First, let me say that I am a good, but still 'amateur' electrician. I can do a lot of stuff, but I'm not about to troubleshoot a live circuit, etc.

2 weeks ago, my foyer lights stopped working...for no apparent reason I could see. Called an electrician because we are selling the house & I wanted it fixed. He never calls back and the realtor is going to be here Thursday. So, I decide to try to fix it myself. I figured, it might be a switch since the lights had 'flickered' a bit since the house was new(almost 3 years old). No sweat, I figured, I'd swap the switch and be done. Well...it was a triple switch...so, replaced #1...no luck, #2 & 3...still no luck. There was a three-way switch also on that circuit, so I decided to swap that one out also. Still...NO freakin luck!

On a whim, I went to the panel and flicked some breakers on/off...nothing. Took the panel cover off the breaker box to take a quick look around. After flipping the main breaker, I wiggled all the wires to see if there was anything that stuck out as being wrong. Sure enough...the 'foyer' breaker had a wire just barely touching the connection. I grabbed it & it came right out. The hot wire was never screwed in to the panel. I looked at the tip of the copper and you could easily see that it had arced before...the tip was black & had soot on it. I cut the bad area off, reconnected it to the box & powered her back up. Viola!!! Fixed.

Now, let me tell you why this is a big fuckin deal. 2 weeks after I moved into my home, a nearby house burnt down. Never got a straight answer as to why, but popular opinion was 'electrical fire'. Especially since shortly after, the electrical contractor was fired. So, thank God this didn't happen to our home.

 

I really hate electricity. I just found out that the breaker box in the townhouse I am selling is known to burn down houses. How nice.

 

If it's simple common and hot type of job, I don't have a problem doing it. But shorts, etc... I'll find someone with a bit more knowledge.

All electrical work I've done so far, I've made sure I did it by the book. All condiut, no romex. Should help if we ever decide to sell.

 

electrical DIY here. Its my favorite part of a home project.

 

For you guys that do the heavy stuff (ie. Scrib's latest work). Do you get the permits required to do this stuff? If not, do you simply lie when you sell the house and are asked if any electrical mods have been done?

I also just found out that I was required to get 3 permits when I had my AC/heater/water heater replaced in my townhouse last year. I had no idea and the guy that did it mentioned nothing about it.

I was all like, "Hey my HVAC is only a year old, look how cool." They were all like, "Nice, where's the permit for that?"

 

New wiring is my favorite...fixing problems...not so much. But yeah, I don't dislike doing electric work.

 

What's a permit???

 

Permits are not too bad around here. Fixing is not a big deal, but new wiring has to be 'permitted'. Luckily, I had my home pre-wired with 3 extra circuits when it was in new-construction phase.

 

I do a lot of DIY electrical -- I used to build my own audio amplifiers as a hobby (point-to-point wiring, tubes, etc).

Funny thing though, I'm not that crazy about line voltage, especially at the panel. I've wired and hung many a light switch or overhead lamp, but I won't do anything at the panel except turn off a breaker. I really keep the home stuff simple -- I'd rather have someone else fry themselves.


Reminds me of funny conversation I once had with my wife when I was installing an output transformer in a project amp:

Me: You know what to do if you find my unconscious near an electrical project.
Her: Call 911?
Me: Yes, but before that get a wooden stick, like a broom stick, and push the project away from me. Then hit me in the chest as hard and quickly as you can. Then call 911.
Her: So, I'm supposed to prod you with a stick, punch you, and then call 911.
Me: Exactly. Don't forget to unplug the project.
Her:


It's true, a quick punch to the chest delivers about 7 - 10 joules of energy and has been known to break a cardiac arrhythmia...it probably won't do anything but it's better then nothing.

I don't do so much of the amp building anymore. I only had one accident where I blew up a transformer -- it made a pop and burst into flames. Talk about exciting!

 

In MA, a homeowner is allowed to perform his/her own work with pulling a permit (or at least that's what I've been told). I hung out with a bunch of the electrians from the voc tech hs when I was a kid, so I've learned the basics, but I do know my limitations.

I've love to run 220 out in the garage. I don't mind doing 110 stuff, but for some reason I don't want to handle the 220v stuff...

 

Running a 220 line isn't much different than a 110 line. It's two 110s tied into a 220 breaker. Not much to it.

Then again, getting poked by a 220 wouldn't tickle.

 

When I was about 16, my friend decided he was going to fix his TV. Tube TVs store a lot of energy in them, even when they are off. He got thrown across the room and knocked out. Crazy.

 

Not much too it, but I don't like being tickled

 

I like the electrical stuff. The right way and wrong way is pretty clear.

I dont like working with others old work. The house I live in has knob and tube wiring - now that is scary stuff - the insulation is mostly cloth. Imagine running a fish tape down a wall where it contacts a threadbare hot wire. Needless to say, any old wiring I see comes out...

Just remember, never look at a breaker while you turn it on... A flash will do a lot less damage if your head is turned away.

 

done many of 220 procects to friends garages. no different (other than the wire cost is alot more when you have a long run from the panel to the garage or new panel

 

I don't mind doing minor work - like replacing switches and outlets and fixtures, but stay away from the panel and running wires.

As for 220 tickling, yeah, I've been tickled a time or two. One time working in the HS theater, was replacing a plug on circuit when someone at the light board decided to test if it worked

 

Ouch. Can't say I've been zapped, thank God.

 

 

's ALL OF YOU!!!! :wink:

 

If the V school those kids went to was anything like the one I went to, all they did was flirt with the girls in class and blow shit up (and make the occasional stun gun and grasshopper electric chair)

 

Perfect timing for this thread. I'm a total electrical noob. Only thing I've done is taken off a chandelier that had those 2 pairs of wires connected to the ceiling. :noob:

I wanted to change my light switch since the previous owner smoked like a bandit and they're brown from the smoke. It looks like you kill the power in that room, you unscrew the top and bottom screw (after removing the plastic cover), then the sides where the screws that hold the wire come off, and then reverse with the new switch?

And with a fixture how do I know which pair of wires go to which wires of the lamp?

 

What colors are the wires... Hot is usually black. Common is white.

 

Usually...it's color-coded. Sometimes you run across a problem where there is no ground wire(sometimes green, sometimes just plain copper).

 

If you turn off that power for that room you aren't exactly out of the clear to be protected from shock. Sometimes a hot for a 3-way will be in another box down the hall that is still on, and if the switch is in the right position you may have hot being sent down to the box your working in and you won't even know it. It's also possible that there is some neutral sharing going on in your box and you could get shocked by that neutral even though the room your in is turned off. Just keep that in mind. I have a tool that lights up if theres electric on any wire. It looks like a pen, I would recommend everyone get one.

As far as changing out switches, just make sure you make good connections and tighten all your screws good.

And like chris said, usually you'll have a black, white, and ground. You might have two blacks or (very rarely) two whites. <<If thats the case you need to remember exactly how there hooked up cause if you forget after you unhook it it's a pain in the ass to figure it out again. And finally if it's a fixture with two stranded wires grouped together that you have to cut (almost like speaker wire), then it usually won't matter which is hooked up to what but other times the neutral wire will have a little ridge that you can feel running all the way down the outside of the wire (and the hot side will be smooth).

yet? I'll explain it better if you need to, or just post a pic of the problem and I'll check it out

 

Tester...got that. Don't leave home without it.

Oh...and make sure you "test" your tester every once in a while too...Dad taught me that.

 

Okay I'm dumb. What's the diff between common/dumb? Thanks for the help btw.

 

My Dad has been around it all his life (fixes X-Ray, Cat Scan, MRI, biomed). About 2 years ago we were working at this guy's house and my Dad was adding a new circuit for his basement. He was talking to me about the electrical box and had a screwdriver in his hand. He accidentally hit the hot side of one of the breakers. The sparks flew and so did his screwdriver. It ended up taking a chunk out of the end of the screwdriver. From that day on, I watch what I do.


Latest projects:

Installing ceiling fans in the upstairs bedrooms (3). The builder was cheap and didn't install electrical boxes in the ceiling so I gotta install them. Oh joy.

 

I am in the same boat. Had to install boxes because of the cheap-ass builder.

 

I was really surprised when I picked one up because all the people I work with had never even seen or used one of these. WTF, I use it probably five times a day at work and it's saved my ass more than enough to be worth the $2 I payed for it.

 

I've been nuked so many times its not funny

I love those stickers that say de-energize unit before servicing, cause no one ever does that, unless your working on generators.

One time I opened up a CATAPILLER generator switch panel that was tied to a fire panel I was working on, each strand of wire was probably 12g and they were in a sleeve the size of my forearm. I closed the panel and said fuck that ain't my job anyways

 

My uncle taught me how to change out plugs and I helped him install a light fixture in my kitchen. So I got the basics down. He has one of those "pens" also and I need to pick one up. He changed some of the switches hot no problem, but he showed me how to do it the safe way. Next project is to move a switch from a plug to my ceiling fan. One problem, nothing in the ceiling as it's a chain fan.

 

Hey Doom,
I think I can help you with this part, and I think I know what your trying to do, but I'm kinda confused. If you can clear it up a bit for me I think I can help ya

 

Thanks!

I have a ceiling fan in my living room that uses a chain plug. We want a fan without a chain that is wired to the ceiling. So I think I have to put a box there. There's an existing switch that's for a plug in the wall that I want to transfer to the new box in the ceiling to turn on/off the fan. Got it?

 

Ok, I got it now. So you have a fan hanging from the ceiling with a cord coming down the wall, and plugging it into the switched outlet (or any outlet I guess) This shouldn't be very hard to change. If you have an attic or a space where you can get above the room it should be really easy.

I don't want to insult your intelligence at all so I'll just explain it like your a beginner. All you'll need is to hang a box that is made for fans in the ceiling. If you want a light/fan combo, you can run a three-wire from the switch to the fan, and --assuming there's only a one-switch box in the wall-- put in a stack switch to turn them on seperately. Or you can leave just the normal single switch in and have them turn on at the same time. *You can also leave the plug switched...or make it so it's on all the time*

All you'll need to do is cut out the hole in the ceiling for the box, hang the box, and pull the wire from the fan box to the switch box. Hooking the wires up will probably be the easiest part if you ask me

Anyways, if you have any questions just ask, it shouldn't be to hard.

 

Thanks for explaining it like I'm a beginner because I am.

I'll make it one switch to turn both light and fan on at the same time. The fan should have the two pull chains for fan speed and light anyways. Does the box come with a cut out so I know how to cut the opening. What do you open the roof with, a saw? What makes the box not move, does it get screwed down or mounted somehow?

As far as "transferring" the switch from the plug to the fan. Can I just disconnect the wire of the switch where it connects to that old plug to run to the fan box rather than having to run the wire all the way to the switch? It might be easier since my attic opening is on the same side of the wall where the plug is and the switch on another wall. I'm assuming the wire from the switch will be along the ceiling, so I'd just cut that off of the connection to the plug, tie the switch wire to the fan box's wire, thus making the connection half way rather than at the switch. Does this sound right?

 

Have you considered a remote control? They are extreming easy to install.

You only need one pair of AC wires to go into the remote and it can control the speed of the fan, the lights, and it can dim the lights. They aren't too expensive either. $40 at Home Depot.

I had a Hunter like the one below in my old house and it worked great. We didn't even have a wall switch for the fan. It was just hard wired to the circuit box.

 

So the switched plug is on the other side of the room as the switch, and you want to pull the wire out of the plug and stick it in your fan box? Correct? If that's the case, it will work, but that plug won't work ya know (and any other plugs connected through this plug). Assuming you don't care about that plug being useless, you can do this and the switch will work for the fan and the light at the same time.

As for hanging the box...This is the easiest way I've found to do it:
Measure your room so you find the exact center and mark it (or find the spot that you want to hang the fan). Go up into the attic above the spot and make sure there is nothing in the way (other wires, etc.) Your box will need to be between two wood ceiling joices (they'll probably 2x4's if I had to guess) If everything looks good, take your ceiling fan box and just trace around it on the drywall. This is all the bigger your hole will need to be. Cut it out with a drywall saw. As for mounting the box, you will need a cross board between the two ceiling joices above the hole you just made, and nailed to each joice (see picture, except your cross board should be standing up like the joices, not laying down like in the pic) Don't worry about the metal brackets in the picture, you won't need them if you do a good job hanging the board. The type of box you should get is one that wraps around a 2x4. I couldn't find a picture of one but it's shaped like a U, and you slide it over the 2x4. An electrical store will have one. It's easier than the way they have shown in that picture.

Install the box on the cross board BEFORE installing the cross board. This way you can make sure the box is flush with the drywall on the ceiling. After nailing up your crossboard your box will be ready for the wire. After your wire is in, you can hang your fan.

I know that's probably confusing as hell but it's hard to explain without good pictures. This is the best I could find



I hope it helps a little. I know you'll have questions so ask away

p.s Doopstr has a good idea if you don't wanna mess with changing all the wires around

 

Okay yeah I read it once and I kind of got it. I just don't understand why the box with the plug I don't want to have a switch on won't work.

I'll read this more thoroughly but I have to put up shutters.

 

Hmm, I must not be readiing something right. I'm picturing a switch with a wire that runs across the attic ceiling then back down the wall and into a plug. The switch turns the plug on and off. And you wanted to take the wire that originally turns the plug on/off and stick it in the fan box, therefore preventing you from having to run another wire.

p.s How did the shutters go

 

You got it right. I just didn't want to kill the plug totally. I don't care to have a switch on the old wall plug just as long as the plug is still hot.