Its 12" no matter what kind of box it is if you're using romex. Code also does not specify whether its 12" of cable from box to staple so you can actually have a little slack, the staple just has to be 12" or less from the point where the wire enters the box. In reality you should definitely have the staple about 6-8" away, the code just provides the minimum requirement.
I’ve watched over the last few months hundreds of these videos and yours is by far the best & easiest to understand. Some guys, & I’m sure they know what they r doing, don’t explain things very well & it’s hard to understand if ur not an electrician. Thanks for ur help, I really appreciate it.
I've been watching youtube videos for 2 weeks to learn how to move a bathroom light switch/outlet combo 3 ft. The existing yellow RX cable is long enough to reach the new box, the white RX is too short. This is, by far, THE BEST VIDEO of all those I've watched! You teach both scenarios in one video, have excellent, close-up filming for great video instruction and easy-to-understand verbal directions. LOVE IT! THANK YOU! I have subscribed.
I really appreciate the updates and overlays. Thanks Dave! If you had run this as scripted and shot, it was a pretty average video, but your care taken to fix words you misspoke, safety features that were glossed over, and even stuff that was entirely forgotten makes it almost a perfect junction box video, from my perspective. It's even *better* than if you somehow wrote and produced it perfectly the first time, because it calls attention to critical and easily-forgotten issues! Keep making "mistakes" like this!
In Oregon I was a laborer on a housing addition. I happened to be alone on site when the electrical inspector came. He looked in the attic and saw romex lay over the top of the ceiling joists and said he was going to fail the inspection due to that. I asked him what he wanted to see to take care of that problem. He said a 2x4 along side of the wires would suffice. When the contractor came back to the site, I relayed that information and rather than calling for the electrification to come back.he had me put in the 2xs and called for another inspection. Which passed.
Dave, thank-you. This is a huge help for us that aren’t electricians. There’s always going to be a critic that is somehow offended by the helpful. Nobody likes them anyway. Great presentation!
I put a new circuit for an inline 10" booster fan in my attic to help get extra A/C air volume to the furthest part of my house. It worked great, but I have another room that needs a boost so I'm adding another fan. I was going to tap into the wire I ran before but there wasn't enough slack to do it with one junction box. I didn't even think about using 2 junction boxes until I watched this video. I was stalled because I was over thinking how to do it to properly to code. This video made me say 💡💡💡"Oh DUH" because every other circuit has numerous junction boxes and splices for all the outlets and lights. Using two junction boxes this close together is quite literally no different. 😅 So thank you kind man, for this video.
Thanks for sharing. Great video. Well explained and simple. Thanks so much. You just saved me $200.00 . An electrician was going going to charge me $200.00 for doing this for me.
Perfect..adding an outlet in a few bedrooms, (and removing a stupid amount in the basement) this was my plan to do it this way..just needed affirmation. Great video!
Most DIY videos on wiring totally avoid going into detail about splicing, and your video was exactly the info I needed to do my project. I've been looking all day and finally came across what I needed. Thank you!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thanks, Dave! If you don't mind, I do have a question for you. My project is installing LED lights in my garage ceiling. There is a power outlet in the ceiling already for the garage opener. My plan was to splice power from that source and run the Romex to a new dimmer switch. From that switch I would run another Romex line to the LED lights to power them and control them on a dimmer. Would that work? Any red flags in that plan? Any advice would be super helpful. Thanks, Dave!
Garage door openers don't require dedicated circuits, so I don't see any flags there, Brandon, and since LEDs draw very little power, I wouldn't imagine you'd be overloading the circuit. Just make sure the gauge of your Romex is sufficient for your breaker. (At least 12 AWG for 20 Amp breaker, and at least 14 AWG for 15 Amp breaker.) All the best on your project!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Dave! Thanks so much. I've subscribed to your channel and will spread the word. THANK YOU
The best and simplest explanation I've ever come across! Thank you so much for sharing with the rest of the world. I liked and subscribed to your channel. Thank you
I prefer metal ones in the attic, but it depends on your situation. If there's expected to be activity/work in the attic or joists are getting covered up by insulation, one wrong step and you could break a plastic box.
Codes require that boxes in attics be permanently accessible, they cannot be covered with drywall or other surface material. While building codes usually allow junction boxes in attics.
I agree metal boxes make sense from a durability, but wow, it takes my more than twice as long fiddling with wire clamps. Since working with metal boxes, I’ve switched to self clamping plastic boxes and my jobs go a lot faster. Also, I’ve never broken a plastic box. So although I know the metal boxes are stronger, I don’t see how it matters other than weird edge cases.
Great job Dave. I was trying to figure this out using just one box, this is far easier and safer than my thought. Knew there was a better & easier way. Gotta love TH-cam. Thanks.
Enjoyed ur upload. Ur explanations n comments are easy to understand; easy to watch because ur camera angles focuses on the activity; very effective when u show close up shots of the activity; effective ur method of before n after results, etc. Ur camera techniques are RIGHT ON ! Other vids skip many steps on-camera when explaining a DIY project: missing important instructions. Kudos for making corrections or commenting on ur errors. New subscriber because of this upload. Looking forward to learning more on ur next one. Peace
One of the best videos on you tube . Using this video to installed some govoo permanent lights . Going to start in my attic for a power supply. Thanks so much!
Second time watching this wonderful video. After the first time watching, I started making my own junction boxes in my attics, probably more than necessary lol. But seriously, this has helped me and saved my life several times when I cut NM cables with no slack to tap power. What I love about your method of installing two boxes is that they can be placed far apart, like from one side to the opposite side which is what I prefer to do for various reasons. Also I highly recommend lever nuts like WAGOs since they are perfect for this application. It makes this job faster and easier, while still providing reliable and future power. Don't get me wrong, I still use wire nuts and have no issues joining solid with stranded, but there's literally no denying how simple it is to add, remove, relocate, or replace anything inside the box, including the box itself, using lever nuts. Do keep in mind for anyone out there that once you get your hands on a couple, there's no going back; instead you'll be craving more lol
Many thanks! ... 👍👍 Just recently our local Home Depots started selling Wagos and I bought a bunch. ... They're so pricey compared to the nuts though that I use them mostly for testing circuits and temporary connections.
Ditto on the voltage tester. Just turning off the breaker is not enough. My house has a switch box that has wires from two separate breakers. I would not have known that without a tester.
Push connectors are easier. There is some debate as to reliability and safety, since the contact are basically touching the wire in a small area. The latest are “Wago lever nuts” which have a handle you push down to make a clamping connection. These cost a bit more, but many electricians think they’re worth it.
@@TomCee53 I rewired my old 1950 house 4 years ago. I went with Wago. Fast forward and I'm doing a panel swap to get rid of my old glass fuse panel. I saw no signs of arcing or overheat on my Wago connections, and being able to pigtail a few wires inside the panel with Wagos was a cakewalk. They look a lot neater than wire nuts.
OMG! I have looked at least 20 video and then I found yours!!!!! They robbed my ranch house and they took all the electric cables with them, ALL OF THEM! I can't pay $2,000 dls of labor work to reinstall new cables so I'm going to try to do 1 room at a time. May help me God. :\
I really like how you show how to do these junction boxes with both wirenuts and pushon connectors(I like the wago connectors), glad to see you use these and I guess this is an acceptable practice?).
Thanks Jim. Yes either way is up to code here. I have to admit though, I’ve had problems with connections when I’ve used push connectors sometimes. Maybe the Wego‘s are better??
I seem to agree with a lot of the other folks. Great video and you make it, well, obviously easy n simple. Thanks!!!!! I’ll play this while I do it. 😂😂😂
Very well done! Im adding a bathroom fan to my bathroom and I need to tap into power and install a single pole switch but everything is going to plan. Thanks!
Good job. But let me add a few suggestions. Here, the junction boxes are mounted on the horizontal members (ceiling joists). The problem is that someone later blows in insulation (and buries them). The boxes will never be found should they need to be accessed. I suggest you mount the boxes on the vertical members about 12 inches or more above the ceiling joints so that they remain visible. Also, grab a sharpie and write "bedroom" (or whatever) across the cover to distinguish it from other junctions. Much easier to troubleshoot. Finally, these boxes are fine. But if you drop those cover screws in the insulation, youll never find them. I suggest you use a 4x4 box that allows the cover to be removed by loosening the screws, not removing them.completely. In the end, thanks for a well done video!
I have this exact situation in my attic. Perhaps someone ran a wire up from the panel in the basement and came out a few feet short and had to extend it rather than redo a long run. The junction box is a 4x4x1.5" metal junction box with a bracket that is screwed to a beam. However it must be properly grounded with a pigtail and a green grounding screw to avoid a shock hazard. An added advantage is that you can add a cover plate with a duplex receptacle for plugging in lights or power tools.
What's the right way to do this? Amp clamp? If you have 3 outlets in a room on one circuit, each a 15A outlet, that could mean 45 amps on one 15A circuit. Clearly it would pop the breaker, and this is allowed. So how do you determine if a circuit has enough capacity to add more?
In power calculations using the NEC, using my memory, you can have 11 15 amp outlets on a 15 amp circuit breaker. The NEC knows that people would not plug in and operate devices that added up to 15 amps all at once. Kitchens need higher amperage on fewer plugs because devices like toasters and coffee pots use more amps and are likely to be used at the same time. In a living room, someone might use a vacuum cleaner that uses 8 to 12 amps while watching tv which uses 3-5. With the advent of LED lighting, this greatly reduces the load on circuits in general throughout the home.
Breakers don't actually trip at 80% load. The code dictates that you shouldn't apply more than 80% load on a circuit (just to be safe). But even if you do go over the 100% rated load it can take many minutes or even hours for a breaker to trip.
In 1963 I was taking a class in a technical high school that was called "Terminal Electric"" where we were taught house wiring. We didn't have wire nuts. We twisted the wire and wrapped them first with rubber tape and then with friction tape. It was years later that I started using wire nuts. It just makes sense to twist the wire. That is the electrical connection the wire nut is insulation for the splice.
I noticed that you never locked out and tagged out your circuit for safety and in making the connections all load wires are normally connected first in the order ground, neutral and line, not to take away it was a good video
Great tutorial! Maybe one other thing to think about. Make sure the wire you splice into isn't a bathroom or some dedicated high-current circuit, like an electric wall heater. Otherwise, you might trip the breaker using the blow dryer/heater in addition to whatever your new circuit is pulling.
The pigtail he made to make both boxes hot should've been ran through the joists with a hole drilled to run the wire through. This protects the romex from anyone who decides to drill or cut through the building material. I understand his video is for demonstration purposes. I just figured I'd add a quick note here
Fantastic video. This is exactly the two example I needed and you made it so clean and easy to understand. Your additional comments and tips were spot on and again taught me a great deal. Thank you! The only follow up question I can think of is accessibilty. You mentioned it, but what does that mean exactly. What if a junction is being added between floors before a ceiling is added or in a wall before the drywall is added? Would an opening have to be left in the ceiling or wall board with a face plate for future access? I am guessing so, but if you could expand on this, that would be great.
Thanks! There are "repair" electrical couplings that can be hidden in walls (I have another controversial video out there on those), but in general, if the connection is for an add-on and not a repair, you have to be able open it up. Some people just use a blank cover (usually metal) and paint it the color of the ceiling or wall. If it's in the floor, I would buy a floor receptacle and cover and wire it so that it would be both a junction box and outlet. Here's the video on the connectors ... but they're getting hard to find: th-cam.com/video/4AvVFTb_wkc/w-d-xo.html
Was taught proper way to use a contact tester is the 3 stereo method 1) test on a energised circuit that you know has power. 2) Test circuit you are working on to make sure power is off. 3) Retest tester to verify that it still works. Should LOTO ( lock out tag out ) all circuits that you are working on. Have to LOTO everything in commercial & industrial places going by OSHA. NEC states that if you are working on a diswasher, garbage disposal , central AC unit in a house you MUST install a lick non the circuit breaker. Big box store sell clip on locking brackets for only a few dollars. Better safe then dead from electrocution.
The next owner may be a DIYer also (not a professional). I would use a black felt marker and label, on the white box cover, the circuit input, the continuation and the new load. Maybe even which breaker in the panel protects that circuit.
Brilliant. My electrician suggested to also label the box with the date it was installed, so someone knows approximately what era of electrical code it conforms to.
Great video, thank you. Question: if want to add another outlet to the one that is on the bottom of wall and wire comes down from attic which I can access. Do I need to add the new wire at the existent outlet junction box or can I cut the wire that goes down to that outlet in the attic and add a junction box and from that junction box add the new outlet? That will save wiring and the work of trying to pull wire thru existing outlet. Please advise anybody that knows.
In the electrical trade, we call those voltage testers "widow makers". If you are using them to test if a circuit is live or not and that's all you're using to protect your life, you're going to get bit eventually. They have a time and place.
@@dragradialperformance3540To be as safe as possible, you would want to trace the wire upstream or downstream to find a point where the wire terminates. Then measure with voltmeter when there is power. Then turn off breaker. Check again with voltmeter to make sure power is off. Then double check with voltage tester (widow maker) where you want to cut. I'm not saying I wouldn't do what he's doing in the video, but if you're going to do it that way, it's not a bad idea to use an insulated diagonal cutter. At least you won't get shocked if you cut through a live wire, but you might see a good spark, so always look away when you cut. A good, rated insulated cutter is rated up to 1,000 volts, so that'll be plenty.
Very well done, I am an old drywaller as in I started hanging board in the seventies right out of the army. Oh and by the way when the drywall routers (for cutting out the electrical boxes) came out my uncle an electrician told me about NOT hitting wires. yeah I'm old school but considerate of the trades down river from me. Do you have a video of how to connect a light and light switch to the new feed coming out of the junction box? Last year my bride (first and only) bought 4+ acres and a home very deep in the mountains of NC and have been doing some remodeling and just want to do this correctly. Blessings to you and yours:)
I wish I did, but it's pretty simple. Ideally you would go from the junction box to the switch box first. The black from the junction box would be attached to one of the two terminals (gold screws) on the switch (doesn't matter which terminal). The white wire from the junction box would get attached to the white wire going from the switch box up to the light fixture (so basically the white is connected from sourc power directly to the light fixture). The black from the light fixture would get attached to the other terminal on the switch. That's it!
I'm in the process of having some electrical wiring upgrades. One project involves eliminating a bedroom closet subpanel, but the electricians are talking about making it a junction box. I have no clue what they're talking about or what it would look like.
I want to add outlets to a wall without any. I'm fine with wiring, but I'm reluctant to go in our attic, because we have birds living in it. Also, years ago we had a "weatherization" group working on our house and they blocked off our attic access. When you pull the door/latter down there are walls surrounding it. The only way through is to take a reciprocating saw to it.
If you cut it near or over a stud and have enough slack, you can join them all in one box without needing to jumper the two boxes... it also makes it easier to trace later..
Let me add here that many electricians prefer a metal box for strength. But, also, if that splice fails and begins arcing in a plastic box, that arcing might continue and not clear. The metal box would give the added advantage that arcing against the metal box should open the CB.. Opinions between the two vary, however, and plastic meets code.. The installation shown here is a nice installation.
You need a staple for the cable regardless of the type of box knockouts. And the distance is 8" for a plastic box and 12" for a metal box.
Thank you for pointing that out. 👍🏻 I am pinning this comment.
Its 12" no matter what kind of box it is if you're using romex. Code also does not specify whether its 12" of cable from box to staple so you can actually have a little slack, the staple just has to be 12" or less from the point where the wire enters the box. In reality you should definitely have the staple about 6-8" away, the code just provides the minimum requirement.
You are supposed to cut sheathing back to 1/2” entering into the box.
@@bentone23Nope, it’s 1/4”
Great job at explaining "how to do a junction box"!
I appreciated how you came back and added those important details.
Well done!
Much appreciated. Thanks for watching!
Want to add an outlet to a small room
This video was super helpful for me. Especially the section beginning at the 3:38 mark about installing 2 junction boxes when there's no slack!
There’s a new method you don’t need a second junction box if you don’t want to do all of that. There’s a splice kit with all you need at Home Depot.
@@nickit22 Could you provide a link to that item? Much appreciated
@@nickit22 Those suck
I’ve watched over the last few months hundreds of these videos and yours is by far the best & easiest to understand. Some guys, & I’m sure they know what they r doing, don’t explain things very well & it’s hard to understand if ur not an electrician. Thanks for ur help, I really appreciate it.
Thank YOU for the kind comment, Bobby!
I've been watching youtube videos for 2 weeks to learn how to move a bathroom light switch/outlet combo 3 ft. The existing yellow RX cable is long enough to reach the new box, the white RX is too short. This is, by far, THE BEST VIDEO of all those I've watched! You teach both scenarios in one video, have excellent, close-up filming for great video instruction and easy-to-understand verbal directions. LOVE IT! THANK YOU! I have subscribed.
Thank you for the kind comment!
This is the universe's way to remind me to do this. My random splice of wires hanging out in the open has been bothering me lol. Nice video
I really appreciate the updates and overlays. Thanks Dave! If you had run this as scripted and shot, it was a pretty average video, but your care taken to fix words you misspoke, safety features that were glossed over, and even stuff that was entirely forgotten makes it almost a perfect junction box video, from my perspective. It's even *better* than if you somehow wrote and produced it perfectly the first time, because it calls attention to critical and easily-forgotten issues! Keep making "mistakes" like this!
Thanks Tai. You're comment is very much appreciated!
In Oregon I was a laborer on a housing addition. I happened to be alone on site when the electrical inspector came. He looked in the attic and saw romex lay over the top of the ceiling joists and said he was going to fail the inspection due to that. I asked him what he wanted to see to take care of that problem. He said a 2x4 along side of the wires would suffice. When the contractor came back to the site, I relayed that information and rather than calling for the electrification to come back.he had me put in the 2xs and called for another inspection. Which passed.
Yep. Wires must be protected from stomping around.
It’s called a running board
Dude, thank you so much! This is by far one of the greatest tutorial videos on TH-cam. Thank you!
Thanks for the kind comment, Don!
It's one of the best videos on utube.. You explain you show you do all at the same time...youre a good teacher. THANK YOU SIR😊
Much appreciated!
This the video I have been looking for.days!!! The others just show connecting to another outlet. Thank you, thank you.
Glad it helped 🙂
Dave, thank-you. This is a huge help for us that aren’t electricians. There’s always going to be a critic that is somehow offended by the helpful. Nobody likes them anyway. Great presentation!
Thank YOU for the kind comment!!
I put a new circuit for an inline 10" booster fan in my attic to help get extra A/C air volume to the furthest part of my house. It worked great, but I have another room that needs a boost so I'm adding another fan. I was going to tap into the wire I ran before but there wasn't enough slack to do it with one junction box. I didn't even think about using 2 junction boxes until I watched this video. I was stalled because I was over thinking how to do it to properly to code. This video made me say 💡💡💡"Oh DUH" because every other circuit has numerous junction boxes and splices for all the outlets and lights. Using two junction boxes this close together is quite literally no different. 😅 So thank you kind man, for this video.
Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing. Great video. Well explained and simple. Thanks so much. You just saved me $200.00 . An electrician was going going to charge me $200.00 for doing this for me.
Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!
GREAT video. Literally doing this over last weekend. 125 year old house. BX is out but no slack. Thanks!!
Thank YOU. All the best on your project!
Perfect..adding an outlet in a few bedrooms, (and removing a stupid amount in the basement) this was my plan to do it this way..just needed affirmation. Great video!
Most DIY videos on wiring totally avoid going into detail about splicing, and your video was exactly the info I needed to do my project. I've been looking all day and finally came across what I needed. Thank you!
Great to hear Brandon. Thanks for the comment!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thanks, Dave! If you don't mind, I do have a question for you. My project is installing LED lights in my garage ceiling. There is a power outlet in the ceiling already for the garage opener. My plan was to splice power from that source and run the Romex to a new dimmer switch. From that switch I would run another Romex line to the LED lights to power them and control them on a dimmer. Would that work? Any red flags in that plan? Any advice would be super helpful. Thanks, Dave!
Garage door openers don't require dedicated circuits, so I don't see any flags there, Brandon, and since LEDs draw very little power, I wouldn't imagine you'd be overloading the circuit. Just make sure the gauge of your Romex is sufficient for your breaker. (At least 12 AWG for 20 Amp breaker, and at least 14 AWG for 15 Amp breaker.) All the best on your project!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Dave! Thanks so much. I've subscribed to your channel and will spread the word. THANK YOU
@@BrandonRaehl Thanks, Brandon … and I’m glad to help 🙂
Make sure to test your non contact probe on a known live circuit to make sure it is functioning correctly.
I always do this!
I found this video really clear and helpful! I was not able to get this clarity from Home Depot.
The best and simplest explanation I've ever come across! Thank you so much for sharing with the rest of the world. I liked and subscribed to your channel. Thank you
Thanks for watching ... and for the kind comment!
That was a great demonstration! You made it so easy to understand, I think I could put a junction box in myself. Thank you for a great job.
I prefer metal ones in the attic, but it depends on your situation. If there's expected to be activity/work in the attic or joists are getting covered up by insulation, one wrong step and you could break a plastic box.
Probably why my electrician mounted the boxes on post vs the joist. He also labeled the cover with the device it went to.
Definitely a metal box!
Codes require that boxes in attics be permanently accessible, they cannot be covered with drywall or other surface material. While building codes usually allow junction boxes in attics.
Heck yah, only metal in the attic
I agree metal boxes make sense from a durability, but wow, it takes my more than twice as long fiddling with wire clamps. Since working with metal boxes, I’ve switched to self clamping plastic boxes and my jobs go a lot faster. Also, I’ve never broken a plastic box. So although I know the metal boxes are stronger, I don’t see how it matters other than weird edge cases.
Great job Dave. I was trying to figure this out using just one box, this is far easier and safer than my thought. Knew there was a better & easier way. Gotta love TH-cam. Thanks.
Enjoyed ur upload. Ur explanations n comments are easy to understand; easy to watch because ur camera angles focuses on the activity; very effective when u show close up shots of the activity; effective ur method of before n after results, etc. Ur camera techniques are RIGHT ON ! Other vids skip many steps on-camera when explaining a DIY project: missing important instructions. Kudos for making corrections or commenting on ur errors. New subscriber because of this upload. Looking forward to learning more on ur next one. Peace
Thanks for the kind comment and for the sub!
One of the best videos on you tube . Using this video to installed some govoo permanent lights . Going to start in my attic for a power supply. Thanks so much!
Much appreaciated. All the best on your project!
Second time watching this wonderful video. After the first time watching, I started making my own junction boxes in my attics, probably more than necessary lol. But seriously, this has helped me and saved my life several times when I cut NM cables with no slack to tap power. What I love about your method of installing two boxes is that they can be placed far apart, like from one side to the opposite side which is what I prefer to do for various reasons.
Also I highly recommend lever nuts like WAGOs since they are perfect for this application. It makes this job faster and easier, while still providing reliable and future power. Don't get me wrong, I still use wire nuts and have no issues joining solid with stranded, but there's literally no denying how simple it is to add, remove, relocate, or replace anything inside the box, including the box itself, using lever nuts. Do keep in mind for anyone out there that once you get your hands on a couple, there's no going back; instead you'll be craving more lol
Many thanks! ... 👍👍 Just recently our local Home Depots started selling Wagos and I bought a bunch. ... They're so pricey compared to the nuts though that I use them mostly for testing circuits and temporary connections.
Just what I needed, thank you. I'm replacing some sketchy wiring that was spliced on without a junction box or wire nuts
@@davidicousgregorian great idea, I was wondering if I should add some protection!
Extremely helpful. The addition at the end of the video helped a lot too
Thanks, I'm glad it helped, Levi.
Ditto on the voltage tester. Just turning off the breaker is not enough. My house has a switch box that has wires from two separate breakers. I would not have known that without a tester.
Thank you for such a detailed video, going to be extending wires and running an additional outlet off a constant power line. This is very informative!
Thanks for the kind comment!
First time to see push connectors. They look easier. Great job, Dave!
They definitely are. Thanks for the comment DW!
Push connectors are easier. There is some debate as to reliability and safety, since the contact are basically touching the wire in a small area. The latest are “Wago lever nuts” which have a handle you push down to make a clamping connection. These cost a bit more, but many electricians think they’re worth it.
SOME NAMES IN THE GAME: WAGO AND IDEAL. THEY BOTH MAKE THESE ....I USED WAGO YEARS AGO. THANKS TO SPARKY, THE SPARKY CHANNEL HERE IN TH-cam....
@@TomCee53 I rewired my old 1950 house 4 years ago. I went with Wago. Fast forward and I'm doing a panel swap to get rid of my old glass fuse panel. I saw no signs of arcing or overheat on my Wago connections, and being able to pigtail a few wires inside the panel with Wagos was a cakewalk. They look a lot neater than wire nuts.
Just check local building codes as not all areas accept them.
Once again! Great camera angle, subtitled corrections and most importantly post production additional info. Keep up the good work!
Much appreciated!
This made me feel more comfortable about tying in a couple outlets
Exactly the information I need right now -- the no slack case. Thanks.
Glad it helped. Thanks for the comment, Mike!
Thank very much for your helpful support!
Happy to help!
Thanks! I’ve come back to this video more than once. Great video.
Much appreciated!!
I always try to put the electrical box above the insulation area so it can be found later. Also you need to staple your new wire on both ends.
OMG! I have looked at least 20 video and then I found yours!!!!! They robbed my ranch house and they took all the electric cables with them, ALL OF THEM! I can't pay $2,000 dls of labor work to reinstall new cables so I'm going to try to do 1 room at a time. May help me God. :\
Homeowners Insurance????
This is a well-done video and example made it easy to understand! Very helpful, clear and easy to consume the information.
Much appreciated :-)
I really like how you show how to do these junction boxes with both wirenuts and pushon connectors(I like the wago connectors), glad to see you use these and I guess this is an acceptable practice?).
Thanks Jim. Yes either way is up to code here. I have to admit though, I’ve had problems with connections when I’ve used push connectors sometimes. Maybe the Wego‘s are better??
I love Wagos. I don't use anything else. As an added bonus you can hot swap with a Wago, or add another wire later on if need be.
I seem to agree with a lot of the other folks. Great video and you make it, well, obviously easy n simple. Thanks!!!!!
I’ll play this while I do it. 😂😂😂
It is a good practice to write on the j box cover what that circuit feeds for future reference if you need to troubleshoot
great work and you made it very easy for non techs. thanks
Great video! Helped me to install a new ceiling fan in my master.
Glad to hear it!
Thanks...I appreciate it. I actually had trouble finding a good video on this..
Thanks for watching Alecio!
Very well done! Im adding a bathroom fan to my bathroom and I need to tap into power and install a single pole switch but everything is going to plan. Thanks!
All the best on your project!
Thanks! Just finished and everythjng works, no leaks in attic, no shorts and I didnt get electrocuted lol
@@cwl206 Awesome. Glad to hear it!! 😀
Thanks for the good video. This was my plan, but I just wanted to verify. It's a simple solution. I plan on putting an outlet in one of them. Thanks
Good job. But let me add a few suggestions. Here, the junction boxes are mounted on the horizontal members (ceiling joists). The problem is that someone later blows in insulation (and buries them). The boxes will never be found should they need to be accessed. I suggest you mount the boxes on the vertical members about 12 inches or more above the ceiling joints so that they remain visible.
Also, grab a sharpie and write "bedroom" (or whatever) across the cover to distinguish it from other junctions. Much easier to troubleshoot. Finally, these boxes are fine. But if you drop those cover screws in the insulation, youll never find them. I suggest you use a 4x4 box that allows the cover to be removed by loosening the screws, not removing them.completely. In the end, thanks for a well done video!
Great advice. Thanks for the input!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thank you. And thanks for helping us homeowners tackle these projects..
I have this exact situation in my attic. Perhaps someone ran a wire up from the panel in the basement and came out a few feet short and had to extend it rather than redo a long run. The junction box is a 4x4x1.5" metal junction box with a bracket that is screwed to a beam. However it must be properly grounded with a pigtail and a green grounding screw to avoid a shock hazard. An added advantage is that you can add a cover plate with a duplex receptacle for plugging in lights or power tools.
@@1575murrayYes, good points. Thanks
Best and easiest explanation than anyone
Much appreciated!
very easy, thorough demonstration.
Thanks!!
good job answering questions at the end. Thx.
This is the one I needed, you done good!
The only thing I would add is to do a check of how many amps that circuit has on it and if there is capacity to add more.
What's the right way to do this? Amp clamp?
If you have 3 outlets in a room on one circuit, each a 15A outlet, that could mean 45 amps on one 15A circuit. Clearly it would pop the breaker, and this is allowed. So how do you determine if a circuit has enough capacity to add more?
In power calculations using the NEC, using my memory, you can have 11 15 amp outlets on a 15 amp circuit breaker. The NEC knows that people would not plug in and operate devices that added up to 15 amps all at once. Kitchens need higher amperage on fewer plugs because devices like toasters and coffee pots use more amps and are likely to be used at the same time. In a living room, someone might use a vacuum cleaner that uses 8 to 12 amps while watching tv which uses 3-5. With the advent of LED lighting, this greatly reduces the load on circuits in general throughout the home.
This gave me exactly what I needed... thanks!
Thanks,that was just what I needed.
Thanks for the video(s) and the clarifications on this new one.... much appreciated.
Great video. This helped me. Thanks!
Very, VERY helpful. Thank you!
Exactly the video I was looking for. Thank you
Thanks for watching, James!
Breakers don't actually trip at 80% load. The code dictates that you shouldn't apply more than 80% load on a circuit (just to be safe). But even if you do go over the 100% rated load it can take many minutes or even hours for a breaker to trip.
Exactly what I was looking for! Great video with tons of info. Thanks!
Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching, Doug!
Thank you for the video, it was very informative!!!
thanks for watching!
Went with your recommendation with the two boxes, not enough wire to pull used the wagos it went easy. Thank you.
Glad to hear it Francis!
Dave, felt it was excellent video!!
Dave thanks for this video. Great information!
In 1963 I was taking a class in a technical high school that was called "Terminal Electric"" where we were taught house wiring. We didn't have wire nuts. We twisted the wire and wrapped them first with rubber tape and then with friction tape. It was years later that I started using wire nuts. It just makes sense to twist the wire. That is the electrical connection the wire nut is insulation for the splice.
Thanks, nice explaining. I learned a lot. Keep it up, brother, 🍻
Thanks Carlos!
So glad I watched this first.
Great video. Very helpful, detailed 👌. Ready for some projects 😀.
Glad it was helpful!
This is golden info right here.. for me atleast 😎
I noticed that you never locked out and tagged out your circuit for safety and in making the connections all load wires are normally connected first in the order ground, neutral and line, not to take away it was a good video
My back was killing me watching you lean over this 😅 thank God I'm retired.but excellent video
Thank you Dave, good timing. This really helps
Thanks YOU for watching!
Thanks for the video and the closing update. This was very helpful
Thanks for watching, CarLos!
Under the CEC, JB’s must be accessible, not to be buried in the insulation, perhaps mounting it on an joist support.
Thanks, very neat & efficient video
Great tutorial! Maybe one other thing to think about. Make sure the wire you splice into isn't a bathroom or some dedicated high-current circuit, like an electric wall heater. Otherwise, you might trip the breaker using the blow dryer/heater in addition to whatever your new circuit is pulling.
The pigtail he made to make both boxes hot should've been ran through the joists with a hole drilled to run the wire through. This protects the romex from anyone who decides to drill or cut through the building material. I understand his video is for demonstration purposes. I just figured I'd add a quick note here
Fantastic video. This is exactly the two example I needed and you made it so clean and easy to understand. Your additional comments and tips were spot on and again taught me a great deal. Thank you! The only follow up question I can think of is accessibilty. You mentioned it, but what does that mean exactly. What if a junction is being added between floors before a ceiling is added or in a wall before the drywall is added? Would an opening have to be left in the ceiling or wall board with a face plate for future access? I am guessing so, but if you could expand on this, that would be great.
Thanks! There are "repair" electrical couplings that can be hidden in walls (I have another controversial video out there on those), but in general, if the connection is for an add-on and not a repair, you have to be able open it up. Some people just use a blank cover (usually metal) and paint it the color of the ceiling or wall. If it's in the floor, I would buy a floor receptacle and cover and wire it so that it would be both a junction box and outlet. Here's the video on the connectors ... but they're getting hard to find: th-cam.com/video/4AvVFTb_wkc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the helpful video
Great style, good information.
Thank you, Jeremy!
Was taught proper way to use a contact tester is the 3 stereo method 1) test on a energised circuit that you know has power. 2) Test circuit you are working on to make sure power is off. 3) Retest tester to verify that it still works. Should LOTO ( lock out tag out ) all circuits that you are working on. Have to LOTO everything in commercial & industrial places going by OSHA. NEC states that if you are working on a diswasher, garbage disposal , central AC unit in a house you MUST install a lick non the circuit breaker. Big box store sell clip on locking brackets for only a few dollars. Better safe then dead from electrocution.
Great information! thank you and God bless you.
Thanks for the kind comment Geoff!
The next owner may be a DIYer also (not a professional). I would use a black felt marker and label, on the white box cover, the circuit input, the continuation and the new load. Maybe even which breaker in the panel protects that circuit.
Great idea Frederick. Thanks for the tip!
Brilliant. My electrician suggested to also label the box with the date it was installed, so someone knows approximately what era of electrical code it conforms to.
Very interesting video, thank you.
For me that I’m studying for electrician it great help
Glad to hear!
You didn’t staple the bridge wire. Two staples needed, each within 8” of each box.
Great video, thank you.
Question: if want to add another outlet to the one that is on the bottom of wall and wire comes down from attic which I can access.
Do I need to add the new wire at the existent outlet junction box or can I cut the wire that goes down to that outlet in the attic and add a junction box and from that junction box add the new outlet?
That will save wiring and the work of trying to pull wire thru existing outlet.
Please advise anybody that knows.
Thanks, and yes, you can cut the wire in the attic above the existing outlet, and splice in your new wire to your new outlet. -- very common practice.
Great, gracias.
Very helpful. Thanks
before u add new wire runs , u have to count everything that old wire feed is wired into , u dont wanna overload the breaker
EXCELLENT WORK.
Thanks!
In the electrical trade, we call those voltage testers "widow makers". If you are using them to test if a circuit is live or not and that's all you're using to protect your life, you're going to get bit eventually. They have a time and place.
I use 2 voltage testers
What other method would you use to test for voltage on an uncut romex cable? A voltmeter would require bare wire.
@@dragradialperformance3540To be as safe as possible, you would want to trace the wire upstream or downstream to find a point where the wire terminates. Then measure with voltmeter when there is power. Then turn off breaker. Check again with voltmeter to make sure power is off. Then double check with voltage tester (widow maker) where you want to cut. I'm not saying I wouldn't do what he's doing in the video, but if you're going to do it that way, it's not a bad idea to use an insulated diagonal cutter. At least you won't get shocked if you cut through a live wire, but you might see a good spark, so always look away when you cut. A good, rated insulated cutter is rated up to 1,000 volts, so that'll be plenty.
Very well done, I am an old drywaller as in I started hanging board in the seventies right out of the army. Oh and by the way when the drywall routers (for cutting out the electrical boxes) came out my uncle an electrician told me about NOT hitting wires. yeah I'm old school but considerate of the trades down river from me. Do you have a video of how to connect a light and light switch to the new feed coming out of the junction box? Last year my bride (first and only) bought 4+ acres and a home very deep in the mountains of NC and have been doing some remodeling and just want to do this correctly. Blessings to you and yours:)
I wish I did, but it's pretty simple. Ideally you would go from the junction box to the switch box first. The black from the junction box would be attached to one of the two terminals (gold screws) on the switch (doesn't matter which terminal). The white wire from the junction box would get attached to the white wire going from the switch box up to the light fixture (so basically the white is connected from sourc power directly to the light fixture). The black from the light fixture would get attached to the other terminal on the switch. That's it!
I'm in the process of having some electrical wiring upgrades. One project involves eliminating a bedroom closet subpanel, but the electricians are talking about making it a junction box. I have no clue what they're talking about or what it would look like.
Thanks Dave, great video, saved me a headache.
Mark
Great to hear, Mark!
I want to add outlets to a wall without any. I'm fine with wiring, but I'm reluctant to go in our attic, because we have birds living in it.
Also, years ago we had a "weatherization" group working on our house and they blocked off our attic access. When you pull the door/latter down there are walls surrounding it. The only way through is to take a reciprocating saw to it.
😳
If you cut it near or over a stud and have enough slack, you can join them all in one box without needing to jumper the two boxes... it also makes it easier to trace later..
Thanks for the video, very helpful! 👍🏼👍🏼
Glad it was helpful!
Great video 👍
Thanks!
Great explanation of this situation, in what situation would you have to use a metal junction box
You only "need" metal junction boxes when working with armored cable or metal conduit.
Let me add here that many electricians prefer a metal box for strength. But, also, if that splice fails and begins arcing in a plastic box, that arcing might continue and not clear. The metal box would give the added advantage that arcing against the metal box should open the CB.. Opinions between the two vary, however, and plastic meets code.. The installation shown here is a nice installation.
@@boeing757pilot Good info. Thanks for adding that!
@@FamilyFriendlyDIY Thanks Dave. Really enjoy all the great info on your channel.. Merry Christmas.
@@boeing757pilot merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂