Avoid These 5 DIY Electrical Mistakes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ค. 2024
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I have made plenty of mistakes over the years and some of them on past videos where viewers were nice enough to point out my errors. I will run you through 5 mistakes I have made in hopes that you can avoid these same issues on you DIY electrical projects around the house.
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I appreciate you being honest enough to admit your mistakes. Thanks man, it really helps to see what possible mistakes can be made.
Humility is very instructive.
The light fixture box for the light you added is just fine. The responsibility falls on the person that is going to add a fan.
For sure.
$2 vs $20 for a 12 oz fixture. Hmmm...
Respectfully disagree with this. My goal is that my successor is safer (or has an easier task) than my predecessor. Especially since that successor is often me.
@@shabazan you don't have to make sure everything is future proof. If you're installing a fan you should make sure your electrical box is mounted and capable of carrying the load. Unless it's attached to a stud it will need a special box. Most people are not diy installing ceiling fans. And any electrician or installer will know not to attach a fan to a floating box. You wouldn't mount a can light like a fan. Also if these were not acceptable to use they wouldn't make them
@@xXVintersorgXx
yup.
If i did every job planning for what someone may potentially want to change in the future, I'd be broke.
"Why do a panel change with only a 200 amp main? They might want to upgrade to a 400 amp in ten years..."
People sharing their mistakes that they've learned is one of the things I like best about the channels I follow, and is one of the top reasons why I share those experiences more widely.
Thank you for your honesty. As an electrician myself, I find that we must always be our best critic. When dealing with the lethality of electricity, there can never be shortcuts that marginalize the job that make it unsafe. Again, great video!
Your humility speaks volumes about your professionalism and concern for those you teach. Thank you!
You bet!
Brother, the fact that you did this video is just another reason to keep coming back. It takes a lot to admit we make mistakes. Good on you.
I think you are great and admitting mistakes as the springboard to helping others is called character. Well done. You always knock it out of the park with me.
I think this is a good thing you are doing here. Sharing your mistakes helps us not make those mistakes. Since I have been watching your vids. I have learn a ton. Thanks much and keep it up!
Appreciate the kind words 👍
Great info. As a DIY working with electricity I always follow the “measure twice cut once concept”. I double check the circuit with my multimeter before touching any wiring. Same with any firearm especially if I have laid it down after checking for a round in the chamber. I recheck the chamber again before cleaning or working on it. That avoids those “I thought the circuit was off” or “I thought it was unloaded” explanations.
I'm a handyman and pretty electrical smart as I worked with an electrician, I still find ur videos very helpful and you turned me on to Wago, I love them , especially when putting wires together to just trace what they power
You're a good man, Charlie Brown. I appreciate your honesty and corrections. This gives you true credibility.
Thanks for being a straight up guy, we have all made mistakes and all we can do is learn from them so as not to repeat them! Regarding electrical best practices I can’t stress enough to follow your instructions of testing before, during and after. I was in a hurry as a young machine tool electrician working long hours to prepare equipment for shipping to the UK. After running off the stations we had to remove the 480/120 volt transformers and replace them with the required 480/240 volt transformers. There were 10 stations to do and someone was working ahead of me removing the power drops but missed one and on my 6th R&R I didn’t check to make sure the circuit was deenergized and got bit. Luckily it was a very short exposure but scared the heck out of me and I was furious at my self for not checking!
What a great idea for a video. It takes a humble person to highlight their mistakes so that others can learn. Thank you.
Great info, as always!!
I work part-time in the electrical section of blue, and only have DIY knowledge. Your explanations help me coach the DIYer that just wants the light to come on, but doesn't know how to make it happen. Keep up the good work.
Also, when in doubt, consult a qualified electrician, not the guy in the electrical aisle of your local store.
Good stuff! We all make mistakes. I appreciate learning from others. I hadn’t seen that old work light box for fan mounting.
Test, check, test.
When mixing stranded and solid in a wire nut, I find it's best to insert the stranded first. That way you make sure it doesn't get pushed down the solid by the threads inside the nut. Usually passes the pull test first try.
That's what the instructions for wire nuts say to do.
I like the tip. Thanks @MATMATIC77
I didn't even know there were instructions for wire nuts.
It also helps if you strip the stranded wire so it's a little bit longer than the solid wires. When you pre-twist the wires, the stranded wire is at the tip of the bundle.
Your correction on connecting a #14 wire to a #12 wire fed from a 20 amp breaker is still incorrect. Look at the NEC and you will find a 10 ft and 25 ft rule that may allow this connection to be made legally. I know that you may think that I'm splitting hairs, but this is legal as long as you follow the rules. I am a retired Master Electrician..
Have you ever thought about moving to FL and buying a house near me? You would make a great neighbor.
I like your videos and especially your dedication to getting it right. You explain everything in a thorough and logical maner that is easy to understand. Your efforts are helpful and greatly appreciated.
Speaking of grounding electrical boxes. I had a firefighter friend that was crawling through his attic in Florida doing work and accidentally brushed up against a hot electrical box. Being South Florida, he was soaking wet with sweat and died from electrocution. The firefighters had to cut the ceiling out to remove his body and they were also the same guys he worked with. He was in his late 20’s and had a wife and two kids. Electricity is no joke. Be careful, be safe. Don’t cut corners. ✌️
I call that a lesson learned the hard way. Sorry, he had to die and leave his wife without a husband and his children fatherless.
An old electrician's saying, "That which doesn't kill me only makes me stronger, EXCEPT ELECTRICITY, that will definitely KILL me.
I am sorry for step #2 the box was fine for what you used it for. You can not future proof everything. If someone else wants to install a fan it's on them to upgrade the box.
He missed a key point, which is that the 2020 National Electrical Code now requires those ceiling boxes to be strong enough to support a ceiling fan if it's possible to install one there. Someone can clarify the details (I'm not an electrician), but I believe it's something like if the hole is more than two feet from a wall, the box needs to be rated for at least fifty pounds. I watched several videos on the 2020 code changes, and this came up in all of them.
@@pfcrow The 2020 code is adopted pretty much nowhere that code is enforced.
I always prefer to know the best way and usually pick it vs. let the next guy worry about it. 😉
@@pfcrow
It's not true that a fan box is required in every application where a fan may go. If so then all nail on boxes are illegal. Whatever video you've been watching stating this I recommend you stop watching them. I'm a licensed electrician and know for a fact that fan rated boxes aren't required except for during the necessary application they were intended for. Nowhere in the code does it state fan rated boxes are required for everywhere a fan may be installed. Now, if one prefers to install fan rated boxes to future different rooms, then that's a different story.
The remodel box was correct as long as the light installed didn't exceed the box's rating. I've installed those types of boxes many times.
@@snap-off5383 The 2020 NEC has been adopted in at least 10 states so far.
Thank you for your candor. Acknowledging our mistakes and learning from them is critical to improving our skills.
Tug Test we say in the UK. Wagos are very popular using them today installing lights.
Glad I ran across this video! I was going to input a replacement outlet today in a metal box and didn't know about the grounding 😮! Glad I needed to make another trip to the hardware store before doing it!
Learning from your mistakes so you won't make them again is all part of the learning process. Keep up the great work!
I make 5 mistakes every time I attempt a new project. If I'm not making mistakes, I'm not trying hard enough! Kudos to you, bro, for going back and righting your "wrongs." I appreciate your videos and have learned a lot. Thank you.
Great advice. Thanks for taking the time to educate us.
Great video with some helpful tips. I was working on a circuit once and was testing voltage with a multimeter. I accidentally had the meter set to VDC when testing a 110 VAC circuit. I read 0 Volts and started working on the circuit. My screwdriver accidentally shorted hot wire to junction box and although I didn't get a shock I was very surprised by the sparks and that the circuit was live. Since then I always perform the best practice you mentioned in this video where I confirm a known circuit is live, test my circuit I'm working on, and then confirm a known circuit again. Good stuff! SAFETY FIRST!!!
Great video. Also very good the way you separated good practice vs code vs just considerate (a close relative of best practice).
Excellent one. Great to be able recognize one’s mistakes.
Much respect for your posting of this video. You just made me a safer DIYer... and earned another subscriber.
breaking down and repairing mistakes is very instructive. Thank you
Thank you for this excellent informative video; you explain it so well.
WOW, what an honest person. Thanks for the tips and info about the voltage tester, its definitely a tool I need.
2:22 I think that logic is a few iterations over the top... Maybe some day someone wants to land a Boeing 747 on my roof better prepare it for that. I think it's the responsibility of the person who hangs that ceiling fan to check if the box is strong enough.
I was thinking the same. The correct box was used for the light, that's not a mistake. If someone later wants to install a fan, that's on them to make sure they check the installed box and upgrade it if necessary. Using a more robust box and mount that can accept the fan is a nice thing to do for the next person, but not doing that isn't a mistake.
I agree...
Agreed. Even new construction, new work light fixture ceiling boxes that are nailed to a joist are not fan (weight) rated.
This is so unusual. So commendable, and great info too. Kudos!
Great subject and thank you for your tips and honesty.
Hola! 🖐 Really like your videos, you are a very good instructor/teacher. I always learn something new, keep them coming. I'm no professional, just a weekend warrior; I would say that grounding is my biggest flaw when it comes to wiring up or re-wiring as part of a bigger project. Take care and have a good one, Adios! 👊
My old farm house was wired more than a few times before I bought it, 12 and 14 g were mixed with reckless abandon. It has a recent, 20 yr old service box to update from nob and tube but they didn't think about gauge. All breakers were 20 amp. I went to all circuits with any 14 g and traded those lines out with 15 amp breakers. That's the best I can do without taking down walls. I hope I don't burn the place down.
I would say, considering your circumstances, that's a safe thing to do. I'd also say that if you find you're tripping breakers, then consider changing to a heavier wire in that instance. Or find out why a circuit trips.
I have one twelve feeding several fourteens. Meanwhile, back at the panel, felt tip and long lasting wraps layout the fact the twelve just gets it there, like a junction box, but the fourteen for the light circuits is the bottleneck, at the end, and a fifteen amp breaker is the max for the circuit.
Electronically speaking, it's a good practice. From the "room for error" side, not so much.
@@kellyvcraig There's nothing wrong with a 15a breaker on 12g, which is what I did on my mixed lines. What do you mean by "room for error'?
It is dangerous to oversize a breaker, but that is probably not your biggest potential fire hazard. What I would do is start in the attic and look for wire splices. Every splice is a potential loose connection. Loose connections generate heat. 200 degrees F is enough to ignite wood. It is also just over the modern wire's temperature rating (90 degrees C) Many DIYers and even electricians with poor work ethics splice wires without putting them in a box. The box is important and so is the cover. A covered box limits the available oxygen, thereby reducing the chance of a flame. In a covered box, a loose connection is more likely to burn away the connection than a splice outside the box. Also, a metal box with metal clamps on the wires is even better because the heat generated by a loose connection will travel up the copper wire outside the box, where there is more oxygen. A metal box with a cover and metal wire clamps will act as a heat sink, reducing the amount of heat that travels along the wire. One more thing to look for in an old house is a breaker panel made by FPE (Federal Pacific Electric.) If you have one of those get rid of it ASAP. I mean yesterday is not soon enough! FPE breakers are widely known for their failure to trip. A Square D QO breaker will trip in a split second, but you can short a neutral directly to a hot wire long enough to hear a humming sound, then remove it and do it again immediately because the Federal breaker did not trip. (No, I do not recommend trying that.) Improper splices though are as likely as anything, if not most likely, to cause problems. Smoke detectors save lives. Put one in the attic and link it to one in the living space.
Thanks - made one of those and will go back to correct (ground wire). Using the wagos so easy job.
Excellent reflection and correction. I salute you.
#4 wow, yeah gotta ground metal box. Surprised that got by ya. Many boxes come with a green screw kind of screaming "ground me".
Thanks for sharing your mistakes and educating additional DIY-ers.
Great information. Thank you for sharing
Nice update/correction. Thanks. BTW, love the t-shirt, where did you find it?
Helpful information, thanks bro..
Great Video. You explained everything very well. Easy to understand to the point. Well done!!!
Thanks!
My brother and I work on old homes as DIYers. The mistake we both made, is when you are rewiring anything, and there are only 2 conductors coming into the box, we just rewire using the 2 connectors. We should have been changing the 2 wire conductors to modern 2 wire and a ground, and making sure everything was grounded correctly. As it turns out, my brother's apartment building had knob and tube wiring that was still active. If we were changing that out as we came to it, it would have been much less expensive than a wholesale change.
Your explanations are great. Thank you.
5:48 I like that you said back to source.👍 good videos from what ive seen so far.
I wanted to comment on the #2 mistake first. I was living in a rental at the time and the laundry room light had been upgraded at some point from a simple ceiling lamp to a 4x4ft tube fluorescent fixture with two giant ballasts. The only part holding the fixture to the ceiling was a couple of cheap wall hangers like what you would hold up a medium or small picture frame with. And then of course there were two screws holding the fixture to the ceiling box. Well, one evening at 3AM I am coming home from work and when I turned on the light as I came in the door, the hot wire popped! Sparks showered the room and then the remainder of the fixture came crashing to the ground. Apparently while I was gone, the wall hangers had given up, the screws popped off the box in the ceiling and there was nothing but wires holding it in suspension from the ceiling. Once energized that was enough to cut it loose. But the moral of the story is, not all ceiling boxes are going to be a fan if upgraded. Now what could have prevented this issue was if the handyman who installed the giant light fixture had used the correct hangers. What the trade calls Batwings are expansive spring-loaded nuts that pops open once they are through the drywall, and then latch on, offering at least 25 lbs of support. One of those should have been installed at each end of the fixture. Unfortunately the rental company did not want to hear my side of the story and instead charged me $300 to replace the fixture and withheld my $1500 deposit over that whole situation.
Now in my day as an electrical helper, I made several mistakes. Two big ones are related and should be something everyone in the DIY world should be conscious and aware of. Luckily I was not injured in either of these situations but in Situation #1, I was on a man-lift replacing a light fixture in a commercial building that failed at test time. I asked the Foreman to kill the power at the breaker panel and he said he did. But when I went to cut off the wire junction, it exploded in my face! 277 volts went from conducting to open right in my hands. There was a little blob of copper embedded into my safety glasses. That could have been my eye!
Situation #2, I was removing the old lighting circuit (conduit, light fixtures, switch boxes, etc.) from a back room for remodeling. Now the meter was out and in the temp pole, so that means there's no power, right!? WRONG! Apparently this is not the first time the building was remodeled as the back room was still getting power from the next-door neighbor's building. Prior the the remodel, the two buildings were a single truck loading dock. After the first remodel, the hair dresser had her dryers down the steps and in the little room that used to be the edge of the dock. When I cut wires, it tripped the breaker and shut all her hair dryers off. I was able to fix it in a jiffy and get back to my project.
The takeaway from this should be to always check your wires for power and never accept that it's de-energized just because the breaker says it's off or someone says the breaker is off. In both cases, a less experienced person might have been injured!
I will add,! never trust a breaker, Case in point 2 pole breaker to a water well. The breaker was off one leg was still hot. There was a splice in the wire run and I had determined with my NCT I had the power to the splice but not beyond. There was literally 1/2 roll of tape so I turned off the breaker and when cutting out the splice I found out in a flash never trust a breaker.
I appreciate your humility. Thanks!
Really appreciate your video! Very helpful!
Nice vid and good job learning from past mistakes. Where I'm from best practice for non-contact voltage testers is to snap them in half and throw them in the bin, they've caught out far too many people and are commonly referred to as "Death Sticks", none of the certified sparkies I work with would trust them and will only ever use a multimeter or voltage tester to check something is safe.
Your channel is very informative. I do a lot of diy projects at my house. I don't look at potential buyer may do the house because I do not plan to leave. I look at what I may want to do later on and not have to revisit the same project. Sometimes my mistake is just starting a project and "opening a can of worms".
Good stuff. Man enough to own up to his mistakes on the Internet. Subscribed.
I'd rather see this type of reflection video than letting an error stand! This shows that you're learning from your own mistakes and not being arrogant where you don't take constructive criticism! Lead on my friend!!!
Thank you. Great tip for live-dead-live tests.
I like that you open with 2 that aren't so much mistakes, as risks of someone else coming along later and making a mistake. Then you get into the stuff that poses greater risks and in some cases isn't allowed at all.
First off, anyone who can acknowledge their mistake, publicly at that, and use it as a learning experience for us all, is definitely a person worth listening too. But the real highlight of this video is the shirt. Dope AF. 👏🏾
Thanks for the great info! Time to go and rewire my light switches with Wago lever nuts. There are mixed solid and stranded wires in wire nuts I'm not confident in.
Much respect for making this video!!
It says a lot about an educator’s character when their focus is being CORRECT rather than being “right.”
Hes not correct.
One thing to learn is when to walk away from a job. I started doing some electrical repairs for a local business. As I was connecting wires together, the insulation kept cracking further back (from the connection). The circuits had been over loaded for years, heating the conductors and breaking down the insulation. I finished the one box I was working on and told the owner that I couldn't do the rest of the job. That was 25 years ago and thank goodness there has been no problems there. Of course, in any building fires, electric is the first thing inspectors look at!
I'm a DIYer (Third Class) and once had my power box replaced by a licensed electrician. He replaced many of the 15amp breakers with 20amp ones. He told me that he always uses new breakers when he installs a new box. I then asked him why he did this, and he said that his 20amp breakers would give me 'better' protection. Go figure that one out. I have since replaced the breakers with the proper-sized ones. Now my house IS protected.
@@outlet6989 I'm no electricion, but that sounds just wrong. Using new breakers is one thing, but changing the size blindly can't be good. The breaker is there (in part) to protect the wiring. If the downstream wiring isn't rated for 20A I have to think it would be unsafe to use a 20A breaker with it as you could be overloading it without tripping the breaker.
@@outlet6989 I so glad you went back to 15amp breakers! Sounds like your licensed electrician didn’t know what he was doing. It’s true that old breakers can be slow to trip, but breakers are rated by wire gauge. 20 amp breakers should only be used with 12 gauge wire, not 14 gauge which is typically used in 15 amp circuits. Putting a 20amp breaker on 14 gauge wire is a potential fire hazard for sure!
Also when using the non-contact volt stick, test BOTH sides of an electrical cord or outlet: neutral and hot. It’s easy to be misled by touching the neutral only and overlook a hot circuit.
Thanks , for sharing mistakes that is wise and they are great teachers
Great info. Thanks for sharing.
Whenever I need to wire nut or Wago stranded wire and solid copper wires , I always used rosin core solder to stiffen the stranded wire. This seems best to do when using the older wire nuts. I worked for a electrician as a helper many years ago and he always twisted the two wires first , screwed on the wire nuts really tight, and then wrapped electrical tape around them, so the wire nut could not unscrew by itself. Your videos are great. Thanks Bob K.
Careful! Adding solder to stranded wire starts out great but it compresses easily over time with even the slight vibration of 60Hz through a straight conductor. Even putting tinned wire into a screw terminal will become loose over time. Not because the screw terminal parts are moving but because the soft solder is galling under the high pressure contact with the hard screw terminal. This is why ferrules are so useful in screw terminals accepting stranded wire when the terminal doesn't provide plates to contain the strands. Back to wire nuts, the hard metal insert with nice sharp threads will be even more effective at breaking down the solder. Anyway, if you know of a connection where you did this about 5 years ago, try a pull test.
Thanks so much. We learn from our and others mistakes and you have helped me not to make them (again).
Happy to help and thanks for the support 👍
Scott, you're a stand-up person and I enjoy the vids!
Thanks buddy 👍
I will only use lever nuts when joining solid and stranded. Light fixtures are the most common application. You do need to twist the stranded slightly so it doesn't unravel.
Agreed 👍
May I ask what you do if you encounter a very short wire in a box and cannot get any slack to put on a wire nut? This is a situation where lever nuts excel.
May I suggest that you use solder on the end of the twisted stranded wire? This works great for me.
For the Non-Contact Voltage Tester, I just always use a multimeter so theres no question if there's power. All of my light switches have ground in the box, so easy to test.
Great point.
All of my multimeters use a battery too.
Na...NCVT is great for a pro
Even if I get a negative reading on a non contact tester, I'll usually short the wires with a long screw driver (which would arch them in they are live) just as a final fail safe before touching them.
I read on our national regulations that a multi-meter is not a accepted device to prove dead, you need to use an actual voltage tester like Fluke T5-1000 or similar
heh.. I think all of those myself. Wago tip I myself love them and when I install I try and put the wago labeled lever on the hot/source wire. always test regardless but helps in the confusion of a jbox or elsewhere.
2 and 3 are not your fault.... if someone wants to change something later, they should be checking to make sure the situation will work. 1 I agree, just try to keep same/correct gauge wire on the same circuit. And 5 is a good one, but like you said.... best practices. Test it every use. Or get a good one that lights constantly, lol.
Thanks for the time and effort to learn the masses though!
agree no one seeking to put up a fan should expect that a box holding an existing ceiling light would be supported by the joist. Nice if it is, but I don't think many original installers of the lights would bother to joist support it to benefit for a possible upgrade by someone else later.
There are good reasons to over size the main feed wire: Distance. Again, the person upgrading needs to not just blindly bump a 15A breaker size because it had 12ga
Thank you so much--you are an amazing human being!!
My mistake was shutting off power to a 2 or 3 gang light switch and then making repairs. I didn’t realize that there were multiple feeds into the same box. I got zapped.
@Adam Cosper correct! I actually purchased my first ncvt after this happened and I’ve never been zapped since. To all those saying a voltage meter is all you need I am proof otherwise.
first, if someone tried to hang a fan from a cut-in 3.0 that you had installed, that is THEIR mistake, not yours. I'm still not fond of using cut in boxes in sheetrock to support fixtures; but unless you know someone is going to install a fan as soon as your back is turned, it doesn't count as a mistake. if you can get to the top of the ceiling, it's better to put in a new work box, from above, though.
next, the worst wire nut mistake a DIYer can make is using cheap and/or undersized wire nuts. this often includes the ones included with light fixtures.
and for recent mistakes: I found a two pole breaker that had failed with one pole off and the other pole on.
Yea sir I use a pancake box screwed right to a truss or some meat works great
Unfortunately this WAS his mistake, and I'm glad he publicized it here. It is a direct violation of the NEC to install that type of box for a CEILING light outlet. Period.
@@KaraokeSC 15 pound fixture rating, 2 hour fire rating. Absolutely nothing saying wall mount only. Still not my preferred installation. But cut in boxes are listed for ceilings.
@@kenbrown2808 Sorry, but no. NEC - "314.27(A)(2) Ceiling Outlets. [other text] Boxes shall be required to support a luminaire weighing a minimum of 23 kg (50 lb)." [other text]
@@KaraokeSC nice cherry picking. 27A says if it is listed for the purpose and installed according to 23, it is acceptable - and if it is rated for less than 50#, it must be marked.
Great presentation as usual!
When testing, I always use the tester on a known circuit then the circuit I am working on. Then I turn off the breaker & repeat the same test using the live circuit followed by the dead circuit. On occasion, I have tested a 3rd time, especially using the old circuit list on the panel box. "East wall plugs" may also include the garage lights. Thanks for your videos & tips. Happy New Year.
Thanks for sharing!
If I was going to use those wago type connectors, those that are reusable make so much more sense then the one use type.
You mean the push in connectors... They're not one use, just twist the wire like a screw and it'll come out. But I only use them if I have to. I've been using Wago's for over a year now and love them. Yes they're more expensive, but they pay for themselves in the long run.
@@Chris.Rhodes Yes, I totally agree, and they are reusable. They're not made for stranded wire I beleive.
@@outlet6989 the push in type isn't made for stranded, but Wago's are great for stranded.
Very helpful, thanks 🙏
Many years ago doing a sizeable demo job I got a 5 item surprise. Tester was working just fine until it wasn't. Ruined a perfect pair of Klein pliers.
2:50 - If you have attic access above the bedroom ceiling, it is far better to go into the attic and use the type of box with the slider bar that fastens to the joists with screws. Also, I would recommend using 14-3 wire for fans, rather than 14-2, in order to be able to control the fan and light separately from the wall without using pull-chains.
May depend on the fan. New Fancy Fans use remote controls. No chains.
That's right but not all fans are remote controlled. I always used number 12 wire with three conductor with ground. You will not find number 14 in any of my wired homes I done which isn't too many. I wire as a hobby but don't cut corners. My dad never used number 14 either but he did use number 10 on all the outlets and lighting. There were no ceiling fans in our homes and cottages. Didn't even have AC. Those were the days you didn't need them most of the year. The summers were hot and we laid in the yard in the grass on a blanket. We covered with a white sheet. Now the farm house was not too hot in fact we were shivving when we slept in the tent. The quilts were not warm enough but the feather tic was. 73
@@ronb6182 That 10 gauge wire must have been a real bitch to work with.
@@outlet6989 not really but my dad is past on so I cannot ask him. But I did put a grounded outlet in my bedroom but the wire was already bent around the screw I think I used to remove the screws to make it easier to install with no bending. Most electricians don't remove the screws from the outlet. But I was a typical teen that knew it all. I used to brag that I can do house wiring with three tools electrician pliers, a screwdriver and a knife like a utility knife. I guess that's all I needed for electronics and Electrical class. We had made up circuits on these 2 x 4 stands that had a few boxes like a light a switch and an outlet and we had to wire on them stands we even did 3 and 4 way hookup and we had to do a continuity test before we were allowed to plug in our project. 73
@@ronb6182 I see many examples of DIY electricians who think that wiring a whole house in #12, and #10 makes sure it's "SAFE" Then they try to stuff a GFCI outlet into a 14 cu. in. box with 2 #10 Romex wires 3" long because there's no more room left for wire. No need to use larger wire unless traveling long distances to reduce voltage drop. A proper size breaker will trip an overload or short on #12 or #14. Unless it's a FPE or Zinsco breaker. Think about it. how many fans pull over 2 amps?
Nice to learn from someone else mistakes. Thanks for sharing.
You bet!
I have a 1920s home with knob and tube and metal boxes. I upgraded one outlet to GFCI, and ran a grounding pigtail to the metal box, as explianed here. I still labeled the outlet as "no equipment ground", but didn't know if this grounding to the box was necessary.
Great info.
Love the shirt logo.
One mistake I see you making is that when working with electrical and using a screwdriver, you have one hand on the blade of the screwdriver. This is very dangerous if the blade happens to touch something "hot". I was installing the cover plate of an outlet in a building that we were remodeling. I thought the outlet was not powered, but I was being careful. The blade of the screwdriver slipped off the screw head and went into the hot socket. There was a loud pop and the breaker blew. The end of the screwdriver was melted, but I was only holding on to the rubber handle, so I was okay. The insulated handle of a screwdriver is there for a reason. Don't assist by holding the metal shaft of the screwdriver with your free hand. You don't have to be making a complicated electrical repair, you can be seriously injured or killed just screwing on a cover plate.
Thanks for the callout Chris, appreciate the focus on safety 👍
@@EverydayHomeRepairsAlso take note, not all screwdrivers are insulated/rating to protect against high voltage, some even have metal striking ends - defiantly not the conductivity lesson you or your viewers want to learn the hard way. Many people are just using whatever they have, some might be using a "demo" screw driver with the metal end, others might have a wood handle, or a cheap piece of plastic will melt instantly. For DIY, I'd recommend using an electrically rated insulated screw driver/tools on all projects for the extra layer of safety - although remember always, always, always shut off power and triple check every wire is dead. If power needs to remain on for a job, or power is still present after switching off the breakers, call an electrition.
(and not all yellow/orange handled drivers are actually rated for electrical use - stick to name brands that specifically say the rating on the package/tool on this one).
also while I'm here, It would be great to see a video about breaker lockouts. I'm sure a lot of people don't think about it in residential, but locking out a breaker could save someone's life. Here's a simple scenario; a homeowner is changing an old outlet in their bedroom. A teenager returns home from school and goes to their own room and realizes the outlet for their computer does not work, but the room lights still work. This teenager assumes the breaker has tripped and goes to the panel, finding the breaker is off. This confirms their suspicion and they reset the breaker. This soon followed by a loud pop from upstairs, the homeowner has been shocked or electrocuted.
Alternatively, the teenage goes to the panel and finds the breaker lock on the panel and is prevented from truing on the breaker. They go find the homeowner, who is safely working on an outlet.
counterpoint: if you'd been guiding the tip, it probably wouldn't have slipped out of the screwhead.
Turn off the power then you need not worry if you touch anything. There are live circuit testers which tell you if something is live. Always assume it's live until you know for sure. I may buy me them insulated screw drivers it's good all the way around. 73
Best place for your other hand is around a cup of coffee or in your pocket, there's a heart in between those two hands😉
I have wired some receptables wrong in the past when we sold a house. I bought new receptables for the whole house (we were selling the house) and I just wired all just like they were replacing wires one by one. I had a couple not work and my wife then tells me these never worked so they were both wired wrong and a friend came over and helped me out and now after watching others videos and yours I think I won't just blindly replace receptables in the future, I know why what wire goes where and so on.. thanks again. Jim
Biggest mistake: Using switch loops with no neutral sent to the switch box in a 2012 remodel. Always lived in older houses so never thought about it. Now future upgrade options are limited in those switch boxes 🤦
Second biggest mistake: Remodeling a room and sticking with "one ceiling box in the middle of the room" style of lighting instead of the much more pleasing multiple recessed lights 🤷
they want neutrals ran to every switch box now i think for future work...
@@workingshlub8861 It is a requirement in the 2020 NEC.
🤗THANKS SCOTT …for helping all to avoid common mistakes 👍😍😍😍😍
You bet and thanks for your continued support this whole time 👍
Those lagos are the same thing as "back stabbing" an outlet or switch.
I'm retired after over 40 years and if you know what you're doing...you place your wires, solid and stranded...use yer Kleins and twist them and look before you attach the wirenuts and crank them till TIGHT!
I worked on alot of knob and tube wiring and the where actually soldered...NOW THAT'S A GOOD CONNECTION.
For your information...knob and tube lighting switched the NEUTRAL.
They used old gas lines and used it for conduit.
Tim in Missouri Vietnam Era Navy Veteran 🇺🇸⚓
When I'm in a home depot or Lowes I love walking the electrical section when there's an electrian or two picking up stock. I'll make pretend I'm on the phone or if I'm with someone I always, always say in a little bit loud and proud voice that electrical is a hobby of mine and I've only had a couple fire's here it's no big deal I know what I'm doing, hahahaha. The looks I get are priceless it makes a depot run a lot more fun lol.
Electrician here. I love thinking yep there’s a future service call! Probably something simple too!
One of the projects I have been putting off is replacing my remaining1940 2-prong sockets with GFCI outlets. The breaker box a previous owner installed when they remodeled the kitchen is not labeled. I did buy a lighted tool that confirms the line is dead before I mess with it.
I've found that a plastic label maker is the best way to label the circuits. They don't fade. I also place a label on the breaker itself with the circuit number. This way, I can see the number at a distance.
@@outlet6989 thanks for the tip.
I absolutely Love WAGO's Recently started using them, so much time and space saved. More than half my time was spent making sure wire nuts were put in place correctly, that is now a thing of the past!
For once I wanted to try Wagos while replacing my induction cooktop. Alas, there seems none for 8 gauge. Back to original wire nuts
I love that I can change a circuit without cutting out the twisted part.
Great advice, Thanks.
Excellent advice for us DIYers
It takes a good teacher to freely admit their mistakes so everyone can learn from it
I added some recessed lighting and didn't know that connecting new copper to aluminum wire was a problem. I am glad I had a permit and inspection by the city to learn the proper way.
When you use that aluminum wire you have to make sure you wrap it in oil soaked rags. When the place burns you don't want to leave any evidence of what you've done.
Hey love your channel- I have a question in regards to a powered receptacle- it was used to turn on and off lamps- how can I take power directly from the switch to run the pots?
Whenever it comes to electrical work, I suggest you always test the circuit panel/breaker box before touching it, with a non-contact voltage tester or a multimeter. Just in case someone wired it wrong, same with starting any electrical work. Make sure it's off before working on it. I would also recommend a circuit breaker finder so you can detect the exact breaker and turn it off. Be safe.
Great video! The only thing I would add is your ground wire to the box has to be the same or bigger gauge as your biggest amperage, #12 for 20 amp.
I appreciate you putting yourself out there so the world can armchair electrician your every move. I have learned quite a few things that I have used. I disagree with your mistake#2 though. I see no issue with putting a n old work box in that is appropriate for your application. Sure you can future proof things but I would not expect anyone to put a light in but use a box that someone someday might want to change to a ceiling fan. That is their job to check not yours to provide. I don't think even under best practices we have to take into account worst case scenario. Thx for your video, they are well done and its obvious you're trying to bring your absolute best the table.