Make Your Electrical Home Runs Easy

At this point you think you know what is behind the wall, but you can never be sure. That is why I don't like using any power tools to cut through the drywall. Instead I use a utility knife / razor blade with the depth of the blade set to the thickness of the drywall. For an outlet I first make a 1" x 1" hole in the center of the box using a utility knife. This hole is big enough that I can see and feel around for any wires or pipes but small enough that it is easily patched in case I have made a mistake. Once I verify that there is nothing wrong, I trace out the electrical box and then cut the rest of the hole using a sheetrock keyhole saw or a utility knife. I also like using a utility knife to cut drywall on external walls. That way it does not cut through the paper barrier of the insulation. There is always a certified Katy Electrician in the area to help with your upgrades.

How to Run the Wire

1. Plan your wiring layout. First, decide where you want electrical boxes (for outlets and switches). Attach the boxes, whether metal or plastic, to the studs with nails.
2. Begin working at the box closest to your electrical breaker box. Run the wire through the box and out the side hole in the direction of the next box. Leave enough wire to reach the breaker box, plus at least another foot, for later connection.
3. Secure the cable to the very center of the wider face of the studs within 12 inches of each box and at least every 4 feet with plastic cable straps, also called plastic staples. Be extremely careful not to nail through the wire itself. Wherever the cable doesn't snug up to the wood, secure it with an additional strap. All wires must be at minimum 1-1/4 inches from the front and back edges of all studs and joists.
4. At the top of the stud, route the wire up to the header (the piece of wood that runs across the top of the studs) and across its face.
5. To move horizontally, bring the wire up to the face of the header atop the stud, then staple it as you carry it across until you reach the stud that bears the next box. Choose the shortest route possible, of course, to the next box, running the wire against wood. Keep the wire as protected as possible - and as visible and accessible as possible.
6. Continue stapling the wire until you reach the next box.
7. Snake the wire into the box and out through the front about 10 to 12 inches, then double back , leaving about 20 to 24 inches total, and run the wire out of the box toward the next one, keeping the wire securely stapled to the wood.
8. Travel back up to the header and on to your next box.
9. To cross the ceiling, travel with the joists, not across them, securing to the wider, vertical side of the joist. You don't want wire without wood to support it.

Running Wire in a Space to be Finished

Make sure you are dealing with quality Electrician Katy TX before starting any electrical upgrade. It takes less wire and less effort to run wire on a wall that's going to be finished. The major difference in this case is that it's perfectly fine to span the space between the studs with the wire, since it will be enclosed and won't be in danger of being snagged or pulled.

Ensure Quality In Your Residential Electrician Craft

Wiring a new home used to mean running home electrical wiring and home telephone wiring. A modern home needs more than just electrical wiring and telephone outlets on every wall. New home wiring also includes home networking, video distribution, home theater and whole house audio wiring. When building a new home it is important to lay the proper communication and entertainment infrastructure with category-rated cabling that meet today’s needs, while laying the groundwork for the whole house media system of the future. A Quality Electrician in Katy will help you ensure the job is done correct. Make sure you a dealing with a certified Katy Electrician.

Home electrical wiring is still the most important utility. Can you imagine life without it for even a second? The good news here is that home builders and electrical contractors are building homes with electrical outlets every 6 feet throughout the home. More than just coverage, the recommendations for home electrical wiring are:

A properly designed whole house surge protection network with transient voltage surge suppression devices (TVSS) at the service entrance and point-of-use TVSS devices located strategically throughout the home behind PCs and entertainment centers, in home theaters and at major appliances.

After the wires are run, you need to staple them down. Stapling keeps the wires in place so that they don't come out of the electrical boxes. It also holds them up and out of the way of the dry-wallers and so that they don't hang down in the ceiling. You should always staple the wire right before it enters an electrical box, and also right after it comes through the hole in the floor. When running a wire along a stud, try to keep the wire centered in the stud. That reduces the chance that a nail will go through the wire from either end. For many wires, you can nail the staple into the joist/stud and the use a wire tie to attach the wires to that staple. This method also ensures that the staples cannot damage the wire.

If the end of the wire does not terminate in an electrical box, then you will need to measure the location of the wire. Measure from the closest corner of the room. Do not measure from a window. Also record if the wire is on the left or right side of the stud. For example, if the wire is attached to the left side of a stud, and you record that the wire is 90" away from the wall, when looking for that wire later your stud finder will tell you that there is a stud at 90". You won't know which side of the stud to cut the drywall on. For complicated runs, you may even want to use a digital camera to record the location of wires. Also remember to add or subtract 3/4" from the measurement to account for the thickness of the drywall where you will start your measurement.

Make sure you are dealing with quality Katy Electrician  before starting any electrical upgrade.

   After running the wires through the electrical box, be sure to shove all of the wires in the box. Dry-wallers want to work fast, and any wires sticking out of the box may just get dry walled over. They could also get cut as the hole is cut for the electrical box. The builders will probably not take the time to place the wires in the box themselves. Also, if the wires stick out of the box or are very close to the front of the box then they will get covered in paint and may cover up your labeling or the labels could get torn off.

Recessed Lighting For Your Next Upgrade

Over the years the kitchen has become more and more the focus of the entire home. Between all the daily activities that take place in the kitchen, whether that is cooking, prep, cleaning or entertaining, the kitchen has certainly become an important part of our every day lives.

The use of Recessed Lighting in the Kitchen has become, over the years, an increasingly popular option. Recessed Lighting, available now in a wide variety of different sizes and combinations, has in fact become the lighting fixture of choice for most professionals. Perfect while designing new kitchens or for new homes and home remodels. Much more efficient, reliable and certainly with more design options than in years past, Lighting Catalog offers a large selection of this style.

Recessed lighting has a number of benefits. First of all, it's streamlined. With everything neatly tucked away up into your ceiling, there are no lights or wires hanging down or in the way. Recessed lighting is also fairly easy to install. But if you don't have the right tools and knowledge of how to work with electricity, it should be fairly simple for someone who does. This style is also incredibly versatile. It can act as the main source of light in a larger space. It's equally effective as a complementary light. And when it comes to task lighting, nothing does the job so beautifully and efficiently as recessed lighting. A Quality Electrician in Cypress TX will help you ensure the job is done correct. Make sure you a dealing with a certified Cypress Electrician.

Which rooms can this style be used in? How about every room? This style can transform a great room, bedroom, or home office and be used as a main light source. It can provide complementary light in a hallway or bathroom. Recessed lighting is an ideal form of task lighting over a kitchen sink or kitchen island. And it can also give that Man Cave of yours a sophisticated and dimmable design element—if you want that. Make sure you are dealing with quality Cypress Electrician  before starting any electrical upgrade.

As a light fixed at the ceiling, recessed lighting can effectively replace virtually every type of traditional light fixture you can think of. This style is designed to generate an optimal amount of light, so it can take the place of a chandelier, flush mount ceiling light, or semi-flushmount ceiling light. And since most of this is dimmable, it can produce as much or as little brightness as you choose, making it an ideal replacement for a wall sconce in a hallway, kitchen, or great room.

Recessed lighting has enough versatility that it's virtually customizable, beginning with the many distinct recessed lighting trim, housing, and lamping options. In addition to these many options, the clean look and feel you get with recessed lighting simply cannot be matched with any other lighting fixture. And if you're concerned about saving energy and money, recessed lighting is a very efficient way to brighten a room. In short, recessed lighting can help transform any living space in the home.

Make Fixing Your Underground Mess Easy

If you accidentally cut an electrical cable while digging or pounding in a fence post, you can repair it with a splice. First turn off power to the electrical device fed by the broken cable at the circuit panel. Then dig 12 in. on each side of the break in the wire and gingerly work your way to the cable. You'll find the cable anywhere between 12 and 24 in. deep. When you locate the cable, use a noncontact voltage detector to ensure there’s no power.
Replace the whole section of cable that you dug up with the same gauge UF (underground feeder) cable. Cut the cable about 12 in. on either side of the break. Then strip back the sheathing 2 in. and the wire insulation 5/8 in. Use two special underground splice kits (sold at home centers) to connect the new cable section. Slide the heat shrink tube over one end of the cable, and then connect the wires to the brass connector (Photo 1). Do this on both ends of the new cable. Once the damaged cable is replaced and the wires are joined with connectors, slide the heat-shrink tube over each connector (Photo 2). Heat the tube with a heat gun until it shrinks tight on the connector and sealant bubbles out the end.
If you have a broken underground line and no clue where the break is, hire an electrician with an underground open/short locator. The electrician will be able to locate and mark the underground cable, determine how deep the cable is buried and pinpoint within a few inches where the problem exists.

Repairing underground wire should be completed by the electrical power company or a licensed electrical contractor. Most states require that contractors have a digging permit to complete the required digging needed to locate and repair the electrical break. Digging without a permit can bring a hefty fine. Check with your local Utilities Protection center for digging guidelines in your area. Underground electrical conduits can become damaged for any number of reasons. Most times, the damage is due to aging wires and the environment. You will need to make repairs that are long-lasting and safe.

Safety, quality and your satisfaction are our most important goals. When we professionally repair your underground fault you can be sure that it will be done right with those same goals in mind. We know that your time is valuable and for most installations we can complete this install within a short period of time. If you wish to have your service wire or cables replaced, we can do this with a traditional underground trench. If you wish to avoid the mess of a torn up yard and landscaping, we offer trenchless underground installation. We can directional bore in your new service wires or data cabling. A certified Houston Electrician in the area will be beneficial in ensuring all electrical installations are done correctly. Electricians in Houston should be trained in all aspects of home lighting and should be able to assist you at the drop of a dime.

The Home Electrical Service Panel Reference

The service panel is the control center of your home's electrical system. The panel receives the power leads from the electrical company and shunts this power to the various electrical circuits via a series of circuit breakers, which are like re-usable fuses. These breakers clip onto a brass buss which is connected to the hot line from the power company, and return lines from each circuit are connected the power company return line via the neutral buss. In addition, each household circuit is connected to the ground buss in the panel, which is itself connected to ground.

It is important to note that electrical codes change, and that in some areas local electrical codes are not the same as the National Electrical code. The local authority having jurisdiction in your area may have different codes than the national code. It is important to find out if the local residential codes differ from the national code, your local authority having jurisdiction is the final judge and jury.

Home Electrical Service Panel

If you intend to replace your entire existing electrical service by doing it yourself there are some things you will need to consider before you start, let’s go through some of the things you will need to consider.

Every electrical service can be different but here are some ideas for your parts list.

Main Electrical panel – Make sure the ampere rating of the panel is the same as the ampere rating of the service cable providing power to the panel.

Circuit Breakers – Take the cover off your existing panel ( Be careful not to touch any live power!) and check that the size of wire going to each breaker is the right size for each breaker. Ex. 12g wire connected to a 20 amp breaker and so on. This is to make sure who ever worked on it in the past did things correctly. Now you should have a list of what circuit breakers you will need for your new panel.

Circuit breakers are the primary safety devices in your electrical system and they are integral to electrical panel wiring. A breaker automatically "trips" and shuts off power to a circuit if it senses an overload, which can be caused by plugging in too many appliances on one circuit, or by a short. A short can result from things like loose wires, damaged insulation or a curious kid sticking a coat hanger into an outlet (ouch).
Breakers are rated for the power draw of each circuit. Standard breakers carry 120 volts and either 15 or 20 amps (amperes). High-voltage breakers carry 240 volts and 30 or more amps. The amp rating is the number stamped on the end of each breaker switch lever. All panels should have an index label on the panel door listing the main devices on each circuit (e.g. "kitchen plugs," "dryer," "living room lights"). A certified Houston Electrician in the area will be beneficial in ensuring all electrical installations are done correctly. Electricians in Houston should be trained in all aspects of home lighting and should be able to assist you at the drop of a dime.