Electrical Repairs

If you are a homeowner you may, at some point in time, need to install an additional cable outlet. This technique will cover the procedures and some safety aspects of installing an additional...

Many older homes were built when there were not as many electrical devices as there are today, resulting in too few outlets in the bathroom. Additional outlets can be added fairly easily if the...

Snaking cables through walls can be done quickly with the use of a tool called a fish tape, which is a long, thin metal ribbon that becomes rigid when uncoiled from a spool. The fish tape is...

Garages are routinely used for much more than just as a place to store one's automobile. These buildings are often converted into workshops, craft studios or extra living space. In doing so,...

Type NM electrical cable is the most common type of electrical cable used in residential construction. It comes in a number of gauges and conductor counts, with 12-2, 14-2 and 14-3 being the most...

Romex is a trade name for non-metallic sheathed cable or type NMC. This cable is covered by an outer plastic insulation that protects two or three current carrying wires. The individual wires are...

An electrical outlet is known in the electrical trade as a receptacle. The most commonly used receptacle is a duplex receptacle, which gets its name from having two outlets. Receptacles are not...

A Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC) connector is used to connect coaxial cable to various devices. It's most commonly used for connecting thin Ethernet networks and it may also be used for consumer...

An F connector is a metal cap that fits over the end of a length of coaxial cable. It has a threaded socket that allows you to connect the cable to a cable outlet or cable device such as a...

A fixed ceiling is made of sheet rock, wood or other similar material that cannot be removed easily. The contrast to this type of ceiling are those made of removable tiles. Running electrical wire...

A three-way lightling circuit makes it possible to control lights from two different three-way wall switches. A three-way switch has two different terminals that receive electricity from the power...

Wiring multiple light fixtures on one line is a great idea when it comes to illuminating a large space, like a garage or basement. However, the idea of doing it can leave some homeowners...

Wondering how to install a junction electrical box correctly? Junction boxes are an easy way to connect multiple wires. Here is an easy step by step guide on how to install junction boxes.

Wiring a thermostat to a vent fan is a matter of convenience for automatic operation of the fan. A typical use for this application would be in the case of an attic fan to remove unwanted hot air...

Coaxial cable is a type of electrical cable that has an insulator and shield around a copper core. It is most frequently used in home video systems. Some Internet networks also use coaxial cables....

Telephone cable uses plugs on its ends to connect the telephone to the telephone jack. This cable is readily available in pre-measured lengths with the plugs already installed. For a custom...

A thermostat-controlled attic fan is an excellent way to help lower home cooling costs in the summer. When installed properly, this powerful fan can eliminate the hot, humid and stale air that...

Exercise extra care when wiring bathrooms because people often turn on lights and use electrical appliances with wet hands. To reduce chances of electric shock, all bathroom wiring must be...

After a few years of living with out a ceiling light fixture over their kitchen table my friend decided it was time to install one. …… This isn’t a very difficult task but it does require some...

Circuit breaker sub panels are used to distribute power through additional circuits. They connect to the main circuit breaker panel through single or double pole circuit breakers installed in the...

The workshop is one place not to skimp on lighting. You need plenty of bright, white light to see your work, and appropriate lighting makes all the difference. Place lights strategically over your...

Your garage might be your workshop, but working in it when the temperature is only 20 degrees F is no fun. Adding an electric garage heater might be just what you need to take off the hat and coat...

Recessed lighting often comes in groups. The lights are spaced based on the amount of light desired and the area being lit. Each light shines a circle of light towards the floor, and by...

Wiring two switches to control lights or receptacles on the same circuit is not much different than connecting two receptacles to provide a power outlet. Power is supplied to the switches through...

Adding a 220-volt outlet to your existing main electrical panel can only be done if there is room for a double pole 220-volt breaker. Open the panel door and check to see if there are two blank...

Armored cable is commonly called "BX", which is a trademark name. The National Electric Code refers to steel armored cable as AC, or armored cable. Steel armored cable is for use in dry locations...

A garage is a great place to have a workshop. Often, the builder only puts in a single 15 amp circuit for the lights, garage door opener and one receptacle to plug in a hedge trimmer or similar...

When it comes to connecting electrical wires, it can get confusing. Crimp butt connectors, crimp wire terminals, and wire crimp connectors can all be confusing terms that don't mean anything to...

Having a phone line in each room of the house was not something typically done 30 years ago. Today, it is common to not only have phone lines in each room but data wires as well. These...

When you flip on a light switch in your house, it opens up an electrical circuit that runs from your fuse box, through the switch, to the light, with the electricity traveling through wires in...

If you need to connect two lengths of electrical cable together for a home improvement project, you shouldn't just splice them together as you would a rope. They need to be secured into a junction...

Running a new electrical circuit from your circuit breaker box isn't difficult, but it's something that has to be done right to avoid any danger of shorts. The circuit breaker varies between...

Interior lighting comes in many forms, but it all works the same way: Wires from the power source in your house connect to the fixture, making it part of an electrical circuit that lights the...

Most new clothes dryers come with the power plug already installed. Some electrical cords come with a three-wire male plug, some with a four-wire type. The three-wire plug carries 240 volts...

Incorrectly wired three-way light switches have aggravated many a homeowner: You've got a light over the stairwell, supposedly controlled by switches at both the top and bottom of the stairs, but...

Junction boxes are typically used for adding another wire into a single electrical circuit. The metal or plastic box can also be used to reattach or repair a broken wire. Typically a household...

A cable clamp is a device used to secure a piece of cable or wire in place. They can also be used to secure plumbing in place. Often, cable clamps are installed onto a wall and are used to keep...

This article will help you fish your coax or any other small cable under your carpet from one side of a room to another or any other location.

A two-way light switch requires a three-way cable (three wires plus ground--four conductors in all) to be run in order for the light to be switched from any station. This means that at any time,...

The biggest challenge in wiring a new wall light is getting an electrical wire to the light. The most attractive installation is to run the wire from the attic down the inside of the wall. Two...

Three-way switches are used when lights are to be turned on and off at two different locations. These switches are suitable for long hallways or large rooms where it is convenient to turn lights...

In most new homes being built today, there are both phone lines and cable lines installed in virtually every room. But in the millions of older homes, that luxury was never a consideration when...

Knowing how much current a home electrical appliance draws can be a valuable troubleshooting tool. For example, if your circuit breaker is continually opening, you might wonder if your circuit...

If you need an electrical appliance or some other electronic device plugged in but there are no nearby receptacles, consider installing one. For a house under construction, installing an...

When you need to replace a light that no longer works, update your old lights to something that better suits your taste or change the style of the lighting itself, for example, from direct to...

Situations arise in the home when you need an electrical appliance or device plugged in but there are no nearby electrical outlets. This situation occurs especially in older homes, which were...

A light at the top of the stairs can cause repeated climbs up the staircase when the light is controlled by only one switch. By wiring a light switch to two switches, one at the top and one at the...

Consider how you use the garage now and how you may use it in the future. If all you'll ever need is electricity to power lights, run a simple 20-amp circuit from your house service panel and...

A home with old wiring promises to be a constant headache. Rewiring your house to make it code-compliant will make your life easier and your family safer. There are, however, some things you can...

When installing recessed lights, be sure you are using the correct fixture for the job. If you have insulation in your ceiling, only use lamps that have an "IC" designation on them. "IC" stands...