Hey Team! There is a lot of information in this video so I created timestamps below👇 to help you better navigate the video. Enjoy! Panel Box Description 00:21 Panel Box Unboxing 00:40 How To Install The Panel Box In A Stud Space 02:00 How To Install SEU Cable Into A Panel Box 04:16 How To Install Ground Rods 10:41 How To Install Ground Wire For A Panel Box 12:09 Preparing For Home Runs 16:06 How To Secure Home Runs With Romex Connectors 18:41 How To Strip Wire For A Panel Box 21:04 How To Wire A Double Pole Breaker 23:19 How To Keep Track Of Circuits 27:22 How To Wire An Arc Fault Breaker 27:55 How To Identify AFCI and GFCI Breakers 32:38 How To Install Lug Covers 32:58 How To Keep The Panel Box Neat 33:19 My Workflow While Wiring A Panel Box 33:40 Dryer Breaker VS Hot Water Tank Breaker 36:00 How To Install A 100 AMP Breaker For A Sub Panel 36:37 How To Install A Panel Box Cover 41:06
I recommend you invest a decent pair of cable cutters. They strongly resemble bolt cutters, but I don't recommend using them that way! At any rate, you can cut cable faster, easier and safer with big cable, cutters. I almost forgot to mention I am a huge fan Ridgid cordless tools. Their LSA makes it more than worth while... (Lifetime Service Agreement)
Josh I subscribed to you because I'm rebuilding our house after a tornado hit us. I've worked construction all my life but never did any electrical work. I got quotes for doing my house electrical and it was so high. So I decided to do it myself. I live in the country with no real regulations. You are becoming my teacher, so you know. So far I'm happy with what I've been able to do. Thanks.
Thank you for encouraging the author. Some licensed professionals are not supportive of instructional videos like this because they would rather people pay the licensed professional than learn to do it themselves. Personally I can see both sides of it. If you do the work yourself then you control the time and quality of the job (to the limits of your competency) and also the overall costs. If you hire a "professional" then you depend on someone else who may, or may not, provide a higher quality instillation.
I have a question so I have a 30amp for my hot water heater when the old heater was token out it was leaking at the heat elements and water was every where then it made a pop electrical spark so should i change my breaker for new one .?
@jaytravel-12 lot of questions to be answered, where did it "pop or make electrical spark"? Did you have simple swap of old to new heater? Was your electric for "old heater" fine (no sparks or pop) before new heater was installed?
@@TimboStang71 o ok so it popped I believe where the heating elements were I just Hurd it when I went to turn back on power to old one water heater... New one has not been installed yet .... I did however checked the wires for the water heater in the wall. With a multimeter and it read 240... So it's live am just not sure about the 30 amp breaker... I think it was due to the leaking water.. I'm just not sure if I hook up the new one will it do it again.. that's why I was wondering should I change the amp breaker... hopefully I cleared it up for you
Hey Pat! This is a very flattering comment and I appreciate that. Thank you for watching! I work on my days off from my regular job building houses for myself. Stay tuned for more!
Wow! I'm a diy female for 36 years. Ive done almost everything on a house except roofing and soffits. I've ran all the wiring on my current house but my friend had to put it in the box because no one had ever shown me how. I now know how and I understand it! Thank you!!
Great tutorial. It's funny, saying "this is for entertainment purposes only" is an understatement based on the ammount of knowledge dropped in this video. Thankyou for the thorough tutorial. Many people get lost in the details or gloss over specifics, I feel like this video was well thought out and gives enough information without getting bogged down in details.
For the 2 pole 30 amp breaker wired with 10/2 Romex: the white wire needs to be re-identified as black or another color using tape. The National Electrical code only recognizes white wires as neutrals, so in this case where you have it landed on a breaker, you need to tape it a different color other than white.
Thanks to you, I just passed my electrical inspection on the first round! Your videos are amazing and I can only imagine how many people you've helped diy with them.
DO YOU HAVE A MORTGAGE, AFTER THE FIRE AND THEY DISCOVER WHO DID THE ELECTRICAL WORK, GUESS WHO WILL BE SUED FOR DAMAGES,M WERE YICENSED FOR THAT WORK AND WORKING UNDER LICENSE, NO THEN YOUE NOT INSURED FOR THAT WORK THE SUIT WILL BE FOR WELL OVER THE COST OF THE FIRE,THEY WILL HAVE TO RECOVER LAWYERS FEES AND LOTS OF OTHER ANCILLIARY COST NOW HOUSE IS DESTROYED AND YOU OWE THE MORTAGE HOLDES AA SH3T LOAD OF MONEY AND HAVE NO HOUSE
Getting ready to rewire a house that was built in the 50's with 100 amp service. Upgrading to 200 Amp. Wish me luck and I will watch this video several times. Thanks and i do watch a lot of your videos. very helpful.
Good luck on your project. Sounds like you’re getting a lot of information before you get started. Like I mentioned before, if you ever need help he sure to consult an electrician.Thanks for watching!
Nice work. I have been in the trades for over 30 years and this is super clean work. You may not be as fast as some I know. But inspectors look at that and know the time was taken to be efficient. I’d hire you in a second after seeing your work.
Hi guy some one please tell me the different between home depot 2 gauge thhn copper wire and Lowes wire. They both made by southwire but why does lowe list it can only carry max 110 amp while home depot listed on their site 125 amp max. If I don't remember wrong, I think in store even said 130 amp. I plan to run 25-28 feet inside conduit over head inside garrage ceiling. 125 circuit breaker box. Thanks
How can you tell that he's not fast as some others guys that you know? Don't you realize that he is teaching us and working on the panel at the same time?
6:41 - To twist all the strands of aluminum wire together in SEU cable, try this: Open the chuck of your 1/2" drill all the way and place all the strands into the chuck. Keep your hand on the chuck and slowly run the drill in the forward direction. The chuck will tighten around the strands, twisting them into a single conductor ready to cut and land onto the neutral lug.
Also, when terminating your feed wires, I'd leave some slack in the wire. Push each down into the corner of the box, and bend them back to the lugs. If you ever have to replace a panel, or do a panel upgrade, having an extra 8-12 inches of wire can make all the difference in that job.
@@leeabin1280 Even with the outside ground wire going to the meter box first there will need to be another wire from there to the breaker box. All devices and device holders with metal surfaces inside the building must be connected to an Earth ground. Generally a meter box gets its ground through the tension wire that holds the other wires up between the meter box and the transformer. That wire and the transformer then connect to a wire that runs down the side of the pole to a metal plate mounted on the bottom of the pole to ground them.
Great video for a newbie who hasn’t ever worked with electrical wiring. You explain how to do it and give an explanation of why you do it that way. I really appreciate you.
I’ll tell you what from a plumbers views. Your works is one of cleanest I’ve seen since started the trade and vice versa. You take pride of your work. It feels great when the contractor ask for your crew.
I'm very good at wiring new elec outlets, switches, fans, etc. Did not think I could change out my 150 Amp box for a new 200 Amp box, with a sub pnl 80 ft away for RV plug. You explained it so well, I'm sure I can do the swap-out now. My local electrician wanted $7500 to job! You probably saved me $6000!! Thanks so much, Mike
It is electric u can use as much as u want 😂 only thing is u have to have the right breaker amp combination but your state may police u on how much they want u to use 😂 electric companies are like the Mafia they don't play tht
AFTER THE FIRE OR INJURY THEY WILL FIND OUT WHO DID THE WORK IF UNLICENSED THE INSURANCE WONT PAY. BURN DOWN YOUR HALF MILLION DOLLAR HOME WITH YOUR ELECTRICAL WORK, INSURANCE WONT PAY. and as an added bonus they will sue you. for damages, attorney fees and a crap load of ancillary cost, you end up with a burned house and no payout and in debt to your mortgage companysinsurance company and your lawyers you stand to loose a lot more than 6000 dollars dummy i am lifetime master electrician and fire investigator for insurance industry group. seen this many times, the home owners are always shocked and outraged when coverage is denied.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! This may be a worthwhile tip for sinking a ground rod. Get a jug or bucket of water. Pour water at the spot where you want to sink to rod. Stab the rod into the spot and then back it out. Continue pulling and pushing the rod in/out of the ground. Pour more water as needed. This will get about 4-5 feet of rod in the ground with out ever swinging a hammer. My builder showed me that trick and it saved me a lot of effort.
As an aspiring Electrician/ Technician who just finished school and ready for the corporate world and contracts, I really learned a lot, and for a non Electrician you did an excellent Job organizing the stuff the cables👍
Same! Some things are obvious to an expert or experienced pro, but as an amateur it's not always clear what's important and what's idiosyncrasy of the installer.
That's a pretty decent video. I ran it at one point five speed for efficiency. The only things I would change are; 1) I like leaving space in the panel for future expansion and that almost always happens from the top so because you mounted your box in the configuration with themain breaker at the bottom I would have started running my Interrupters from there and going up leaving all the space above open for future expansion. 2) for novices I tell them to only strip the jacket on one wire at a time that way they cannot get confused on what is what if something happens and they have to get pulled away from the job. Those little jacket pieces can be pulled off accidentally because they already have a slit in them. 3) since we are talking about the jacket and the Slit to remove it I would advise using a razor blade with a hook razor in it like is used in Roofing. This is for the same reason it is used there because the tip curls back and makes it much more difficult to overcut what you were trying to cut so you can simply pierce the jacket and run it down without worrying about cutting across the inside insulation on the wire. 4) in the video it seems obvious that you are starting from the back of the panel and working forward but I don't think I heard you mention it, that is something I would definitely advise people to do because it can get very difficult jumping around and trying to squeeze things in behind later. 5) when starting your grounding rods instead of being on a letter you can use a T post driver until they get low enough to swing a sledge much easier. If I had a dollar for everytime I saw an electrician miss the ride and the sledgehammer weight overshoot and pull them off the ladder I'd be retired now. 6) I also like to put a small double Bend in my shortest home runs inside the panel box. This allows for reconfiguration at a later date in case something else has to be added and you need to move things around to balance the two legs appropriately. Ok, thats it. Definitely worth mentioning that its nice to see part of your being organized is trash management! 👍
He isn't cutting the jacket all the way through. The way he's doing it is much better than your advice. Sorry. Btw, I've been an electrician for 30 years. He has a lot of strange ways of doing stuff but nothing looks catastrophic.
It's crazy that 45 minutes ago, for 34 years of my life, I identified circuit breaker boxes as a mess of wires, death and despair that must never be touched but now I could almost put one in myself... mostly. The sheer amount of knowledge online feels like it's taken for granted by most people. This probably took weeks to go over in school, back in the day.
Josh, I just erected a 30’ x 50’ metal building which will become my dream woodworking shop when done. I have been watching your videos to learn and or brush up on some of the upcoming constructive elements of which I will tackling myself. This video definitely helped me become more confident that I can accomplish this myself. Thank you for all your given time… BLS from Illinois…….
Great video! There are a couple of things that you need to change up though for future reference. First, it is required to torque the Main Lugs to the specified in-lbs indicated on the panel. (Yes, I know all screws are supposed to be torqued now but the Main Lugs are especially important.) Secondly, not knowing your AHJ and the fact they probably haven't adopted the 2020 code yet, but you will need to install a service disconnect before your main panel. This is code now and when it is adopted you will put that homeowner behind the curve if they ever need to have the panel upgraded/etc. This also means that the main panel will be a sub panel and the grounds and neutrals will have to be separate and bonded together in the main disconnect.
Exactly what I was going to say... it is absolutely crucial to torque those main lugs to the specs listed on the panel. People don't realize how tight those lugs must be at 50 to 80 inch-lbs, or more. I've advocated for a service disconnect before it was adopted in the code; besides providing an emergency shut-off, it also makes it safer to work on the panel in the future and/or add a transfer switch for a generator, etc.
Indeed thanks for your comment there are so many rookie electricians out there and authority having jurisdiction in different parts of the country are obviously different but this is an important fact that a main disconnect at the meter is required in almost every county and city and state I have worked on on the West Coast Becky's they let them get away with almost anything hillbilly's dumb asses
Well, I USED to think that I could wire up my new shed/workshop by myself, but now I ain’t so sure, lol. Prolly gonna have to watch this video 9 more times. Very informative and thanks so much for the headache that filming and editing this must have been. I really appreciate it!
You are what i call a HOMERUNNER .... Second to None... Simply the BEST and Super Clean work.... boy oh boy.... wish everyone would work like this..... it would be a beautiful world.
"I know you guys work alone..." is pure gold, because it's true for me, building a small 600 sq ft cabin all by myself. Your channel has been massively helpful.
Great video!! Just a note for those in cold climates. A box on an outside wall with no insulation around it will radiate cold into the room and may be subject to condensation during very cold weather. Better to use an inside wall in cold climates.
Wisconsinite here with a 92 mobile home. Breaker box is on an outside wall with no insulation. It's definitely not warm in the winter time. You've got it backwards regarding condensation. During the winter, there's little humidity in the air. During warmer, not humid times there's a good chance your breaker box will actually be cooler than the air around it since it has all those wires and potentially metal conduit to act as heat sinks. It could be that the heat from the resistance in the circuits is enough to offset this though. Anyway, point is that the breaker box must be cooler than the humid air around it in order for condensation to occur. In cold weather, this should probably only be the case if you have a significant humidifier running because winter air is dry air, even after you heat it up. Side note: at some point someone installed central air to this place. They used the correct type of wire and proper breaker but that's about the extent of what they did right. They decided to run the wire down through the liquid tight conduit that the mains comes in from. Under the home, the conduit goes to an LB type conduit body before continuing on to where it finally goes under the ground over to the meter. The genius who ran that wire loosened the screws on the LB cover plate and ran the wire out through the crack, then just loosely ran it along the ground across the home into the junction box of the central air compressor unit (which is just loosely connected to the home by a couple screws in the siding(just the siding) with no type of clamping used to secure the wiring at all. So they broke the water tight seal of the mains conduit, exposing the inside of the breaker box to the outdoors, sloppily ran the wire along the ground where rodents could(and did) chew on it and failed to secure the electrical that is exposed to the outside in any way. I scrapped the wire, ran conduit from the breaker all the way to the junction box, keeping it strapped tightly to the frame, and securely joined it to the junction box, which I properly mounted on the side is the house. Used a little bit of silicone caulk around the seam of the mains LB after I closed that up, just in case the seal was compromised as a result of compression against the wire. There are a couple other extreme code and safety violations that I've dealt with but those were more of a result of limited electrical code at the time of manufacturing than laziness and stupidity like the AC wiring.
Hi guy some one please tell me the different between home depot 2 gauge thhn copper wire and Lowes wire. They both made by southwire but why does lowe list it can only carry max 110 amp while home depot listed on their site 125 amp max. If I don't remember wrong, I think in store even said 130 amp. I plan to run 25-28 feet inside conduit over head inside garrage ceiling. 125 circuit breaker box. Thanks
I'm a union electrician in Los Angeles and for the most part you did a helluva better job than most others I see on here. A couple things that need to be fixed as others have already pointed out but overall not a bad job.
I've installed a couple main panels but I have to say this was very informative, especially for someone with no previous experience. It's always easier to work on anything electrical that is not hot. It's safer and a lot less nerve wracking. Thanks for sharing.
@@TheExcellentLaborer i generally recommend that to anyone who isnt an electrician, and we generally do that if we're doing more than the most simple tasks inside a panel. It's really easy to accidentally shock yourself or energize something. You never know when a wire is damaged or something and moving things can short the circuit out.
You make the best tutorials man you've been such a huge help to me as a beginner HVAC guy and as a poor person with a house you're the man, I'd love to work under you
I learned how to do electrical from a book. Wired my entire parents house back in the day and everything worked great as I took safety into account at every step. Now being years later and doing it quite a bit and watching this video I think I need to take a day to visit and reorganize the wiring inside the box.
@@electricaf365 lmao how many calls I’ve gone out to from people thought they could do electrical and totally did it wrong… I hope people keep it up. Makes me more money.
As a Master Elecrician , I would say that you did a very good job. I read the comments as I watched and a couple other electricians chimed in on a couple small things you should do different. So I will mention the only two I noticed. With aluminum you should pencil the wire to strip it not score. You were careful and didn't seem to dig into the wire at all but, just so you know. Also the ground wire should feed through a tiny ground bar for phone/cable/etc prior to going into earth. They have a cover, look fine, and don't cost much. Besides that I would say good work and good video quality.
@@greenroworganics8238 yeah and it's dumb... once again proving government oversight doesnt work... they should have been doing that since the 80s... now they arnt needed since fiber and wireless is surging past DSL and cable
@@truthbetold1855 -shrug- then why require it everywhere... its a waste of money, like requiring fridges to be on a gfi, everyone changes them out as soon as the inspector leaves
Thanks for teaching, for a long time I was waiting for someone to teach me this part of electricity, you explained everything so nicely and easily and in sequence, you need to be a teacher in a technical institution where the people will learn this trade, God bless you, you are my teacher, I am not in any profession now as I am a 75 year old retiree but still want to learn anything and everything for my satisfaction
i am not an electrician but I always try to learn how things r done especially with this panel. It's the best I have ever seen in such great detail. a simple and meaningful saying" You did good" Thank you.
This was great. I'm contemplating replacing a panel box that's maxed out with a larger one. Removing the wires and labeling them then removing the old panel puts me just about where this video picks up except wire lengths have to be considered. I think this is very doable. Just have to plan thoroughly ahead of time and have a good helper. Thanks!
@@bakerelectricextreme7979 In southern climates vapor barrier on the inside will cause a rotted moldy house. You are actually better off with none than on the inside. In northern climates it goes on the inside .👍
A couple things aside(like using a "square" bit when you should be using ECX) you did a great job here. I watched the whole thing and you provided just the right amount of information and edited it to where I was never going "get in with it already!". Most of this was stuff I already know but you executed it and explained it so well that I enjoyed watching it and feel compelled to up my game when it comes to clean, secure and code compliant electrical work. Thank you very much!
You don’t know how lucky I am to find your page. By far the best diy I’ve come across with how informative you are on every project. The previous owner ran electric to the shed and installed an old fashioned twisty knob circuit breaker that I can now switch out for a circuit breaker box.
Yeah just going to read the comments because they'll send you back into the rabbit hole of what the f. And don't want time stamps what the hell they're talking about everybody's giving their own advice and not in tandem with the video that they just previously watched or are watching and it's just like yo are you why are you critiquing a situation that looks very neat and if it pass code to him obviously he doing something right. And what gets me all the people that are mostly making these comments... Are purposely speaking from a place of an elitist condescending platform.. Majority of the people that would be watching him are people who need electric help people who can't find an electrician that's affordable people are going through hard times people who really need help and the people who are jumping in our people that will not help their neighbors They want to be paid more than what their neighbors actually make to actually do something for them and they get up on these platforms and they critique with the video and why did you say that? Yeah because I was so amazed at how need his work was I just subscribed and I felt empowered and I should have never came to the comment section like he told us too but I'm going to go by what I seen I'm going to check out my local code because I want my she shed and I'm going to do my own she shed. Good luck on your work
Greetings - Just some comments for you. In the 2020 NEC you would need SE-R rather than SE-U since you are required per 230.85 to have an exterior emergency disconnect, which could also be your service disconnecting means as well depending on your design choice as shown again in 230.85. But I suspect your area is on the 2017 NEC to rock on. Also, keep in mind the plastic bushing is not required on cables, that would only be necessary on raceways where demanded in their specific article and for insulated conductors 4 AWG and Larger entering through the raceways per 300.4(G). However, you can always go above the minimums so if the bushing make you feel warm and fuzzy then have at it fella. Now, while the Anti-Oxidant Compound is not required by the NEC, its permitted by 110.14 but again not required, feel free to use it but it is not required by the bare minimum safety standard. Now, at ~ 14:22 you stated the GEC, or Grounding Electrode Conductor has to be "one long piece" which is actually incorrect. The GEC from the panel to the first ground rod must be unbroken (which some exceptions) and then from the first ground rod to the second is actually a bonding jumper and so you could use a second clamp on the first ground rod and run a seperate 6 AWG to the second ground rod and it would be acceptable. However, you saved a clamp by doing it our way so bravo, that's good money management. Now, as always be sure to TORQUE all terminations per 110.14(D). Keep in mind that at ~ 27:14 you are almost done but not quite, you need to place some tape, black or red or blue, what ever your flavor around the end of the white conductor that is connecting to the 30 A breaker to meet 200.7(C)(1) and you are good to go. At ~ 32:50 those circuit breakers that do both GFCI and AFCI are not actually called Combination, they are called Dual Function as the "Combination" language is really to denote a series and parallel arc detection profile and has nothing to do with GFCI just so folks know. Keep in mind your WIGGLE at ~ 39:26 is why we have to torque those conductors down per 110.14(D). However, I will say with you not being a licensed electrician you did might fine and should be proud of your efforts.
Licensing and qualified means little if the attitude to do a great job does not exist and come from within the individual. The commitment to do a great job needs to be continuously nurtured with an emphasis on lifelong CPD.
Licensed electrician or not, this was very informative to watch. Glad to see the process from beginning to end. Great way to gain perspective on what is involved in these.
Reminds me of my electrical technician class and very, very informative. I missed alot of in class hands on learning due to the start of covid. Thank you for sharing!
I am an electrician and electrical engineer from Germany and was curious to see how things are done in the US. Wow, very different from what we do! Good job! 😀
Just starting an electrician/mechanical apprenticeship through my job and this was very entertaining. Everything was well explained and easy to understand. Thank you, sir, for an OUTSTANDING job!
The one point that was instilled in me years ago in bringing your wires into your panel and to your breakers is a little different. Take your pig tails and run them down to the bottom of your box. Turn them and run back up to your breaker location. This allows you the ability to relocate any homerun in the panel if need be. Once you cut and turn you are married to that location. Just something that adds a little more flexibility to the inside of your panel. But nice clean work. 👍
That's what I was taught and agree. Nothing worse than not having enough wire to relocate, especially if you upgrade(as now days to 200amp). Also allot of places don't allow you to wire nut extensions in panels(🙄), which may be code (nec) now, not sure since it's always been that way by our local code.
Wonderful clarity, much better explanation than many videos posted by master electricians. I installed my panel ten years ago; the plug in neutrals would have saved me a lot of time. I am a Habitat for Humanity volunteer and work with an electrical engineer on their modular homes. I encourage anyone with skills to help others. tx
One thing I noticed with the install of the box between the studs was, the box is narrower than the wide of the studs and fasteners were used to secure the box to the vertical studs which deformed the box outward. Shims could have been used to prevent that distorted move.
@@TheExcellentLaborer it may look better when finished but If possible always preferable to put it on a ply wood sheet or something with holes for wires coming through so it’s easy to add more circuits also if you have a lot of circuits there may not be enough space to install all the circuits from the bottom or the top in this case, but if you put two wires in connecter you will probably be fine
@@Vanilla_Icecream1231 that might be so but some customers like the look of box’s set inside the wall. At the end of the day it’s what the customer wants. Mounting it on plywood might make sense in a garage or basement where it’s just an electrical room.
Thank you so much. I had my house rewired by "licensed electricians" and have had so much trouble. They didn't do the outside ground and I my whole kitchen is on one 15 Amp breaker. They used 14/2 instead of 12, so it's been stressful. I've got the same Square D 200 Amp box. I'm running all the wire and having an electrician put all the breakers in. Thanks so much.
Thank you for this. I'm not a professional but it helped me be sure that what I was seeing in my 1990's box needed questioned and confirmed before adding to it.
On a new panel do all of your grounds first, then neutrals and finally hots. You will be moving hots potentially at some point most often, so having the hots above all other wires makes a much better job.
You do a great job of explaining the numerous steps required to do a proper installation that will pass inspection.. as a side bar on my 240 volt breaker I use a red sharpie to indicate that the white wire is really carrying 120 volt and not neutral Keep up the great videos
My degree is in electronic engineering (50 years ago) but never worked in that field. As you know, there is a difference but since I'm retired and have the time, I'm thinking of rewiring my house. This video is very detailed and well laid out.
Cool brother Very helpful!! When you set the panel there was no mention that the face of the box must be set to the surface of the surrounding wall. 1/2” & 5/8” for drywall 3/4” for T&G car siding Really great video !!
I have been watching plenty of videos to write my own house in the rough. Ideas, methods, steps, etc. Your videos are thoroughly detailed and have answered the questions I have had. Feel totally confident in putting my own electrical in. I'm an industrial electrician by trade. Never had to wire a house, but now I cant wait to save the cheddar. Thanks man.
Home inspector here. Super useful video! I think it's really handy for inspectors to know a little extra about the actual installation process, especially for electrical. Well done video!
11:27 - That's a lot of work to drive ground rods manually. I use an SDS-Max rotary hammer drill with the ground rod attachment bit. They are designed specifically for that purpose.
@@NidhayKhadepaun they are bonded at the main panel by code. That means both the ground and neutral bars are electrically connected at that point - they are no different in this case.
@@NidhayKhadepaun Somewhere in the panel the neutral and ground will have to be connected or what is called bonded. The ground wire serves two purposes. The first is to dissipate static charges to the ground. Static charges are usually caused by lightening which does not actually have to strike the building to create a charge in any devices with metal in them and a metal casing that could be in contact with a person or other living creature. The second purpose is in case the black or white wire comes loos or the insulation fails and comes into contact with the metal housing of a device. Electricity always wants to return to its source. If you are in contact with a concrete floor (which will conduct electricity) or other conductive surface and touch the metal housing, it is possible that enough electricity will flow through you to get back to its source. When the alternating current is flowing through the black wire to the device and back through the white wire, it will cause enough electrical flow (an uncontrolled short) to cause the breaker to trip and create a break in the circuit. You can do this only on one side of the circuit otherwise you would create a permanent short circuit. Since the black wires are connected to the breakers individually and the white wires are connected to a common bus bar, the ground from each device is also connected to a common bus bar and those two bus bars are then connected to each other or you could just connect the white and ground to the same bus bar since the result would be the same. It just looks neater to put them on separate bus bars and then connect the bus bars together. While concrete and dirt are poor conductors of lower voltage electricity, there is a possibility that enough current could flow through you to kill you.
Thanks for going through the trouble of recording for us greenhorns. Really informative gave me all the information I needed. Hope to have good results! Not looking forward to digging holes tho
This video was so excellent as a rudimentary guide to main panels that I liked, subscribed and shared with my entire team of home inspectors. My recommendation would be to consider installing spare breakers in lieu of filler plates at the bottom of the panel. 10 years from now the home inspector will appreciate not having to fumble with the filler plates and/or seeing double taps because a technician installed an invisible fence or some other ancillary device. Keep up the good work. Your time is very valuable and we appreciate you giving your time and knowledge to the universe!
What's so crazy these days is he inspectors don't even have licenses. Remember there's two kinds of people ones that want to be electricians and ones that are electricians. IBEW
When I did electrical work, I used a fence post driver to drive my ground rods. start to finish was 2 minutes or so, depending on how tough the ground was. Also, this method helped keep the top of the ground rod from getting mushroomed to the point that it was difficult, if not impossible to put the grounding clamp on.
I've used a fence post driver, but have also experienced ground that was really hard. Sometimes, you have to hammer it in, pull it out, pour water into the hole, and come at it later. Also, sometimes, a Bosch Hammer Drill is the right tool to drive in a ground rod.
Acorn aka Burndy ground junk lol,real ground clamp even if top of ground rod lil weathered no problem attaching ground clamp...I HATE MICKEY MOUSE WORK I WOULD FIRE A PERSON IF THEY DID HALF ASS WORK JUST SAYING..
@@andrewdiamond2697 better choice is the SDS mekida 80V with liathan uk 🇬🇧 driver 5/8 by 13-per inch and there drill bit mine was in hard rock work a charmer 🍀
I have to say these videos have been very helpful during my classes to become an apprentice electrician. The class I'm taking for it is all online and just self study so being able to see it actually done instead of just reading instructions were very helpful. Seeing how everything fits together in reality instead of a diagram was very helpful.
I used a 1 1/2 " Sched 40 pipe 3 feet long and welded a 1/4 inch steel cap on the pipe and made a driver for the ground rods. Saves the arms and safer than standing backwards on the ladder to drive it, and doesn''t bend if you find that one and only basketball size rock in the whole yard. Great video.
a little tip: You can always retract the utility knife blade to the first notch so you only have the tip of the blade exposed. This makes it quicker and less likely you will accidentally dig into the wire insulaiton.
I use hook blades pointed up and cut to my stopping point. Just enough the point is scoring inside insulation while actual blade is cutting behind it. Watch your fingers trust me. Or buy the gloves we wore at meat packing plants. Cut resistant
Thanks for the awesome videos. Easy to understand. I'm building my home currently and would really like to wire my own home. Very nervous, but I know I can get it done!!
Started watching out of general curiosity to learn. You ended up addressing an upcoming job I've been pondering. Upgrading the power supply in my detached garage. Awesome videos!
This was an unbelievable easy to understand video. Great way to teach, very clear and understandable. Thank you I'll be saving this video to show my kids and friends when explaining how everything is wired in our house.🎉
Very very informative and certainly pointed out things to take into consideration. Remodeling a bathroom and have an extra 240 not in use, so was going to convert circuit to 120 so I could use as a dedicated 20a circuit for a vent fan/heater combo and when I opened the breaker panel to see what type breaker I’d need, I’ve got a Zinsco….and I’m sure every electrician in here knows what that means for me now…even though the panel and bars look pristine. Not sure if my city allows an unlicensed person to do work, but if they do I’d feel far more comfortable taking it on myself now that you’ve confirmed things I wanted to be 100% sure I understood.
Great tutorial. Don’t forget to put penatrox ( anti oxide) on aluminum sub panel connections. Missing that would be a pointed out by most inspector’s. There’s a film on all aluminum naked to the eye. Manufacturers recommend wire brushing prior to applying ant oxide.
Nice Video. Additional Tips: 1. Wear safety glasses during the whole job. Need torque wrench for lugs. 2. Put Duct Seal between Feed Cable and Wood in the Hole on the side of the bend then bend and secure then fill in the rest. 3. Leave a service loop in each wire. I know it looks clean cutting the wires exact but if a breaker burns out and scorches the wire you wont have any extra to cut back past the burned jacket. Plus other potential issues or reason that may occur in the future. 4. Make sure Phase color all wires that are not the correct color. IE the white wire on the 2 pole should be marked red somehow or phase taped red.
Excellent video, as usual. I do specialized 3 phase commercial electrical work and there's a ton of small things that are very different between what I do and installing electrical in my house. I.E. something as simple as the best way to knock out the holes in the breaker box is well displayed here and very useful because it's something that I never do. As a side note: if you haven't already, you should do a basic electrical safety video. I know you claim to not be an electrician but it's pretty obvious you've done a ton of electrical work and I can see the respect you have for the danger. The reason I think you should do a basic electrical safety video is I've watched other videos and the respect isn't there. People do things like finish the job, put the meter to the circuit, look at the camera and talk while their hands are drifting towards the hot circuits that they're verifying are hot. And they have no idea it's happening. They wouldn't be doing that if it was a rattlesnake in the box. What's actually in that box is much faster than a rattlesnake and much more likely to kill someone or start a fire.
Good presentation. Pro Tip @ 26:00 minutes: Always use either black electrical tape wrap or a black/red shrink tube when using the white conductor as a hot lead (at both ends of the circuit & any junction boxes)
Great job on your videos. Hard to find electricians post Covid that don't charge a ransom for basic wiring. This looked above my head, but after watching I know I can do this with a little patience and diligence. Keep up the great work!
Very informative video! As a master electrician I'm impressed with your knowledge and professional !!This video was so excellent Great job well done !!!
Excellent video...thanks for the training. I feel comfortable with some electrical but I am breaking ground this coming week for my new house, so I thought a refresher would be good. It was, I learned a few things. 🙂
Enjoyed the video Josh. Your video is very informative and the timestamps on the different parts of the video are great for recaping. Thanks for taking the time to produce the video and you take care and God bless.
Thank you Ron! I am glad you noticed how much effort I put into creating this video. When subscribers noticed that it definitely makes me feel like I’m doing something right. I appreciate you watching my video. Take care and God bless you too!
Wow!! You made it look like a peace of cake. I'm from Detroit, and I just purchased a Detroit land bank home that has to be rewired. Thank you. Your video was very helpful
Not an electrician, but I have done a lot of electrical work at my house and detached garage including sub panels and generator disconnect. Very impressive video. Only thing I would have done differently was shim the one side stud bay so the side of the panel doesn't get bowed when the screws are tightened. Probably done, but you need to mention that the breaker box needs to come out from the stud bay the thickness of the finished wall covering. I have heard (but not sure if it is code) that the load on one side of the panel should be close to the load on the other side. Is that done on this panel? Lastly, I would make sure that 100 amp sub panel breaker has a lockout on it until you are ready to wire up the detached garage. Again, great video. Best step by step I have seen on YT.
Hey Gman! I appreciate you watching and thank you for the kind words. Good points you made here. I have not heard of the equal load before. That is not a code in my area if it is. The 100 amp will terminate into that junction box I showed and I don't think I need a lockout. Thanks again!
You can line up all your breakers on one side and still be balanced, remember every other is on the other conductor anyway. Balancing overall load between conductors is good practice, keep in mind your heavy loads are typically 240 and already balanced. Great call out on the lockout for extra safety, but it sounded like he said it was wired properly to a box/disconnect so he is good.
@@TheExcellentLaborer I also have installed several panels and have respected the placement of breakers, to get a reasonably balanced (120v) load. I recently helped a neighbor replace a defective breaker and, it bothered me that, whomever first installed the panel, skipped every other position and caused all the 120V to be on the same buss. I guess my neighbor's only limitation would be the fact that all the 120v circuits are going through one side of the main breaker. If we all did that, it would be the power company's problem.
@@brianbush9453 thank you I’ve been telling this to the old heads at my job. The main breaker already balances the loads on the bus bars, but they are still stuck on their old beliefs that they don’t listen. With that being said I still try to match both sides because I think that looks better than all breakers on just one side
I'm an apprenctice electrician. I can say that the load balancing issue has a better effect with a 3-phase panel because of the fact that every breaker on one side alternates from A phase to B to C and then back to A. My company does keep our breakers to one side mainly when it comes to EV charging stations. The level 2 chargers run on 2-pole 40A and most of the time we're setting up a whole new service with a drop off the pole run into a cabinet. So we split the load between when we have multiple chargers. For example if you have 2 chargers, its better to use spaces 1 and 3 for 1 2-pole and 5 and 7 for another 2-pole as apposed to using 1 and 3 for one and 2 and 4 for one because at that point you're only using A and B phase for both breakers. Those are my thoughts.
Josh, these videos are incredible. I'm amazed by the breadth and depth of knowledge you convey. I've done electrical in the past, but these videos are a good refresher and I've learned a lot of new techniques to keep things clean.
Awesome videos. Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed. This and several other of your videos have allowed me to wire my 200amp shop and pass inspection :)
Hi guy some one please tell me the different between home depot 2 gauge thhn copper wire and Lowes wire. They both made by southwire but why does lowe list it can only carry max 110 amp while home depot listed on their site 125 amp max. If I don't remember wrong, I think in store even said 130 amp. I plan to run 25-28 feet inside conduit over head inside garrage ceiling. 125 circuit breaker box. Thanks
Looks good, but I would want a label to remain on each wire--or even just a number tag that ties back to the labeled breaker slot. That way, if you or anyone else pulls a few breakers out in the future, you won't lose track of which wires go where.
Just remember... Neutral is not ground. In this panel, it's ok to bond the neutral and the ground (since it's the main panel), but in all the sub panels, they must be separate.
I’m no electrician by any means, though I have worked for a power company for 15 years. Isn’t it ok to have multiple neutrals under one screw if allowed by manufacturer but you can not have a neutral and ground under the same screw?
@@simplytrolling6869 not in sub panels if u put a neutral with a ground it wont end well, but in regular panels you can i usually do 2-3 grounds under a lug at most, but try to keep neutrals by themselves, if u put more than one neutral under a lug and its not tight enough it could spark and catch fire
@@masonforgach4149 Those 'old school' guys are being offering a less safe system in exchange for no benefit whatsoever... When "working normally" not bonding the neutral and ground might appear to operate fine, but it can prevent the ground fault from working correctly if there is any short or fault in your appliances. In the main, bonding the neutral and ground ensures your malfunctioning device has a path to its source and will trip your breaker on overcurrent if a fault occurs. Without that path your existing 'ground' will simply offer a high resistance path to the source and likely not trip your breaker, leaving your fault live, waiting to harm you, a pet, or start a fire. On the sub panels you don't want to bond neutral and ground because you only want the neutral to provide a path back to the main (which then provides the path back to source and ground). If you bond sub-panels, again everything will appear to work but since you have two parallel wires going back to your main (the neutral and the ground since you mistakenly bonded them). This will make half your current flow back to the main through the neutral, and half through the ground wire. You want to avoid having any current on your ground wire.
YAY! Square-D Homeline!! I'm glad you chose the best panel for this video. That's all I ever use when I do service upgrades. Although I did use Siemens twice this year, but that was back in the spring when Homeline panels were hard to find due to shortages.
Hey Jeff! I loved these Square D panels. Easy to install etc. Not a bad price either considering. Sounds like you have a lot of experience and appreciate you watching my channel. Your input can be very useful for the viewers. Thanks again!
I just got my apprentice license, but I have some experience, just basics. Wiring, new wire for new plugs or switches. Installing ceiling lights, commercial lights in warehouses. This video right here is going to help me a lot! Doesn’t seem to hard, just need some practice but hopefully i can get my journeyman license and then master. Thanks for the video
Hey Team! There is a lot of information in this video so I created timestamps below👇 to help you better navigate the video. Enjoy!
Panel Box Description 00:21
Panel Box Unboxing 00:40
How To Install The Panel Box In A Stud Space 02:00
How To Install SEU Cable Into A Panel Box 04:16
How To Install Ground Rods 10:41
How To Install Ground Wire For A Panel Box 12:09
Preparing For Home Runs 16:06
How To Secure Home Runs With Romex Connectors 18:41
How To Strip Wire For A Panel Box 21:04
How To Wire A Double Pole Breaker 23:19
How To Keep Track Of Circuits 27:22
How To Wire An Arc Fault Breaker 27:55
How To Identify AFCI and GFCI Breakers 32:38
How To Install Lug Covers 32:58
How To Keep The Panel Box Neat 33:19
My Workflow While Wiring A Panel Box 33:40
Dryer Breaker VS Hot Water Tank Breaker 36:00
How To Install A 100 AMP Breaker For A Sub Panel 36:37
How To Install A Panel Box Cover 41:06
1
When will you finish the wiring after the drywall video from a week or two ago?
@@zhester86 na
I recommend you invest a decent pair of cable cutters. They strongly resemble bolt cutters, but I don't recommend using them that way!
At any rate, you can cut cable faster, easier and safer with big cable, cutters.
I almost forgot to mention I am a huge fan Ridgid cordless tools. Their LSA makes it more than worth while... (Lifetime Service Agreement)
💯👊
Josh I subscribed to you because I'm rebuilding our house after a tornado hit us. I've worked construction all my life but never did any electrical work. I got quotes for doing my house electrical and it was so high. So I decided to do it myself. I live in the country with no real regulations. You are becoming my teacher, so you know. So far I'm happy with what I've been able to do. Thanks.
check into when wiring your own home do those regulations apply
How much does it cost to wire a abrn of 750 square foot
Cost money @@lucious890
I'm a 20+ year electrician and you did very well brother!!! Great job
Thank you for encouraging the author. Some licensed professionals are not supportive of instructional videos like this because they would rather people pay the licensed professional than learn to do it themselves. Personally I can see both sides of it. If you do the work yourself then you control the time and quality of the job (to the limits of your competency) and also the overall costs. If you hire a "professional" then you depend on someone else who may, or may not, provide a higher quality instillation.
So frustrating not to see the final product with filler plates, UGH
I have a question so I have a 30amp for my hot water heater when the old heater was token out it was leaking at the heat elements and water was every where then it made a pop electrical spark so should i change my breaker for new one .?
@jaytravel-12 lot of questions to be answered, where did it "pop or make electrical spark"? Did you have simple swap of old to new heater? Was your electric for "old heater" fine (no sparks or pop) before new heater was installed?
@@TimboStang71 o ok so it popped I believe where the heating elements were I just Hurd it when I went to turn back on power to old one water heater... New one has not been installed yet .... I did however checked the wires for the water heater in the wall. With a multimeter and it read 240... So it's live am just not sure about the 30 amp breaker... I think it was due to the leaking water.. I'm just not sure if I hook up the new one will it do it again.. that's why I was wondering should I change the amp breaker... hopefully I cleared it up for you
As a electrician myself you’re doing a good job you’re pretty smart man
Hey Pat! This is a very flattering comment and I appreciate that. Thank you for watching! I work on my days off from my regular job building houses for myself. Stay tuned for more!
Wow! I'm a diy female for 36 years. Ive done almost everything on a house except roofing and soffits. I've ran all the wiring on my current house but my friend had to put it in the box because no one had ever shown me how. I now know how and I understand it! Thank you!!
As a 75 year old DYI home “electrician”, this is the best video I’ve seen so far!! Sharp, concise, very informative! Well Done!! Thanks!
Out of respect I am watching this.
I appreciate your support David! Thank you!
Thank you! Very helpful...so if I use these videos to help me wire my house, I'll be A OK, right😀
@@khardy0905 not in Nova Scotia , canada you will fail .
@@michaelrennie5985Why? I would like to know what is wrong. I am Electrical Engineer and I am just curious
Great tutorial. It's funny, saying "this is for entertainment purposes only" is an understatement based on the ammount of knowledge dropped in this video. Thankyou for the thorough tutorial. Many people get lost in the details or gloss over specifics, I feel like this video was well thought out and gives enough information without getting bogged down in details.
For the 2 pole 30 amp breaker wired with 10/2 Romex: the white wire needs to be re-identified as black or another color using tape. The National Electrical code only recognizes white wires as neutrals, so in this case where you have it landed on a breaker, you need to tape it a different color other than white.
@@shawnshurtz9147 Sometimes you don’t need a third conductor. For example a hot water heater typically doesn’t use a neutral.
What about the grounding and bonding the panel
@@tylerdrew5313 I was wondering about that. Thanks for clarifying.
Where's your torque screwdriver?
make sense, but I don't believe you, because I don't want to - I am an American, thats why -
Am a 27 years old ,local local Electrician from Papua New Guinea, man the work is very much detailed, informative and helpful thanks much, love it❤❤
Thanks to you, I just passed my electrical inspection on the first round! Your videos are amazing and I can only imagine how many people you've helped diy with them.
DO YOU HAVE A MORTGAGE, AFTER THE FIRE AND THEY DISCOVER WHO DID THE ELECTRICAL WORK, GUESS WHO WILL BE SUED FOR DAMAGES,M WERE YICENSED FOR THAT WORK AND WORKING UNDER LICENSE, NO THEN YOUE NOT INSURED FOR THAT WORK THE SUIT WILL BE FOR WELL OVER THE COST OF THE FIRE,THEY WILL HAVE TO RECOVER LAWYERS FEES AND LOTS OF OTHER ANCILLIARY COST NOW HOUSE IS DESTROYED AND YOU OWE THE MORTAGE HOLDES AA SH3T LOAD OF MONEY AND HAVE NO HOUSE
@@bearmc9713 nobody cares grandpa
Getting ready to rewire a house that was built in the 50's with 100 amp service. Upgrading to 200 Amp. Wish me luck and I will watch this video several times. Thanks and i do watch a lot of your videos. very helpful.
Good luck on your project. Sounds like you’re getting a lot of information before you get started. Like I mentioned before, if you ever need help he sure to consult an electrician.Thanks for watching!
I did the same as well. I’m glad I went with 200amp.
watch out for switched neutrals... damn bastards back then
Hire a licensed electrician...
@@CuriousMindFuck Lol the house fire will be a way better lesson
Nice work. I have been in the trades for over 30 years and this is super clean work. You may not be as fast as some I know. But inspectors look at that and know the time was taken to be efficient. I’d hire you in a second after seeing your work.
Thank you Joseph! I take pride in my work. I appreciate you watching!
Hi guy some one please tell me the different between home depot 2 gauge thhn copper wire and Lowes wire. They both made by southwire but why does lowe list it can only carry max 110 amp while home depot listed on their site 125 amp max. If I don't remember wrong, I think in store even said 130 amp. I plan to run 25-28 feet inside conduit over head inside garrage ceiling. 125 circuit breaker box. Thanks
He is teaching and no need to be fast for this video
@Slim_Savage. What’s that supposed to mean?
How can you tell that he's not fast as some others guys that you know? Don't you realize that he is teaching us and working on the panel at the same time?
6:41 - To twist all the strands of aluminum wire together in SEU cable, try this: Open the chuck of your 1/2" drill all the way and place all the strands into the chuck. Keep your hand on the chuck and slowly run the drill in the forward direction. The chuck will tighten around the strands, twisting them into a single conductor ready to cut and land onto the neutral lug.
Jeff! Excellent advice! I will be sure to do that method on the next job. I appreciate you watching!
Doesn’t that ground go to the meter can? I have never seen a ground go to the main breaker panel here in Florida. We use number 4 copper.
We even leave a ground bridge for the cable provider to ground their equipment.
Also, when terminating your feed wires, I'd leave some slack in the wire. Push each down into the corner of the box, and bend them back to the lugs. If you ever have to replace a panel, or do a panel upgrade, having an extra 8-12 inches of wire can make all the difference in that job.
@@leeabin1280
Even with the outside ground wire going to the meter box first there will need to be another wire from there to the breaker box. All devices and device holders with metal surfaces inside the building must be connected to an Earth ground.
Generally a meter box gets its ground through the tension wire that holds the other wires up between the meter box and the transformer. That wire and the transformer then connect to a wire that runs down the side of the pole to a metal plate mounted on the bottom of the pole to ground them.
Great video for a newbie who hasn’t ever worked with electrical wiring. You explain how to do it and give an explanation of why you do it that way. I really appreciate you.
Thanks for watching!
English writing and spoking my problem
Agreed. Excellent video for newbies.
I’ll tell you what from a plumbers views. Your works is one of cleanest I’ve seen since started the trade and vice versa. You take pride of your work. It feels great when the contractor ask for your crew.
I'm very good at wiring new elec outlets, switches, fans, etc. Did not think I could change out my 150 Amp box for a new 200 Amp box, with a sub pnl 80 ft away for RV plug. You explained it so well, I'm sure I can do the swap-out now. My local electrician wanted $7500 to job! You probably saved me $6000!! Thanks so much, Mike
It is electric u can use as much as u want 😂 only thing is u have to have the right breaker amp combination but your state may police u on how much they want u to use 😂 electric companies are like the Mafia they don't play tht
AFTER THE FIRE OR INJURY THEY WILL FIND OUT WHO DID THE WORK IF UNLICENSED THE INSURANCE WONT PAY. BURN DOWN YOUR HALF MILLION DOLLAR HOME WITH YOUR ELECTRICAL WORK, INSURANCE WONT PAY. and as an added bonus they will sue you. for damages, attorney fees and a crap load of ancillary cost, you end up with a burned house and no payout and in debt to your mortgage companysinsurance company and your lawyers you stand to loose a lot more than 6000 dollars dummy i am lifetime master electrician and fire investigator for insurance industry group. seen this many times, the home owners are always shocked and outraged when coverage is denied.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! This may be a worthwhile tip for sinking a ground rod. Get a jug or bucket of water. Pour water at the spot where you want to sink to rod. Stab the rod into the spot and then back it out. Continue pulling and pushing the rod in/out of the ground. Pour more water as needed. This will get about 4-5 feet of rod in the ground with out ever swinging a hammer. My builder showed me that trick and it saved me a lot of effort.
Electrician here. It's nice to see your neat and tidy workmanship. Great job buddy.
Thanks a lot for this comment. Hope you have a great day!
The most comprehensive and best how to do it video I have ever seen! I learned exactly what I needed to know. Thank you!
As an aspiring Electrician/ Technician who just finished school and ready for the corporate world and contracts, I really learned a lot, and for a non Electrician you did an excellent Job organizing the stuff the cables👍
wtf
I really like how you methodically show every detail no matter how obvious or not.
I try not you leave important information out. Thanks for commenting!
Same! Some things are obvious to an expert or experienced pro, but as an amateur it's not always clear what's important and what's idiosyncrasy of the installer.
the #2 wire for the 100A breaker is aluminum so it is highly recommended to add anti- corrosive gel to exposed wires to prevent oxidation.
Mandatory!
Always
The aluminum these days don't really need it
@@remingtonralstin3857 better safe the sorry.
Modern aluminum doesn't need the de-ox per code. I always still do it. Also any outdoor connections copper or aluminum.
That's a pretty decent video. I ran it at one point five speed for efficiency. The only things I would change are;
1) I like leaving space in the panel for future expansion and that almost always happens from the top so because you mounted your box in the configuration with themain breaker at the bottom I would have started running my Interrupters from there and going up leaving all the space above open for future expansion.
2) for novices I tell them to only strip the jacket on one wire at a time that way they cannot get confused on what is what if something happens and they have to get pulled away from the job. Those little jacket pieces can be pulled off accidentally because they already have a slit in them.
3) since we are talking about the jacket and the Slit to remove it I would advise using a razor blade with a hook razor in it like is used in Roofing. This is for the same reason it is used there because the tip curls back and makes it much more difficult to overcut what you were trying to cut so you can simply pierce the jacket and run it down without worrying about cutting across the inside insulation on the wire.
4) in the video it seems obvious that you are starting from the back of the panel and working forward but I don't think I heard you mention it, that is something I would definitely advise people to do because it can get very difficult jumping around and trying to squeeze things in behind later.
5) when starting your grounding rods instead of being on a letter you can use a T post driver until they get low enough to swing a sledge much easier. If I had a dollar for everytime I saw an electrician miss the ride and the sledgehammer weight overshoot and pull them off the ladder I'd be retired now.
6) I also like to put a small double Bend in my shortest home runs inside the panel box. This allows for reconfiguration at a later date in case something else has to be added and you need to move things around to balance the two legs appropriately.
Ok, thats it. Definitely worth mentioning that its nice to see part of your being organized is trash management! 👍
damn those are some good tips thank you
@@matthewbradrick3785 👍 sry for the typos
Yeah, I second this. Thanks for posting these tips. I know it’s a year later, but still relevant.
He isn't cutting the jacket all the way through. The way he's doing it is much better than your advice. Sorry.
Btw, I've been an electrician for 30 years.
He has a lot of strange ways of doing stuff but nothing looks catastrophic.
@@SlimSavageBlanco Agreed, nothing catastrophic. It sounds like you misread, give it another shot.
It's crazy that 45 minutes ago, for 34 years of my life, I identified circuit breaker boxes as a mess of wires, death and despair that must never be touched but now I could almost put one in myself... mostly.
The sheer amount of knowledge online feels like it's taken for granted by most people. This probably took weeks to go over in school, back in the day.
Josh, I just erected a 30’ x 50’ metal building which will become my dream woodworking shop when done. I have been watching your videos to learn and or brush up on some of the upcoming constructive elements of which I will tackling myself. This video definitely helped me become more confident that I can accomplish this myself.
Thank you for all your given time…
BLS from Illinois…….
Great video! There are a couple of things that you need to change up though for future reference. First, it is required to torque the Main Lugs to the specified in-lbs indicated on the panel. (Yes, I know all screws are supposed to be torqued now but the Main Lugs are especially important.) Secondly, not knowing your AHJ and the fact they probably haven't adopted the 2020 code yet, but you will need to install a service disconnect before your main panel. This is code now and when it is adopted you will put that homeowner behind the curve if they ever need to have the panel upgraded/etc. This also means that the main panel will be a sub panel and the grounds and neutrals will have to be separate and bonded together in the main disconnect.
Exactly what I was going to say... it is absolutely crucial to torque those main lugs to the specs listed on the panel. People don't realize how tight those lugs must be at 50 to 80 inch-lbs, or more. I've advocated for a service disconnect before it was adopted in the code; besides providing an emergency shut-off, it also makes it safer to work on the panel in the future and/or add a transfer switch for a generator, etc.
Indeed thanks for your comment there are so many rookie electricians out there and authority having jurisdiction in different parts of the country are obviously different but this is an important fact that a main disconnect at the meter is required in almost every county and city and state I have worked on on the West Coast Becky's they let them get away with almost anything hillbilly's dumb asses
Well, I USED to think that I could wire up my new shed/workshop by myself, but now I ain’t so sure, lol. Prolly gonna have to watch this video 9 more times. Very informative and thanks so much for the headache that filming and editing this must have been. I really appreciate it!
You are welcome!
As an electrician myself your explanation is way up the charts, very good teaching.
Thanks for watching! I appreciate your kind words!
You are what i call a HOMERUNNER .... Second to None... Simply the BEST and Super Clean work.... boy oh boy.... wish everyone would work like this..... it would be a beautiful world.
I try to do my work as neat as possible. Thanks Toney for the support!
@@TheExcellentLaborer you bet buddy.... cool beans
"I know you guys work alone..." is pure gold, because it's true for me, building a small 600 sq ft cabin all by myself. Your channel has been massively helpful.
Great video!! Just a note for those in cold climates. A box on an outside wall with no insulation around it will radiate cold into the room and may be subject to condensation during very cold weather. Better to use an inside wall in cold climates.
I literally just thought of that as I saw that
Energy codes will dictate that there needs to be insulation of minimum thickness in certain jurisdictions too.
Except if you have no inside wall, like a detached garage.
Wisconsinite here with a 92 mobile home. Breaker box is on an outside wall with no insulation. It's definitely not warm in the winter time. You've got it backwards regarding condensation. During the winter, there's little humidity in the air. During warmer, not humid times there's a good chance your breaker box will actually be cooler than the air around it since it has all those wires and potentially metal conduit to act as heat sinks. It could be that the heat from the resistance in the circuits is enough to offset this though. Anyway, point is that the breaker box must be cooler than the humid air around it in order for condensation to occur. In cold weather, this should probably only be the case if you have a significant humidifier running because winter air is dry air, even after you heat it up.
Side note: at some point someone installed central air to this place. They used the correct type of wire and proper breaker but that's about the extent of what they did right. They decided to run the wire down through the liquid tight conduit that the mains comes in from. Under the home, the conduit goes to an LB type conduit body before continuing on to where it finally goes under the ground over to the meter. The genius who ran that wire loosened the screws on the LB cover plate and ran the wire out through the crack, then just loosely ran it along the ground across the home into the junction box of the central air compressor unit (which is just loosely connected to the home by a couple screws in the siding(just the siding) with no type of clamping used to secure the wiring at all. So they broke the water tight seal of the mains conduit, exposing the inside of the breaker box to the outdoors, sloppily ran the wire along the ground where rodents could(and did) chew on it and failed to secure the electrical that is exposed to the outside in any way. I scrapped the wire, ran conduit from the breaker all the way to the junction box, keeping it strapped tightly to the frame, and securely joined it to the junction box, which I properly mounted on the side is the house. Used a little bit of silicone caulk around the seam of the mains LB after I closed that up, just in case the seal was compromised as a result of compression against the wire. There are a couple other extreme code and safety violations that I've dealt with but those were more of a result of limited electrical code at the time of manufacturing than laziness and stupidity like the AC wiring.
Hi guy some one please tell me the different between home depot 2 gauge thhn copper wire and Lowes wire. They both made by southwire but why does lowe list it can only carry max 110 amp while home depot listed on their site 125 amp max. If I don't remember wrong, I think in store even said 130 amp. I plan to run 25-28 feet inside conduit over head inside garrage ceiling. 125 circuit breaker box. Thanks
I'm a union electrician in Los Angeles and for the most part you did a helluva better job than most others I see on here. A couple things that need to be fixed as others have already pointed out but overall not a bad job.
Thanks for watching my video!
What needs to be fixed here Mr Union Electrician
I've installed a couple main panels but I have to say this was very informative, especially for someone with no previous experience. It's always easier to work on anything electrical that is not hot. It's safer and a lot less nerve wracking. Thanks for sharing.
I agree. I always kick the main breaker off while I’m working in a main electrical panel. Way safer! Thanks for watching Preston!
@@TheExcellentLaborer i generally recommend that to anyone who isnt an electrician, and we generally do that if we're doing more than the most simple tasks inside a panel. It's really easy to accidentally shock yourself or energize something. You never know when a wire is damaged or something and moving things can short the circuit out.
@@TheExcellentLaborer ())o
@@TheExcellentLaborer poo
Thank you for your clarity and specificity! Great work! Blessings always!
You make the best tutorials man you've been such a huge help to me as a beginner HVAC guy and as a poor person with a house you're the man, I'd love to work under you
I learned how to do electrical from a book. Wired my entire parents house back in the day and everything worked great as I took safety into account at every step. Now being years later and doing it quite a bit and watching this video I think I need to take a day to visit and reorganize the wiring inside the box.
Lol this should never be done… especially from a book
@@8989griff why not? A trained monkey can wire a house
@@electricaf365 lmao how many calls I’ve gone out to from people thought they could do electrical and totally did it wrong… I hope people keep it up. Makes me more money.
As a Master Elecrician , I would say that you did a very good job. I read the comments as I watched and a couple other electricians chimed in on a couple small things you should do different. So I will mention the only two I noticed. With aluminum you should pencil the wire to strip it not score. You were careful and didn't seem to dig into the wire at all but, just so you know. Also the ground wire should feed through a tiny ground bar for phone/cable/etc prior to going into earth. They have a cover, look fine, and don't cost much. Besides that I would say good work and good video quality.
pencil?
It’s called a communications grounding block.
@@greenroworganics8238 yeah and it's dumb... once again proving government oversight doesnt work... they should have been doing that since the 80s... now they arnt needed since fiber and wireless is surging past DSL and cable
@@narmale Depends on where you live.
@@truthbetold1855 -shrug- then why require it everywhere... its a waste of money, like requiring fridges to be on a gfi, everyone changes them out as soon as the inspector leaves
Thanks for teaching, for a long time I was waiting for someone to teach me this part of electricity, you explained everything so nicely and easily and in sequence, you need to be a teacher in a technical institution where the people will learn this trade, God bless you, you are my teacher, I am not in any profession now as I am a 75 year old retiree but still want to learn anything and everything for my satisfaction
i am not an electrician but I always try to learn how things r done especially with this panel. It's the best I have ever seen in such great detail. a simple and meaningful saying" You did good" Thank you.
This was great. I'm contemplating replacing a panel box that's maxed out with a larger one. Removing the wires and labeling them then removing the old panel puts me just about where this video picks up except wire lengths have to be considered. I think this is very doable. Just have to plan thoroughly ahead of time and have a good helper. Thanks!
Very informative video! As a master electrician I'm impressed with your knowledge and professionalism! Again I say, GREAT JOB!
Thank you Doug!
Vapor barrier on exterior wall??
@@bakerelectricextreme7979 In southern climates vapor barrier on the inside will cause a rotted moldy house. You are actually better off with none than on the inside. In northern climates it goes on the inside .👍
A couple things aside(like using a "square" bit when you should be using ECX) you did a great job here. I watched the whole thing and you provided just the right amount of information and edited it to where I was never going "get in with it already!". Most of this was stuff I already know but you executed it and explained it so well that I enjoyed watching it and feel compelled to up my game when it comes to clean, secure and code compliant electrical work. Thank you very much!
Everyone will always try telling ya this.
Clearly the square bit works, so who cares ya know.
You don’t know how lucky I am to find your page. By far the best diy I’ve come across with how informative you are on every project. The previous owner ran electric to the shed and installed an old fashioned twisty knob circuit breaker that I can now switch out for a circuit breaker box.
Yeah just going to read the comments because they'll send you back into the rabbit hole of what the f.
And don't want time stamps what the hell they're talking about everybody's giving their own advice and not in tandem with the video that they just previously watched or are watching and it's just like yo are you why are you critiquing a situation that looks very neat and if it pass code to him obviously he doing something right.
And what gets me all the people that are mostly making these comments...
Are purposely speaking from a place of an elitist condescending platform..
Majority of the people that would be watching him are people who need electric help people who can't find an electrician that's affordable people are going through hard times people who really need help and the people who are jumping in our people that will not help their neighbors
They want to be paid more than what their neighbors actually make to actually do something for them and they get up on these platforms and they critique with the video and why did you say that?
Yeah because I was so amazed at how need his work was I just subscribed and I felt empowered and I should have never came to the comment section like he told us too but I'm going to go by what I seen I'm going to check out my local code because I want my she shed and I'm going to do my own she shed.
Good luck on your work
I'm not an electrician, but this was so clear and concise! Great instructions. Thank you!
Thank you so much, I'm a beginner home inspector. I needed this video. Now I understand the panel box. You are a life savior sir.
Greetings - Just some comments for you. In the 2020 NEC you would need SE-R rather than SE-U since you are required per 230.85 to have an exterior emergency disconnect, which could also be your service disconnecting means as well depending on your design choice as shown again in 230.85. But I suspect your area is on the 2017 NEC to rock on. Also, keep in mind the plastic bushing is not required on cables, that would only be necessary on raceways where demanded in their specific article and for insulated conductors 4 AWG and Larger entering through the raceways per 300.4(G). However, you can always go above the minimums so if the bushing make you feel warm and fuzzy then have at it fella. Now, while the Anti-Oxidant Compound is not required by the NEC, its permitted by 110.14 but again not required, feel free to use it but it is not required by the bare minimum safety standard. Now, at ~ 14:22 you stated the GEC, or Grounding Electrode Conductor has to be "one long piece" which is actually incorrect. The GEC from the panel to the first ground rod must be unbroken (which some exceptions) and then from the first ground rod to the second is actually a bonding jumper and so you could use a second clamp on the first ground rod and run a seperate 6 AWG to the second ground rod and it would be acceptable. However, you saved a clamp by doing it our way so bravo, that's good money management. Now, as always be sure to TORQUE all terminations per 110.14(D). Keep in mind that at ~ 27:14 you are almost done but not quite, you need to place some tape, black or red or blue, what ever your flavor around the end of the white conductor that is connecting to the 30 A breaker to meet 200.7(C)(1) and you are good to go. At ~ 32:50 those circuit breakers that do both GFCI and AFCI are not actually called Combination, they are called Dual Function as the "Combination" language is really to denote a series and parallel arc detection profile and has nothing to do with GFCI just so folks know. Keep in mind your WIGGLE at ~ 39:26 is why we have to torque those conductors down per 110.14(D). However, I will say with you not being a licensed electrician you did might fine and should be proud of your efforts.
Licensing and qualified means little if the attitude to do a great job does not exist and come from within the individual. The commitment to do a great job needs to be continuously nurtured with an emphasis on lifelong CPD.
Indeed...I happen to love this guys attitude so no worries there mate..:)
@@MasterTheNEC me to, and you highlighted some excellent NEC issues I am regular on your channel as well love the excellent work you put in as well👊🏿
Agreed with your assessment. Some towns/cities still used 2017 nec code and others has their own codes that nullified some of nec codes
Licensed electrician or not, this was very informative to watch. Glad to see the process from beginning to end. Great way to gain perspective on what is involved in these.
Reminds me of my electrical technician class and very, very informative. I missed alot of in class hands on learning due to the start of covid. Thank you for sharing!
I am an electrician and electrical engineer from Germany and was curious to see how things are done in the US. Wow, very different from what we do! Good job! 😀
Just starting an electrician/mechanical apprenticeship through my job and this was very entertaining. Everything was well explained and easy to understand. Thank you, sir, for an OUTSTANDING job!
The one point that was instilled in me years ago in bringing your wires into your panel and to your breakers is a little different. Take your pig tails and run them down to the bottom of your box. Turn them and run back up to your breaker location. This allows you the ability to relocate any homerun in the panel if need be. Once you cut and turn you are married to that location. Just something that adds a little more flexibility to the inside of your panel. But nice clean work. 👍
That's what I was taught and agree. Nothing worse than not having enough wire to relocate, especially if you upgrade(as now days to 200amp). Also allot of places don't allow you to wire nut extensions in panels(🙄), which may be code (nec) now, not sure since it's always been that way by our local code.
Yep I mentioned that in another comment ..
He had the wire long enough at first when he stripped off the sheathing ...😂
Wonderful clarity, much better explanation than many videos posted by master electricians. I installed my panel ten years ago; the plug in neutrals would have saved me a lot of time. I am a Habitat for Humanity volunteer and work with an electrical engineer on their modular homes. I encourage anyone with skills to help others. tx
Why would an electrical engineer be needed for a modular home?
One thing I noticed with the install of the box between the studs was, the box is narrower than the wide of the studs and fasteners were used to secure the box to the vertical studs which deformed the box outward. Shims could have been used to prevent that distorted move.
Hey Garth! Those are some great points. I love securing between studs like this. Thanks for watching!
@@TheExcellentLaborer it may look better when finished but If possible always preferable to put it on a ply wood sheet or something with holes for wires coming through so it’s easy to add more circuits also if you have a lot of circuits there may not be enough space to install all the circuits from the bottom or the top in this case, but if you put two wires in connecter you will probably be fine
@@Vanilla_Icecream1231 🤣🤣
@@electricaf365 ?
@@Vanilla_Icecream1231 that might be so but some customers like the look of box’s set inside the wall. At the end of the day it’s what the customer wants. Mounting it on plywood might make sense in a garage or basement where it’s just an electrical room.
Thank you so much. I had my house rewired by "licensed electricians" and have had so much trouble. They didn't do the outside ground and I my whole kitchen is on one 15 Amp breaker. They used 14/2 instead of 12, so it's been stressful.
I've got the same Square D 200 Amp box. I'm running all the wire and having an electrician put all the breakers in. Thanks so much.
Thank you for this. I'm not a professional but it helped me be sure that what I was seeing in my 1990's box needed questioned and confirmed before adding to it.
On a new panel do all of your grounds first, then neutrals and finally hots. You will be moving hots potentially at some point most often, so having the hots above all other wires makes a much better job.
He talks about doing that at the 33:20 mark.
You do a great job of explaining the numerous steps required to do a proper installation that will pass inspection.. as a side bar on my 240 volt breaker I use a red sharpie to indicate that the white wire is really carrying 120 volt and not neutral Keep up the great videos
My degree is in electronic engineering (50 years ago) but never worked in that field. As you know, there is a difference but since I'm retired and have the time, I'm thinking of rewiring my house. This video is very detailed and well laid out.
He told the wrong wire size for the 30amp, it should be #10, not #12 gauge..
Needed a clear walk through on ground rods and wiring copper to panel and your video was perfect!
Cool brother
Very helpful!!
When you set the panel there was no mention that the face of the box must be set to the surface of the surrounding wall.
1/2” & 5/8” for drywall
3/4” for T&G car siding
Really great video !!
I have been watching plenty of videos to write my own house in the rough. Ideas, methods, steps, etc. Your videos are thoroughly detailed and have answered the questions I have had. Feel totally confident in putting my own electrical in. I'm an industrial electrician by trade. Never had to wire a house, but now I cant wait to save the cheddar. Thanks man.
Home inspector here. Super useful video! I think it's really handy for inspectors to know a little extra about the actual installation process, especially for electrical. Well done video!
YOU SAID IT, HOME INSPECTOR YOU DID NOT SAY ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
11:27 - That's a lot of work to drive ground rods manually. I use an SDS-Max rotary hammer drill with the ground rod attachment bit. They are designed specifically for that purpose.
If I did more panels I would definitely buy one of those. I don’t know if I do enough panels to make the investment worth it. Thanks for the advice!
why neutral and ground wires goes in same bar?!!!
@@TheExcellentLaborer Bought one to drive mine. Rocky soil, so I will rent a bigger hammer drill. Matter of fact I bought off Amazon.
@@NidhayKhadepaun they are bonded at the main panel by code. That means both the ground and neutral bars are electrically connected at that point - they are no different in this case.
@@NidhayKhadepaun
Somewhere in the panel the neutral and ground will have to be connected or what is called bonded.
The ground wire serves two purposes.
The first is to dissipate static charges to the ground. Static charges are usually caused by lightening which does not actually have to strike the building to create a charge in any devices with metal in them and a metal casing that could be in contact with a person or other living creature.
The second purpose is in case the black or white wire comes loos or the insulation fails and comes into contact with the metal housing of a device. Electricity always wants to return to its source. If you are in contact with a concrete floor (which will conduct electricity) or other conductive surface and touch the metal housing, it is possible that enough electricity will flow through you to get back to its source. When the alternating current is flowing through the black wire to the device and back through the white wire, it will cause enough electrical flow (an uncontrolled short) to cause the breaker to trip and create a break in the circuit.
You can do this only on one side of the circuit otherwise you would create a permanent short circuit. Since the black wires are connected to the breakers individually and the white wires are connected to a common bus bar, the ground from each device is also connected to a common bus bar and those two bus bars are then connected to each other or you could just connect the white and ground to the same bus bar since the result would be the same. It just looks neater to put them on separate bus bars and then connect the bus bars together.
While concrete and dirt are poor conductors of lower voltage electricity, there is a possibility that enough current could flow through you to kill you.
Thanks for going through the trouble of recording for us greenhorns. Really informative gave me all the information I needed. Hope to have good results! Not looking forward to digging holes tho
Wow! this is an excellent video. I am a total beginner and I learnt so much from watching your video. Thank you very much!
This video was so excellent as a rudimentary guide to main panels that I liked, subscribed and shared with my entire team of home inspectors. My recommendation would be to consider installing spare breakers in lieu of filler plates at the bottom of the panel. 10 years from now the home inspector will appreciate not having to fumble with the filler plates and/or seeing double taps because a technician installed an invisible fence or some other ancillary device. Keep up the good work. Your time is very valuable and we appreciate you giving your time and knowledge to the universe!
What's so crazy these days is he inspectors don't even have licenses. Remember there's two kinds of people ones that want to be electricians and ones that are electricians. IBEW
O
@@thomasjohnston3109 PLEASE DON'T HOLD BACK TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT YOUR LIFE.?
When I did electrical work, I used a fence post driver to drive my ground rods. start to finish was 2 minutes or so, depending on how tough the ground was. Also, this method helped keep the top of the ground rod from getting mushroomed to the point that it was difficult, if not impossible to put the grounding clamp on.
I've used a fence post driver, but have also experienced ground that was really hard. Sometimes, you have to hammer it in, pull it out, pour water into the hole, and come at it later.
Also, sometimes, a Bosch Hammer Drill is the right tool to drive in a ground rod.
Acorn aka Burndy ground junk lol,real ground clamp even if top of ground rod lil weathered no problem attaching ground clamp...I HATE MICKEY MOUSE WORK I WOULD FIRE A PERSON IF THEY DID HALF ASS WORK JUST SAYING..
@@andrewdiamond2697 better choice is the SDS mekida 80V with liathan uk 🇬🇧 driver 5/8 by 13-per inch and there drill bit mine was in hard rock work a charmer 🍀
Battery Hilti 38v with ground driver cup. 👍 Puts grounds in quick.
@@warrenharrison9490 unthreatened sds max-cup? if so didn't work in my soil it bent the rod instead of going down into the soil/rock
I have to say these videos have been very helpful during my classes to become an apprentice electrician. The class I'm taking for it is all online and just self study so being able to see it actually done instead of just reading instructions were very helpful. Seeing how everything fits together in reality instead of a diagram was very helpful.
Do mind me asking whats the online classes website is
@@21bkboi ed2go the course is provided though a local community college though I believe many other places use ed2go for this kind of thing.
@@Postpar How do you like the class? I'd imagine it'd be very difficult to learn a hands-on skill online where you can't actually play with the stuff.
I learned so much about electricity just watching your video, thanks for sharing
I used a 1 1/2 " Sched 40 pipe 3 feet long and welded a 1/4 inch steel cap on the pipe and made a driver for the ground rods.
Saves the arms and safer than standing backwards on the ladder to drive it, and doesn''t bend if you find that one and only basketball size rock in the whole yard.
Great video.
WOW. Three words; instructional, professional quality. Thank you for your dedication to this awesome video.
I appreciate that! I do put a ton of time and effort to make my videos. Stay tuned for more!
a little tip: You can always retract the utility knife blade to the first notch so you only have the tip of the blade exposed. This makes it quicker and less likely you will accidentally dig into the wire insulaiton.
that's actually a smart tip, thanks
I use hook blades pointed up and cut to my stopping point. Just enough the point is scoring inside insulation while actual blade is cutting behind it. Watch your fingers trust me. Or buy the gloves we wore at meat packing plants. Cut resistant
Damn thanks I’m gonna try this
@@Boga217and
Strip the Mains like you Sharpen a Pencil. Wrong to use A Razor Knife as Shown. A nick creates a weak spot.
Thanks for the awesome videos. Easy to understand. I'm building my home currently and would really like to wire my own home. Very nervous, but I know I can get it done!!
Are you still alive?? Lol jk how did it go for you?
Just got a job on indeed and never done this but damn this saved me today 😅😂💯
This is great! My house was originally wired with a FPE box - my dad gave me this exact Square D box so I can upgrade to something less ... flammable.
Started watching out of general curiosity to learn. You ended up addressing an upcoming job I've been pondering. Upgrading the power supply in my detached garage. Awesome videos!
This was an unbelievable easy to understand video. Great way to teach, very clear and understandable. Thank you I'll be saving this video to show my kids and friends when explaining how everything is wired in our house.🎉
Very very informative and certainly pointed out things to take into consideration. Remodeling a bathroom and have an extra 240 not in use, so was going to convert circuit to 120 so I could use as a dedicated 20a circuit for a vent fan/heater combo and when I opened the breaker panel to see what type breaker I’d need, I’ve got a Zinsco….and I’m sure every electrician in here knows what that means for me now…even though the panel and bars look pristine. Not sure if my city allows an unlicensed person to do work, but if they do I’d feel far more comfortable taking it on myself now that you’ve confirmed things I wanted to be 100% sure I understood.
Great job Brother, learned so much in a short period of time that school took months to explain.... You seriously elevated my game, thanks...
This video has literally more “practical “ information than what i had learned in college - Thank you sir
That’s two different skill sets
Great tutorial. Don’t forget to put penatrox ( anti oxide) on aluminum sub panel connections. Missing that would be a pointed out by most inspector’s. There’s a film on all aluminum naked to the eye. Manufacturers recommend wire brushing prior to applying ant oxide.
Nice Video. Additional Tips:
1. Wear safety glasses during the whole job. Need torque wrench for lugs.
2. Put Duct Seal between Feed Cable and Wood in the Hole on the side of the bend then bend and secure then fill in the rest.
3. Leave a service loop in each wire. I know it looks clean cutting the wires exact but if a breaker burns out and scorches the wire you wont have any extra to cut back past the burned jacket. Plus other potential issues or reason that may occur in the future.
4. Make sure Phase color all wires that are not the correct color. IE the white wire on the 2 pole should be marked red somehow or phase taped red.
I was about to say that but it’s a great video overall and he isn’t a licensed electrician
Excellent video, as usual. I do specialized 3 phase commercial electrical work and there's a ton of small things that are very different between what I do and installing electrical in my house. I.E. something as simple as the best way to knock out the holes in the breaker box is well displayed here and very useful because it's something that I never do. As a side note: if you haven't already, you should do a basic electrical safety video. I know you claim to not be an electrician but it's pretty obvious you've done a ton of electrical work and I can see the respect you have for the danger. The reason I think you should do a basic electrical safety video is I've watched other videos and the respect isn't there. People do things like finish the job, put the meter to the circuit, look at the camera and talk while their hands are drifting towards the hot circuits that they're verifying are hot. And they have no idea it's happening. They wouldn't be doing that if it was a rattlesnake in the box. What's actually in that box is much faster than a rattlesnake and much more likely to kill someone or start a fire.
You’re a gem, really appreciate the work you put into these videos and how helpful they are!!!
Good presentation. Pro Tip @ 26:00 minutes: Always use either black electrical tape wrap or a black/red shrink tube when using the white conductor as a hot lead (at both ends of the circuit & any junction boxes)
Great job on your videos. Hard to find electricians post Covid that don't charge a ransom for basic wiring. This looked above my head, but after watching I know I can do this with a little patience and diligence. Keep up the great work!
Thanks!
You are welcome!
Very informative video! As a master electrician I'm impressed with your knowledge and professional !!This video was so excellent Great job well done !!!
Excellent video...thanks for the training. I feel comfortable with some electrical but I am breaking ground this coming week for my new house, so I thought a refresher would be good. It was, I learned a few things. 🙂
Good luck with your project Tim!
Enjoyed the video Josh. Your video is very informative and the timestamps on the different parts of the video are great for recaping. Thanks for taking the time to produce the video and you take care and God bless.
Thank you Ron! I am glad you noticed how much effort I put into creating this video. When subscribers noticed that it definitely makes me feel like I’m doing something right. I appreciate you watching my video. Take care and God bless you too!
Wow!! You made it look like a peace of cake. I'm from Detroit, and I just purchased a Detroit land bank home that has to be rewired. Thank you. Your video was very helpful
Not an electrician, but I have done a lot of electrical work at my house and detached garage including sub panels and generator disconnect. Very impressive video. Only thing I would have done differently was shim the one side stud bay so the side of the panel doesn't get bowed when the screws are tightened. Probably done, but you need to mention that the breaker box needs to come out from the stud bay the thickness of the finished wall covering. I have heard (but not sure if it is code) that the load on one side of the panel should be close to the load on the other side. Is that done on this panel? Lastly, I would make sure that 100 amp sub panel breaker has a lockout on it until you are ready to wire up the detached garage. Again, great video. Best step by step I have seen on YT.
Hey Gman! I appreciate you watching and thank you for the kind words. Good points you made here. I have not heard of the equal load before. That is not a code in my area if it is. The 100 amp will terminate into that junction box I showed and I don't think I need a lockout. Thanks again!
You can line up all your breakers on one side and still be balanced, remember every other is on the other conductor anyway. Balancing overall load between conductors is good practice, keep in mind your heavy loads are typically 240 and already balanced. Great call out on the lockout for extra safety, but it sounded like he said it was wired properly to a box/disconnect so he is good.
@@TheExcellentLaborer I also have installed several panels and have respected the placement of breakers, to get a reasonably balanced (120v) load. I recently helped a neighbor replace a defective breaker and, it bothered me that, whomever first installed the panel, skipped every other position and caused all the 120V to be on the same buss. I guess my neighbor's only limitation would be the fact that all the 120v circuits are going through one side of the main breaker. If we all did that, it would be the power company's problem.
@@brianbush9453 thank you I’ve been telling this to the old heads at my job. The main breaker already balances the loads on the bus bars, but they are still stuck on their old beliefs that they don’t listen. With that being said I still try to match both sides because I think that looks better than all breakers on just one side
I'm an apprenctice electrician. I can say that the load balancing issue has a better effect with a 3-phase panel because of the fact that every breaker on one side alternates from A phase to B to C and then back to A. My company does keep our breakers to one side mainly when it comes to EV charging stations. The level 2 chargers run on 2-pole 40A and most of the time we're setting up a whole new service with a drop off the pole run into a cabinet. So we split the load between when we have multiple chargers. For example if you have 2 chargers, its better to use spaces 1 and 3 for 1 2-pole and 5 and 7 for another 2-pole as apposed to using 1 and 3 for one and 2 and 4 for one because at that point you're only using A and B phase for both breakers. Those are my thoughts.
Josh, these videos are incredible. I'm amazed by the breadth and depth of knowledge you convey. I've done electrical in the past, but these videos are a good refresher and I've learned a lot of new techniques to keep things clean.
Awesome videos. Thank you for taking the time to be so detailed. This and several other of your videos have allowed me to wire my 200amp shop and pass inspection :)
Great to hear! I appreciate you watching my channel. Good luck with your project Bryce!
Hi guy some one please tell me the different between home depot 2 gauge thhn copper wire and Lowes wire. They both made by southwire but why does lowe list it can only carry max 110 amp while home depot listed on their site 125 amp max. If I don't remember wrong, I think in store even said 130 amp. I plan to run 25-28 feet inside conduit over head inside garrage ceiling. 125 circuit breaker box. Thanks
I study residential electrician online and have lack of practice. Your videos are very helpful! Much appreciated!
You're my new dad thanks ALoT for these vids man your tile shower legit saved our ass and the lady loved the shelves
Looks good, but I would want a label to remain on each wire--or even just a number tag that ties back to the labeled breaker slot. That way, if you or anyone else pulls a few breakers out in the future, you won't lose track of which wires go where.
Just remember... Neutral is not ground. In this panel, it's ok to bond the neutral and the ground (since it's the main panel), but in all the sub panels, they must be separate.
Yeah sometimes you gotta learn that the hard way 😂 but ive seen a lot of old school guys separate the noodles and grounds in main pannels
I’m no electrician by any means, though I have worked for a power company for 15 years. Isn’t it ok to have multiple neutrals under one screw if allowed by manufacturer but you can not have a neutral and ground under the same screw?
@@simplytrolling6869 not in sub panels if u put a neutral with a ground it wont end well, but in regular panels you can i usually do 2-3 grounds under a lug at most, but try to keep neutrals by themselves, if u put more than one neutral under a lug and its not tight enough it could spark and catch fire
@@masonforgach4149 I gotcha… I appreciate it! 👍
@@masonforgach4149 Those 'old school' guys are being offering a less safe system in exchange for no benefit whatsoever... When "working normally" not bonding the neutral and ground might appear to operate fine, but it can prevent the ground fault from working correctly if there is any short or fault in your appliances. In the main, bonding the neutral and ground ensures your malfunctioning device has a path to its source and will trip your breaker on overcurrent if a fault occurs. Without that path your existing 'ground' will simply offer a high resistance path to the source and likely not trip your breaker, leaving your fault live, waiting to harm you, a pet, or start a fire.
On the sub panels you don't want to bond neutral and ground because you only want the neutral to provide a path back to the main (which then provides the path back to source and ground). If you bond sub-panels, again everything will appear to work but since you have two parallel wires going back to your main (the neutral and the ground since you mistakenly bonded them). This will make half your current flow back to the main through the neutral, and half through the ground wire. You want to avoid having any current on your ground wire.
YAY! Square-D Homeline!! I'm glad you chose the best panel for this video. That's all I ever use when I do service upgrades. Although I did use Siemens twice this year, but that was back in the spring when Homeline panels were hard to find due to shortages.
Hey Jeff! I loved these Square D panels. Easy to install etc. Not a bad price either considering. Sounds like you have a lot of experience and appreciate you watching my channel. Your input can be very useful for the viewers. Thanks again!
I just got my apprentice license, but I have some experience, just basics. Wiring, new wire for new plugs or switches. Installing ceiling lights, commercial lights in warehouses. This video right here is going to help me a lot! Doesn’t seem to hard, just need some practice but hopefully i can get my journeyman license and then master. Thanks for the video