How to Repair House Wiring
Most of the electrical wire in your house probably consists of three strands of 12- or 14-gauge copper wire wrapped in color-coded insulation and packed together in plastic sheathing. Hot wires are black and red and connect to brass screws; neutral wires are white and connect to silver screws; ground wires are bare and connect to green screws. When you have to repair short circuits, faulty outlets or switches, loose wiring, or wire damaged by accidents or pests, remember the color code to avoid electrical shock. Always make sure the power is off before you begin work. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Utility knife
- Pliers
- Wire splicing tool
- Twist-on wire connectors
- Screwdriver
- Outlet
- Switch
- Junction box (optional)
Instructions
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Splicing Wires
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Switch off the breaker on the main panel and check the ends of the wires with a voltage tester to be sure you turned off the right breaker.
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2
Remove about 4 inches of sheathing from each of the wires to be spliced. Cut around the sheathing with a utility knife, being careful not to cut into the insulation of the enclosed wires, and pull the sheathing off with pliers.
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3
Separate the wires and remove about 1/2 inch of insulation from the ends of the black and white wires with a wire splicing tool. Sometimes there will be a red wire also, as when you are repairing a 220-volt circuit or a circuit feeding a light from a three-way switch. If there is, strip the ends of the red wires as well.
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4
Connect wires of the same color by holding them together so the ends are parallel and twisting them together clockwise with pliers. When they are secure, screw on a twist-on wire connector, making sure the connector is the right size for the gauge of wire you are connecting.
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5
Spread anti-corrosive paste on the wires when you splice copper and aluminum wires together to avoid deterioration. Apply the paste before you screw on the connector.
Replacing a Damaged Receptacle or Switch
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6
Turn off the breaker for the circuit.
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Unscrew the faceplate and remove it. Unscrew the screws holding the receptacle or switch to the electrical box and pull it out of the box.
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Snip all the attached wires and discard the damaged receptacle or switch.
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9
Expose 1/2 inch of the ends of the insulated wires and make a clockwise hook in the end of each wire.
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Hook each wire around the appropriate screw, and tighten the screw with a screwdriver. Attach the white wire to the silver screw, the black wire to the brass screw, and the ground (bare) wire to the green screw. If the receptacle has clamping holes in the back, inset the ends of the black and white wires into these holes.
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Wire a new switch by connecting the black wires to the brass screws on the switch or inserting them in the clamping holes on the back, and connecting the white wires to each other with a twist-on wire connector. Attach the ground wire to the green screw.
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Tips & Warnings
You will find an extra brass screw on a 220-volt receptacle for connecting the red wire which, like the black wire, is hot.
Attach the ground wire to any metal fixture boxes as well as to the fixtures they contain.
It is a fire and electrocution hazard to leave spliced wires hanging in the wall or ceiling.
If you are repairing a section of damaged wire, attach a junction box to a stud or rafter, cut out the damaged section and run the wires into the box. When you have finished the repair, push the wires and connectors into the junction box and cover it. If you are replacing a long section of wire, you may need two junction boxes.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit wires - electro image by Lovrencg from Fotolia.com
