It's easy to be confused by wire gauge, especially since, as the number gets lower, the size of the actual wire goes up! AWG stands for American Wire Gauge and is a specification of sorts that gives specific wire dimensions for, among other things, electrical wires. The sizes (gauges) range from 0000 ("four aught" the largest) to 40 (the smallest). Wire gauge is a term that refers to how wire is made - namely by pulling it through a die. A higher gauge, in theory, designates how many times the wire was pulled through a die to reduce its diameter. You can figure that a wire doubles in size every 6 steps in gauge.
When shopping for electrical test & measurement tools you will often come across category designations from I - IV. These can be confusing, or lead you to think that you need to look for a certain category, or that one s better than another. In terms of application, that might be correct. Overall, these designate particular uses and ratings for electrical test & measurement tools, and so we decided to put together this article to clear up any confusion and put it all into layman's terms.
We covered placement of outlet receptacles in another article, but we were also asked about the location of switches when wiring up a room. While the NEC doesn't specify the height of switches, it is pretty much standard procedure in most places to put them at 48" on-center. The exception would be for homes where wheelchair-accessibility is a major concern (in which case you can place them around 40").
During a remodel, customers and clients have often asked me what the rules are for placing electrical outlets (receptacles). There are several rules in fact, though the height of a receptacle or wall switch isn't part of the NEC code - at least not with respect to standard placement of switches and outlets. It's good to double check your work to make sure it all makes sense and that you have sufficient ergonomics to activate all switches and access your outlets efficiently.
It's not uncommon to want to run 120V wiring underground. You may want to send power to your shed or garage, or you may be interested in wiring up a lamp post or electric gate motor. In either case, there are a few details you'll need to be aware of in order to meet current building codes.
Arc Fault circuit breakers are new to a lot of homeowners who haven't dealt with electrical codes in the past several years. The new breakers are the result of much study in the industry as to how home fires start and what could be done to prevent them. Some studies reveal that over 150 fires occur in homes across the United States each day due to electrical wiring problems. An arc fault breaker differs from a GFCI in that it detects slow electrical leaks. A slow leak typically occurs when wiring is compromised but not completely shorted. A good example of this would be when a nail punctures a wire behind the wall and a small electrical current begins to build up heat. Another is when a wire nut becomes loose and a small arc forms that builds up temperature between the wire and nearby ground. They can even happen when an outlet or switch connection becomes loose.
If you are doing any type of electrical work, insulated hand tools are highly recommended. Just because your screwdriver or pliers have plastic handles does not guarantee they will insulate you from electrical shock.
GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. These are also referred to as GFIs, or Ground Fault Interrupters. A GFCI precisely monitors the balance of electrical current moving through a circuit. If an imbalance occurs, like in a short, the GFCI immediately cuts off the electricity. An imbalance means that the power flowing through the circuit differs from the power returning to it. A GFCI's purpose is to prevent fatal electrical shocks through elimination of sustained current draw when a short occurs.
Our Frequently Asked Questions section is dedicated to questions of all kinds, types, and experience levels. We'll tackle any question no matter how complex or basic. If we see a topic come up in the forums enough or maybe from email or friends, we'll write a FAQ on it. This time, it's about extension cords.
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