How To Articles

Today I’m going to provide step-by-step instructions with pictures on how to rewire a floor lamp. The lamp cord was damaged and needed to be replaced. In my opinion, this is the best method for repairing a bad or damaged lamp cord. Another alternative would be to use butt splices and heat shrink... 

Milton asks: I am currently adding the electric baseboard heaters to my home and I would like to know if the units require there own separate breakers or if they can be wired in such as multiple units on one breaker or on with other electrical receptacles. I have been unable to find a wire diagram... 

In today’s article we are going to discuss terminating the bathroom circuit and getting everything ready for a rough electrical inspection. For anyone that missed the first four parts of this series, you may read them by clicking on the following links: How to Wire a Recreation Room in Your Basement... 

In today’s article we are going to discuss terminating the lighting circuits and getting everything ready for a rough electrical inspection. For anyone that missed the first three parts of this series, you may read them by clicking on the following links: How to Wire a Recreation Room in Your Basement... 

In today’s article we are going to discuss terminating the receptacle circuits and getting everything ready for a rough electrical inspection. For anyone that missed the first two parts of this series, you may read them by clicking on the following links: How to Wire a Recreation Room in Your Basement... 

In today’s article, we are going to discuss how to install a quad receptacle or double duplex receptacles. In this article, I will provide step-by-step instructions with pictures for this installation. Please click on the images to enlarge them. Each picture will open in a new window. Step... 

I received a service call last week to replace old ceiling flush mount lighting fixtures with a newer style. I took my camera with me and photographed each step. So, today’s article is going to discuss replacing an old ceiling flush mount lighting fixture with a newer style. Click each of the... 

In today’s article we are going to discuss the installation of the power, audio, phone and video cables to make everything work in your basement recreation room. For anyone that missed the first part of this series How to Wire a Recreation Room in Your Basement – Part 1, we discussed a materials... 

Congratulations to Brian Roth on winning my February contest “Complete Your Next DIY Electrical Wiring Project with Help from a Master Electrician for Free“. Brian emailed me a pdf document of his basement and what he wants. So, today’s article will discuss a materials list and installing... 

This is an article that several people have been asking for. This “How To” article will walk you through, step by step, on how to change a 4-wire electric dryer power cord to a 3-wire electric dryer power cord. These instructions will work on a stove or range as well. The only difference... 

This tutorial is on how to install a 3-way dimmer switch. Now I’ve learned that a lot of people call these two way switches, but this is incorrect. They are three way switches. A 3-way switch is used when you want to switch an electrical device (lights, lamps, receptacles, etc…) from 2 or... 

  I went out on a service call yesterday to lower a pendant light fixture. The fixture was approximately 6 1/2 feet above the floor and the homeowners wanted it lowered to approximately 5 feet above the floor. The homeowners estimated the fixture to be 30 – 40 years old and by the looks... 

This past week was a nightmare for me. My wife flew to upstate NY (approximately 2,000 miles east of here) to visit her sister in the hospital, where she stayed all week. The dishwasher quit Tuesday night and when I got home from work on Wednesday, the furnace was not working. The dishwasher not working... 

Hello, I need some help for the following. From Electrical Panel – 15 amp breaker 14/2 from breaker to bath light box #1 from bath light box #1 to bath light box #2 with 14/2 from bath light box #1 to bath double gang box with 14/3 from bath double gang box to bath exhaust fan with 14/2 from bath... 

A friend of mine asked me to come over and install a data jack in the new office space he set up in the spare bedroom of his house. I do not usually install surface mounted data jacks, but his house sits on a slab (no crawl space or basement), the attic space is approximately 16 inches tall at the highest... 

Brian asks: Wayne I have a light in the basement that had a pull cord which broke. I want to hook it up to a switch. I need to know how to do it so the light dosent stay on all the time. Thanks Brian Wiring a single pole switch is pretty easy. The first thng that you need to do is turn off the power... 

Kathie asks: We have a compressor that will not run on a standard 15 amp GFI outlet in our garage. Can we change it to a standard 20amp outlet and if so, do we need #12 wire or can we use #14. Believe all of it is #12 anyway, but not clear on codes for 20-25 amp outlets but need to change our existing... 

I wired a Hot Spring Bengal spa / hot tub the day after Christmas. I don’t usually work the day after Christmas, but this was a favor for a friend. This was a “quick and easy” installation, it took me approximately 2 1/2 hours. I took advantage of the opportunity and took pictures... 

Tracy Asks: I’m adding a garage door opener to an attached garage. I want to wire a receptacle in the ceiling for the opener. There is already one receptacle on one of the walls. I want to replace that existing receptacle with a GFCI receptacle and wire off of it to the receptacle in the ceiling.... 

I have a cabin and I want to run some wire to my shed. In the shed I will have 2 receptacles and a light that is controlled by a switch. The question I have is where should the circuit start….at the switch, or the light or at a receptacle. It doesn’t matter where you start the circuit. You... 

Rick asks: Do you have an article or a diagram of wiring two half hot receptacles from three switches? Thanks for any info………. Rick Answer: I didn’t have an article or diagram, so I created a wiring diagram and I’m writing this article. Now, the wiring diagram that I created... 

Craig asks: I am hooking up four recessed light fixtures in a bedroom to be controlled by two three way switches with power coming from the fixtures. I bought a book at Lowes. I am coming into the first light fixture with 12-2 wire as the book says to. I then go to the the remaining three light fixtures... 

Q: HOW DO I WIRE A CEILING FAN AND LIGHT WITH A 3 WAY CIRCUIT. THAT BOTH THE FAN AND LIGHT ARE INDEPENDENT? I HAVE RAN 14-3 FROM BOX TO BOX AND 14-3 TO THE FAN CONNECTION AND POWER INTO THE OTHER ELECTRICAL BOX. PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS CAN BE DONE AND HOW. A: You need to install 1 more cable, a 14/2... 

In part 2 of this series, I showed you how to calculate what size electrical service you need. The calculation for this hypothetical house came up to be the 100 amps minimum. However, I highly recommend installing 200 amps. Two Hundred amps is going to allow for future growth and add resale value to... 

For part three of this discussion I would like to address the tools needed to wire your new house. Before we get started I need to preface this with a safety warning. Always read, follow and understand all instructions and safety warnings included with your tools. Even the most benign tool can cause... 

Ok, I changed the title for part 2 of this series. The title “planning” was too general and would have made this post too long. Now that you have completed your research, it’s time to get started on your house. But, what size electrical service do you need? Well, there is a calculation... 

Ok, I’ve decided to write a multi-part series discussing researching, planning and wiring your new home. I receive a ton of questions on this subject and I have always told everyone to hire an electrician. However, most areas permit homeowners to do this wiring themselves on their own homes. With... 

This is a simple project that most homeowners can tackle themselves and complete in less than 30 minutes. The first thing you need to do is determine which size and type of dimmer switch you need to install. Sizing your dimmer switch is very easy. Dimmer switches are rated according to the lighting... 

Q: We recently purchased our first brand new house and we moved in last night. When I tried to plug in my dryer the outlet is different than my dryer cord. My dryer cord has 3 prongs and the outlet has 4 holes. Should I change the outlet or the dryer cord and how do I do this? A: Congratulations on...