Basic House Wiring

When Code allows you to design a circuit to be either 15- or 20-amp (e.g., bedrooms, living room, family room), you might want to consider the area to be covered (600 sq. ft. max. for a 15-amp circuit, 800 sq. ft. for 20-amp), the wire-size capacity of your outlet and switch boxes, the stiffness of heavier wire in the process of making connections and installing devices, the heaviest likely ...

Basic House Wiring Circuits and Circuit Breakers: The types and sizes of Circuit Breakers, 15 amp 120 volt circuits, 20 amp 120 volt circuits, 30 amp 240 volt circuits, AFCI Circuits 15 and 20 amp 120 volt Circuit Breakers.

To determine exactly how many amps you can run through a particular gauge wire and for more details on selecting the proper gauge wiring click here. Common Electrical Wiring Diagrams. Frequently Asked Electrical Questions. Wire Gauge and Voltage Drop Calculator. NEC Reference Tables (2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, and 1999) Electrical - The Basics

A laundry room needs at least one 20-amp circuit for receptacles serving laundry equipment; this circuit can supply a clothes washer or a gas dryer. An electric dryer needs its own 30-amp, 240-volt circuit wired with four conductors (older circuits often have three conductors). All receptacles must be GFCI-protected.

Inspect the gauge of the main service wire, if you can see it. Six gauge copper wire can carry 60 amps, four gauge indicates 100 amps, 2 gauge carries 125 amps, 1 gauge corresponds to 150 amps and ...

Electrical wire and circuit breakers are designed to work in tandem with one another, and each must be of a proper corresponding size. For example, 14/2 gauge electrical wire is rated to a maximum of 15 amps and should not be used with any circuit breaker larger than 15 amps.12/2 gauge wiring is rated to a maximum of 20 amps.

A fuse is an electrical part which you can’t see as it’s always inside a plug or an electrical device such as TV. Basically fuses are used to protect electrical appliances, parts and electronic components from potential damage due to a high current – Ampere – flowing in the circuit. This electrical part is a small length thin wire created using lead and tin alloy.

Most outlets supply 120 volts, which is provided by one hot wire bringing the power to the outlet and one neutral wire carrying it back to the service panel. Some heavy-duty appliances, such as large air-conditioners, electric ranges, and electric water heaters, use 240 volts, supplied by two 120-volt hot wires with one neutral wire.

The color of a cable’s outer sheath tells you the gauge of the wire inside the sheath as well as the amperage rating for the circuit. WHITE = 14-gauge wire, 15-amp circuit. YELLOW = 12-gauge wire, 20-amp circuit. ORANGE = 10-gauge wire, 30-amp circuit. BLACK = 8- or 6-gauge wire, 45- or 60-amp circuits.

In this article, we’ll show you some house wiring basics—how to position outlet and switch boxes and run the electrical cable between them. We won’t cover many other house wiring details. For help with circuit design and making connections to your main electrical panel, we recommend you consult a licensed electrician.