Home Electrical Repairs in the Real World

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A common wiring scenario. Notice how the double terminals on the receptacle function as a splice between the incoming and outgoing hot (black) and neutral (white) wires. With only one ground terminal (top), the receptacle needs a short pigtail ground wire, which is wirenutted to the ground wires of the two cables, plus another pigtail attached to the metal box. On a plastic box, the second pigtail is eliminated.
A common wiring scenario. Notice how the double terminals on the receptacle function as a splice between the incoming and outgoing hot (black) and neutral (white) wires. With only one ground terminal (top), the receptacle needs a short pigtail ground wire, which is wirenutted to the ground wires of the two cables, plus another pigtail attached to the metal box. On a plastic box, the second pigtail is eliminated.
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A typical ceiling light box. Many wires are joined here, but for replacement, focus on the wires connected to the light.
A typical ceiling light box. Many wires are joined here, but for replacement, focus on the wires connected to the light.
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Replacing a three-way switch. Locate terminals according to color and/or position, then transfer one wire at a time from the old switch (top) to the new switch (bottom).
Replacing a three-way switch. Locate terminals according to color and/or position, then transfer one wire at a time from the old switch (top) to the new switch (bottom).
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An outlet receptacle with hot, neutral, and ground pigtail wires attached.
An outlet receptacle with hot, neutral, and ground pigtail wires attached.
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A ground fault circuit interpreter (GFCI), with TEST and RESET buttons.
A ground fault circuit interpreter (GFCI), with TEST and RESET buttons.
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An outlet attached to three cables with the use of pigtail wires.
An outlet attached to three cables with the use of pigtail wires.
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The needle-nose pliers grasp the copper fin that connects the upper and lower hot terminals of the receptacle. In some cases, the fin between the terminals and the neutral fin must be removed.
The needle-nose pliers grasp the copper fin that connects the upper and lower hot terminals of the receptacle. In some cases, the fin between the terminals and the neutral fin must be removed.
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A light switch connected by plugging stripped wires directly into designated holes in the back. 
A light switch connected by plugging stripped wires directly into designated holes in the back. 
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A properly formed terminal end is ready to slip under its screw. After stripping about 3/4
A properly formed terminal end is ready to slip under its screw. After stripping about 3/4" of insulation off the wire, form the hook with needle-nosed pliers. Place it under the screw, hook going clockwise, and tighten screw.
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Use of a wirenut to connect wires. Be sure no bare wire is exposed, tug wires to check, and tape.
Use of a wirenut to connect wires. Be sure no bare wire is exposed, tug wires to check, and tape.
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Premade wire-bends allow device to push back into the box easily.
Premade wire-bends allow device to push back into the box easily.
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The box marked with an
The box marked with an "X" is a sub-feed fuse box,deriving its power from the main entrance box to the right. A sub-feed box doesn't have to be right next to the main panel. You could find them far away.
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A modern, precisely labeled main entrance panel. Always check with a test light to make sure the circuit you're working on is dead.
A modern, precisely labeled main entrance panel. Always check with a test light to make sure the circuit you're working on is dead.

If you’re like most people, when the weather turns cold, gray, and damp, you turn inward. I’m not talking about transcendentalism; I’m talking about your house. Late fall is the perfect time to consider all the in-home repairs and upgrades you’ve left on the back burner during the busy growing and harvesting seasons. With this in mind, you decide today is the right day to replace that broken light fixture just inside the back door. You already have the new light (you bought it last year, remember?), and those fix-it-yourself shows on TV make its replacement look like a ten-minute no-brainer. But as you remove the fixture coverplate, the gray fall light does not reveal what you saw on TV; it reveals a tangled mess of perhaps ten or more individual wires connected with as many as four or five wirenuts. Where’s the simple “black wire-to-black wire” and “white wire-to-white wire” scenario you saw in the fixture instructions? Why, there’s even some red wires in there!

Basic Tools and Accessories

For simplicity’s sake, I’ll focus my advice on three home electrical repairs homeowners are likely to attempt: (1) replacing a light switch, (2) replacing an outlet, and (3) replacing a light fixture. Later, I’ll give you some tips on methods that are common to all three of these endeavors, as well as other wiring projects.

To save time, you should have the tools, accessories, and replacement devices on hand before starting the actual work. The basic tools for electrical work include needle-nose pliers, a pair of linesman’s pliers, tools that cut and strip wire, a utility knife, various screwdrivers, and a test light or multimeter. Some typical accessories include things like wirenuts of different sizes, electrical tape, grounding screws or clips, and short pieces of copper wire for making ground connections. As for the devices, that’s where I start giving you some of that advice I promised. To select the proper light switch, first determine if it works alone or in conjunction with another switch or switches to control the light. If it works alone, it’s a simple, single-pole switch. If you can operate the light from two locations, the switch (or switches, if you replace both of them) you’ll need is a three-way switch. Don’t let the term “three-way” confuse you; it refers to the way the switch itself works, not to the number required to do the job. A light that can be controlled from more than two locations uses two three-way switches, plus a four-way switch for each additional location. In this instance, the only way to determine whether the switch is a three-way or four-way switch is to remove the switch’s coverplate and see how many wires connect to it. A three-way has three connected wires and a four-way has four (excluding any ground wire). How many switches should you buy? The answer in the first case is obvious, but in the second and third cases it depends on your situation.

In cases involving more than one switch, if you’re replacing the switches for cosmetic purposes (such as remodeling), you must buy all of them. But if you want to replace only the defective switch in a multi-switch job, you have two options: swapping a new switch with each suspected one until the light works, or using a multimeter or test light to locate the bad apple in the bunch. If you don’t know how to test a switch, then swapping is probably your best bet. All that’s left is choosing the color and style of your new switch and — if you make a change in either category — buying a new coverplate. Color and style will also play a part in choosing a new receptacle, but location will be the most important factor.

  • Published on Dec 1, 1998
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