Basic Electrical wiring

1. Basic Electrical wiring Residential Construction Unit 5- Energy Efficiencies and Mechanicals Mr. Todzia

3. How does electricity get to your house? Generation facilities- Most electricity is made by turbine blades rotating at speeds high enough to produce electricity in a generator. The blades can be turned by water, steam or wind.

4. Switchyard • High-voltage switchyard- The electricity flows through metal conduction to a switchyard, where a transformer steps up voltage for transmission.

5. Transmission Lines • Transmission lines -Transmission lines can efficiently carry high-voltage electricity over long distance to substations.

6. Substations • Substations -At substations, electricity is stepped down so it can travel over smaller distribution lines to homes and businesses.

7. Distribution Lines • Distribution lines -Distribution lines carry electricity to neighborhoods.

8. Transformer • Transformer -an electric-pole transformer reduces the voltage to a level that can be used in homes

9. Service Drop and Meter • The line that connect from the overhead street power lines to your house is called the Service Drop. • The utility company owns and is responsible for the Service drop and any wires before they enter the Weatherhead.

10. Weatherhead • The weatherhead prevents any water, snow or moisture to enter the system and travel down the wires to the panel.

11. Service Panel • After the wires enter the weatherhead they travel down the large conduit to the Service panel. • From the panel, the power is distributed to the different circuits throughout the house.

12. Circuits • A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. • Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and, by interrupting continuity, to immediately discontinue electrical flow. • Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then has to be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation.

13. Main components in residential application • Lights and Switches • Receptacles/outlets • Hardwired appliances

14. Tools of the trade

15. Lights and switches • Lights are typically run with 14 gauge wire. • In a single pole application when one switch is operating the light, 14-2 wire is used. • In a 3-way situation when a two switches are used to operate one light, then 14-3 wire must be used.

16. Single pole switch wiring

17. 3-way switch wiring

18. Outlets • An electrical outlet, also called a receptacle, is the flush mounted plate we plug our electrical appliances into. 15 amp outlet 20 amp outlet

19. 15 amp and 20 amp Outlets • 15 amp outlets are run with 14 gauge wire. • 20 amp outlets are run with 12 gauge wire. • 20 amp outlets are recognizable by the T-shaped slot on the neutral side of the outlet. 20 amp 15 amp

20. Wiring an Outlet • There is usually more than one outlet on a circuit, so the above diagram explains how to wire an outlet in the middle of circuit and also how the outlet on the end is wired.

21. GFCI • GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. • GFCI outlets are required by code in bathrooms and kitchens because both areas have the chance of getting wet.

22. 220-240 amp outlets • Some appliances in your home will require a 220 volt outlet. • Kitchen Stove • Cloths Dryer

23. Hard wired • Some appliances or fixtures are hard wired to the power supply. This means they don’t plug in, but they have the wires from the wall tied directly to them. • Some examples might include • Dish waser • Well pump • Furnace/boiler • Hot water heater • Smoke detectors

24. Some wiring tips • Always flip a breaker off before you do any work on a circuit! • Smoke detectors are required by code in any residence. • Lighting circuits should be wired separately from other circuits so if a breaker is tripped, you still have lights. • By code switches have to be installed 48 inches from the floor. • By code outlets have to installed 18 from the floor.

25. Tips continued • Install outlets with the ground hole facing up so you will never drop something across the hot and neutral lines. • When drilling studs for running wire in walls, always drill in the center of the stud to minimize the risk of hitting a wire with a nail. • Remember that only 50 milliamps of electricity across your chest, stop your heart. • Use insulated tools. • Never cut across a hot and neutral with any tool. (lineman's pliers, sawzall) It will trip the breaker and ruin the tool.

26. Tips continued • If a wire has to be run too close to the edge of a stud, then use a metal protective plate in case someone drives a nail in that area. • When wiring switches and outlets, use needle nose pliers to bend C-Shaped hooks on the bare end of the wire. • Wrap the end of the wire clockwise onto the screw so that when you tighten the screw the hook tightens around the screw instead of loosening up.

27. Tips continued • Remember that to become an electrician you must complete a 4 year apprenticeship program, thousands of hours of on-the-job experience and hundreds of hours in the classroom. • So don’t assume that because you have seen this presentation you can wire a house!

28. Dedicated circuits • For larger and more sensitive appliances, it is a good idea to run a dedicated circuit which means, only that appliance is on that circuit, nothing else. This minimizes the chance of the breaker being tripped. • Some examples of appliances are: • Refrigerator • Air Conditioners • Furnace/boiler • Electric stove • High-end Electronics (as seen in hospitals) • Well pump • Hot water heater • Anything with a large electrical draw

29. Types of wire

30. Types of switches

31. Types of Lighting

32. Types of Boxes