Do you do any of your own electrical work?

[Possessed Freak]

DIY Dryer line

Two-twenty
I remember the feeling of you going through my hand
Tingling, even pricking my skin all over
I was yours forever
Concerned for my welfare
My friend pulled me away from you
I was under your control
I see now you were not gentle
There are times even now
That I miss your power

 

[Ryland]

I hired an electrician to install a 2nd breaker panel for the addition so that I could be wiring into a dead panel and not have to worry.

 

[Exterous]

There are such thing as homeowner permit that a homeowner can apply for at the local office and it cost roughly 1/2 of the trade person permit.

Interesting. When I went for my permit they made no distinction between prices (They had one price listed on the form and you had to check a box for homeowner or contractor)

exactly, if its done to meet code thats all that really matters. If its very obviously not to code theny you will have a problem though.

And I say the sky is green.

FWIW I called my homeowners insurance about a month ago and they said there could be an issue with coverage if I didn't get permits, the electrical work I did did not meet code and it was determined that the faulty wiring was the cause of the fire

I've done most of the electrical work in our house (not that there ahs been that much of it. A couple of lights/ceiling fans and outlets, ran three circuits for the basement home theater). I did have an electrician from work stop by and add the breakers just because I had never done it before, but after watching and talking to him I would probably do that myself next time as well

 

[Scotteq]

Doing your own electrical work is a great way to burn down your house.

 

[Possessed Freak]

Doing your own electrical work is a great way to burn down your house.

Pish, simple 110 circuitry is cake. Follow the gauge guidelines and you are not going to have hot wire issues, follow the wiring guidelines and you won't have a shorting issue.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I'm by no means an electrician but I do my own easy stuff..

Added 20amc GFCI circuit to my home theater room (previously had 15 amp for overhead lights, and 15 amp for recepticals), new 20 amp powers my popcorn maker and components. 15 amp powers subwoofer, mini frige, and projector)

I've also fixed bad recepticles, fixed bad switches, and wired all my new overhead recessed lighting in the basement... Nothing too complicated, but I'm comfortable workin with normal 110V lines.

 

[Rubycon]

Yes but not typical wiring like you might find in a dwelling.

Residential wiring in wood framed dwellings is easy compared to industrial/marine wiring.

 

[Locut0s]

Doing your own electrical work is a great way to burn down your house.

Installing light fixtures and replacing the occasional switch and or socket like I'm talking about in the OP really is easy stuff.

 

[child of wonder]

Yes but not typical wiring like you might find in a dwelling.

Residential wiring in wood framed dwellings is easy compared to industrial/marine wiring.

This. Home wiring is simple. Study up on it a bit or find a friend who has experience to help.

 

[bruceb]

I would do my own, but I also now what needs to be done to met NEC codes. And I would get it permitted / inspected.
And what ever you do, do not have any work done without permits. Your contractor will be working on Structure, Electrical, Plumbing, Gas Line, maybe the HVAC as well. All of these need permits or we may end seeing your home on a future Holmes On Homes episode.
The problems are not so much proper wire gauge as it is 14GA for a 15 Amp line and 12GA for a 20 Amp line. Electric stove, ac, dryer, are all 220V and require proper calculation for wire size. Bigger issue is bad wiring methods, too small boxes, not grounding box & devices, not properly securing cable, hidden junction boxes, using devices intended for copper on aluminum wiring, not twisting wires prior to installing wire nuts. There are others, but you can get the idea. A kitchen also needs a dedicated line for Dishwasher (20Amp), Appliance circuits at 20Amp every 3 feet of counter space and on both sides of sink. You also want a seperate line to garbage disposal unit.

 

[iGas]

The bolded is not true in the US. A homeowner can do every aspect of his home construction here. It will be inspected. If it meets code it is passed, and is no different than if a contractor did the work.

Did you read the second part homeowner can pull their own permit for 1/2 of the cost?

According to NEC, homeowner permit only allow homeowner to work on their own home. A trade person or any other entity other than a homeowner must be licensed or engineer in electrical to pull a permit (also subjected to local authority).

Licensed electrician & engineer must apply for permit to work even on their own house because of the "subject to local authority" clause.

 

[BoomerD]

Did you read the second part homeowner can pull their own permit for 1/2 of the cost?

Do you not understand that such is not the case everywhere?

There's no break in the cost of a permit here if it's being done by a homeowner vs. a contractor. Both pay the same fees for permits and inspections.

 

[alkemyst]

why would they not cover anything?

Because doing your own electrical = *wink wink* my house burned down.

 

[iGas]

Interesting. When I went for my permit they made no distinction between prices (They had one price listed on the form and you had to check a box for homeowner or contractor)

My bad, I should have said that the 1/2 apply for my area.

 

[Squisher]

Far too many people think they know what they're doing when they really don't. I do my own work. It's not that hard if you sufficiently educate yourself.

 

[alkemyst]

Far too many people think they know what they're doing when they really don't. I do my own work. It's not that hard if you sufficiently educate yourself.

QFT but most think sufficient is first google hit.

 

[Greenman]

Generally speaking, a homeowner can do his own electrical work, with the proper permits. Some city's here in the land of fruits and nuts have decided that only a licensed electrician can pull an electrical permit. Electrical work (all remodeling and renovation actually), done without a permit (when it's required) is by definition illegal work, and insurance company's won't cover it. Also, when you sell the house, you have to disclose that it's non-conforming work. If you don't, and it's discovered at a later date, the new owner will have cause for action.

 

[DrPizza]

Doing your own electrical work is a great way to burn down your house.

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*

 

[Greenman]

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 once had a woman pay me $85 an hour to hang Christmas lights. She thought it was a very reasonable rate.

 

[Locut0s]

I once had a woman pay me $85 an hour to hang Christmas lights. She thought it was a very reasonable rate.

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

 

[MrDudeMan]

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*

You stole my response.

I learned how to do basic wiring when I was in elementary and middle school. My dad taught me more advanced things in high school and then I learned the rest on my own. I can't believe people pay to have light switches, outlets, or light fixtures installed or replaced. I honestly think I could teach my grandma how to do it in 20 minutes or less. There is zero risk of fire if you simply pay attention to what you are doing and know the code, or at least have a reference book at your side.

 

[Lean L]

why yes. Just the other day I ripped apart a monster power filter (it was cheap, I did not overpay) because the switch was malfunctioning. Let me say holy shit was that a ghetto project I drilled the screws out because they were security screws. In the end I have a working again power filter that needed to be ziptied back together.

I believe I officially earned my tim allen grunt.

 

[TraumaRN]

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*

This x 1000. My dad has taught me how to do all the basic stuff electrical stuff for my house and any of the more complex stuff we call my dad's buddy who is a master electrician and takes payment in the form of beer and food. He rewired my entire basement for a couple 6 packs, a porterhouse and baked potato. He even showed me a few tricks like how to properly wire a 2 way light switch.

 

[paperfist]

The bolded is not true in the US. A homeowner can do every aspect of his home construction here. It will be inspected. If it meets code it is passed, and is no different than if a contractor did the work.

Where I live in NY you have to have a licensed plumber and electrician to do new construction and remodel work. If you are a unlicensed home owner you can't pull the permit.

He is correct!! If a house fire burns your house down and whoever inspects the house comes to the conclusion the fire was caused by faulty electrical work the fire insurance on your house could be null and void. Especially if they ask you for permits and such and you don`t have the permits. Permits are recorded by he county or city you live.

Two things. What if a licensed electrician does the work but didn't bother to pull the permits and his work ends up being faulty and burns your house down. The insurance isn't going to pay?

What if the home owner did the work, obviously didn't pull the permit and the house burns down. How the hell is a fire inspector going to know who did the work? For all he knows it was original.

 

[Rubycon]

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.)

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.