AmateurElectrian Filter

November 21, 2005 8:12 AM

Can anyone recommend a good book to learn home electrical wiring?

I just purchased a house built in the 1920s (standard Baltimore rowhouse, if it matters). I'm having the supply upgraded to 200 amps and planning on installing a few more outlets and replacing existing ones, since they're not grounded. An electrician is doing the service upgrade, but I'd like to install the new outlets myself. I'm pretty handy and have worked in construction as an engineer for several years so I'm familiar with the building process, but I don't have much experience with wiring. So I'm looking for a reference that explains it step by step. Bonus points for a source that discussing installing outlets in plaster walls. Also, while I'm at it, is there anything else I should install? Network cable? Coax? Aluminum foil to subvert the mind control rays?

posted by electroboy to home & garden (19 comments total)

This AskMe thread might have some useful info for you.
posted by gwint at 8:17 AM on November 21, 2005

gwint's link seems mostly to deal with electronics as opposed to electrical wiring, so I don't think it'll be too much help.

As for what else to install, that really depends on your own needs. If you have (or plan to have) multiple computers spread across multiple rooms, and aren't using wireless, you should consider running network cable to the rooms. Same goes for coax and TV.

If you think you might sell the place anytime in the not-far-off future, you may want to add network cable and coax to some sensible locations, as an added selling point.
posted by Godbert at 8:22 AM on November 21, 2005

I have this, and I like it fine.
posted by yerfatma at 8:37 AM on November 21, 2005

If you're going into the walls have a good think about possible TV and stereo locations. Any cables you can stick back there in advance can really pay off.

Beware, because it's distinctly UK-centric, but the electricians guide has some excellent information, though it might be a bit on the industrial side.

Here's a guide to installing sockets - some of the discussion points at the bottom might provide some additional insights. Some points on dealing with plasterboard here.

I'd urge that, unless you really know what you're doing, you do think twice about installing electrics yourself. I don't know what the score is in the US but I know in the UK there are legal implications these days.

I'd also urge that you take advice given here with a pinch of salt. I've seen what is, in my humble opinion, questionable feedback presented as fact in some Ask.Me technical threads. Were it not a matter of safety I wouldn't say. You could do worse than run specific queries past the chaps at:

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.engr.electrical.compliance

and

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.engr.electrical.sys-protection
posted by nthdegx at 8:39 AM on November 21, 2005

Wow. I'm in almost exactly the same situation as you, only I'm in philly. My understanding is that you'll have the most difficulty fishing wires to the upper floors. You probably have knob-and-tube wiring. Do you know if the wiring was added after the house was built? If so, you're in luck. Look for cut floor boards or other signs that a floor or wall was opened up. Most likely, this is where the wires run. If you're lucky, the vertical runs are not attached to studs. If so, you can use the old wiring to pull up the new wiring.
posted by malp at 8:41 AM on November 21, 2005

I find that Rex Cauldwell has a really good, clear way of explaining things. Exceedingly well-qualified, too. His book is "Wiring a House" (amazon link). The Publisher's site also has ToC, intro, excerpt.
posted by misterbrandt at 8:42 AM on November 21, 2005

The knob and tube has been replaced, thank god. Hopefully I won't need much more than a fish tape and a sawzall, but I'm prepared for the worst.
posted by electroboy at 8:46 AM on November 21, 2005

I would HIGHLY recommend you stop into your local DIY mecca (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc) and check out the books they have there. I have found a number of "Electrical 101" books, and if you make friends with the guy in the electrical department, you can get good advice.

Check on your local building codes - they may have specifics about what types of cable you are allowed to use, specific mounting (for example, in many buildings, cable cannot lie along ceiling joists - it must be suspended, etc) and whether or not you have to use conduit.

I have learned to do things like this over time, and I was always very skittish about working with electricity. The absolute first thing you should do is check EVERY breaker in your breaker box and test to see what turns what on for every outlet in the house. A helper, a walkie talkie and a small lamp work wonders here. Also - make sure to check what wall switches turn what on and off.

Once you have that groundwork laid (no pun intended), the rest is relatively easy and straightforward. Just be careful, and always, always, always make sure the breaker is shut off.

Cable running is not terribly difficult, it's just tedious and dirty work. Make sure you have a drill (for drilling holes in the tops of the wall to feel cable down) a fish tape (see hardware store) or glo-rods to feed pull string through the wall, and a roll of pull string. These three things will make your life easier for running ANY cable - electrical or otherwise.
posted by TeamBilly at 8:49 AM on November 21, 2005

I found a great little book in the electrician product area at Home Depot. I can't recall its title right now, but it incorporated all of the things necessary to meet the codes, and was written in plain enough language for a rookie to grasp. I am pretty sure most Home Depots still carry it.
posted by caddis at 9:55 AM on November 21, 2005

Some points on dealing with plasterboard here...

Just to clarify, plasterboard = gypsum drywall and masonry = plaster? I'm only familiar with US construction lingo, not so much UK, but it seems like when they say "masonry" they mean plaster and lath.
posted by electroboy at 9:59 AM on November 21, 2005

AC wiring, or mains wiring:

definitely get a book and do some reading about DIY electrical wiring! Also, check the electrical wiring FAQ, it is a great resource. If you are the DIY type, it is certainly safe to do your own wiring, but I would stress the advice I gave in another question (no link because the question was very questionable):

Electrical systems in houses are very simple, but every single detail is very important. This goes from getting the colours matching correctly (so that everyone who comes along later knows what you did) to making sure you loop wires around screws in a clockwise fashion (so that tightening the screw tightens the loop of wire).

Data wiring:

I have heard people recommend 2 RG-59 television cables and 2 cat5 (or cat5e or cat6) network cables to each room. The pair of RG-59 can allow signal out and signal in at the same time, good for baby monitors, or watching the DVD playing in the living room on a TV somewhere else. The second network cable is for up to 4 telephone lines - telephone and network cable is basically the same, but network cable is made better, and since you are buying a bunch of it anyway you might as well use it for both jobs.


Metafilter advice:

It appears that most people on Metafilter are very skittish on almost every topic (get a doctor, get a lawyer, get a therapist, etc. etc.). So, take the dire warnings of impending doom with "a pinch of salt". It is a serious topic however, knowledge and caution are required.
posted by Chuckles at 9:59 AM on November 21, 2005

I misquoted myself :)
The first bracket should have a little "ed.", because I added it for this question. Normally I wouldn't bother with the vanity correction, but I have been ripped by the skittish masses on my quoting style in the past...
posted by Chuckles at 10:03 AM on November 21, 2005

Fish tape is ok and needed, but my buddy the electrician also used a sash chain to pull cables in my house. It will hang straight down, it is just heavy enough and not too large in diameter.
posted by fixedgear at 10:11 AM on November 21, 2005

I found it:
Wiring Simplified : Based on the 2005 National Electrical Code
posted by caddis at 10:18 AM on November 21, 2005

I tackled a rewiring project that refused to stay simple (I live in a house that appears to have been wired by a drunken clown) this past summer. I found both the aforementioned Wiring Simplified and Wiring a House books to be excellent resources, as others here have said.

"Wiring Simplified" lays out the NEC requirements, and "Wiring a House" takes a What's the best way to do XYZ? approach. If you're more than a beginner, but less than a seasoned pro, I think these two would fit the bill better than a lot of the Black and Decker type books out there. Most of them seem geared toward the homeowner who wants to replace a light fixture or install a GFCI and need pictures for every single step along the way.
posted by porntips guzzardo at 11:51 AM on November 21, 2005

Also assume every other person who worked on your house was an ignorant, homicidal manic; trust nothing. In the last 90 years someone has probably done something that worked but wasn't correct (usually colour coding problems but often you'll find stuff like neutrals connected to grounds).
posted by Mitheral at 1:25 PM on November 21, 2005

Good point, Mitheral. Fortunately the previous owner was an electrician, so it seems pretty tight. Conduit in a lot of places, etc. But they're old folks, so there wasn't as much need for outlets etc.
posted by electroboy at 1:47 PM on November 21, 2005

Don't every try to rip me off like that again, caddis.
posted by yerfatma at 3:02 PM on November 21, 2005

I won't every again.
posted by caddis at 6:54 PM on November 21, 2005