Electric Articles
Free Copy of the 2011 National Electric Code (NFPA 70)
The National Electric Code (NEC) is published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The NFPA recovers part of its code development costs by selling code books. However, they do make available a limited-use online copy of the 2011 NEC. Unfortunately, the NFPA intentionally makes this free online version difficult to find and use. (If the free online version were easy to use, no one would buy the books!) I tell you how to access the free version below. New! If you are a Google Plus User and find this how-to helpful, we would...
How to Install a Ceiling Fan Mount Bracket & Electric Box
Editor’s note: This article originally ran in 2008. We’ve come a long way in terms of quality pictures since then, but the information is still useful for tackling this project. —– Ever since we moved to this house, Kim and I have been longing for a master bedroom ceiling fan. In our first home, we had a Hampton Bay fan hanging over the foot of our bed. We grew accustomed to having the white noise & gentle air circulation usher us to sleep each night. Since our new home didn’t come with this feature,...
Why Smoke Detectors Sound False Alarms
A friend caught me the other day and asked if I knew anything about smoke detectors. He was curious why his smoke alarm was going off for no apparent reason and what he should do about it. I didn’t have an answer for him, and it actually reminded me that one of my smoke detectors may be on the fritz too. A while back, one of our smoke detectors started beeping every so often. No big deal right? Just change the battery backup, and you’re good to go. Wrong. I still don’t know what the problem was but I’ve been doing...
Is Voltage or Amperage (Current) More Dangerous?
Every now and then one of our electric-related articles will surface an old debate: what’s really dangerous: voltage or amperage? The most recent post that raised the issue was last week’s Frigidaire wall oven heating issue where I warned readers to turn off the breaker because “220 volts can be lethal.” One of our commenters, Katharine, chimed in saying, “Voltage isn’t lethal, amperage (current) is.” So what really is the dangerous component, voltage or amperage? The answer is both. It’s...
Can You Install a Cooktop and Wall Oven on the Same Circuit?
While traditional oven/stove combinations plug in to either a 3- or 4-prong 240-volt socket, wall ovens and cooktops must be direct wired using appropriate junction boxes, usually installed in the cabinet above or below the wall oven, and/or in the cabinet beneath the cooktop. One common question is whether a separate cooktop and wall oven can be installed on the same circuit. The answer, according to the 2008 National Electric Code, is YES, provided certain conditions are met in the installation. In general, the rule in section 220.55...
GFCI Outlets Increase Safety in Electrical Circuits
Over the last two weeks we’ve told you how polarized outlets and grounded electrical circuits increase the safety of the electrical systems in our homes. This week we’re going to focus on a third electrical safety enhancement we enjoy: the ground fault circuit interrupt, or GFCI. You’ll recall from both of the previous articles in our series that in the normal operation of electric devices, electricity flows from the hot side of the outlet, through the appliance, and back out the neutral (common) side. In this scenario,...
Why Electrical Circuits are Grounded
Last week we discussed why outlets and plugs are polarized (it’s a safety feature… if you missed that article, it’s worth a quick read). This week I want to take a minute to describe why modern day electric circuits and appliances are grounded. Most of the electric circuits in your house have three wires going to them, a black wire (normally hot, or energized), a white wire (normally neutral), and a bare copper wire (always ground). The larger left slot in an outlet is connected to the neutral wire; the smaller right...
Why is One Side of an Outlet/Plug Larger than the Other?
You’ve probably noticed that in all homes built since the early 80s, the standard configuration for a receptacle is a large slot on the left, a smaller slot on the right, and a roughly circular hole in the middle underneath the two of them. You probably know that the center hole at the bottom is the ground wire, but probably don’t know why one slot is larger than the other, or how grounding works exactly. How Electric Circuits Work The larger, left slot in a receptacle is neutral and the smaller right slot is hot. In all...
Cutler Hammer 220V Breaker | Breaker Panels & Breaker Installation
220 volt breakers are commonplace in today’s homes. 220 volt electrical circuits power stoves, electric furnaces, central air conditioners, and water heaters. While most homeowners won’t ever need to install a new electrical circuit, there are circumstances where a new 220V circuit may be necessary. For example, we installed radiant heated flooring in our basement. Our system runs on 220 volts and requires a dedicated circuit for each of the 4 segments of the basement floor. We installed an electrical sub-panel for the heated...
Make a Breaker Panel Label and Label Your Receptacle Plates!
In the process of finishing our basement we had to add a few breakers to our main breaker panel, which was poorly labeled to begin with. I took the opportunity to go around the house and establish exactly which breakers controlled which receptacles and made a new label key with all the details. This is a really easy (and oddly fun) project to tackle when you’ve got the time. I used a standard-issue electrical outlet tester (picture on the right), created the breaker label key as a Word table, then laminated the printed version and...
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