ElectricalAdvice

The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires that any receptacle that is located in a kitchen, a bathroom, on the exterior of the building, or in a garage or unfinished basement, be Ground Fault Protected. The very first question that comes to your mind is: What is Ground Fault Protected?
Before I can answer that question, you have to understand a basic electrical principal, that current needs a complete path, or circuit, from the source of power, through the device (like a light bulb) that is plugged into it and back to the source. The lamp switch that you use to turn the light on and off is the circuit interrupter, which disconnects the electricity (breaks the circuit) in the cord to the lamp itself. With two conductors (paths) in the lamp cord, the amount of electricity, or current, that flows through one conductor or blade of the plug and back to the other blade, is equal throughout the "circuit". So, under normal circumstances, and due to the laws of alternating current too complex to discuss here, the current flow is equal in both conductors, even though some of the power would be consumed by the light bulb.
It is that current flow in equal quantities in each conductor that is being monitored by a Ground Fault Circuit (GFI) breaker or a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacle. A GFI is a circuit breaker that responds in the same way as the receptacle, as it also monitors the current flow in both conductors. If either of these two devices sense this difference in current flow, either the GFI circuit breaker trips in the circuit breaker or panel, or the GFCI receptacle trips wherever the GFCI receptacle is located, each cutting the power to the device output. Both have test and reset buttons and are prominently marked as to their use, and both should be tested for proper operation at least once a year. More on that later...
Why should the current in each conductor be monitored? Because if the amounts are different in each conductor, and the electric current is leaking to ground, there is a good possibility the current is being carried by something other that the conductor that brought it to your lamp, or appliance, or whatever. Live conductors in any situation, especially where they are leaking power to ground are always a threat to humans and animals alike. So, if this current was leaking into ground, why would that be problem? This leak to ground, or ground-fault in and of itself poses a dangerous situation for a person or animal to encounter, possibly resulting in electrical shock, electrocution and often death.
Now suppose that you come across a badly worn extension cord, with frayed insulation, or bare conductors, you pick it up and accidently touch the bare, exposed conductor. If you were standing barefoot on the ground, on your garage or basement floor, in the bath tub, or had your hand on a water faucet, there is the liklihood that you would get an electrical shock. The current would flow through your fingers, up your arm, down your leg to your foot, or whatever was in contact with the ground and then into the ground, onto the garage or basement floor, or back through the water pipe to ground. If you were fortunate, and the current went from your hand, up your left arm, and down your left leg, you would suffer a bad shock. In the alternative, if your right hand came in contact with the live conductor and the current flowed across your chest, through your heart to your left leg, you could have been electrocuted!
So, you ask, what does the GFI or GFCI do to protect you? Remember that the input and output current flow is being monitored, and any current flow in one conductor, not returning to the source, triggers the device to trip. Therefore, if the current is flowing out on one of the monitored conductors, through yourself as described previously, the GFCI receptacle, or GFI circuit breaker would trip out, cutting power and current flow, saving your life. If the device sensed a fault to ground, say an extension cord fell into a puddle, whilst plugged into the GFCI, the device would trip automatically.
That said, a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter receptacle, or receptacles are now required to be installed in your kitchens, bathrooms, and especially exterior locations, to replace the standard receptacles that are currently installed. If your house was built after 1971 or so, you already have some of these devices in your home.
Back in the days, the only Ground Fault Interrupter product on the market was the GFI circuit breaker, which installed in the circuit breaker panel, in the place of a normal circuit breaker, in those early days just the bathroom receptacles and only the kitchen receptacles within six feet of a water source, or sink, as well as exterior receptacles, such as those on your deck, were required to have GFI protection. We used a loop system then, with a single circuit from the panel to the first bathroom and on to the second bath, and the one required exterior weather-resistant outlet. If the circuit was tripped due to a ground fault, and the circuit breaker had to be reset, and if you have this system in your home now, you know the down side first hand, you have to find your way to the electric panel and reset the Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter breaker.
Eventually this GFI coverage was extended to cover all of the kitchen receptacles serving the counter top area, even wet bars and other places where receptacles were required that you could come in contact with water pipes, earth or concrete-on-earth, such as basements and garages.
If your home is equipped with normal three prong u-grounded receptacles, see photograph, and you want to safeguard your family and provide Ground Fault protection in these areas, there are a few rules that you must follow........

SAFETY IS RULE NUMBER ONE
UNSCREW THE FUSES
TURN OFF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER
TELL EVERYONE WHAT YOU’RE DOING
EVERY TIME YOU DO ELECTRICAL WORK
IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING - CEASE DOING

Never, ever work on live circuits in your home, find your electrical panelboard, locate and either pull the fuse or turn off the circuit breaker for that circuit. If another person can access the panelboard, who might turn the circuit(s) back on, or reinsert the fuse(s), you must post a warning sign that someone is working on the circuit and that the breakers should be left off, and not tampered with.
Sometimes one tenant’s electrical circuits may pass through the other tenants space, and there may be some circuits that are common with another tenants unit. If you do live in a two family home, where another tenant can access these areas, you should contact them directly and tell them what you are doing, ask them to abide and not re-energize any circuits you may be working on. The circuits that you are turning off may appear as blown circuits if the neighbors lights go out without them knowing what you are doing.
Also, if you are working on an electrical box that has more than one device in it, such as 2, 3, or more switches or other devices, or a series of electrical boxes, under one cover plate, beware! There may be more than one circuit in that electrical box. Meaning that you could have one switch with no power, and the one right next to it, for another light somewhere else, would be still energized. If you encounter this situation, and/or if you are not sure, flip every switch under that plate to a different position until you recognize the fixture that is controlled. Once you have determined what is being controlled, leave the controlled lights on and proceed with turning off every circuit breaker necessary until all of the lights go out that are switched from that location. There may be times when you encounter conductors in an electrical box that have nothing to do with the function of that particular switch or other device. This is rare, but always proceed with caution, as if the circuit were energized.

The Hand Tools

Electricians have a wide array of different hand tools in their arsenal, from wire cutting pliers, or dykes; to linesman’s pliers, for cutting and twisting electrical conductors together. Stripping pliers, for stripping the individual conductor sheathing, or insulation. Pliers to make a code-required connection with a crimp sleeve, in certain instances, with solid copper circuit conductors. Fuse pliers, for safely pulling out fuses; chain pliers, for chains for light fixture.
The usual suspects in pocket knives, which no electrician should ever be caught without; knives for removing cable sheath from large conductors; knives for cutting wall board; knives to strip small cable assemblies and knives to keep their pencils sharp.
Screwdrivers of every stripe, including straight blade drivers large and small, three or four sizes of phillips head drivers, square drives or torx (star shaped) head. Long blade, stubby blade, with thin and thick round shafts for comfort and ease of use, or, to allow the use of a wrench, a square shaft.
Hammers are very popular items with electricians also, curved-claw carpenter’s hammers, straight-claw electrician’s hammers, large and small sledge hammers, and sometimes wooden or rubber mallets.
Allen wrenches, big and small, T-handle, or ‘L’ shaped, open end, basket and socket wrenches, ratchets, extensions, spin tights (nut drivers). Multi-tap thread tapping tools and small bolt cutters for threading 6/32, 8/32, 10/32, 10/24 and 1/4/20 holes. Pipe threading tripod stand and threading gear for rigid conduit in trade sizes ½" to 2", hand operated.
Hand saws for cutting wood frame members, plywood, hack saws for Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC), Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT), Polyvinylchloride (PVC) conduit, and flexible conduit, either of steel or PVC.
Hole punches for making trade-size round holes in steel cabinets and electrical enclosures for rigid steel, PVC or EMT conduit. Hand operated punch sets for sizes from ½" to 2". Hand operable conduit (pipe) benders and hickeys, for trade conduit sizes ½" to 2". For both EMT, or RMC.Extra-sharp chisels for cutting in wood, cold chisels for cutting or loosening rusted steel bolts, cutting metal sheeting, cutting,
poured concrete, concrete block or brick. Star drills for cutting varying size holes in concrete and concrete blocks.
Cable shears, cable cutters, or loppers for large cable sizes, hydraulic-assist cutters and strippers for extra large cables and cable assemblies. Sheet-metal shears, to cut straight; to cut curves to the right; to cut curves to the left.
Crow bars for demolition work in wood frame, pry-bars for leverage assistance, flat bars for prying and pulling. Cat’s paws, and other devices to remove nails and other hardware.
Testing equipment for the various situations, for voltage, current flow, and an ohmmeter to test for continuity in circuits. Voltage testers, proximity voltage testers to find circuit problems; of course, ampmeter, for testing current flow.

The Power Tools

With the advent of increasingly powerful rechargeable batteries, the cordless tool has reached it’s zenith of use in the construction trades. Where once there were corded electrical tools, they are now replaced with the cordless variety. I don’t know exact statistics on this, but consider that practically every tool manufacturer has rendered their own version of cordless tool kits that originally hit the market from DeWalt Tools.
From my own experience, as the president of my own electrical contracting company, it’s “Leave the extension cords in the truck, boys, we’re going cordless!” I have several brand new reciprocating saws, which I purchased as part of the kits I bought to replace the 3/8" hammerdrills that traditionally received more than one trip to the concrete floor from on-high! Lots of pieces, but it was still cheaper to buy a new kit, with two batteries, four cordless tools (even though I only needed one), and a new charger and kit box. That’s another item that I have plenty of, so a small inventory: sawzalls (4), battery chargers (6) and kit boxes (7). I wish the corded tools got a little more use, since they are practically new, as are the extension cords! I will have a yard sale one day and part forever with these extra tools, if they aren’t already obsolete by then!
Anyway, we do use the cordless hammerdrills, sawzalls, circular saws, flash lights, battery charger and, most importantly, the radios, (which double as battery chargers by the way), and they are now sold by seemingly every tool manufacturer under the sun.
But we also use corded varieties - usually more powerful than the cordless variety - sorry battery manufacturers! In residential work, usually wood-frame construction, the Hole Hawg, from Milwaukee Tool Manufacturing, is a stalwart of the industry, as is their 90 degree right angle drill. Both are manufactured for rough handling and high abuse, and they hold up remarkably well. Usually used by electricians to drill holes for medium size cables, ½" shaft, 5/8" - 1" diameter, 6" and 18" length ships auger, for boring in wall studs and other wood framing members. The drill motors can also handle large Self-Feed bits from Milwaukee four inches or larger in diameter. These larger holes would be bored for the purpose of running conduit and larger cable assemblies. These powerful tools can lift a man off the floor (me for one), while trying to bore through tough materials, therefore they must be used intelligently. An unskilled person will take some time learning to use and control this tool.
Small electric drills, with machine bits from 1/32" to 1/2" stepped bits of any size, with maximum 3/8" chuck, for drilling in sheet metal, steel electrical boxes, or, with the carbide bit, in concrete, in both corded or cordless varieties. Using spade, or butterfly, brad-point drill bits, for drilling small holes in wood, for doorbell buttons, alarm system wiring, thermostat wiring, anywhere a long, thin bit would be useful; especially when running small cable, or cable assemblies.
A rotary hammer, for drilling in concrete, brick, stone, or concrete block. The rotary hammer has two modes of operation, a drill mode, where both the drilling and hammering mechanisms are working in conjunction with each other to drill the hole efficiently, and a hammer-only mode, when a flat chisel can be utilized for chipping away at the work surface. There are two types of chucks that will accept two types of bits, and you can buy adaptors for each to fit the other. There is the splined bit, a 3/4" shaft that inserts into the tool, and what is called an SDS bit, both have a locking mechanism to hold the bit in the tool.

As often happens, the construction plans (blueprints) for this particular house arrived, and there is no Electrical plan, what to do, the builder still wants a bid price from you for the job? We engineer it ourselves, usually to National Electrical Code minimum standards, adding receptacles, lighting fixtures, controls, switches, and other items like telephone jacks, cable tv jacks, etc., in accordance with National Electrical Code dictates. At this point, with little or no input from the builder and/or homeowner.
I have loaded a floor plan for a small house to the site for you to inspect. It will enable you to see the various symbols and such that demark the various and sundry electrical devices throughout the building. I have only shown one floor of the building, but you can get an idea from this one level, which has the most important room in the house from an Electrician’s standpoint, the cook’s workplace and usually the core of the home - the kitchen.
You will see also an electrical symbols schedule, which denotes the different electrical components on the blueprints (read: black on white). This is a plan I engineered myself, with receptacles, switches, lighting fixtures, etc., marked in their respective locations. The receptacles are laid out, according to NEC, with each one located in a code-compliant manner. Switches at the entry to each space, for example two switches at the back door, one to turn on a light fixture on the exterior, to light the stoop as you leave the building, the second switch to turn off the kitchen light. It is in this manner that the safety of the homeowner is protected, the idea being that you light your way from one space to another, turning lights on and off as you traverse the building.
I can use this plan for estimating the basic components of the Electrical system, but I still need the info from the plumber, for the items he is installing. As I mentioned previously, a dishwasher, hot water source, a hot tub, steam generator, garbage disposer? The HVAC contractor also has to ring in with the items in his work arena, the boiler or furnace, the air handler(s), condensing units, and, obviously, thermostat locations and connection of the entire system. The HVAC contractor puts in his equipment for the heating cooling plant, Electricians hook it all up electrically and make it a fully functional system. Once the components of the various systems are decided upon, with the culmination of this information, the contract bid is prepared and submitted to the Builder, or General Contractor.
Once the bid is reviewed and accepted by all parties involved, and the job is awarded to Old Harbor Electric, Inc., the work on the job site begins. The next thing we do, as the awarded Electrical Contractor, is set up a source for temporary electrical power, for the various tradesmen working on the project.
On Cape Cod, where we have a somewhat seasonal economy, the year rounders are growing in their numbers, making every season a little busier. The new home construction industry, is fueled by demand of people purchasing a piece of property on the ocean, or lakeside, with the intent to build new, or remodel. Then there are the newly monied folks, having inherited a summer home from their parents, who consequently have the wealth to refurbish the existing dwelling or tear down and construct a new home on the site. The trend being they are going for the larger, so-called trophy home, known around here as wearing your money on the outside of your pants!
It is this cycle which keeps us busy the year around, although it is definitely much busier in the Spring, when the summer people turn their attention to their vacation home. We are constantly working on remodeling jobs, as opposed to new homes these days, since the customer these days seem somewhat timid of new home construction, what with the costs going up and the stress of building new. But I go on sometimes..........
The home building process almost always involves a designer or an architect of some kind, maybe even the homeowner themselves, with ideas of their own, or a person that the homeowner’s hire. The end result of this early process is an understanding by the architect or designer, of the participant’s expectations in the design and function of their domicile.
Construction drawings, with the various spaces defined, the walls, window and door locations, fireplaces, wall cabinets, bathroom and kitchen appliances; and plumbing fixtures, are then finalized and printed. It is at this stage that the builder, excavation contractor, foundation crew, building framer, electrician, plumber, heating contractor, well driller, and every other tradesman imaginable gets the first peek at the project, in two dimensions, in the form of blue prints.
With some building plans, the electrical work is charted out for the electrician, with standard electrical symbols for the various electrical devices, designated on the floor plans for each space of each floor of the residence. The Electrical Engineer, hired by the design team, would perform this function. The items included would be the receptacles, switches, dimmers, fan controls, timers, heating controls, and lighting fixture locations, the latter being delineated by a letter-based lighting fixture schedule that corresponds with the blueprint. There might also be yard lighting, a post lantern for instance, a spot light or flood lighting for the back yard, even a water feature, or fountain.
The Electrician, gathering information from the floor plans and fixture schedule, must verify that the electrical design, including receptacle, switch and fixture locations, complies to National Electric Code and applicable Building Codes, at both the State and Town levels. Therefore, while trying to stay within those bounds, the electrical installation must also pass inspection when completed, regardless.
If the Electrician is also an alarm installer, there would be specifications for the system, for fire and burglary, even for low temperature warning systems for the unoccupied - but nonetheless heated - summer home.
Telephone systems, Cable Television (CATV), Data Terminals, or Structured or Premises Wiring System, for networking computers and providing internet access, or surveillance cameras for checking security from afar, raising or lowering the thermostat, via telephone or email command.
The Electrician must also be in the loop with the plumber, his installation criteria and the crossover of electrical work; that is anything that the electrician has to do for a plumbing feature to function in the home, such as a Whirlpool Bath, a Hot Tub, a Steam Room, Electric Hot Water, an instant Hot Water Heater, a loop pump to recirculate hot water, a dishwasher, or a garbage disposer, the water pump, a septic lift pump or other waste system wiring requirement.
Besides the plumber, there is the Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractor and the needs of the various climate control systems, including the boiler, or hot water source, the condensers for the Air Conditioning, the air handlers that distribute the conditioned air. Not to mention all the bells and whistles.
Pricing all of the Electrical work would then ensue, by the Electrician, and a cost would be rendered to the builder for consideration as a competitive bid for the scope of the work involved. Having a set of Electrical plans to price from is one method that is used by Architects, Builders, and Remodeling Contractors, this occurs in roughly 25% of the residential electrical work my company does. The rest, who does the Electrical Engineering if there is no Electrical Engineer on the staff, if there were no electrical plans?
Remember what I said earlier, that the Electrician must be sure that the electrical installation passes National Electrical Code, at both State and Local levels. Who’s the engineer in 75% of the homes built across America? That unsung hero, big surprise here -The Electrician!

In this day and age, with Home Depot and Lowes store, as well as other Home Improvement centers, selling at practically wholesale prices, the items that were once virgin territory, or blind items, hidden behind the electrical manufacturing distributors and wholesalers selling to Electricians and Electrical Contractors. The purchasing public now has far greater reach into these wholesale markets than they once did, thanks to these big box, so-called "retailers". The Electrican who is working for himself these days is not only competing with his colleagues, but also with the property owners themselves, some of whom would be willing to try to do the wiring at their homes themselves.
If the amatuer, shade tree, or weekender electricians are doing this work themselves anyway, why not give them a resource, not only to purchase wholesale electrical parts, but a literature stream of installation information. A smorgasborg of ideas, tools, installation tricks, but most importantly, to weave the National Electrical Code Makers and the National Fire Protection Agency and the basic premises regarding the safe installation of electrical devices and products.
As I venture into this cybertech library, please keep in mind that this is anew site, and that we will be updating and adding information as fast as I can enter it into the system. If you have a question about something, anything electrical, please email me at David@ElectricalAdvice.net, I will endeavor to answer, online, as many as I can.
Speaking to the do it yourselfer, I must stress in the most serious of tones, doing your own wiring is a dangerous undertaking. However, if you are a "shade tree electrician", and you are confident of your abilities and knowledge to make electrical things work, please take heed as I show you that the importance of following certain code rulings that can and will save your life, those of your loved ones and even the life of a future homeowner.
I will demonstrate in words on these pages, with graphics and photographs, the method or methods most often employed by professional electricians in the field. Snaking wires into existing walls, hooking up various household appliances, installing the electric service to the building, etc.. Step by step I will instruct and inform.
I will discuss the various skills we, as electricians, must possess to do our jobs; you'd be surprised at what we have to know! The tools we use from manufacturers like Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Greenlee, Klien, Ideal, and others. I will suggest the use of different products, from the various electrical manufacturers. I will explain Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and how they affect our installation processess.
I intend to raise the standard under which electricians are viewed in the construction field. No longer viewed as the worker with his pants falling down, exposing certain portions of his (in most cases) personal anatomy. Electricians are not your average construction worker, they are the elite among construction industry mechanics and laborers. Electricians bring things to life, and their talents, knowledge and accomplishments constitute what has become a very intimate and integral part of our way of living.
Be safety conscious, after all, it's your family and their safety we are talking about here!

I am an Master Electrician in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and an Electrical Contractor on Cape Cod. I have been licensed since 1973 and I started in the electrical trade in 1968, when I joined the repair division of the USS Cadmus, AR14, repair ship in the U.S. Navy. I have owned, operated and am now the president of Old Harbor Electric, Inc., we are Electrical Contractors, and we have been since 1975.
Also a fan of the three major home improvement programs currently on the air in the PBS entry, "This Old House", long a mainstay and award winner, "Hometime" with Dean Anderson and of course, "Bob Vila's Home Again", although I say this with reservations. Collectively, in my view, the three shows fail to portray the electrician and his labors in a true light (pun intended). How can a program called This Old House, Hometime, or Home Again fail to cover the entire subject of homebuilding and remodeling work, including the electricians.
On this website I intend to properly portray the work that an electrician does on the average houses, as well as some extravagant ones. Like the logo phrase implies, everything "from soup to nuts, electricians @ work".
I want to take a subject project, from the electrical contracting company which I own and operate, and expound on the electrician's work and what they are assigned to do. From the temporary power pole to the last landscape light fixture. I will write about the material, tools and methods we employ when fishing cables into old houses, I will illustrate and explain the installation of an electric service, with an electric meter, panelboard and circuit breakers. I will try to touch on every little task that is the electician's duty, from the electrical calculations to identify and determine electrical loads that must be done on every building, to the installation of the electrical devices and wall plates.
I will take the reader on a walk-through house tour, which every one of my customers takes before we begin any wiring, and see how selections are made regarding lighting choices, etc. I will explain the electrical codes that govern our trade and the inspections that we must pass before our customers are allowed to live in the building with a final occupancy permit.
I will teach, through text, illustrations and photographs, the ins and outs of the trade from the inside, the very interesting work that electricians do, day to day, to make your life easier and more enjoyable in the new space he is wiring for you. Find out that electricians are household traffic pattern experts, and how that aids them in designing the switching layout for the various lighting fixtures throughout the home. Learn how a simple decision made during this stage of construction, can make a big difference over the years that you live in your home. Read and learn from the suggestions I make to the customer about lighting and switch location. Flood lighting for the back yard, a post lantern at the end of the drive, one recessed over the kitchen island, or two? Get good advice for free from an expert in the field, stay tuned as I add more information to the site in the coming weeks and months.

More to come... ....any comments? Write-in, or stay with us....