Efficient Electrical House Wiring Techniques

Are you someone who has the knowledge and skills to carry out a house electrical wiring job and is looking for wiring plans or tips on how to more effectively carry out the task? Dealing with electricity is no simple task and is, hence, better left to the pros. However, given that you have the know-how in electrical house wiring tips, you can take advantage in learning these basic tips in installing electrical wiring.

First, it's a fact that a soundly-planned electrical house wiring layout is one of the secrets to the overall orderliness in a home and efficiency of electrical wiring. Notice how badly laid out plans can cause ugly cables to protrude around corners or become noticeable in some areas.

Steps in installing electrical house wiring

Similar to other electrical installations, there are electrical house wiring protocols that electricians follow vis-à-vis home construction. This is purportedly to prevent ugly cables from sticking out �C an occurrence that is not uncommon in poorly laid-out electrical plans.

Your first consideration is to identify the unique wiring needs in each room, such as the home entertainment system, ceiling wiring for bedroom electrical fans, wiring shed and patios for electricity, among others.

Most electrical house wiring projects are done when a house construction is towards completion, that is, the doors, windows, and roof have been installed. It is during this phase that installing electrical wirings is best accomplished. Wall and ceiling lighting are also preferably installed during this phase, or at least, laid out so that all switches and sockets can be installed before dry walling.

Electrical wiring considerations

Switches

Consider using several switches for a single light for the first and second levels of your home. This is for ease of use and helps reduce utility bills because, after all, you only get to use all the light at the same time sparingly. It's also best to install dual switches for fans and lighting.

You might want to coordinate with the electrician if it's better to use photoelectric cell for use on the outside portions of the house as well as in pathways. There should also be a separate type of electrical installation around the garage and the back of your house. In such case, motion detection sensors optimize the electrical equipment in these areas.

You can anticipate that the family would be using other smaller appliances or electrical equipment would on kitchen counters or in the bathroom, such as blow dryers, electric beaters, electric can openers, etc. Thus, installing additional outlets on these fixtures makes things a lot easier for the entire household. Computers, alarm systems, entertainment rooms, ceiling fans, and the like should have special wiring to prevent short-circuit incidents.

Getting started

If you are working with an architect and electrician, you probably are looking over a plan with all the spec sheets. Make sure to coordinate with these people so you can oversee the construction. The house electrical wiring plan should also meet local standards to obtain a building permit, as required by law.

Most house electrical wiring layouts have been pre-approved by the designated government agencies. Thus, you need to always work closely with the legal bureau as well as the people working on your electrical wiring installation. Furthermore, it is for this reason that house electrical wiring projects should be left to professionals who possess the skills and license to device a plan.

Plans are most likely obscured with electrical jargons, complicated formulas, and codes which only the professionals can decipher. You can save yourself from the dirty work by hiring electricians and working under a layout to keep house electrical wiring as orderly as possible.

The Importance of Earthing Electrical Wiring

When working on an electrical wiring project, one term you will come across is the "earth." The earth is an important concept with electrical wiring because the earth does not carry a current. As such, any electricity will flow to the earth if it escapes from an electric flex or cable. This phenomenon occurs because the neutral wire is purposely connected to the earth in order to help prevent someone from getting shocked by the electricity.

How Does an Electrical Shock Occur?

Getting an electrical shock occurs when you accidentally touch a live conductor. When you do this, the current flows through you and down to the floor. It then goes through the wall through the earth and ends up back in the supply transformer. The current goes back to the supply transformer through one or more of the earth connections that are in the transformer neutral. In effect, you complete the electrical circuit when you touch the live conductor.

Avoiding an Electrical Shock

Obviously, the best way to avoid getting an electrical shock is to avoid touching a live conductor. Sometimes, however, there may be a fault in the wiring that causes a shock to occur. To help prevent faults from occurring all electrical earths of a circuit as well as the conductive parts may be bonded together. This way, if a fault does occur, the conductive parts will be at the same voltage and a shock won't occur.

It is also important to note that water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Therefore, even more care must be taken when installing wiring in places such as the bathroom where water is commonly used. For this reason, there are a number of special rules for bathrooms that have been established by the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Namely, all metal parts in the bathroom have to be connected with an earth cable. This way, it can collect the current and voltage from any leaks and can equalize it.

Getting the Proper Knowledge

Getting an electrical shock is a serious concern when working with electricity. It is also necessary to take certain precautions in order to prevent shock from occurring later if a leak were to occur. Therefore, it is best to leave this type of electrical work to professionals. If you wish to complete earth work on your own, it is a good idea to take an electrical course to help you learn more about electrical wiring and how to properly earth the wires. This way, you can be certain you and your loved ones will be safe.

Common Types of Electrical Wiring Used In Homes

Your home is wired with different types of wire. Each has its specific use to accommodate the load and conditions it is exposed to. Let’s examine what each type is and how it is used in the home’s electrical system.

1. Triplex Wire

Triplex is an aerial cable that the utility company uses to feed the power pole. This wire ties to the wires sticking out of the weather head.

2. Main Feeder Wires
These wires are usually type THHN wire and are rated for 125% of the load required. These are usually black insulated wires coming out of the service weather head.




3. Panel Feed Wires
These wires are also type THHN, like the main feeders. A typical 100-amp service would have a #2 THHN set of wires. They would then be rated at 125 amps. This would protect the wires if the amperage was a full 100 amps.




4. Non-Metallic Sheathed Wire (NM)

This wire, commonly called Romex, is a plastic coated wire that has either two or three conductors and a bare ground wire. This is the typical wiring used in most homes. The rating for this wire is either 15 amps, 20 amps, or 30 amps, depending on the installation.

5. Single Strand Wire

When you home is piped, you’ll have to have another type of wire. Single strand wire is insulated and many of these can be pulled into the same pipe. Normally, you’ll be using THHN wire for this installation.

Best Tips for Electrical Troubleshooting?

Electrical troubleshooting is a standard, logical process of elimination used to determine the root cause of a problem. An electrician normally performs these techniques, but they can be easily learned and completed by the average person. It is important to think about safety first when working with electricity. Check every wire to see if it is live before touching it. Wear rubber-soled boots and be careful to avoid electrocution.

There are three steps to electrical troubleshooting: identify the problem, localize the issue, and repair it. All three steps can be applied to any electrical problem. Electricity connections are fairly simple to understand and can be easily diagnosed.

The first step of electrical troubleshooting is to identify the actual problem. If the electricity is not working, determine if the problem is related to a specific area, or widespread. Widespread electrical outages are the responsibility of the electricity company. Look at the electricity availability in the neighborhood to determine how widespread the issue is.

If the problem is limited to a specific area of your home, go to your . All the in a building is run through a circuit breaker box. The different areas of the home are divided into circuits. Any surge in power supply that exceeds a specific value causes the circuit breaker to activate or trip, which stops the flow of electricity to that area. To correct this, the circuit breaker must be reset or replaced.

To understand how the circuits work, read the electrical schematic drawings. These large drawings provide a map of all the electrical wiring in the home. It will show you which outlets are connected to each other and how the electricity is managed. Using this drawing, you can understand how the wiring is completed. This information is critical when you are using electrical troubleshooting techniques.

Schematic drawings are available for all electrical equipment, buildings, and vehicles. These drawings are mandatory and are used by safety agencies to confirm the correct protections are in place. Localize the issue to the area causing the electrical problem. You can then identify the necessary steps to correct it. Always turn off the main power before attempting any work on electrical systems.