16 year sparky here 1) when pulling wire into the box, pull one tail extra long per gang. That gives you extra wire for pig tails at each box. 2) always lable your Romex. Not necessary if you're just going outlet to outlet, but if you have switches, it helps keep everything organized. It also gives you a ready made label after you strip. 3) linesman pliers make twisting easier. 4) an ECX bit makes driving the screws about easier. A Phillips bit is more likely to strip the head. 5) over all, great video. Pretty much every modern electrician agrees with not backstabbing, and I agree with the tape. We generally wrap kitchen outlets because the tile guys usually have to do backsplash, and I usually tape if it's in a metal box.
I just purchased my first lineman pliers. Can’t believe I’ve been doing my own electrical home improvement without them. They are very useful. And at Harbor Freight they only set me back $20. Good quality and heavy.
As a retired 40 some year tile guy I wish my electricians had followed your outlet taping method. Always needed a hot outlet for a radio or light so you could not shut off the breaker.
One of the better tutorials-thanks! I use a hook blade to slit the romex sheath, and diagonal cutters to cut off the pieces. I also use crimp connector on the grounds, leaving one (or more as needed) long to connect to the device(s), and leave that ground pigtail a bit longer as it has a loop in the end, but the other conductors sometimes do not. One other bit, when adding a pigtail, if you bend it instead of the rest of the wires, it helps to keep it even with the group, avoids bending the rest of the wires, which makes their ends uneven, and allows adding a bit of tension when twisting the wires, helping them lay together.
Excellent step-by-step video! In all the years I have done electrical work, I have never used the back stab method. My 15 year old house was back stabbed on every outlet and switch when done by the original electrician. I have found two switch bodies cracked at the back stab hole and both switches eventually failed because of back stabbing since the wires fell out of the switches. Using tape over the screws is a “belt and suspenders” safety approach and a personal preference of the installer.
i would never do it that way. yes it will work BUT think about this. it’s night, the lights are turned on you plug something into those outlets and it trips the breaker for some reason, then you are left in the dark because the circuit you tripped is also on the light circuit. you should always keep your lighting circuits and outlet circuits on separate circuits.
I agree with keeping lighting circuits separate from outlets when possible. I use a lable maker at my panels and like to label my lighting breakers in one color and outlets in another. In the case of my own home all labels are black ink, but outlets are white background and lighting circuits are yellow background.
I'm not an electrician, but I get your point. If it's not done initially, I don't see how it can be changed without a complete rewiring. I don't think separating lighting circuits from receptacle circuits is commonly done even in modern homes. From what I've seen at electrical panels, if marked, it's always by room or location and not by separating switches and receptacles. As long as the expected load is less than the circuit breaker and wire gauge you should be good.
All my rooms have a fan light on one circuit and led lights on a separate circuit. I drop my power feed for each rooms LED lights to a box in the basement labeled so I can isolate each room if I need to troubleshoot an arc fault. Since LEDs are 7 watts each I then run a single home run, 14/2 back to the panel. PS As Benjamin suggested on another video I also connect my Smoke Detectors to the LED light circuit. If I lose my Smoke Detector Power I will know because lights are off. I have separate circuits fir fan lights in every room so I’m not in the dark in case of problems.
As a former electrician, no, you do NOT have to run 2 separate circuits for lights and receptacles, nor is it even recommended. As a former electrician, fix them plate screws it hurts to see that.
I’m currently doing the electrical rough in on a house I’m building by myself. Watching lots of videos (and reading a lot of NEC) and yours videos are extremely helpful. Thank you.
I always enjoy your vids. Real clear. Straightforward explanations. Real-world scenarios. I also like how neat your work is. But the best part is how you do all this super-neat and professional work in those old houses. I started out in the midwest before I moved to California, where most of the houses are post-WWII vintage. There is nothing I like more or would have enjoyed doing more than modernizing the wiring in a 1900s farmhouse. Like, making it bright enough to actually work sun the basement. And all the wires are run parallel and square along the structural members. Like you do there. Don't stop. Of course, there are a lot of paste-eaters in the trades too. The only thing they agree on is that you are doing it wrong. But you are doing it just right. You ought to do a 'This Old Wiring' with The Sparky Channel.
I had to troubleshoot a GFI circuit that went through multiple bathrooms in a townhouse. Two outlets worked fine, but the last in the chain didn't. I initially thought that the hot wire was broken or a rat had gnawed through it (there had been a rat problem in this townhouse before). I noticed that the installer used the stab connections on the outlets, so I thought I'd correct that anyway. Putting the wires on the screw terminals solved the problem.
Yep, I'm so anal I like to grasp a bundle of wires with Vise-Grips to hold them in place about 1.5 inches where I twist with lineman pliers. Nice tight twist without creating a braid.
Klein makes a wire stripper with a fatter head to serve the same purpose as the linesman pliers. They look weird, but you only need one tool to do the job.
@@illestofdemall13 How do you like them? Are they worth the money? I'm on the fence still? But I really like the idea of having one tool to do the job.
@@cfgdr3 They are pretty cool but I rarely use them. I like the idea of multi tools but sometimes I go back to doing things the way I have been doing them for years.
Greetings! Thank you for all this amazing content! I am quite OCD, and seeing neat, tidy and labeled electrical work is a breath of fresh air. I almost was convinced to DIY a subpanel for my electric car (my main panel is FULL), but since I know it would have taken me days of work, I hired a professional that will do it in 4 hours. After that, I'll be installing all my new circuits into that box, and tidying up my old box as well.
Wago type plug in connectors really simplify the process and allow the switch or outlet to be pre wired on the bench in bulk and easily “plugged in “ when ready. And they also eliminate the need for pigtails. The cost is well worth the convenience. IMO. Excellent content. Thanks for the video. ✌🏻🇺🇸
@@dtm8073 well like my dad always said “work smarter not harder”. I suppose by this way of thinking nail guns and power saws of all kinds are also for “lazy” people. Good luck with your build!
@@tallpaul8880 You get a much more secure and reliable connection with wire nuts. I agree with your father about working smarter not harder. Nail guns and power saws are definitely ok, I never said they were for lazy people. Cheers!
@@dtm8073 agree with your points. The new and improved wagos have a lock lever design that has improved the connection over the push in type. They are widely used in commercial and residential construction and proven. ✌🏻
Wago 221 are great and just as reliable as a wire nut. Anyone who does electrical and doesn’t know that is ignorant. People get so stuck on the old way of doing things they can’t fathom that a newer way could be just as good if not better.
Very helpful. Thank you fir the comments regarding the smart switches. I was wondering when it became standard for home wiring. Now knowing it is just a neutral wire I am not questioning my ability to install a smart switch.
Some electricians using cordless drill to twist nuts, which can damage insulation. In old houses with aluminium wiring electricians used soldering iron to cover twisted wires with stannum because wire nut could easily damage aluminium conductor. Some tip to future: always leave ground wire slightly longer than load ones - if somebody casually hook or pull the cable, ground wire still be connected as it is longer than hot and neutral.
during the ruff in stage when you have two grounds in a box tie both onto crews don't cut until final installation of receptacle or switch, if you tuck the conductors deep in the box and then leave grounds at front creating a shield for the conductors in case the drywallers hit the box with cut out tool...
Dmitry, it should be noted that "electrical equipment" (switches, receptacles, and yes wire nuts) must be rated and approved for use. If you have aluminium wire, ensure your parts are rated for aluminium or both copper and aluminium.
A reason for taping over the connection screws even in a plastic box is to prevent contact with a bare grounding wire that may not be tucked well enough into the back of the box.
I personally would make the home run wire longer than the other two when installing. The reason is so I can use the grounding wire from the extra length of it. Cut all conductors and the other two grounding wires to length, leaving the HR grounding wire long. Then use a “greenie” to twist the grounding wires with the HR one sticking out to terminate on the device (switch). And if necessary use the black and/or white for pig tails. With wire in my state doubling in prices in the last month. Tossing the scrap isn’t much of an option now.
I am an industrial electrician with 30 years experience 1) Never! Ever use the stab in the back connections.! Always a problems waiting to happen. 2) Always twist the wires before putting on the wire nut again problems waiting to happen especially on 20+ amp circuits 3) Standard practice is the hot connects to the top of the stitch 4) Tape on the device is generally not necessary and a nuisance and messy when servicing * Around here conduit is required even for single family homes (as it should be)
You're in the Chicagoland area, I bet! I love that they use EMT and steel boxes. Very professional and extremely safe, not to mention highly configurable and expandable to fish new lines in the future.
I agree on the stab-in-the-back connections. I bought a new house and although it took 18 years, a circuit failed because of one of those. Obviously it was before AFCI's and the connection had been arcing, potential fire hazard.
You should never use a blade that high on the wire incase you cut the wire usually u want to cut towards the end of the wire and pull the wire and insulation apart. But amazing work buddy keep it up!
For inexperienced people, you're right. But once someone knows how much pressure it takes to cut sheathing, they can go as deep as they want as long as they start with minimal pressure at the beginning of the cable, which is what Ben does
@@aurvaroy6670 facts. I personally like to pinch the side whit pliers and pull off a pice and it works but some time I'm force to use the utility blade and is not like you going to put pressure on it as long as you make a line whit out pushing down you can strip it off
In new construction for example building a house, I would never mix lighting and receptacle circuits, its ok if your adding something in years later and would have to cut tons of drywall to get a feed back to the panel, but as a general rule don't mix lighting and receptacle circuits, and now with the arc fault breakers sometimes they don't like switches, things can get messy real quick after the dry wall goes up and now that light switch keeps tripping the arc fault breaker....
When I wire up the projects for my clients (sheds, garages, etc.) I always separate the lighting from the receptacles. Not a fan of daisy chained circuits.
That’s a waste. I wire to waste the least material and never overload a circuit. There are very few problems with arc breakers now. If you have problems with switches on arcs it’s because you screwed up your neutrals most likely. The only problems I see with arcs are plugged in devices having an issue. But, I know how to splice.
@@KitchenerLeslie2 if your suggesting separating lighting and receptacles are a waste of material, fine so be it, better looking at it then looking for it, most of the stuff I build is Custom homes and mixing lighting circuits is not an option, as a lot of it is controlled by smart controllers not light switches, and the arcing at switches is not a neutral problem at all, its the switch itself, but whatever if your building a shed it dosn't really matter but when your building a home it makes all the difference in the world to lay out circuits separating lighting loads from general receptacles and its just a good wiring practice, I really don't understand your resistance to it other than the notion of saving material, and as I said earlier better be safe than sorry having to rip drywall to run a new wire, and that not fun, I hope we can agree at least on that, have a good day,
@@stankahuna5271 we do custom homes, but with regular switches, dimmers and controls that work with arc breakers. So I don’t see the point in wasting wire to keep outlets and lighting separate. If you don’t put your lighting on arcs because they trip, maybe you need to buy better devices or learn to rough and splice better.
@@KitchenerLeslie2 thats twice now you have doubled down on a stupid ideal and twice now that you have questioned my workmanship, clearly your an idiot, you can take your ancient wiring methods and go build an outhouse
I have watched a million videos on this same topic, and hands down, this has been the best one I have seen. Very informative, good camera work. Keep it up, and cant wait to watch future videos.
You are the man, your wirenuts have wings, no back stabbing and proper wire direction on the screw terminals. I would have no problem working with you on an electrical project.
Code is from the point u enter the box cable length is to be at least 8 inches out. Rule of thumb from the outside of box grab the wire with your fist and stick your thumb out. Where the cable hits your thumb cut the wire
I definitely like the way you make up the box in the order I do as well, get the grounds outta the way first and then pack them in back of box, then same with neutrals, last is hot wires then you only have the wires hanging out of the box you are going to need for the switch with the exception of the neutral tail for future use if you tailed one. My comment on the plug in back wire method is it may be fine for low current draw applications such as a few lights and you don’t add a bunch of lights at a later date. Some people use that method for duplex receptacles and I have found circuits that had eventually burned the inside of the switch wire contact points to the point the circuit became an open circuit burned and not allowing any current to pass through the receptacle and the insulation on the wires charred. Luckily a fire wasn’t started that burned the place up!
There is a hole in the side of the wire strippers to insert your wires to make the J-hook easier. Just a thought. Insert and turn outward and you'll make an ideal J-hook that will fit easily around the screw terminal.
I watched so many videos... And you actually explained it perfectly to a average person like me! For the life of me... I could not understand why there are 3 black wires coming out of my electric switch. At 10:19 mark, it totally made sense 👍👍 Awesome video!
Back stab connection is done if you use 14 Awg wire and since it is spring loaded it will become loose in time, so making a hook and go around the screw clockwise is always a better installation.
Same goes for GFI's that are wired to protect receptacles down stream. Line comes in cable next to stud. Load goes out other knock out. You can mark the load with a short striped off insulation on the black and white. The neutrals do not wire nut together. Completely independent on one another. Back of GFI receptacle is labeled to make it easy to figure out. Be sure not to get your neutrals interchanged with the black wires. They have to pair up with their corresponding black conductor coming out of the Romex sheath.
I always do the neutrals first. I put them in the very back and out of the way because they are usually unnecessary except in scenarios like you have mentioned. Then i do the grounds and so on..
I don’t use back-stab connections because they get loose over time and heat up. I had one melt at my grandma’s house behind her fridge and cause a small fire. I think back-stab connections ought to be outright banned in the NEC. This is part of the reason I don’t use residential grade receptacles/switches, only commercial/industrial grade. The higher grade receptacles/switches lack the back-stabs for a very good reason. Also, I always wrap my switches/receptacles with 33 tape from 3M.
I can't say that I always remember to tape the screws off but I try to do it if I think of it regardless of the style of the box. I had a USB receptacle that I hooked up in a relatively new house (2012). About 6 months later the circuit started tripping out of nowhere. Turns out that the ground wire was sitting out too close to the hot terminal and caused a trip to occur. Once I learned about taping the receptacle after that I tried to do it as often as I could remember to. Yeah putting the wires in a better location might have done the same thing, but you can never trust yourself to do everything perfectly. One more brick up on the wall helps the whole thing stay up better.
Thanks! For a plastic single gang box there is no reason to wrap, but if it is metal yes. Double or more gang box I do even if it is plastic. That is what I do.
Like you said, if the box is metal then it's a good idea to wrap electricians tape around the terminals but, since you have a plastic box, it's not recommended.
One of the methods we use is all your "hots" (power in and power out) are installed in the knock out closest to the framing stud. This allows for as many as 4 romexes. 2 in the knock out on top and 2 in the knock out on bottom. The rest of the openings will be used for the switch legs. Using this method you won't have to be identifying which wires are what. If you want to do that, we make it a rule to identify the switch leg. Some guys like to put little crimp marks on the switch leg. We strip back the black wire just a little. Crimp marks are hard to see.
The only thing different I would do is use a metal cover plate, since it's located in a rough area and not on a finished wall. It was good to follow your procedure and compare with my own.
Plates now are made of a pliable plastic that won't crack or break, especially if you tighten the little screw too much. It sucks to install a ,4 gang switch plate and then you overtightened the last screw and the plate breaks.
I have a pair of stripping pliers that also have sheathing cutters for 12 and 14 gauge romex. I usually cut the sheathing without removing it until it's in the box and I'm ready to make connections. It's fast, and makes a very clean install.
I would wrap it in electrical tape not only because the electrical box is metal but also if there’s more wires like in 3 gang box where you would have multiple switches. I’d like the ground to stay back as far as possible and for it not to accidentally touch anything else. The tape just gives me peace of mind.
love your videos, super clear and easy to follow. However, this is the first and only time i have ever seen someone put a switch on the ceiling. Is that even allowed by code?
Not on toggle switches or light fixtures you hold while wiring. You ground a toggle before the hot you have to play Operation with 1/16 of an inch clearance on the device yoke. If you ground a fixture you are holding and Soozy the Floozy homeowner turns on the light for you, you get blasted when touching the hot.
I wrap my outlets and switches to prevent someone from getting shocked if the device needs to be troubleshot while hot. It can also be a hassle to take the tape off of the device.
This is exactly what I needed. Wiring for fan and receptacle was on same switch which is what I did not want. Excellent work and explanation. Thank you
This guy is amazing. The perfect how to video. I would subscribe twice if I could. And such clean wire management. Such clean work. You have to love mild OCD. My guess is he is a third generation electrician.
When I join wires together on my buildings I wrap electrical tape over the wire nuts in the same direction with the nuts. Just as added insurance that the nuts don't back off the wires. Or at least have to fight the tape to do so. Only because I've changed out outlets and switches in the past and have had old or existing ones fall off when I pulled the outlet or switch out of the box to change. I've had a couple of mine come off as well where it was a tight fit with the wires and I prob didn't get the nut as tight as I could have. Haven't had an issue when backed up with the tape as of yet though. I like the clamp style connections on the switch/outlet. The regular screw I've seen a few times someone has tightened it and the wire squeezed out enough where it eventually popped off the screw. I've also had to break the some old outlets trying to get the wire out of the backstabs. I don't understand what the danger of using them are since they are directly connected to the screw connector and are designed where you'd pull one out of the screw long before you'd pull it out of the backstabs. Maybe I'm missing something. I personally don't see how they pose a problem.
I put electrical tape on all my switches and receptacles, even on plastic boxes. Once I had a problem with a pull switch light that when it was push in place, one of the screw conductors was touching with the ground. My breaker would trip and it took me about 10 min to figure out what was happening. I know you can't put tape on a light sockets but the same issue is possible with a receptacle or light switch. So probably not necessary for a simple installation, but if doing a whole house, then I would recommend it. It would suck trying to backtrack trough a circuit not knowing that this could be the issue.
I think wrapping the switch with tape in a plastic box is good if the box is stuffed just in case a ground wire or exposed wire doesn’t touch a screw and short it out
I don't do much wiring, but when I do, I always use screw terminals. don't use stab-in's unless you just want to annoy the next person who has to do work in the box.
I was taught to treat the switches and receptacles like I would like to be treated. I can live with getting screwed, but I cannot stand being back stabbed.
Lighting load and plug loads need to be separate. With the LED lighting and dimmers the amount of dimmers on a circuit is limited. Also if the client wants to install Lutron Controls (graffic eye) or another type of control in the future running plugs and lighting on same circuit becomes a problem. Always supple plugs and lighting on a separate circuit. With LED lighting pulling only 11/17 watts and the limited number of dimmers it only makes sense. Now let's throw in a Arcfault.. just another reason to not wire plugs and lighting on 1 circuit.. 29 yrs as a service electrician, and building custom homes in some of the wealthiest hoods in Socal. This is how I do. This is how I've thought my squirrels. Most of the homes are automated. Meaning we never share a circuit with plugs and lights.
Not sure if you've seen his other videos but he typically wires outlets and lights on separate circuits. 14awg/15A for lights and 12awg/20A for outlets. It's just this video where he wired basement lighting and outlets on the same circuit. At least he used 12/2 and a 20A breaker so that there's enough headroom.
I was following along in agreement until you started wiring the switch. First, always do the ground before any black wires. Second, switches come labeled at the top of the switch by the mounting screw and most have on/off embossed on the switch itself. Why would you skip that step? Third, there is a hole in the strippers for making that loop rather than using the jaws at the end.
Fair criticism! I've always used the jaws to bend the loops. Perhaps I'll try using that method instead. True that I should have showed the switch orientation better. Just didn't think to do that. Why does it matter which wire is connected first in your opinion?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom you didn't do anything wrong here because you turned off the line coming in, I guess he assumed you were working on it live. The side the switch here is going is not important because it is the same degree as the ceiling, therefore not giving you an up or down. Yes the wire strippers give you a hole to use for hooks, but I've seen guys use needle nose too, it's a preference. Great video
@@wilbready actually that's a good point to be honest. I've been there LOL. Someone might have done make up in a JB tied to the circuit, flipped a switch or turn on a breaker. But I guess in a rewire where you're just doing rough ins and non of your HR's are connected and your two lines and neutral aren't being supplied by the power lines, you should be considered okay, but solid point though 👍
I always wrap electrical tape around the receptacle screws so if I push it in or pull it out its safer as far as a circuit being on & it holds it all in place when you push it all in the box.
I make my loop or hook longer than you did in the video. I then take my strippers and close the loop before I tighten the screw. This gives a very neat and secure connection that will never fail.
I personally always side wire, it provides a more secure, safe, and higher rated connection. Also, if you're wiring for 20A then you have to side wire because most back holes are only rated for 15A.
Nice job well explained. However, making a joint by twisting the wires with a pair of klines is the best method to insure a mechanically complete connection. Not necessary but in my opinion a good practice.
The rough in electrical does not include the termination of the wires to the switches or outlets. The title of the video is incorrect. But it is an excellent training video for a switch wiring. well done
back stab is for those who are lazy or in a production job where time is more important by a long shot. I never use them and pull the wires out of a receptacle or switch and use the screws if I open a box and see them used.
I struggle with removing the main sheath when the wire is in the box. Always worried I’ll accidentally cut the sheath on the hot wire. I’ve found it’s easier to use a self adjusting wire stripper on the wire before it’s inserted into the box.
This was very helpful. Thank you. I think the wires in my outdoor outlet were damaged by the cutting off of the sheathing, or the pulling of them from inside to outside. And inside the outdoor box, the wires were poorly pushed into the box, which showed a dent on the back of the 15A GFCI outlet outside. Don't blame me! I'm a first time townhome owner watching TH-cam's to solve this myself. The above begins with a 20A breaker, but the circuit/line leads to just a couple 15A receptacles inside the breakfast nook. But it gets more complicated because the prior owner extended the last outlet through the wall to outside where he added two 15A GFCI receptacles (one leading to the next) to plug in a water softener at the end of the chain. Several trips to Lowe's and I'm still confused on what to do, and have gotten conflicting advice. So I decided to try to educate myself. I face a choice: do I switch every receptacle to 20A or 15A depending on whether the wires I find are 12/2 or 14/2, respectively? PS. The outside outlets ceased to work after a storm and the first 15A GFCI outlet then read OPEN NEUTRAL--I could see the white wire inside was exposed to the humidity/condensation when I inspected.
Use a 15 amp spec grade duplex receptacle regardless of whether wire gauge is 12 or 14. This is the same as the 20 amp without the horizontal slot. Same for gfci. There is no reason to use a 20 amp duplex receptacle in a residence.
In my option the only ones that wrap tape around switch or connectors are not sure of their work. Also I see you in the US you like doing tails on all your wires even if the device can handle 2 wires at each terminal. In Ontario each wire connector counts as box fill. It also takes more time to do tails. On another note we can only staple 1 wire not 2 . Just showing my thoughts and that codes are different every where. You do nice work and you take pride in your work. I enjoy watching your videos.
everything you wrote is spot on except the very first line, I'm also in Ontario, and had an inspector suggest to me I should be at least wrapping switches in a multiple gang box, fan switch and light switch in the bathroom, and said I should consider wrapping all of my devices that are attached by side screws, he said it wasn't absolutely necessary or any kind of deficiency but made it clear that he would like to see it at a minimum on the switches, and the tails thing is a commercial wiring thing, for example wiring floor receptacles with stranded t90, in pipe, they like terminals crimped on to the stranded or a solid wire tail, just saying....
That is a inspector personal preference and not code. I hate when they do that. Our code also says 6 in. of wire total not beyond the box. Never done commercial wiring so can't comment on that. It is also recommended by the simplified code to strip the wire before putting in the box.. I know everyone has their own way of doing electrical. i am just saying how I do it. Not taking away from anyone. thanks for the feed back. I see the US code and workmanship is different from us. I do thank you for the feed back
@@circuitbreaker9001 I hate when they do it too bro, but at the end of the day you don't want to be on the guys bad side, so I do it, on the other hand he knows my work so well, I often get drive by inspections, and he hands me a sticker to go put on the panel, so it works both ways, our code is much better than theirs, but it seems that our code is trying to become NEC, any thoughts?
Now that we are on risk base things are really changing. Several years ago a inspector who is retired now told me That ESA was heading towards the same as TSSA. We was right. Funny I have been thinking we were heading towards NEC. I am closing up my company at the end of this year so will be done with residential. Most of my career has been in high voltage service testing and install. Companies like Westinghouse and Schneider Electric .
@@circuitbreaker9001 y'all are both very knowledgeable. Thanks for all the information about how the do it in different places. I like learning stuff like that.
I’ve never found a loose twisted wire connection in a wire nut. I have found loose wires in untwisted connections. I noticed the loose ground swinging around in the ground bundle.
John this is a thorough well-made video one thing that I find helpful if wiring a house or shop I like to wrap One time around red tape on the incoming power wire to a box or use the LabelMaker it’s kind of future proofing but this way you always know which wires bring power to the box. I have found this little tip to pay me dividends after the job is done...
I wish there was a standard for which side of the switch gets line/load. That would make it so much easier to figure out which is which when replacing with a smart switch.
I feed everything from the bottom when it comes to switches all my feeds and feed jumps go into the bottom of the box, then all my lights out the top of the box, always, then I know what side is hot and what side is a device, switches same thing, feed on the bottom screw, lamp on the top, every time, makes things easy to troubleshoot, if there is ever a problem or if you want to add something.... easy way to remember is bottom feed
@@circuitbreaker9001 well as far as following someone else's work, the very first thing I do is establish the feed, and the way I do that is either with a EMF or voltage detector or if it gets real hairy I start doing neutral to ground continuity tests to find the set that goes back to the panel, cause you cant trouble shoot anything until you know that, and if you cant get a neutral ground check, you got a broken wire somewhere and hopefully its not in a wall, but Im sure you have had your days trying to establish what's the feed, good times, and stay away from the zombies
You need to know how to test to see which is line and load before you can even think about doing that task. It isn't something that you can just look at and assume. Use a voltage detector, a meter, or something of the like.
@@illestofdemall13 your exactly right when dealing with unknown circuits there is no substitute for physically testing wires for voltage, and testing to ground is always a better choice for finding a hot because a lot of times its a broken neutral that is the problem and testing to the white wire will not show a voltage, but in fact when you test to ground 120v, and usually the very first test I do is neutral to ground to establish the feed wire and confirm the neutral and ground. then proceed to finding the hot but in reality if you find the wire with neutral ground continuity you have found the hot, in most cases, unless your in a pipe system and that a whole nother barrel of monkeys
Chripes man! A razor straight down the middle of your romex? You'd have to be so careful as to make the process too slow to be efficient. Another Method: Hawkbill knife, duller is better. You want to score the sheath only to the paper. You will make one diagonal slice across bottom of romex back to front and another diagonal slice across the top, front to back **Be careful to match your cut angles and start/stop point of your slices.** Place one hand on the wire outside the box, press it against the stud so as to hold it pressed against the stud. Pull down on the romex sheath with your other hand and it should slide off with little force. It takes practice, but it's worth the effort with all the time you'll save. Also, there is much less chance you'll knick your grounded or ungrounded conductors while stripping down the middle via utility knife. Mr. Sahlstrom needs to find a crusty old electrician to pal around with for a few months. He's a good electrician, just a few weird foibles.
Ben is great, but I personally NEVER use a razor/utility knife for stripping wire. Many "electricians" will 100% nip some shielding yet say they never have... It happened from someone previously working on my house before I purchased. They cut (cleanly) an inch off of a hot or neutral (I forget which) and just covered it with elec tape... Using a razor blade is just a bad suggestion imo. I have a cheap stripping tool and it works fine. **Yes, always wrap with electrical tape!
16 year sparky here
1) when pulling wire into the box, pull one tail extra long per gang. That gives you extra wire for pig tails at each box.
2) always lable your Romex. Not necessary if you're just going outlet to outlet, but if you have switches, it helps keep everything organized. It also gives you a ready made label after you strip.
3) linesman pliers make twisting easier.
4) an ECX bit makes driving the screws about easier. A Phillips bit is more likely to strip the head.
5) over all, great video. Pretty much every modern electrician agrees with not backstabbing, and I agree with the tape. We generally wrap kitchen outlets because the tile guys usually have to do backsplash, and I usually tape if it's in a metal box.
I just purchased my first lineman pliers. Can’t believe I’ve been doing my own electrical home improvement without them. They are very useful. And at Harbor Freight they only set me back $20. Good quality and heavy.
@@Velo1010try the Knipex linemans and strippers you will have your mind blown pricey but if your wiring alot well worth the money
As a retired 40 some year tile guy I wish my electricians had followed your outlet taping method. Always needed a hot outlet for a radio or light so you could not shut off the breaker.
One of the better tutorials-thanks! I use a hook blade to slit the romex sheath, and diagonal cutters to cut off the pieces. I also use crimp connector on the grounds, leaving one (or more as needed) long to connect to the device(s), and leave that ground pigtail a bit longer as it has a loop in the end, but the other conductors sometimes do not. One other bit, when adding a pigtail, if you bend it instead of the rest of the wires, it helps to keep it even with the group, avoids bending the rest of the wires, which makes their ends uneven, and allows adding a bit of tension when twisting the wires, helping them lay together.
Excellent step-by-step video! In all the years I have done electrical work, I have never used the back stab method. My 15 year old house was back stabbed on every outlet and switch when done by the original electrician. I have found two switch bodies cracked at the back stab hole and both switches eventually failed because of back stabbing since the wires fell out of the switches. Using tape over the screws is a “belt and suspenders” safety approach and a personal preference of the installer.
i would never do it that way. yes it will work BUT think about this. it’s night, the lights are turned on you plug something into those outlets and it trips the breaker for some reason, then you are left in the dark because the circuit you tripped is also on the light circuit. you should always keep your lighting circuits and outlet circuits on separate circuits.
I agree with keeping lighting circuits separate from outlets when possible. I use a lable maker at my panels and like to label my lighting breakers in one color and outlets in another. In the case of my own home all labels are black ink, but outlets are white background and lighting circuits are yellow background.
I'm not an electrician, but I get your point. If it's not done initially, I don't see how it can be changed without a complete rewiring.
I don't think separating lighting circuits from receptacle circuits is commonly done even in modern homes. From what I've seen at electrical panels, if marked, it's always by room or location and not by separating switches and receptacles. As long as the expected load is less than the circuit breaker and wire gauge you should be good.
All my rooms have a fan light on one circuit and led lights on a separate circuit. I drop my power feed for each rooms LED lights to a box in the basement labeled so I can isolate each room if I need to troubleshoot an arc fault. Since LEDs are 7 watts each I then run a single home run, 14/2 back to the panel.
PS As Benjamin suggested on another video I also connect my Smoke Detectors to the LED light circuit. If I lose my Smoke Detector Power I will know because lights are off. I have separate circuits fir fan lights in every room so I’m not in the dark in case of problems.
@@cfgdr3 I like this idea, of coloring labels based on type of load. Thanks.
As a former electrician, no, you do NOT have to run 2 separate circuits for lights and receptacles, nor is it even recommended. As a former electrician, fix them plate screws it hurts to see that.
I’m currently doing the electrical rough in on a house I’m building by myself. Watching lots of videos (and reading a lot of NEC) and yours videos are extremely helpful. Thank you.
I always enjoy your vids. Real clear. Straightforward explanations. Real-world scenarios. I also like how neat your work is.
But the best part is how you do all this super-neat and professional work in those old houses. I started out in the midwest before I moved to California, where most of the houses are post-WWII vintage. There is nothing I like more or would have enjoyed doing more than modernizing the wiring in a 1900s farmhouse. Like, making it bright enough to actually work sun the basement. And all the wires are run parallel and square along the structural members. Like you do there.
Don't stop. Of course, there are a lot of paste-eaters in the trades too. The only thing they agree on is that you are doing it wrong. But you are doing it just right. You ought to do a 'This Old Wiring' with The Sparky Channel.
I had to troubleshoot a GFI circuit that went through multiple bathrooms in a townhouse. Two outlets worked fine, but the last in the chain didn't. I initially thought that the hot wire was broken or a rat had gnawed through it (there had been a rat problem in this townhouse before). I noticed that the installer used the stab connections on the outlets, so I thought I'd correct that anyway. Putting the wires on the screw terminals solved the problem.
Linesman pliers will do the twist or pre-twist easier than the needle nose.
Yep, I'm so anal I like to grasp a bundle of wires with Vise-Grips to hold them in place about 1.5 inches where I twist with lineman pliers. Nice tight twist without creating a braid.
Klein makes a wire stripper with a fatter head to serve the same purpose as the linesman pliers. They look weird, but you only need one tool to do the job.
@@cfgdr3 I have their hybrid pliers with the grey handles that also have the stripping holes.
@@illestofdemall13 How do you like them? Are they worth the money? I'm on the fence still? But I really like the idea of having one tool to do the job.
@@cfgdr3 They are pretty cool but I rarely use them. I like the idea of multi tools but sometimes I go back to doing things the way I have been doing them for years.
Greetings! Thank you for all this amazing content! I am quite OCD, and seeing neat, tidy and labeled electrical work is a breath of fresh air. I almost was convinced to DIY a subpanel for my electric car (my main panel is FULL), but since I know it would have taken me days of work, I hired a professional that will do it in 4 hours. After that, I'll be installing all my new circuits into that box, and tidying up my old box as well.
Wago type plug in connectors really simplify the process and allow the switch or outlet to be pre wired on the bench in bulk and easily “plugged in “ when ready. And they also eliminate the need for pigtails. The cost is well worth the convenience. IMO. Excellent content. Thanks for the video. ✌🏻🇺🇸
Wago type plugs is for lazy people!
@@dtm8073 well like my dad always said “work smarter not harder”. I suppose by this way of thinking nail guns and power saws of all kinds are also for “lazy” people. Good luck with your build!
@@tallpaul8880 You get a much more secure and reliable connection with wire nuts. I agree with your father about working smarter not harder. Nail guns and power saws are definitely ok, I never said they were for lazy people. Cheers!
@@dtm8073 agree with your points. The new and improved wagos have a lock lever design that has improved the connection over the push in type. They are widely used in commercial and residential construction and proven. ✌🏻
Wago 221 are great and just as reliable as a wire nut. Anyone who does electrical and doesn’t know that is ignorant. People get so stuck on the old way of doing things they can’t fathom that a newer way could be just as good if not better.
Very helpful. Thank you fir the comments regarding the smart switches. I was wondering when it became standard for home wiring. Now knowing it is just a neutral wire I am not questioning my ability to install a smart switch.
Some electricians using cordless drill to twist nuts, which can damage insulation. In old houses with aluminium wiring electricians used soldering iron to cover twisted wires with stannum because wire nut could easily damage aluminium conductor.
Some tip to future: always leave ground wire slightly longer than load ones - if somebody casually hook or pull the cable, ground wire still be connected as it is longer than hot and neutral.
during the ruff in stage when you have two grounds in a box tie both onto crews don't cut until final installation of receptacle or switch, if you tuck the conductors deep in the box and then leave grounds at front creating a shield for the conductors in case the drywallers hit the box with cut out tool...
Dmitry, it should be noted that "electrical equipment" (switches, receptacles, and yes wire nuts) must be rated and approved for use.
If you have aluminium wire, ensure your parts are rated for aluminium or both copper and aluminium.
A very thorough description of how to wire electrical connections. Thanks a lot.
A reason for taping over the connection screws even in a plastic box is to prevent contact with a bare grounding wire that may not be tucked well enough into the back of the box.
I personally would make the home run wire longer than the other two when installing. The reason is so I can use the grounding wire from the extra length of it. Cut all conductors and the other two grounding wires to length, leaving the HR grounding wire long. Then use a “greenie” to twist the grounding wires with the HR one sticking out to terminate on the device (switch).
And if necessary use the black and/or white for pig tails.
With wire in my state doubling in prices in the last month. Tossing the scrap isn’t much of an option now.
I would of made a drip loop
@My Name the pros too busy pulling wire and reading blueprints to make YT vids lol.
I am an industrial electrician with 30 years experience
1) Never! Ever use the stab in the back connections.! Always a problems waiting to happen.
2) Always twist the wires before putting on the wire nut again problems waiting to happen especially on 20+ amp circuits
3) Standard practice is the hot connects to the top of the stitch
4) Tape on the device is generally not necessary and a nuisance and messy when servicing
* Around here conduit is required even for single family homes (as it should be)
Excellent! Thank you for sharing your experience!
You're in the Chicagoland area, I bet! I love that they use EMT and steel boxes. Very professional and extremely safe, not to mention highly configurable and expandable to fish new lines in the future.
@@aaron74 and keeps the number of hacks down
@@monteglover4133 Yes and it keeps electrician employment high, too. I wish it were the practice all around the country.
I agree on the stab-in-the-back connections. I bought a new house and although it took 18 years, a circuit failed because of one of those. Obviously it was before AFCI's and the connection had been arcing, potential fire hazard.
You should never use a blade that high on the wire incase you cut the wire usually u want to cut towards the end of the wire and pull the wire and insulation apart. But amazing work buddy keep it up!
For inexperienced people, you're right. But once someone knows how much pressure it takes to cut sheathing, they can go as deep as they want as long as they start with minimal pressure at the beginning of the cable, which is what Ben does
I've seen it all you can't judge if you want to teach then teach the correct way don't talk. Walk the walk. God bless you.👍🙏
@@aurvaroy6670 facts. I personally like to pinch the side whit pliers and pull off a pice and it works but some time I'm force to use the utility blade and is not like you going to put pressure on it as long as you make a line whit out pushing down you can strip it off
In new construction for example building a house, I would never mix lighting and receptacle circuits, its ok if your adding something in years later and would have to cut tons of drywall to get a feed back to the panel, but as a general rule don't mix lighting and receptacle circuits, and now with the arc fault breakers sometimes they don't like switches, things can get messy real quick after the dry wall goes up and now that light switch keeps tripping the arc fault breaker....
When I wire up the projects for my clients (sheds, garages, etc.) I always separate the lighting from the receptacles. Not a fan of daisy chained circuits.
That’s a waste. I wire to waste the least material and never overload a circuit. There are very few problems with arc breakers now. If you have problems with switches on arcs it’s because you screwed up your neutrals most likely. The only problems I see with arcs are plugged in devices having an issue. But, I know how to splice.
@@KitchenerLeslie2 if your suggesting separating lighting and receptacles are a waste of material, fine so be it, better looking at it then looking for it, most of the stuff I build is Custom homes and mixing lighting circuits is not an option, as a lot of it is controlled by smart controllers not light switches, and the arcing at switches is not a neutral problem at all, its the switch itself, but whatever if your building a shed it dosn't really matter but when your building a home it makes all the difference in the world to lay out circuits separating lighting loads from general receptacles and its just a good wiring practice, I really don't understand your resistance to it other than the notion of saving material, and as I said earlier better be safe than sorry having to rip drywall to run a new wire, and that not fun, I hope we can agree at least on that, have a good day,
@@stankahuna5271 we do custom homes, but with regular switches, dimmers and controls that work with arc breakers. So I don’t see the point in wasting wire to keep outlets and lighting separate. If you don’t put your lighting on arcs because they trip, maybe you need to buy better devices or learn to rough and splice better.
@@KitchenerLeslie2 thats twice now you have doubled down on a stupid ideal and twice now that you have questioned my workmanship, clearly your an idiot, you can take your ancient wiring methods and go build an outhouse
I have watched a million videos on this same topic, and hands down, this has been the best one I have seen. Very informative, good camera work. Keep it up, and cant wait to watch future videos.
Hey Scott, A million videos.... I've told you a billon times not to exaggerate.😊
Very understandable, love it! Next time use the holes in your wire strippers to make the loops, makes it soo much easier.
You are the man, your wirenuts have wings, no back stabbing and proper wire direction on the screw terminals. I would have no problem working with you on an electrical project.
I definitely recommend taping the switch if using metal boxes.
That appears to be plastic...
@@shadowopsairman1583 DUH! If you would listen to the video, he mentioned taping the switch if you are using metal boxes.
Taping is for people who do t know what the hell they are doing
@@paulbogden7391 its code if using metal boxes where I'm at
Only if you’re filling a box to capacity. Once the ground is correctly pushed to the back of the box there is little risk of anything shorting.
This was by far the best wiring instructional video I've seen. I have been looking for this video all weekend
Code is from the point u enter the box cable length is to be at least 8 inches out. Rule of thumb from the outside of box grab the wire with your fist and stick your thumb out. Where the cable hits your thumb cut the wire
I definitely like the way you make up the box in the order I do as well, get the grounds outta the way first and then pack them in back of box, then same with neutrals, last is hot wires then you only have the wires hanging out of the box you are going to need for the switch with the exception of the neutral tail for future use if you tailed one. My comment on the plug in back wire method is it may be fine for low current draw applications such as a few lights and you don’t add a bunch of lights at a later date. Some people use that method for duplex receptacles and I have found circuits that had eventually burned the inside of the switch wire contact points to the point the circuit became an open circuit burned and not allowing any current to pass through the receptacle and the insulation on the wires charred. Luckily a fire wasn’t started that burned the place up!
The little holes on your wire strippers can be used to create the "hooks" to attached to the switch's screws.
There are screwdrivers made with handles that will twist most wire nuts??
Is the next video still available to watch? I cant find it
Same here. Been looking…..
Great teaching video on how to do it right. Clear and concise. Thks! Non-electrician / self-Home builder!
There is a hole in the side of the wire strippers to insert your wires to make the J-hook easier. Just a thought. Insert and turn outward and you'll make an ideal J-hook that will fit easily around the screw terminal.
Good point but he may have found like me, that it makes the hook a touch too big.
OMWord! I have watched COUNTLESS videos and this was the ONLY one that made complete sense AND was easy to follow!
Thank you !
I watched so many videos... And you actually explained it perfectly to a average person like me! For the life of me... I could not understand why there are 3 black wires coming out of my electric switch. At 10:19 mark, it totally made sense 👍👍 Awesome video!
Back stab connection is done if you use 14 Awg wire and since it is spring loaded it will become loose in time, so making a hook and go around the screw clockwise is always a better installation.
Same goes for GFI's that are wired to protect receptacles down stream. Line comes in cable next to stud. Load goes out other knock out. You can mark the load with a short striped off insulation on the black and white. The neutrals do not wire nut together. Completely independent on one another. Back of GFI receptacle is labeled to make it easy to figure out. Be sure not to get your neutrals interchanged with the black wires. They have to pair up with their corresponding black conductor coming out of the Romex sheath.
I always do the neutrals first. I put them in the very back and out of the way because they are usually unnecessary except in scenarios like you have mentioned. Then i do the grounds and so on..
I don’t use back-stab connections because they get loose over time and heat up. I had one melt at my grandma’s house behind her fridge and cause a small fire. I think back-stab connections ought to be outright banned in the NEC. This is part of the reason I don’t use residential grade receptacles/switches, only commercial/industrial grade. The higher grade receptacles/switches lack the back-stabs for a very good reason.
Also, I always wrap my switches/receptacles with 33 tape from 3M.
Great explanation. Also using electric tape is always a good practice! Keep up the good work! Thank you.
I'm not an electrician, but I play one as a handyman! very interesting work! I'm a carpenter by trade!
I can't say that I always remember to tape the screws off but I try to do it if I think of it regardless of the style of the box. I had a USB receptacle that I hooked up in a relatively new house (2012). About 6 months later the circuit started tripping out of nowhere. Turns out that the ground wire was sitting out too close to the hot terminal and caused a trip to occur. Once I learned about taping the receptacle after that I tried to do it as often as I could remember to. Yeah putting the wires in a better location might have done the same thing, but you can never trust yourself to do everything perfectly. One more brick up on the wall helps the whole thing stay up better.
Thanks!
For a plastic single gang box there is no reason to wrap, but if it is metal yes. Double or more gang box I do even if it is plastic. That is what I do.
Seems logical.
perfect timing i want to do the same set up in my moms attic for a switch and outlet.
Like you said, if the box is metal then it's a good idea to wrap electricians tape around the terminals but, since you have a plastic box, it's not recommended.
You can also use the hole on the stripper that’s normally used to cut 6-32/8-32 screws to help make the loop on the wire to attach to screw on device
Those strippers have a hole just for looping the hooks.
Used to go behind an OCD electrician who left his cvr screws in a vert position & move them slightly & drove him crazy
i do all my cover screws that way
@@buc900b3 Me, too.
So it’s you doing it to me :-)
North of the Mason Dixon line, it’s probably a law that they go horizontal.
Too funny! 🤣
One of the methods we use is all your "hots" (power in and power out) are installed in the knock out closest to the framing stud. This allows for as many as 4 romexes. 2 in the knock out on top and 2 in the knock out on bottom. The rest of the openings will be used for the switch legs. Using this method you won't have to be identifying which wires are what. If you want to do that, we make it a rule to identify the switch leg. Some guys like to put little crimp marks on the switch leg. We strip back the black wire just a little. Crimp marks are hard to see.
The only thing different I would do is use a metal cover plate, since it's located in a rough area and not on a finished wall. It was good to follow your procedure and compare with my own.
Obviously you dont know what you're talking about
I know in Minnesota it's code to have a metal cover, well the code thing is what the state inspector said.....
Plates now are made of a pliable plastic that won't crack or break, especially if you tighten the little screw too much. It sucks to install a ,4 gang switch plate and then you overtightened the last screw and the plate breaks.
Looks like a proper box make-up. Good job.
I have a pair of stripping pliers that also have sheathing cutters for 12 and 14 gauge romex. I usually cut the sheathing without removing it until it's in the box and I'm ready to make connections. It's fast, and makes a very clean install.
Thanks for this! You steered me right on a sleep deprived day after tripping my breaker and blowing up a switch.
I would wrap it in electrical tape not only because the electrical box is metal but also if there’s more wires like in 3 gang box where you would have multiple switches. I’d like the ground to stay back as far as possible and for it not to accidentally touch anything else. The tape just gives me peace of mind.
love your videos, super clear and easy to follow. However, this is the first and only time i have ever seen someone put a switch on the ceiling. Is that even allowed by code?
Always connect your grounds first. It's just a good habit to commit to. Especially if you work on live circuits, as a lot of service electricians do.
Grounds and neutrals
@@shadowopsairman1583 grounds then neutrals
Not on toggle switches or light fixtures you hold while wiring. You ground a toggle before the hot you have to play Operation with 1/16 of an inch clearance on the device yoke. If you ground a fixture you are holding and Soozy the Floozy homeowner turns on the light for you, you get blasted when touching the hot.
I have had to go back on several jobs and fix the "Back-Stab" switches & outlets installed. Always install on screw terminals.
Thanks Benjamin, always a pleasure to watch. You have helped me so much as a home owner.
I wrap my outlets and switches to prevent someone from getting shocked if the device needs to be troubleshot while hot. It can also be a hassle to take the tape off of the device.
This is exactly what I needed. Wiring for fan and receptacle was on same switch which is what I did not want.
Excellent work and explanation.
Thank you
The Southwire (Romex) stripper is SO nice for 12/2 and 14/2 wire. Highly recommend it.
This guy is amazing. The perfect how to video. I would subscribe twice if I could. And such clean wire management. Such clean work. You have to love mild OCD. My guess is he is a third generation electrician.
When I join wires together on my buildings I wrap electrical tape over the wire nuts in the same direction with the nuts. Just as added insurance that the nuts don't back off the wires. Or at least have to fight the tape to do so. Only because I've changed out outlets and switches in the past and have had old or existing ones fall off when I pulled the outlet or switch out of the box to change. I've had a couple of mine come off as well where it was a tight fit with the wires and I prob didn't get the nut as tight as I could have. Haven't had an issue when backed up with the tape as of yet though. I like the clamp style connections on the switch/outlet. The regular screw I've seen a few times someone has tightened it and the wire squeezed out enough where it eventually popped off the screw. I've also had to break the some old outlets trying to get the wire out of the backstabs. I don't understand what the danger of using them are since they are directly connected to the screw connector and are designed where you'd pull one out of the screw long before you'd pull it out of the backstabs. Maybe I'm missing something. I personally don't see how they pose a problem.
Thanks you for sure make the best videos on TH-cam eazy to understand and just the facts not long winded. Thanks guy!! 😊
Good video. Quick easy to follow. I like the labeling owires in and out, also the tape on outside of switches.
Thankyou
I like the clamp connections the most. Otherwise I do a hook/loop. I never back stab.
I agree...never never backstab!
You're talking about the holes on the back of the receptacle/switch, correct?
@@lampoyo Yes, the ones that just push in and are held by a spring. They have been known to fail.
I put electrical tape on all my switches and receptacles, even on plastic boxes. Once I had a problem with a pull switch light that when it was push in place, one of the screw conductors was touching with the ground. My breaker would trip and it took me about 10 min to figure out what was happening. I know you can't put tape on a light sockets but the same issue is possible with a receptacle or light switch. So probably not necessary for a simple installation, but if doing a whole house, then I would recommend it. It would suck trying to backtrack trough a circuit not knowing that this could be the issue.
What if you need to add one more switch (i.e. for a fan) to this setup? Thanks for the help and great video.
I think wrapping the switch with tape in a plastic box is good if the box is stuffed just in case a ground wire or exposed wire doesn’t touch a screw and short it out
I don't do much wiring, but when I do, I always use screw terminals.
don't use stab-in's unless you just want to annoy the next person who has to do work in the box.
I was taught to treat the switches and receptacles like I would like to be treated. I can live with getting screwed, but I cannot stand being back stabbed.
@@cfgdr3 lmao!!! Good one.
Lighting load and plug loads need to be separate. With the LED lighting and dimmers the amount of dimmers on a circuit is limited. Also if the client wants to install Lutron Controls (graffic eye) or another type of control in the future running plugs and lighting on same circuit becomes a problem.
Always supple plugs and lighting on a separate circuit. With LED lighting pulling only 11/17 watts and the limited number of dimmers it only makes sense.
Now let's throw in a Arcfault.. just another reason to not wire plugs and lighting on 1 circuit.. 29 yrs as a service electrician, and building custom homes in some of the wealthiest hoods in Socal. This is how I do. This is how I've thought my squirrels. Most of the homes are automated. Meaning we never share a circuit with plugs and lights.
Not sure if you've seen his other videos but he typically wires outlets and lights on separate circuits. 14awg/15A for lights and 12awg/20A for outlets. It's just this video where he wired basement lighting and outlets on the same circuit. At least he used 12/2 and a 20A breaker so that there's enough headroom.
I was following along in agreement until you started wiring the switch. First, always do the ground before any black wires. Second, switches come labeled at the top of the switch by the mounting screw and most have on/off embossed on the switch itself. Why would you skip that step? Third, there is a hole in the strippers for making that loop rather than using the jaws at the end.
Fair criticism! I've always used the jaws to bend the loops. Perhaps I'll try using that method instead. True that I should have showed the switch orientation better. Just didn't think to do that. Why does it matter which wire is connected first in your opinion?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom you didn't do anything wrong here because you turned off the line coming in, I guess he assumed you were working on it live. The side the switch here is going is not important because it is the same degree as the ceiling, therefore not giving you an up or down. Yes the wire strippers give you a hole to use for hooks, but I've seen guys use needle nose too, it's a preference. Great video
@@BenjaminSahlstrom because you should always work with grounded fixtures.
@@Bludcharg4214 it doesn’t matter whether the circuit is off or not, since they can be reenergized without your knowledge. It’s just good practice.
@@wilbready actually that's a good point to be honest. I've been there LOL. Someone might have done make up in a JB tied to the circuit, flipped a switch or turn on a breaker. But I guess in a rewire where you're just doing rough ins and non of your HR's are connected and your two lines and neutral aren't being supplied by the power lines, you should be considered okay, but solid point though 👍
I always wrap electrical tape around the receptacle screws so if I push it in or pull it out its safer as far as a circuit being on & it holds it all in place when you push it all in the box.
I make my loop or hook longer than you did in the video. I then take my strippers and close the loop before I tighten the screw. This gives a very neat and secure connection that will never fail.
Your left hand wire running from the box (home lead) was not stapled close enough to the box. It's supposed to be fastened within 6" of the box.
I think it's 12 inches... at least in US. 334.30
12 in if it is in a box with a clamp connector, since this is a plastic box it needs to be stapled 8” from box
@@claytonsprague7316 good catch!
@@claytonsprague7316 actually, section 334.30 states 12" is the requirement.
@@mavicaerials8825 yes it does, then there is another section check out 314.17(c) exception and see what you think on this specific installation
Very thorough explanation. Thanks for the video.
Always do a Courtesy wrap on all switches and receptacles.
BS!! That's not necessary. Do you wrap them while they're hot?? If so, do you unwrap them while they're hot??
I personally always side wire, it provides a more secure, safe, and higher rated connection. Also, if you're wiring for 20A then you have to side wire because most back holes are only rated for 15A.
you can back wire 9not back stab0 spec grade outlets and switches.
Very thorough Benjamin.
I.like to keep 1 of the grounds long an use a green wire nut...
Nice job well explained. However, making a joint by twisting the wires with a pair of klines is the best method to insure a mechanically complete connection. Not necessary but in my opinion a good practice.
Strip from the end. You take a chance of nicking the wires. Then you can pull the sheathing back.
Thanks for the video. Need to learn this From my hill top in. Sc.
Damn, actually thinking about Smart Switch in future. I want this guy as my electrician!
The rough in electrical does not include the termination of the wires to the switches or outlets. The title of the video is incorrect. But it is an excellent training video for a switch wiring. well done
back stab is for those who are lazy or in a production job where time is more important by a long shot. I never use them and pull the wires out of a receptacle or switch and use the screws if I open a box and see them used.
Always, always, great information, presented so professionally! I learn so much from the tips you provide.
I struggle with removing the main sheath when the wire is in the box. Always worried I’ll accidentally cut the sheath on the hot wire. I’ve found it’s easier to use a self adjusting wire stripper on the wire before it’s inserted into the box.
This was very helpful. Thank you. I think the wires in my outdoor outlet were damaged by the cutting off of the sheathing, or the pulling of them from inside to outside. And inside the outdoor box, the wires were poorly pushed into the box, which showed a dent on the back of the 15A GFCI outlet outside. Don't blame me! I'm a first time townhome owner watching TH-cam's to solve this myself.
The above begins with a 20A breaker, but the circuit/line leads to just a couple 15A receptacles inside the breakfast nook. But it gets more complicated because the prior owner extended the last outlet through the wall to outside where he added two 15A GFCI receptacles (one leading to the next) to plug in a water softener at the end of the chain.
Several trips to Lowe's and I'm still confused on what to do, and have gotten conflicting advice. So I decided to try to educate myself.
I face a choice: do I switch every receptacle to 20A or 15A depending on whether the wires I find are 12/2 or 14/2, respectively?
PS. The outside outlets ceased to work after a storm and the first 15A GFCI outlet then read OPEN NEUTRAL--I could see the white wire inside was exposed to the humidity/condensation when I inspected.
Use a 15 amp spec grade duplex receptacle regardless of whether wire gauge is 12 or 14. This is the same as the 20 amp without the horizontal slot. Same for gfci. There is no reason to use a 20 amp duplex receptacle in a residence.
In my option the only ones that wrap tape around switch or connectors are not sure of their work. Also I see you in the US you like doing tails on all your wires even if the device can handle 2 wires at each terminal. In Ontario each wire connector counts as box fill. It also takes more time to do tails. On another note we can only staple 1 wire not 2 . Just showing my thoughts and that codes are different every where. You do nice work and you take pride in your work. I enjoy watching your videos.
everything you wrote is spot on except the very first line, I'm also in Ontario, and had an inspector suggest to me I should be at least wrapping switches in a multiple gang box, fan switch and light switch in the bathroom, and said I should consider wrapping all of my devices that are attached by side screws, he said it wasn't absolutely necessary or any kind of deficiency but made it clear that he would like to see it at a minimum on the switches, and the tails thing is a commercial wiring thing, for example wiring floor receptacles with stranded t90, in pipe, they like terminals crimped on to the stranded or a solid wire tail, just saying....
That is a inspector personal preference and not code. I hate when they do that. Our code also says 6 in. of wire total not beyond the box. Never done commercial wiring so can't comment on that. It is also recommended by the simplified code to strip the wire before putting in the box.. I know everyone has their own way of doing electrical. i am just saying how I do it. Not taking away from anyone. thanks for the feed back. I see the US code and workmanship is different from us. I do thank you for the feed back
@@circuitbreaker9001 I hate when they do it too bro, but at the end of the day you don't want to be on the guys bad side, so I do it, on the other hand he knows my work so well, I often get drive by inspections, and he hands me a sticker to go put on the panel, so it works both ways, our code is much better than theirs, but it seems that our code is trying to become NEC, any thoughts?
Now that we are on risk base things are really changing. Several years ago a inspector who is retired now told me That ESA was heading towards the same as TSSA. We was right. Funny I have been thinking we were heading towards NEC. I am closing up my company at the end of this year so will be done with residential. Most of my career has been in high voltage service testing and install. Companies like Westinghouse and Schneider Electric .
@@circuitbreaker9001 y'all are both very knowledgeable. Thanks for all the information about how the do it in different places. I like learning stuff like that.
I’ve never found a loose twisted wire connection in a wire nut. I have found loose wires in untwisted connections. I noticed the loose ground swinging around in the ground bundle.
You are a good teacher. Thanks for sharing
John this is a thorough well-made video one thing that I find helpful if wiring a house or shop I like to wrap One time around red tape on the incoming power wire to a box or use the LabelMaker it’s kind of future proofing but this way you always know which wires bring power to the box. I have found this little tip to pay me dividends after the job is done...
Great job. Well done. I only tape with metal boxes
I'm surprised you didn't use the automatic stripper. Very helpful video.
I wish there was a standard for which side of the switch gets line/load. That would make it so much easier to figure out which is which when replacing with a smart switch.
I feed everything from the bottom when it comes to switches all my feeds and feed jumps go into the bottom of the box, then all my lights out the top of the box, always, then I know what side is hot and what side is a device, switches same thing, feed on the bottom screw, lamp on the top, every time, makes things easy to troubleshoot, if there is ever a problem or if you want to add something.... easy way to remember is bottom feed
Hi Stan. Funny I have always fed the top. All that I work with does the same . we would have trouble following one another
@@circuitbreaker9001 well as far as following someone else's work, the very first thing I do is establish the feed, and the way I do that is either with a EMF or voltage detector or if it gets real hairy I start doing neutral to ground continuity tests to find the set that goes back to the panel, cause you cant trouble shoot anything until you know that, and if you cant get a neutral ground check, you got a broken wire somewhere and hopefully its not in a wall, but Im sure you have had your days trying to establish what's the feed, good times, and stay away from the zombies
You need to know how to test to see which is line and load before you can even think about doing that task. It isn't something that you can just look at and assume. Use a voltage detector, a meter, or something of the like.
@@illestofdemall13 your exactly right when dealing with unknown circuits there is no substitute for physically testing wires for voltage, and testing to ground is always a better choice for finding a hot because a lot of times its a broken neutral that is the problem and testing to the white wire will not show a voltage, but in fact when you test to ground 120v, and usually the very first test I do is neutral to ground to establish the feed wire and confirm the neutral and ground. then proceed to finding the hot but in reality if you find the wire with neutral ground continuity you have found the hot, in most cases, unless your in a pipe system and that a whole nother barrel of monkeys
Like how you read how pre twisting is not necessary but fail to notice that when putting on wire nut it says to keep twisting til wires twist together
It wouldn't pass code locally if you don't have it wrapped. So it's not a question here.
That was pretty good. First video ive seen that you took a sharpie and wrote on the wire, what it was.
You need to start with telling viewers that the box has to have room for the work to be done and cables to be stored!
Better to have extra in the box.
Chripes man! A razor straight down the middle of your romex? You'd have to be so careful as to make the process too slow to be efficient.
Another Method:
Hawkbill knife, duller is better. You want to score the sheath only to the paper.
You will make one diagonal slice across bottom of romex back to front and another diagonal slice across the top, front to back **Be careful to match your cut angles and start/stop point of your slices.**
Place one hand on the wire outside the box, press it against the stud so as to hold it pressed against the stud.
Pull down on the romex sheath with your other hand and it should slide off with little force.
It takes practice, but it's worth the effort with all the time you'll save. Also, there is much less chance you'll knick your grounded or ungrounded conductors while stripping down the middle via utility knife. Mr. Sahlstrom needs to find a crusty old electrician to pal around with for a few months. He's a good electrician, just a few weird foibles.
Thanks for this great demo and the clear explanations.
Awesome video. Seems a little silly to add a nuetral pig tail "just in case", but you know more than me!
WOW, that was amazing and I just found out I've been making my hooks wrong since 1995. LOL
Ben is great, but I personally NEVER use a razor/utility knife for stripping wire. Many "electricians" will 100% nip some shielding yet say they never have... It happened from someone previously working on my house before I purchased. They cut (cleanly) an inch off of a hot or neutral (I forget which) and just covered it with elec tape... Using a razor blade is just a bad suggestion imo. I have a cheap stripping tool and it works fine.
**Yes, always wrap with electrical tape!