Blowstrees
Member
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How To Wire A New Circuit To Your Panel
- Thread starter Blowstrees
- Start date
foolish fool
Member
yeah this looks like something we needed on IC, I'm surprised it wasn't here yet. It seems too easy to be true haha but I guess when you think about what's going on it's pretty simple.
Could someone explain what would be different installing a 240v line? Just the breaker, and maybe wire gauge? Two hots into the breaker and ground to the bar?
I have no experience with electrical other than the most simple of projects but I do think I could handle this. I'd like to have some of our electrical guys go over this post. They tend to keep me thinking I shouldn't fuck with electricity hah but I've never seen it laid out like that and this post makes me think I can do it no problem.
Could someone explain what would be different installing a 240v line? Just the breaker, and maybe wire gauge? Two hots into the breaker and ground to the bar?
I have no experience with electrical other than the most simple of projects but I do think I could handle this. I'd like to have some of our electrical guys go over this post. They tend to keep me thinking I shouldn't fuck with electricity hah but I've never seen it laid out like that and this post makes me think I can do it no problem.
Dr. Conjuror
Member
Thanks for the nice graphic tutorial.
I do not seem to have a main breaker visible by my box. Could it be behind the panel? I should not remove the front panel o the box without the main power being cut first, correct?
Dr. Conjuror
I do not seem to have a main breaker visible by my box. Could it be behind the panel? I should not remove the front panel o the box without the main power being cut first, correct?
Dr. Conjuror
Blowstrees
Member
Schrew- Hey no problem man! Wiring knowledge comes in handy sometimes eh?
Foolish- Sorry I forgot when I wrote this thing a few months ago that it was only written for 120 volt circuits. Wire guage and breakers all play a part in the difference. A 240 volt breaker takes up 2 slots in your panel divi'ing the load between each 120 volt spot. You would connect both hot lines to the breaker, one in each slot of the breaker , and then the ground to the busbar. Be extra careful when working with 240 volt power as it can kill you. Good luck!
Dr- Ive never seen a panel that covers up the main breaker, but then again Im not an electrician. Although it would not make sense to make somebody take a cover off to shut the main power off to the house. You can remove the front panel without shutting the power off just dont touch of of the wiring, only the breakers themselves and be cautious.
Dont make any changes to the power with being certain it is shut down though. hope that helped.
Foolish- Sorry I forgot when I wrote this thing a few months ago that it was only written for 120 volt circuits. Wire guage and breakers all play a part in the difference. A 240 volt breaker takes up 2 slots in your panel divi'ing the load between each 120 volt spot. You would connect both hot lines to the breaker, one in each slot of the breaker , and then the ground to the busbar. Be extra careful when working with 240 volt power as it can kill you. Good luck!
Dr- Ive never seen a panel that covers up the main breaker, but then again Im not an electrician. Although it would not make sense to make somebody take a cover off to shut the main power off to the house. You can remove the front panel without shutting the power off just dont touch of of the wiring, only the breakers themselves and be cautious.
Dont make any changes to the power with being certain it is shut down though. hope that helped.
foolish fool
Member
Thanks man that's what I thought. Seems simple enough.
That shows that things can often be different from set up to set up. Be careful!
Blowstrees
Member
Good call Red!
Dr. Conjuror
Member
Blowstrees - Thanks . There is a box right before the power meter (which is sealed by the electric company) and then it goes from the meter straight to the panel. I will open the panel in the day light tomorrow. There might even be some electrical contractors working at the construction site next door, I might see i I can get one of them to take a brief look.
Foolish Fool: And of course thanks for looking out. I will report back what I find out.
Foolish Fool: And of course thanks for looking out. I will report back what I find out.
Mickymouse
Member
Didnt see any wire locks that hold wire to box.Look at other wire coming into panel.Wire could rub panel and short out or be pulled out.Just a thought.
Lord Doobie
Member
When you punch out the holes for the wires, rubber gromlets should be inserted before the wires. This way, any rubbing of the steel against the wires for whatever reason doesn't result in cutting or shorting of the wires.
You may want to add light gardening gloves used for safety and wire strippers to the list
You may want to add light gardening gloves used for safety and wire strippers to the list
Blowstrees
Member
Dr- the main breaker for your power should be in the panel and not anywhere else in my experience. The contractors next door should be able to straighten you out. Good luck.
Mickeymouse and Lord Doobie- Thanks for your input. RedReign had mentioned that and I already commented that it would be wise to follow that advice. I didn't have one installed on on that particular run because the (3) 14 gauge Romex cables I had going into the one smaller punch out created a very tight fit. If the cable was loose then I would have certainly put a cable clamp in place. As far as cutting or shorting of the wire, I believe the 6-8 inches of insulation I left on the lines will be sufficient. Wire strippers are already included on my list of tools as well. As far as gardening gloves when doing eletrical wiring...well i'll leave that one to you Lord Doobie
Mickeymouse and Lord Doobie- Thanks for your input. RedReign had mentioned that and I already commented that it would be wise to follow that advice. I didn't have one installed on on that particular run because the (3) 14 gauge Romex cables I had going into the one smaller punch out created a very tight fit. If the cable was loose then I would have certainly put a cable clamp in place. As far as cutting or shorting of the wire, I believe the 6-8 inches of insulation I left on the lines will be sufficient. Wire strippers are already included on my list of tools as well. As far as gardening gloves when doing eletrical wiring...well i'll leave that one to you Lord Doobie
GivaDogaBone
Member
Second the nomination!!!
H
Hazyfontazy
vinnythebat
Member
john cutter
Member
Good info, just wired up some outlets near the ceiling for my new room design. Alot easier to do than I thought it would be, just like the tutorial.
madpenguin
Member
I'm most certainly not trying to be a dick by any means but Hazyfontazy has a valid point. I just had a fun time of "spot the violations" with your panel.
As everyone has already beat to death, ALWAYS use NM connectors in your punchout holes. Doesn't matter that you have 3 14/2's and they fit snug. You will eventually get a ground or arc fault without using a NM connector. You should only use 2 14/2's or 2 12/2's per standard knockout as well.
As you've already mentioned, you really should buy a pair of wire strippers. You'll damage the individual conductor insulation frequently by using a utility knife to remove the outer sheathing.
Also, you should always connect ground first, then neutral, then hot. If you want to remove something reverse the order. Disconnect hot, then neutral and then ground.
Never put a grounding conductor under the same lug as a neutral wire. No more than 2 grounding conductors under one terminal screw and only one grounded(neutral) conductor per terminal screw. A neutral connection should never be broken under any circumstance is the reason. This is why you use the ungrounded(hot) conductors on a light switch and not the neutrals. Same reasoning in the panel. If your ever doing work in the panel and you need to do something with a grounding conductor(bare copper), your forced to remove the neutral as well if they're under the same lug.
You should only have 3/8" of cable sheathing entering the box as well. There are support issues as well with the staples but now I'm just nitpicking.
There is a really good thread on all this info plus a crap load more at:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=117867
I, and others, have went into GREAT detail (pictures and all) on how to wire receptacles and subpanels and various other things.
C
coconaut
Good write up, thanks for taking the time to do that, I'm sure many people will find this useful.
I have one suggestion though. I found that your last sentence in the following quote wasn't very clear, and it's fairly important.
I know what you're trying to say, but the sentence may be confusing to others.
I have one suggestion though. I found that your last sentence in the following quote wasn't very clear, and it's fairly important.
I know what you're trying to say, but the sentence may be confusing to others.
Actually, the main disconnect can be in any number of places, although it is most commonly located in or near the main panel. In many instances the meter is the only disconnect and needs to be removed.
But then, anyone who can't figure out how to turn off the power to the panel shouldn't be messing around in it, should they!
Mickeymouse and Lord Doobie- Thanks for your input. RedReign had mentioned that and I already commented that it would be wise to follow that advice. I didn't have one installed on on that particular run because the (3) 14 gauge Romex cables I had going into the one smaller punch out created a very tight fit. If the cable was loose then I would have certainly put a cable clamp in place. As far as cutting or shorting of the wire, I believe the 6-8 inches of insulation I left on the lines will be sufficient. Wire strippers are already included on my list of tools as well. As far as gardening gloves when doing eletrical wiring...well i'll leave that one to you Lord Doobie
It was real nice of you to go to the trouble of putting this information together. I only glanced at it, so I don't know if the rest of your instructions are valid or not, but this tidbit here is just rank amateurish. It really doesn't matter if you left six inches or six feet of insulation in the panel, the only important part is the couple of mm where the wire passes thru the hole and is in contact with the sharp edges of the metal box (main panel). Over time that sharp edge can cut into the insulation on the wire. Anytime a wire passed into a box of any kind, the proper fitting or connector should be used. This is not something to scoff at or take lightly.
Wearing rubber gloves is not a bad idea, nor is standing on a rubber mat. I'd also suggest anyone doing this wrap the stems of their screwdrivers with electrical tape or tubing. Even when you turn off the main breaker on many panels, there are still live, unfused electrical parts in that panel and it isn't that hard to bump into them. Aside from the fact that you could kill yourself, a much more common accident is to touch something metal against a live connection then metal go boom and you've got molten metal flying everywhere, including into your face and, which are commonly nearby.
Anyhoo, you can make fun of basic safety precautions that people who work with electricity for a living take, and you can ignore basic industry standards for wiring installations, but that doesn't make it right! There's nothing macho about being unsafe; there's nothing cool about ridiculing someone who suggests a good safety measure. There's nothing wrong with doing things yourself, as long as you do them right. ...and you damn well better make sure they are done right before you go instructing other people how to do it.
PC
