My Old Workshop | Category Archives: ElectricalElectrical Archives

Home improvement and renovation tips

Five-point checklist for a trouble-free renovation demolition

A recent kitchen renovation reminded me, in some cases a little too late, about some key areas to cover up during a demolition or drywall mudding/sanding. Here you go. Mask doorways into other areas of the house Well, duh. Okay, I did remember this one. For a major old-house plaster demo or drywall sanding, 6 ...

Aluminum wiring fixes

Last time, we looked at why aluminum wiring can be a fire waiting to happen and how to determine whether you might have it. If you do, here's what you can do to correct the situation. An obvious step is a complete rewiring of the house. Unfortunately, that's neither easy nor inexpensive. It's a massive ...

Aluminum wiring dangers

If your house was built or renovated between 1965 and 1973, it may have aluminum wiring. If it does, it needs attention immediately. Aluminum wiring can be a fire waiting to happen, but there are steps you can take to remove the risk. When the cost of copper shot up in the mid-60s, builders turned ...

Stop light pollution (save energy and money)

Outdoor and indoor lighting should be more than functional. It can make your home more attractive and set a mood. But it can also work to your disadvantage if turning on a few lights makes your house look a prison during a jailbreak. Here are some tips to keep your lights doing their jobs without ...

GFCI line and load

You need to installing a GFCI outlet near wet locations in bathrooms and kitchens, and as simple as it is, replacing a standard outlet with a GFCI does have a couple of wrinkles. With a standard outlet, you may connect the black (hot) wire coming from the panel to one of the brass screws on ...

How to install insulation around electrical wires

When you have wiring and outlet boxes in exterior walls, you need to take a few extra steps when insulating and installing vapor barrier. Electrical boxes have holes which can allow moist air from inside to penetrate through the switchplate cover and back into the cold surfaces beyond the insulation. Obviously, you can't cover the ...

How to run electrical overhead

Last time we looked at how to get electricity to an outbuilding by burying the cable. This time we'll explore the other option â€“ overhead wires. As we said last time, before you start, check the code for details, but these fundamentals should give you an idea of what you're going to need to do. ...

How to run electrical underground

If you've built a handy new shed or outbuilding out back, you could probably use a bit of power out there to run lights, power tools, or heaters. Here's how to go about it. You basically have two options on getting the power to the outbuilding: underground or overhead cables. Underground is preferable when possible, ...

How to plan an electrical circuit

Wiring a house from end to end can be a straightforward job, if you plan well ahead of time. But even something as seemingly small as rewiring a kitchen or wiring a new two-room addition can get complicated if you don't put the time into planning the circuits ahead of time. Start by brushing up ...

Is your house properly grounded?

Properly grounding the electrical system in your home is important for safety, and for a variety of other reasons, including the fact that surge protectors won't work as well if it's not. Well, you've looked in the electrical panel, and you've seen that thick copper stranded wire, and it's connected to the water pipe, so ...