Do you do any of your own electrical work?

[Ryland]

Back wiring sockets should be illegal.
It's for convenience and speed but a seasoned "wire person" can strip, loop and screw down a terminal nearly as fast and produce a connection with a multitude of better reliability especially under continuous high current and/or vibration.

I never use those push connectors on outlets. I always make sure that I wrap the wire around the screws and then crimp them with needlenose pliers to make sure I have a nice tight connection.

 

[DrPizza]

Back wiring sockets should be illegal.
It's for convenience and speed but a seasoned "wire person" can strip, loop and screw down a terminal nearly as fast and produce a connection with a multitude of better reliability especially under continuous high current and/or vibration.

This brings up a good tip: get decent tools! In the past, I used one of those cable rippers that looks like a brace for a broken finger with a little sharp triangle sticking into the middle of it, a cheap pair of needle-nosed pliers, and one of those thin, orange handled tools for stripping wire that can usually be found in the $1-$2 tool section. One day, I purchased a higher quality tool for about $30 for ripping cable and stripping wires. Night and day. Effort has gone down by a ton. I don't have to fumble around from tool to tool. Plus, they have a built in LED & alarm if they're near live wires, helping to prevent accidents (but, since it relies on batteries, I still use a tester just to be sure.)

 

[Saint Nick]

Electrical work is very easy. Ensure you follow codes, thats all I have to say.

 

[grohl]

still doesn`t mean it would have passed inspection....

Let me explain myself...I did a one foot run off of the back of my 30A dryer outlet. The little Lincoln MIG I have is rated for 23A at 220. If/When I sell the house I plan on covering the box and unwiring the socket. Obviously I don't weld and use the dryer at the same time. Yes, I know it doesn't pass code but I think we can agree that when used the way I use it, it is acceptable.

The electrician agreed with me. When it came time to use a plasma cutter rated at 35A at 220v, I hired an electrician. He made two new 220v circuits - one at 30A, one at 50A, plus a 110 outlet on the 50A circuit. He also rewired a 20 CFM compressor, hung about 15 feet of conduit, and charged me $500.

 

[iGas]

This brings up a good tip: get decent tools! In the past, I used one of those cable rippers that looks like a brace for a broken finger with a little sharp triangle sticking into the middle of it, a cheap pair of needle-nosed pliers, and one of those thin, orange handled tools for stripping wire that can usually be found in the $1-$2 tool section. One day, I purchased a higher quality tool for about $30 for ripping cable and stripping wires. Night and day. Effort has gone down by a ton. I don't have to fumble around from tool to tool. Plus, they have a built in LED & alarm if they're near live wires, helping to prevent accidents (but, since it relies on batteries, I still use a tester just to be sure.)

Yeah, better tools take much less effort.

Cable ripper is great if you have lots of cable to split.

My favorite stripper cutter

I have this dual stripper, a long with a dual Greenlee as striper and they don't work that well.

I also have this stripper but don't get it unless the only thing you do is stripping wire

Another stripper if the only thing that you do is strip.

Gardner Bender circuit tester is my favorite tester because it is small, light and seems to last longer than the other Klein, Ideal, Greenlee testers that I have had (stand alone, built into screw driver handle, and built into stripper/cutter handle).

 

[edro]

All of the new outlets I installed recently have poke in connections on the back that secure using a clamping screw plate. I have no issue using them. They are much more durable and reliable than the older poke in connectors that relied on spring plates alone.

But I agree... I have had at least 1 wiring problem where it was due to faulty rear poke in connections on a switch.

 

[Rubycon]

This brings up a good tip: get decent tools! In the past, I used one of those cable rippers that looks like a brace for a broken finger with a little sharp triangle sticking into the middle of it...

Those are OK if you're doing indoor NM work. Trying to rip the jacket on UF cable (for outdoor stuff) you're not going to be happy with that! If you don't have a ripper one trick is to grab the bare (ground) wire with a good pair of lineman pliers and pull it (perpendicular to the cable) HARD. It will slice through the jacket and you can finish the job with a decent locking blade knife, for example.

Yes if you're doing a lot of work or in the trade, ALWAYS have the correct tool for the job. Not only you will be more productive but you will work safer.

 

[cronos]

I charge my cell phone, but that's about it :awe:

 

[imagoon]

You all need to come to Chicago.... They would look at your romex / flex and laugh you out of the office.

Honestly though... the conduit is the 'hard part.' Mostly stemming from having to always bend it around crap.

And yes I do my own work, fully in conduit.

 

[Rubycon]

You all need to come to Chicago.... They would look at your romex / flex and laugh you out of the office.

Honestly though... the conduit is the 'hard part.' Mostly stemming from having to always bend it around crap.

And yes I do my own work, fully in conduit.

mmmm nothing like greasing up a bundle of THHN for a big pull!

 

[futuristicmonkey]

You all need to come to Chicago.... They would look at your romex / flex and laugh you out of the office.

Honestly though... the conduit is the 'hard part.' Mostly stemming from having to always bend it around crap.

And yes I do my own work, fully in conduit.

Is all residential wiring required to be installed within conduit in Chicago? I've heard that there are places that require all conduit. How much more time do you think it takes to wire a house with conduit versus NMD ?

 

[imagoon]

Is all residential wiring required to be installed within conduit in Chicago? I've heard that there are places that require all conduit. How much more time do you think it takes to wire a house with conduit versus NMD ?

Chicago and all the burbs around it are all in conduit. I don't really know how much time it adds because I have always been in this area and done it this way.

 

[edro]

Chicago and all the burbs around it are all in conduit. I don't really know how much time it adds because I have always been in this area and done it this way.

I'd say at least 5 times as long.

 

[Greenman]

You also had sex with her didn't you? <whisper>That's what she was paying you for. </whisper>

Nope, no sex. One thing you learn being self employed is to never put your dick in the cash register.

 

[bruceb]

I agree, conduit does take longer to install and pull in the wires. But if a wire fails, replacing it is easy compared to ripping open walls to run new cables. Wires in conduit are also better protected against nails and screws and offer better fire protection. NYC mandates all Armored Cable (BX) in residential construction. Personally, I do not like Romex. I learned back in trade school how to do conduit bends and threading. Not hard once you get the basics down pat.

 

[Rubycon]

I agree, conduit does take longer to install and pull in the wires. But if a wire fails, replacing it is easy compared to ripping open walls to run new cables. Wires in conduit are also better protected against nails and screws and offer better fire protection. NYC mandates all Armored Cable (BX) in residential construction. Personally, I do not like Romex. I learned back in trade school how to do conduit bends and threading. Not hard once you get the basics down pat.

Ack! Greenfield gives me nightmares especially after seeing those things attacking the ships in the Matrix movies.

 

[Evadman]

I'd say at least 5 times as long.

Way overestimated. Maybe 1.5x. I do mostly conduit, but do Romex every once and a while.

 

[DrPizza]

Way overestimated. Maybe 1.5x. I do mostly conduit, but do Romex every once and a while.

Are you thinking bx? I'd think that bending all the conduit, the extra connections, etc., would at least double the total amount of time.

 

[bruceb]

Greenfield and armored cable (BX) are not the same.
Armored cable (BX) the wires are preinstalled at the factory.
Greenfield is a flexible cable, similar to armored, intended for field use
and wires are pulled into it by the electrician. BX is easy to work with
if you get the special cutter to notch the armor.

 

[imagoon]

Way overestimated. Maybe 1.5x. I do mostly conduit, but do Romex every once and a while.

I am talking about solid steel pipe, 1.5 I think would be a little underestimated.

 

[Juked07]

LOL. I'm happy that there's a balance between educated homeowners & homeowners who keep the economy going by employing electricians at $100 per hour for something I taught my son to do before he was even in high school. I'd have to look back to how old he was when we remodeled the attic at our old house, but if I recall correctly, he would have been about 12-14. He did all of the wiring, pulled the cables, put in the boxes, installed the outlets. I inspected his work, except for needing to tighten a few screws & wire nuts (he didn't have strong enough fingers), the work was flawless. I insist that he doesn't use those idiotic connectors in the backs of the outlets (I can't believe those things are allowed; the connection is over a very small surface area & is a frequent source of future failures.)

Your location says New Jersey - I've spent a lot of time in NJ at my father's house. Understanding the mindset of his community explain a lot why you would post what you just did. I always chuckle when I see places like Lowe's and Home Depot offer installation of ceiling fans - mostly I chuckle about the price for such a trivial task. $100+ for 10 minutes of work, lol! Once upon a time, it was expected of someone who owned a car to be responsible enough to learn how to change a tire, change the oil, hell, even change the spark plugs on occasion. Ditto those who moved up to home ownership. Once upon a time, it was simply expected of the head of household to be able to handle routine tasks. *sigh*

I'm in college now (so grew up in the no one knows how to do anything generation you describe). I agree with your sentiment, but at the same time I think it can be hard to learn these things, especially when most of your peers don't know anything. My dad can handle some things around the house, and I tried to pick up what I could. So I can do super basic things like change tires, change oil.. I learned about computer hardware/software out of interest, but it takes WAY more time without someone knowledgeable to help you. Same with bike (bicycle) maintenance I learned after getting into biking. And some of the other things you mention, like wiring a room, I honestly wouldn't know where to start. None of the thousands of people around me know either. It's really hard to get help when the entire generation (nearly a proper superset of all the people I know other than family) is clueless.

I guess online resources/videos? But that still feels way less comprehensive than if I had someone next to me who knows what's going on.

 

[alkemyst]

I'm in college now (so grew up in the no one knows how to do anything generation you describe). I agree with your sentiment, but at the same time I think it can be hard to learn these things, especially when most of your peers don't know anything. My dad can handle some things around the house, and I tried to pick up what I could. So I can do super basic things like change tires, change oil.. I learned about computer hardware/software out of interest, but it takes WAY more time without someone knowledgeable to help you. Same with bike (bicycle) maintenance I learned after getting into biking. And some of the other things you mention, like wiring a room, I honestly wouldn't know where to start. None of the thousands of people around me know either. It's really hard to get help when the entire generation (nearly a proper superset of all the people I know other than family) is clueless.

I guess online resources/videos? But that still feels way less comprehensive than if I had someone next to me who knows what's going on.

He is in cow town...his own 'fixes' on his prodigal son's work is scary.

$100 for a house call alone is not a crazy price IMHO..

Sure I can change my own oil for $10-20...but do I want too?

 

[Evadman]

The extra time is pretty small when you look at the whole job. Bending conduit is simple and quick once you do it for a while. The connections to boxes are moot because you need them with any type of electrical connection. The only extra connections you have would be where the run is longer than 10' and you need 2 pieces of conduit.

In both you need to wire in the outlets, lights, switches, whatever.
In both you need to secure the conduit or cable to the framing
Only non-armored requires nailing plates.
Only non-armored requires an extra ground wire (copper is expensive)
Only non-armored requires connecting a ground to every box (an extra pigtail in every box)
Only conduit requires bending
Only conduit requires couplers
Only conduit requires cutting
Only conduit requires you to pull the wire (this is most of the extra time).
Only conduit allows for adding extra capacity later though existing infrastructure

The costs for raw materials between both are pretty close, but conduit definitely takes more time to do. But it isn't as much of a deal as you may expect once you do it for a while and get the hang of the tools.

I am talking about solid steel pipe, 1.5 I think would be a little underestimated.

Conduit is not solid steel pipe. 1/2" conduit can be tweaked over your knee, and in a pinch so can 3/4". It is not designed for strength.

 

[imagoon]

The extra time is pretty small when you look at the whole job. Bending conduit is simple and quick once you do it for a while. The connections to boxes are moot because you need them with any type of electrical connection. The only extra connections you have would be where the run is longer than 10' and you need 2 pieces of conduit.

In both you need to wire in the outlets, lights, switches, whatever.
In both you need to secure the conduit or cable to the framing
Only non-armored requires nailing plates.
Only non-armored requires an extra ground wire (copper is expensive)
Only non-armored requires connecting a ground to every box (an extra pigtail in every box)
Only conduit requires bending
Only conduit requires couplers
Only conduit requires cutting
Only conduit requires you to pull the wire (this is most of the extra time).
Only conduit allows for adding extra capacity later though existing infrastructure

The costs for raw materials between both are pretty close, but conduit definitely takes more time to do. But it isn't as much of a deal as you may expect once you do it for a while and get the hang of the tools.



Conduit is not solid steel pipe. 1/2" conduit can be tweaked over your knee, and in a pinch so can 3/4". It is not designed for strength.

Conduit (chicago style) is steel. EMT can be soft enough to bend without a machine / tool but have a blast doing that with GRC / RMC. It is also sized up to around 6 inches in diameter....

 

[bruceb]

Agree, EMT is easy to bend. Steel conduit comes in 2 types: Black steel aka RMC conduit and also in Galvanized (silvery finish) .. both of these are harder to bend and require threading. EMT does not require threading and on all types of conduit, you must ream the end so no sharp burrs are present. All except for EMT require a special Bushing Nut on the inside of the box. EMT does not, as it taken care of in the EMT box connector. My personal choice is EMT when possible, but some locations mandate the use of RMC or GMC