Electrical wiring can be tricky, especially for the novice. That’s why it’s usually best to hire a professional for anything other than a simple job. Otherwise, you could risk injury, damage or fire. If you do plan to complete a DIY project that has an electrical component, there are some basic things to know about wiring installation.
How to connect electrical wires?
When you’re doing wiring installation, you need to identify the parts of the wiring cable, the non-metallic electrical cable: the outer sheathing (the jacket) and the inner wires. The colored “wire” you see—the green, black, red, blue or white—is actually the sheathing that covers the inner copper wires. If you look closely, you’ll see markings stamped on the sheathing to let you know the number and gauge of wires inside. The color of the sheathing lets you know what each wire does. If you are not aware of the colors or want to stay at the safer side, consider calling the professional electricians.
Residential electrical systems
Residential electrical wiring systems start with the utility’s power lines and equipment that provide power to the home, known collectively as the service entrance. The power is run through an electric meter, which records how much energy is used in the home and is the basis for the monthly electric bill. In general, the utility company’s jurisdiction stops with the meter. After that point, all of the electrical equipment is the homeowner’s responsibility.
Service entrance
The service entrance is the equipment that brings electrical power to the home. Most residential service includes three wires: two cables carrying 120 volts each (for a total of 240 volts) and one grounded neutral wire. If the cables are hung overhead, they are collectively called a service drop. If they are routed underground, they are known as a service lateral. A service drop connects to the home at a service head, or weather head, on the roof or exterior wall of the house.
Electrical wiring and symbols
Electrical symbols are used on home electrical wiring plans in order to show the location, control points, and type of electrical devices required at those locations. These symbols, which are drawn on top of the floor plan, show lighting outlets, receptacle outlets, special purpose outlets, fan outlets and switches.
Dashed lines are drawn between the symbols to denote which switches control specific lights or receptacles. There are quite a few symbols used to represent the devices used in home electrical wiring but some of them are very similar, so care should be used when working with them!
Outlet
An “outlet” is any point in an electrical system where current is taken out of the system in order to supply power to the attached electrical equipment.
An outlet can be one of two basic types:
Receptacle outlet
A receptacle outlet is one in which one or more receptacles are installed for the purpose of attaching “plug and cord-connected” type devices.
Lighting outlet
A lighting outlet is one intended for a direct-wired connection to a lamp holder, luminaire (lighting fixture) or ceiling fan.
Understanding electrical circuits
An electrical circuit is a continuous loop. Household circuits carry electricity from the main service panel, throughout the house, and back to the main service panel. Several switches, receptacles, light fixtures, or appliances may be connected to a single circuit. Current enters a circuit loop on hot wires and returns along neutral wires.
The service panel also has a bonding wire connected to a metal water pipe and a grounding wire connected to a metal grounding rod, buried underground, or to another type of grounding electrode. If a circuit carries too much current, it can overload. A fuse or a circuit breaker protects each circuit in case of overloads. Current returns to the service panel along a neutral circuit wire. Current then leaves the house on a large neutral service wire that returns it to the utility transformer.
Universal Connect’s goal is to offer the best value for money. We specialise in 24/7 commercial and residential electrical service. With a strong team of skilled electricians who are able to install, repair, and provide maintenance works for all types of electrical appliances and fixtures.
