Electrical Repairs

When it comes to home repairs, undertaking DIY electrical projects constitute one of the most important aspects which have to be carried out with the utmost caution. If you are a home owner you...

Home security systems are connected to your home's main power source and also use a battery as a secondary source of power. In order to disable the alarm, you will have to stop these two power...

Before you begin to replace your house wiring, consider a few factors. First, are you comfortable with or capable of doing such work? Are you saving a significant amount by doing it yourself? Will...

So, you opted for the electric leaf blower instead of the gas model. It's quieter, and you feel good about not burning up that extra gasoline during your outdoor chores. You're excited when you...

Wiring diagrams, or circuit diagrams, are a tool that engineers and electricians use to represent circuits. The symbols on a wiring diagram are standardized so that everyone who looks at the...

Square D is a trade name for a manufacturing company that produces electrical devices and mechanisms. Most, if not all, of the products Square D manufactures have something to do with controlling...

When planning an addition to your home, you may also plan an addition to your home's electrical circuitry. To avoid tripping the circuit breakers involved, you'll need to know how to calculate the...

A battery wired into an electrical circuit will provide current until the battery is drained of its useful charge. However, there are occasions when bypassing the battery is useful--as a safety...

The National Electric Code (NEC) requires most outdoor outlets be protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, which is sometimes shortened to GFI. These safety devices help prevent...

Electrical safety in the home is of the up-most importance, and installing a GFI/GFCI circuit breaker is the perfect way to protect you and your family. The GFCI, which stands for, ground fault...

There will come a time when a homeowner will have to replace or even add a circuit breaker to the power box (breaker box). Circuits wear out with time and they need to be replaced. This is a...

Wall switches sometimes break or wear out over time, necessitating replacements. The most common type of light or wall switch is referred to as a "toggle switch." These switches can be found at...

Having the right amount of access to electrical outlets in the home or garage is a necessity to getting your work done. Installing and wiring them correctly is equally as important. Always make...

Many older homes have regular electrical receptacles in kitchens and bathrooms. In order to prevent accidental electrocution, in rooms such as these where water is present, the National Electric...

Electricity will always seek a path to ground. The National Electric Code describes a number of acceptable methods to ground a residential system. The path to this grounding system must be...

The National Electric Code (NEC) requires that ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) protect electrical circuits in specific areas, especially where water may be present. A GFCI receptacle...

Planning the work for an electrical project must be done carefully, and in steps considering all the correct information. One of the key processes in installing a new outlet and/or wiring, is...

In the past, a three-way switch circuit could only be controlled using two three-way switches. But these days, three-way dimmer switches allow you to customize the level of light put out by a...

Circuit breakers are the gateways that allow electricity to flow to and power the various devices in our homes. The breakers allow homeowners to turn on and off power at the main circuit panel....

The main circuit panel in a home is considered the heart of the electrical system. All the power from the lines outside flow into this panel, and from there are divided through the various...

According to AllAboutCircuits.com, electrical resistance, measured in Ohms, is essentially electrical friction encountered by electrons as they move through a conductor. Ohms are typically...

The protection of residential electrical wiring falls under the regulation of the National Electrical Code (NEC). There are two basic areas for protecting these current-carrying wires: mechanical...

Wiring motion sensors to interior lights is a great way to save energy while adding a little convenience to your home. Interior motion sensors are perfect solutions for controlling the lights in a...

Every year in the United States there are 28,300 residential fires caused by electrical defects that result in damages amounting to $995 million. Every year 360 lives are lost in these fires with...

Fluorescent lighting uses less energy and creates less heat than incandescent lighting and is used in many commercial and residential applications. Workshops, garages and factories commonly rely...

A double pole single throw (DPST) switch controls the connections to two wires at once, where each wire only has one possible connection. In other words, it's like two simple switches controlled...

GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) switches monitor the electrical flow across a circuit and disengage the circuit if there is a drop. This drop in electrical flow is often referred to as a...

Circuit breakers are a integral part of the electrical system within out homes. The main function of a breaker is to turn on or off the power to a particular outlet, set of outlets or device....

Understanding the single-pole breaker provides the foundation for all circuit breaker construction. The circuit breaker is designed under a spring actuated load. The circuit breaker connects...

Maybe you've been using a gas range and want to convert to an electric one, or possibly you've moved into a new home that doesn't have a compatible outlet for your range. Regardless of the reason,...

Circuit breakers are the main safety defense between electricity and your family. They're designedto halt the flow of electricity should there be a problem with the electrical line, outlet or a...

Having the power go out on you from a tripped breaker is not fun at all, especially if you are in the middle of your favorite movie. Many times homeowners may think it's a more serious problem;...

There are three types of circuit breakers that offer protection from overloads and short circuits. Standard circuit breakers will trip interrupting the power supply if the circuit is overloaded or...

There are several different types of circuit breakers. Each circuit breaker box houses several parts necessary to the proper function of the circuit breaker. The basic function of any circuit...

When it comes to trouble shooting an electrical circuit one of the most simple tests is the continuity test. The name of the test implies what the test does, it tests for a continuous circuit,...

With the numerous appliances and electronic devices in our modern world, it is quite common for older houses to run a bit short on outlets. Or maybe you're just thinking of how handy it would be...

The National Electric Code requires a GFCI outlet to be installed in any wet location around the home, and any outlet within 6 inches of a sink must also be protected. Wiring a GFCI outlet is a...

A GFCI, or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, is an outlet that's designed to instantaneously trip when the voltage goes to ground. They are required for use within six feet of any wet location in...

Circuit breakers are designed to prevent the wiring in a house from overheating and catching fire. The breaker is sized according to the anticipated load and the size of the wiring it serves....

Removing a dimmer switch may sound like it's a more difficult job than removing a standard single-pole switch, but the two jobs are in fact identical. Each switch has a hot feed, a traveler wire...

Did you ever want to turn off an outlet to do some electrical repair, but didn't know what breaker to open? Then you get someone to stand by the outlet watching a light plugged into the socket...

Many homeowners find it very convenient to have an outlet that can be turned off and on for electrical devices such as lights, so knowing how to wire one yourself is a useful skill. This tutorial...

GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters), also known as GFIs, are required by electrical code in any location where there is the possibility of moisture being present, including garages,...

Light-switch wiring connections often go bad because they get loose or because the wire ends were positioned too closely to one another, causing a short-circuit. Fixing this involves pulling out...

Circuit breakers help prevent residential and commercial electrical wiring from overheating, which could cause a fire. When a circuit breaker trips, electricity is blocked from flowing through the...

Connecting existing wiring to a new light fixture is not difficult. The hardest part of the job is finding the right wire in which to connect the fixture. It is also important not to add the...

GFCI outlets, or "ground-fault circuit interruptier" receptacles, are required by most municipal building codes for all "wet" areas in homes, such as bathrooms and kitchens, and in garages,...

If you find that you can't operate the toaster, coffee pot and microwave at the same time without tripping a breaker, it may be time to add a new circuit in your kitchen. Or if the back of your...

A GFCI, or ground fault circuit interrupter, is a special outlet designed with a small circuit breaker inside and its own reset mechanism. If an appliance plugged into the outlet overloads or...

The doorbell operates as a simple switching circuit. The schematic layout is one of the easier wiring schemes to work with in your home. A doorbell is a closed circuit consisting of a power...