, you are both retarded. Your questions are stupid, no one will answer them.
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• |2011-09-13 10:58:45 Sandy  - Ground wire
  Can you double tap a neutral ground wire on a strip?
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• |2011-12-02 16:45:30 Anonymous  - wiring
  When using the 3 wire system, of red, white, and black, and wiring to a standard 3 wire of green white and black, understanding that the green is ground on this system, but the red wire is confusing.
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• |2012-01-18 19:53:22 rob  - slider reostat
  I want to 'manage' the power going to certain of my woodwork shop tools much like the control one can get in a light dimmer or an overhead fan. I have a Leviton Slider unit labelled "for permanently installed incandscent fixtures only" (stamped) on the unit. I want to wire it into a "patch" plug in/out extension that I can use to manage RPMs for a drill press/turner. This unit has 2 black, 1 white, and 1 red wire, and a ground. 1) can I use this unit for what I want? (600w rating) AND How do I wire it to a 3-wire "cable" with male and female ends? Rob
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• |2012-02-03 20:11:07 Dan  - outlets
  How many outlets in a home could be on one circut and how high from the floor is correct? Thanks Dan
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