How Homeowners Can Work Alongside Me

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I've been contacted by people who say they've run their wiring, and just want me to bring it into the panel. They can't hire me. I wouldn't dare take that chance with a house's wiring, and with the people who might rely on its safety in their home, and with their neighbors' safety, and the safety of the local firefighters—yes, all of those—or take on that risk to my license-and my reputation.

I've been contacted by people who said they wanted to work with me on their home, but subcontracted some or all of the elements I agreed to supervise their taking on. I have no control over their making such a choice, but I will be done with the job.

Last, I've been hired by people who wanted to work with me, and then realized the work was too much for them. Ladder work made them more nervous than they had expected, or the labor simply was harder or took more time than they had expected.
I can understand this; I remember getting in over my head when I took on a large carpentry project. If this turns out to be the case, they need to find another electrician, because I rely on my customers' muscle and stamina. Other electricians often bring crews under their control to supply the brawn.

• Mostly, what you will do is to drill holes, dig trenches if needed, and mount materials with hammer or screwdriver or power driver. You will use your own tools, normally.

Caution: even master tradespersons have on occasion drilled or cut into things they didn't realize were located where they were working--water pipes, ducts, high- and low-voltage wiring; even walls, ceilings, and floors. In recent years, gas lines have been run in CSST, a tubing whose walls some think of as a thick aluminum foil. Penetrating this could be deadly. Also, any construction work carries some hazards.
Digging outdoors? You need to call 811 and wait for the locator service to mark your property before digging or trenching. Period.

• Trenches need to be more than 12" deep; more than 18" or 24" is better, and often is required. I'll explain.

Holes through wooden studs and joists need to be drilled so as to not weaken them.
• They must be as close to the center of the width as possible, at least 2" from either edge when possible. (1 1/4" is the minimum measurement from the outermost edge of each hole to each edge of the wood member).
• In horizontal members such as joists, they should be much closer to the ends than the middle of the spans. See the International Residential Code or the International Building Code for the latter requirement.
• Drilling 3/4-1 inch diameter holes works well for the cables used in most branch circuit wiring. Occasionally, it makes sense to bring two or three cables though one hole. In that case, 1 1/8 - 1 1/2" holes work better.
• If a hole is angled, though, one part of it can end up too close to the edge of the stud or joist, weakening it. This also makes cables run through such holes vulnerable to nails and screws. Therefore it is illegal to use such holes unless the cables are protected by steel plates.
• Larger holes are also needed for feeders, meaning cables that go to subpanels, and for cables going to large loads such as electric stoves.

HINT Pulling cables safely through holes that are barely big enough takes me much longer than does using more generously drilled ones. It also increases the risk of damaging the cables, which must then be replaced. If your drill or bit requires you to drill at a sharp angle, try to bevel the edges of the hole by drilling from both sides, or by moving the bit around in the hole if you can do so safely. Try to keep holes lined up from stud to stud or joist to joist; this will greatly reduce pulling resistance.

• Labeling circuits and identifying cables are other valuable, time-consuming parts of the job you can undertake.
• Another is laying out where you want outlets and switches to go, and possible paths to get there. I will explain the Code requirements regarding outlet and switch locations.
• Along with drilling, fishing "drag lines," cords that can be used for pulling actual cables, is something some customers certainly can do on their own to save time and money.
  When fishing cable, which means running it inside walls or ceilings or verry-shallow crawlspaces out of sight, the fewer turns the cable makes, the fewer items it pulls over and under, the easier it will be to pull. This also applies to the drag lines that sometimes are used to pull the actual cables.
• Cleaning, patching and fetching are other types of labor you can supply to save money. If you don't take them on, you will need to hire someone to do them. They are a part of the job I don't care to take on.

Under my supervision, you will not work near anything I suspect is energized (live).

Whenever you work with me, I need to repeat, you must take full responsibility for yourself in terms of personal energy and pacing, tool use, protective gear and anything else that might affect your safety. (You are also responsible for any damage you do to your house.) Whenever something is unclear, it is important that you stop and ask me. There is no need for mind reading or guesswork. "Winging it" can be dangerous. Consulting a carpenter or handyman rather than checking with me has resulted in at least one customer doing the work illegally (which means I had to either redo it or terminate our contract) or far more inefficiently and expensively than necessary. It is generally worth your while to take notes as we discuss the job.

HINT Patching rules require filling every gap wider than 1/8" around electrical enclosures that are mounted flush with the wall or ceiling surface. Make sure power is off while applying wet materials around electrical boxes. When applying spackle or mortar, it is easy to get material in the boxes, on the conductors, or in screw holes. Avoid that, and if at worst you do spatter a bit-this includes paint-wipe it off immediately. Most electrical boxes also require that space behind threaded holes be left clear; mortar behind them will have to be broken out in order to be able to thread mounting screws all the way in. The best approach is to insert screws all the way into those holes before you patch, to maintain the clearance. Then unscrew them before the patching compound is fully hard.
Concerned about air infiltration? Never squirt thermal insulation inside electrical boxes. Doing so is illegal, it's a fire hazard, and it's foolish; there are gaskets and external pads that are designed for this purpose.
Another thing to be careful about is bending boxes. Some boxes have been distorted by a careless carpenter to the point that they no longer accommodate wiring devices. When I run into this, we have to redo the carpenters' work, in order to (with luck) straighten out the box. Then the wall or ceiling needs to be fixed--and not by me. Some times, boxes have been broken by carpenters, and required replacement. Yet other times, creative wall-finishers have run cutting tools just inside electrical boxes in order to get drywall openings snugged up--and damaged wires.

There are three pieces of the job that you may be able to take on without me present, once I show you how, that call on apprentice-level skill. Plese note: I have seen people botch each of these tasks; "may be able to" is not the same as "will be able to." The first is pulling metal-clad cable (MC)constructed with full-thickness steel armor, or armored cable (Type ACHH, commonly known as "BX") with full-thickness steel armor into place. Underground Feeder Cable ("UF") is a nonmetallic-sheathed cable that also is tough enough to withstand a moderate amount of stress, though I've seen it damaged by someone careless, or perhaps someone who simply didn't grasp its limits. If you choose to have me show you how to pull cable on your own, and I agree to take the chance, I still will inspect the cable afterwards to make sure that it has not been distorted or otherwise damaged by your installation. If it has been, it gets replaced. Normal non-metallic-sheathed cables (colloquially "romex" and "Service Cable") simply are too vulnerable, so if we use service cable, say to feed a stove outlet, we will work together on the pull. Bringing cables into boxes, and terminating conductors in splices or onto device terminals, using calibrated torque screwdrivers to tighten the screws (this is legally required), are other procedures I very rarely delegate. They take training and supervised practice. Few customers are prepared to take the time to learn these jobs to my standard.

A second task you may take on is to support cables. Against wood, this is usually done using staples. I can show you how an electrician's staple of the appropriate length and width for a particular cable is driven in just far enough to immobilize the cable against a moderate tug, but not so hard that the cable itself gets distorted. On surfaces other than wood, and with larger cables, cable straps are used, normally with screws and, if needed, anchors or, rarely, toggle bolts. Cables need to be supported within 12 inches of the boxes we're likely to use. Subsequently, service cable must be supported every two feet, and most other cables every four-and-a-half feet, or at most six. Distances are measured along the cable, not as a bug flies. All installations are to be done "in a neat and workmanlike manner," so additional supports beyond this minimum often are called for. I'll go over the precise requirements that concern the job in your home.

HINT If for whatever reason you need to remove a staple, ask me to do it, or make sure that I show you how. It is very easy to damage a cable if you pry with a hammer or screwdriver.

A third task you may take on is screwing cover plates in place, and sometimes also switches and receptacles. I never will okay your doing this while the circuit is energized. Not on my watch.

I'll show you how to do this carefully. I have seen installations damaged at this point, requiring expensive troubleshooting. Jamming conductors into crowded boxes can damage insulation, can pull conductors out of splices and off device terminals, and even can break devices or boxes. Even after I've shown you how I do it, if you find you're having trouble, leave it till you can call me over. If you lose the screws that came with a box, cover plate or device, do not replace them with sheet metal screws, drywall screws, or wood screws. I've got extras of the right ones.

HINT When screwing down switches, look for the "on" and "off" markings on single-pole switches, the ones that operate outlets (usually lights) that are not controlled by any other switches. The manufacturer's name on the metal yoke is not necessarily oriented correctly. "On" should be up. If you goof, the switch will read "nO." If you screw them on wrong, I should catch this error. If I overlook it, the inspector should catch it. Other switches such as dimmers often have one end marked, "TOP."

Plans.

On any sizeable job, involving the installation of ten or more electrical devices, the first thing you may need for a permit application is a set of plans. You can prepare them, provided you understand the basic symbols used for electrical equipment. Sometimes, I am paid to sketch plans. Other times, an architect, professional drafter, or general contractor will do this for you. The plans do not need to be professionally crisp, but must include everything an architect would show. I'll provide the information you need.

MATERIALS

Buying them

I will specify the materials needed to do the job you require.Certainly we can use whatever unused equipment you happen to have on hand, provided I consider suitable. In this and the following case, you should recognize that if materials are usable but less than optimal, the cost of installing them may be greater than that of using the most-appropriate parts.

When you purchase materials yourself, you probably will pay very close to what I would pay. I am quite willing to give you a shopping list. A frequently-encountered danger is that supply-house personnel make unauthorized substitutions, because of ignorance, greed, laziness, or lack of specified items. Big box stores can be worse. Read the labels, and read your invoice before paying. Still, you may not recognize substitutions, or may be unable to evaluate them. That could waste your money and both your time and mine.

If you prefer, I am willing to purchase materials for you, charging you for my time plus whatever I am charged for the goods. I will take pains to ensure that they are correct, although I do not warranty them or take responsibility for hidden defects. I will order a quantity that should suffice for the job, but there may have to be multiple supply runs, or, contrariwise, you may have materials left over. As I'm not selling them and making a profit, I do not guarantee materials, nor will I buy back any excess that ends up not being needed.

Hardware Preferences

I am a great believer in steel equipment, at least indoors in dry locations. Not only does it offer better protection (against fire, shock, and even rodent damage) in many cases than does most plastic, it is less subject to harm in the hands of the installer. For that reason, the basic wiring cable I most commonly specify for sweat equity jobs is full thickness steel-armored cable ("BX"), Type ACHH. The basic outlet and device box I specify is the 1900 box with bx clamps and a front flange. This box allows installation of either one or two devices. You need not initially know what thickness wall or what finish you will be using. Because of its roominess (21 cubic inches available, less clamp space), we can install it with a minimum of concern about volume requirements. You will mount it by hammering at least two nails or screwing two screws through its supporting flange into the face or side (depending on which flange stylemakes more sense for your job) of a stud or joist. For lights, a "deep 8B," which is a 4" octagon 2 1/8" deep with suitable clamps and mounting means, may be a reasonable alternative. For very heavy lights and for any paddle fan, a special fan-support box is required by Code. Generally, I will lay out for you exactly where to mount boxes and where to drill holes for cables.