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Electrical Wire - Page 2 of 8

Most of us will think of the electrical system in our home as what’s easily visible: outlets, lights switches, overhead lights, and, for the more adventurous, the main panel in the basement. But, like plumbing, wiring is mostly a system that is hidden from view. It consists mainly of a few hundred yards of wires of various gauges buried in the walls and tucked into the ceiling.

Installing an electrical system is a job best left to a licensed professional, mainly because of the inherent dangers of working with electricity. Unlike a botched plumbing job or poorly installed tile, an improper electrical connection can kill, or reduce a house to ashes. Yet there are many situations where some intervention by an unlicensed homeowner or builder is necessary, and learning the basics can lower the risks for those who exercise some caution.

What about installing an arc-fault breaker, or replacing a faulty light switch? If you’ve just renovated a bathroom or built a new utility room, maybe you’d like to consider wiring it as well. Not planning to jump in and wire up your new outdoor lights? That’s OK. There are still advantages to having the basics under your belt — to know when 12-gauge wire is fine but 14-gauge wire is not, to know whether that funky ground-fault circuit interrupter in the bathroom should be swapped out for a new one.

Whatever your comfort level, look for good advice from Fine Homebuilding’s team of experienced professionals. They’ll be able to walk you through just about any thing you may find yourself up against.

  • Electric Students Wire the FHB House Basement

    These kids are a "tornado of future electricians up on ladders and down on their knees nailing on boxes, drilling holes, and pulling cable."

  • How to Splice Wires

    A step-by-step lesson on joining wires together in an electrical box.

  • How to Wire a Bathroom: Running Cable to the Boxes

    This episode covers Cliff's technique for drilling holes, and pulling and attaching cable.

  • How to Wire a Bathroom: Make a Code-Compliant Plan

    The first step in rough wiring is to make a plan that establishes the location of switches, outlets, and fixtures.

  • Master Carpenter: How to Wire a Bathroom

    In this video series you'll learn how run the rough electrical wiring for a bathroom

  • How it Works: Household Electricity

    Electrician Cliff Popejoy explains the systems and components that bring power from it's source into and around your home.

  • Is Aluminum Electrical Cable an OK Substitute for Copper?

    Safety concerns caused aluminum wire to be banned from use in branch circuits years ago, but it is a common option for feeding main service panels and subpanels.

  • Running Electrical Cable

    Builder Andy Engel shares his tricks for pulling cable through framing.

  • Electrical-Cable Spool

    As an electrician who prides himself on workmanship, I attempt to install every piece of wire and conduit as straight as possible. When I’m on a residential job and installing…

  • Nonmetallic Sheathed Cable

    Learn the basics about this common style of house-wiring cable.

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Fine Homebuilding Magazine

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  • Issue 327 - November 2024
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