A Romex Ripper
If you aspire to do all of your own electrical work, you will have to learn properly strip Romex (NM cable). There are a number of ways this can be accomplished using a variety of tools. However, the best (and safest) way for a do-it-yourselfer to do the job is to use the tool that was designed for the job: a Romex ripper. Here's properly strip Romex wire. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. A Romex ripper only costs around $2 and can save you a ton of problems, as well as money from unusable nicked wires. A Romex ripper features a relatively dull blade that's perfectly positioned to allow you to avoid cutting the insulation on the hot or neutral wires.
2. If you look at the Romex ripper you will notice on the rounded end there is a hole. The Romex is slid through the long section of the ripper and through that hole.
3. Position the blade of the Romex ripper at the appropriate point on the wire where you will need it stripped from.
4. Make sure that the Romex wire is flat inside the ripper's handle. Squeeze the Romex ripper's handle with one hand and pull the Romex out of the ripper. As the Romex comes out of the ripper, the blade slides along the outer sheath slicing it open as it goes.
5. After the ripper clears the wire, peel back the outer sheath and remove the paper wrapping from between the wires. Inspect the wires for any nicks. Although the Romex ripper reduces the chance for nicks or cuts, there is always a possiblity that they can occur, so it's always imperative to check the wires after you slice open the Romex.
6. If all looks good, use a knife to cut away the sliced outer sheath of Romex. Now your Romex is stripped and ready for installation.
Tags: Romex ripper, outer sheath, properly strip, properly strip Romex, ripper handle
