Basic house wiring is neither difficult nor complicated.
Many home electrical repairs don't require an electrician. Taking precautions such as turning off the electricity at the circuit breakers and testing to be sure it is off make the work involved safe. Following specific instructions carefully ensure you're as safe as any electrician. Working patiently, carefully and neatly will make the three basic home wiring procedures given here work perfectly and just as importantly, safely. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Outlet Wiring Instructions
1. Turn power to the circuit off and test to make sure it is off with the no-contact voltage tester. Place the tester probe close to the wires in the wiring box. The lamp will remain dark if the power is off and light up if the power is on.
2. Strip 3/4-inch of wire from the ends of both insulated wires. Turn the bare wire ends into a bend with a long-nose pliers. Make the same bend on the bare ground wire.
3. Loosen one brass, one silver and the green terminal screw. Place the wires on the terminal screws so the bend turns around the screw clockwise. The black wire goes on the brass-colored screw, the white on the silver-colored screw and the bare ground wire goes on the green terminal screw. Tighten the terminal screws firmly.
Light Switch Wiring Instructions
4. Turn the power to the circuit off and test to make sure it is off with the no-contact voltage tester.
5. Strip 3/4 inch of insulation from the ends of the two insulated wires. Color 1 inch of the end of the white wire insulation with a black permanent marker.
6. Turn the ends of the wires into a bend with the long-nose pliers. Place the bare ground wire on the green ground terminal and the two remaining wires on the other two terminals. The bends should turn around the screw clockwise. Tighten the terminal screws firmly.
Light Fixture Wiring Instructions
7. Put the light switch in the "on" position. Turn the power to the circuit "off" and test to make sure it is off with the no-contact voltage tester.
8. Examine the wires in the fixture wiring box. You will find a bare ground wire, a black wire and a white wire. If there are other wires connected by wire nuts, do not remove any wire nuts from these wires.
9. Cut corroded or damaged wire ends from the wires if necessary and strip about 5/8-inch of insulation from the wire ends. Connect the bare ground wire to the fixture ground wire by holding the ends together and screwing on a wire nut.
10. Connect the black wire to the black fixture wire with a wire nut. Hold the ends of the wires together and screw on a wire nut. Do the same with the white wire and white fixture wire. Note that in some situations, a white wire is used as the black wire. In this case, it may have the end colored black or have a piece of black tape on it to indicate it is being used as the black wire.
Tags: ground wire, bare ground, bare ground wire, black wire, white wire, circuit test, circuit test make
