Electrical Repairs

Home telephone wiring is your responsibility as a homeowner. The phone company is only required to provide a working telephone signal to your Network Interface Device (NID), which is the box on...

Many light switch problems are caused by having loose wire connections. If turning on a wall switch causes your circuit breaker to trip or a fuse to blow, this could be caused by a loose wire...

Installing a light fixture in your mobile home gives you the opportunity to update older fixtures or have that special light fixture that completes the theme in a specific room. You can choose...

Sizing the correct wire for any electrical device is regulated by the National Electrical Code (NEC). Local regulations may exceed the NEC requirements, but they can never enforce a lesser ruling...

All electric dryers use an array of heating elements to warm the space enclosure of the dryer. These elements are made of special wires that will create heat when electrical current passes through...

Paper lanterns have been a part of Chinese culture for centuries. In recent decades, Chinese paper lamps have become a popular lighting option in many homes in the U.S. Paper lamps are inexpensive...

When French chemist Georges Claude first began experimenting with newly discovered inert gasses like neon and argon, he likely had no idea his work would find such an enduring place in Americana....

It is convenient to click on a bathroom light and exhaust fan with one switch. Connecting the light to the fan helps ensure that moisture is always vented to the outside when the bathroom is used,...

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...

Whatever your reason for replacing your old doorbell, the actual installation is not very difficult. A doorbell kit and few basic tools are all you'll need. It is a very small price for the sake...

When renovating a room without a ceiling light fixture, one of the easiest ways of picking up a feed for installing one is by wiring a switch off of an outlet. While this job can be tricky in some...

There are a lot of times that it would be convenient to have a switch at the other end of a room or hallway. To have a switch at every doorway entering a room just makes sense. Fortunately, there...

Many people think that when a lamp switch breaks, you have to toss the lamp and buy a new one. This couldn't be further from the truth. Lamp switches are easy to repair and replace and make a...

A three-way dimmer switch allows you to control a light fixture from two or more locations. This type of dimmer can be installed in existing three-way-controlled locations by replacing one of the...

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...

Fluorescent light fixtures provide a number of benefits. They're inexpensive, long-lasting and energy-efficient. But, when the fixture stops working, the solution may not be as simple as just...

When remodeling or upgrading a kitchen or bathroom, you may have to replace a regular receptacle with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to come up to code. If you are adding a new switched...

Rope lights are the perfect answer to provide lighting around the house, particularly during the holidays. Rope lights come in large strands that are easily unrolled and can illuminate Christmas...

Double-pole thermostats are used to control line voltage -- electrical power to heating devices. Line voltage is the electricity that comes from the main circuit breaker or fuse panel. When wiring...

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...

Telephone wiring in a house seldom breaks along its length. Construction or disruption to walls, ceilings and floors are the most likely causes of broken telephone wires. Problems at the jacks...

Soldering is a skill that can take several attempts to master, but it is one of the most trusted ways to join connections. Soldering is used in many different facets of electronic or electrical...

Wiring a 220/240-volt outlet will allow you to run many of today's heavy appliances or garage tools. The 220 volt, or as it's called today, 240-volt outlet, will carry twice as much current as a...

There are two basic ways to wire two or more light fixtures together -- in parallel and in series. Most homes feature parallel wiring. Parallel wiring allows the other lights in the circuit to...

Since the mid to late 1970s, ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) devices have been required in all bathrooms and wet environments. Later codes require these devices in crawl spaces, attics and...

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...

Three-prong electrical outlets, or grounded outlets, are important upgrades to any home or apartment. Many new appliances or sensitive electronics are strictly wired for grounded outlets, and it...

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...

For the most part, a light switch is a simple, yet durable controller that is built to withstand thousands of toggles. But even the most expensive light switches will eventually wear down. Knowing...

Wire strippers Wire nuts Electrical tape Wire cutters Voltage tester

There are many scenarios for wiring a ceiling fan and light combo.This wiring scheme is used specifically when the source power originates at the switch. In other words, there in only one switch....

Hanging a new light fixture in a child's room can add to the decor or theme of the room. There are lots of fun lights to choose from, and if you get the child involved in picking it out it he...

Sometimes after years of use, electrical plugs can wear down. They may not stay securely in a socket, or loose wires in the plug may cause your device to turn on and off erratically. Instead of...

Wiring your own electricity is a challenging, yet do-able, project that can save you thousands of dollars. An older home may have a combination of wiring, some of which may have been improperly...

Baseboard heaters are electrical devices used to heat individual areas in a room. These long heaters are placed under exterior windows along the floor and range in size from two feet to four feet...

A lot of these outlets will burn up when they get old and it is very nice to know how to replace one of these without calling an eletrician out and charge you an arm and a leg to do such a easy...

Soldering is really an easy process. Its just one that needs to be learned before attempted, so that you don't risk hurting the joint your soldering, or causing unnecessary frustration. So learn away!

Meter bases, or meter sockets, hold the electric meter. The electric meter is what the power utility company uses to determine your monthly bill. The meter base is a standard configuration that is...

Running electrical wires through an existing piece of conduit can help save time when you're running new wires. If the conduit is in place and has room for more wires, it is a simple process. You...

When you join two wires together, this is called a splice. The way electrical wire is spliced is very important. If done wrong, you can short circuit a piece of gear or even cause a fire or...

Wire splicing is an essential part of installing lights, switches and receptacles in your home. "Splicing" electrical wire means joining the bare ends of two or more separate pieces of wire by...

A house light is wired by connecting the electric wires from the light to the corresponding electric wires at the junction box where the light will be mounted. Power to the location should be...

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,...

Having a light switch just where you want it can make any room more accessible and appealing, especially for guests who won't be able to find an inconveniently-placed switch. Not to mention the...

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...

Photocell switches are typically used on outdoor lighting. This allows the power source for the light to remain on at all times. The photocell switch will then turn the light on at a predetermined...

An electrical outlet can be installed in a bathroom if the number out outlets that are currently available is not sufficient. Installing an electrical outlet in your bathroom will require running...

Ungrounded electrical outlets can be a potentially dangerous fire hazard. However, with a little hard work and some know-how, an efficient do-it-yourselfer can change ungrounded outlets in an...

Outdoor extension cords are such a part of our everyday lives at home and work that we often forget they need a little care and sometimes repair. Whether you're running the vacuum to clean the car...