Wiring receptacles

[Speedy Petey]

There was a case where a electrician installed a baseboard heater & failed to properly ground it, someone was either hurt or killed & he went to jail, such a situation is almost as rare as hens teeth though.

I think that was electric radiant, wasn't it. And the installation was BLATANTLY unsafe, and it was also done by a supposed professional who should have known better.
Same goes for the electrician who wired a 3-way to a garage and used the bare ground as a hot to get constant power out there. A kid died when the touched the garage door track that was live with voltage. Again, someone that sold themselves off as a professional that should have known better.

 

[bczygan]

OP,

From your line of questioning, it seems you don't feel comfortable designing and installing an entire electrical system in a building.

So the first step is to read up a lot more. Most DIY books at big box stores show basic installation information of individual items, but give little information about design of the overall system.

I always start by making a list of ALL present and possible future equipment and do a layout of where things will go. In some cases, you need to provide power everywhere because you have no idea where things will go.

I try to nail down, as much as possible, all the fixed locations of equipment and lighting, and then distribute a system of power to cover all the possible variable locations where power and lighting might be needed.

Don't forget exterior locations and even lighting and power in the yard.

Then you need to analyze how the power will be used. How many people will be using machinery at the same time, and what will the draws be?

Add up all the possible simultaneous draws and size the panel and feed for that, with a factor for future additions.

Get a panel that has extra spaces and capacity.

You also need to balance the panel when installing circuits.

Locate the panel based on convenience, electrical code rules and efficiency. A bad location can cost extra for wiring.

A common mistake is to ask how many receptacles can be installed on a circuit, and then maxing it out. Extra receptacles don't mean extra power, just more locations to obtain the 20A the circuit provides. That's why I call them convenience receptacles. I would MUCH rather have additional circuits with less receptacles on each one. And stagger locations. It means more wire, but also more possible uses.

Same goes for feeding lighting. I would run less on a circuit, to provide for the possibility of adding later.

Run more wire and more circuits than you think you will need, with loops of wire in walls and ceiling, where possible future additional lights and receptacles and other uses might occur.

And don't forget security, fire, communication, computer network and other kinds of wiring.

Mark and photograph this wiring layout before covering.

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

It is interesting, that on these threads where an OP is not pulling permits, he has questions about how to do the job.

It would make more sense to me, if a person was unsure of how to do portions of the work, that they would want some advice from professionals. Asking for advice on a forum would be the minimum I would need, with more help being better.

A DIY must measure his lack of training, lack of knowledge and lack of experience against what he is saving in money. And then he must compare that savings to what he would earn at his own line of work for the time it would take to do the work. And he must also do not just installation, but design the system as well. Pros can save you money in both areas, plus they are much quicker and more efficient. Add to that the cost savings a pro can obtain of supplies and equipment and the cost of one time use tools the DIY needs, and you begin to see some resulting questions.

I'm not advocating any particular way to go. Just realizing that any work I do won't save me money, and may be deficient in one respect or another.

Bill

 

[Mdaddyrabbit]

I would permit and hire it done if I had never wired a building before. I know how to do the wiring of a basic circuit and since I only want 120v receptacles and lights for the most part, I think the biggest issue will be location.

It is interesting, that on these threads where an OP is not pulling permits, he has questions about how to do the job.

It would make more sense to me, if a person was unsure of how to do portions of the work, that they would want some advice from professionals. Asking for advice on a forum would be the minimum I would need, with more help being better.

A DIY must measure his lack of training, lack of knowledge and lack of experience against what he is saving in money. And then he must compare that savings to what he would earn at his own line of work for the time it would take to do the work. And he must also do not just installation, but design the system as well. Pros can save you money in both areas, plus they are much quicker and more efficient. Add to that the cost savings a pro can obtain of supplies and equipment and the cost of one time use tools the DIY needs, and you begin to see some resulting questions.

I'm not advocating any particular way to go. Just realizing that any work I do won't save me money, and may be deficient in one respect or another.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

I would permit and hire it done if I had never wired a building before. I know how to do the wiring of a basic circuit and since I only want 120v receptacles and lights for the most part, I think the biggest issue will be location.

Really? Just 120V?

Look at all the advice above, in numerous posts.

What are your uses going to be?

Make a list.

Add all possible future potential uses.

You know how to wire a circuit. So now you need to think about design of the entire system.

Bill