4) Residential Electrical "Rough In" continued.

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The Rough In
   Layout the Plan
   Acquire Material
   Nail up boxes
   Drill the Framing
   Pull Wire
   >Make up Connections
   Inspection

   The Rough In    Step 6    Make up Connections   

When all the wire pulling is complete, it is time to begin making up the wiring connections.

The ends of the wires that are stapled outside of the box, are stripped from their sheathing and placed inside the box and then about a 1/2 inch of insulation is stripped off of each conductor. Specific wires are twisted together with a lineman pliers, capped by twisting on wire nuts and folded deep into the box where the sheet rocker's tools will not damage the conductors insulation.
Take notice of the key points and recommended methods mentioned here:
    All the wires are pulled and left outside the box until all wire pulling is complete.
    The sheathing (not wires) is stripped outside the box and then inserted into the box.
    The stripped ends of the wires are twisted together with a lineman and then capped.

These methods are not followed by all Residential Electricians. Some place the wires into the box as soon as they pull it to the box. This is not recommended. The wire pulling will go faster if you don't stop to strip and stuff each wire. Also, waiting to strip wires when all the wire pulling is complete will make changes easier. Pull all wires to the box and leave them unstripped outside the box until it is time to make up the connections.

Others strip off the sheathing after the wire is in the box. This too is not recommended. Stripping the sheathing inside a box can cause a nick in the metal conductor that is difficult to noticed. A nick in a metal conductor reduces the size and ampacity of the wire and can promote sparking. When working on connections or installing switches, the wires get moved around alot. This motion can cause a nicked wire to break off. Strip the sheathing outside the box where you can inspect the insulation on each conductor before inserting the wire into the box.

Other Electricians will hold the ends of stripped wires together and twist on the wire nut without twisting the wires together with a lineman pliers first. This is not recommended because some of the wires might pull loose from the connection causing sparking or lost power. First twist the stripped ends of the wires together with a lineman and then twist on the wire nut.

Stripping off the sheathing
First we have to remove the correct amount of sheathing. The sheathing has to extend into the box 1 inch. Hold the cable next to the box and find the point on the cable that would extend 1 inch into the box. Score the sheathing at this point. The sheathing can be scored with a knife or with the teeth of your stripper. Pull the sheathing off the wires and insert the wires into the box.

Stripping UF sheathing
UF or "underground feeder" can be buried in the ground. It is different from standard wire. Instead of wrapping the conductors in a sheathing they are totally encased in solid plastic making they difficult to separate and strip. To separate the wires, grab the center, bare ground and peel it back out of the plastic. This will expose the black and white wires which can also be peeled out. Cut off the excess plastic.


The Wire Stripper.
This excellent design fits easily in your tool belt.
Notice the different sized stripping grooves,
a cutting blade near the center pivot for easy
cutting and a needle nose tip used for bending
wires around screws and knocking out
holes in boxes.


Stripping off the insulation
Some use a lineman pliers to strip the insulation off a conductor. They pinch the wire with the cutting blade to score the insulation, then pivot the pliers back and forth to score all around the wire and then slide the insulation off the end if the conductor. This method is OK if you can do it without nicking the metal conductor.

The best way to strip off the insulation is to use a wire stripper. The stripper has different sized grooves for different sized conductors. Some wire strippers are for solid wires, others are for stranded wires. If you are using size 14 wire, set the wire in the groove labeled 14 and close the stripper. This will cut the insulation without nicking the metal. With the stripper held closed, slide the insulation off the end of the wire.

Connecting the wires
When connecting wires it is best to twist the conductors together with a "lineman's pliers" before screwing on the wire nut. Hold the conductors so that the ends of their insulation are even (rather than the ends of the copper) Grab the ends of the wire with your lineman and twist several times (about 360 degrees twice) Cut off the end of the finished twist of copper that exceeds 1/2 inch. Screw on your wire nut. If you can see the copper part of the wires sticking out of the wire nut then remove the nut and cut off more of the copper.

Combining solid wires with stranded
When combining solid wire with stranded wire, always hold the stranded slightly longer than the solid, about 1/8 inch past the end of the solid, to ensure that the wire nut grabs the stranded as you screw it on. If you have multiple wires, twist the solid wires together first then twist the stranded wires together, then hold the stranded wires 1/8th inch past the solids and screw on the wire nut.


Different size wire nuts

Wire nuts come in different sizes and colors. Each size has a limited number of wires that it is designed to connect. The number of wires permitted is printed on the packaging the the nuts are shipped in.

Packing the wires into the box
Try to fold the wires into the box neatly, keeping the wire ends towards the front of the box where they can be easily pulled and attached to the devices.


Service Equipment
Mounting and making up the electrical panels, meter box, grounding, overhead or underground conduits and service wire is done towards the end of an electrical rough in. The 7 Steps apply to the service equipment too;
Layout the Plan = one panel in the garage with the meter outside and a 2nd panel in the basement.
Acquire Material = figure out how many and what size breakers you need along with hardware and conduit.
Nail up boxes = In this case mount the panels and meterbox.
Drill the Framing = Drill the hole for the service wire to go from the meter to the panels
Pull Wire = Pull the service wires from the meter to the panels
Make up Connections= Terminate all wiring inside the panels
Inspection = Check the tightness of all breaker connections.

Service equipment includes; panels, ground rods, meter box, main disconnects, service conductors and the over head or underground conduit. The construction of the service equipment is normally done by a more experienced electrician and not by a beginner.

It is important for a beginner to know how many panels there are, where they are located which circuits belong in each panel and that your Home Run is long enough to reach the bottom breaker. A large mansion can have a 40 space panel in the basement, another one upstairs and a third in the garage. Before you pull your home run you will need to know which panel you are heading to. The electrician in charge will divide the circuits between panels in a way that will balance the total electrical load evenly.


The Rough In
   Layout the Plan
   Acquire Material
   Nail up boxes
   Drill the Framing
   Pull Wire
   Make up Connections
   >Inspection

   The Rough In    Step 8    Inspection   
Inspect your work for errors, missing or unfinished work and call to arrange for a government inspection.

Experienced electricians are constantly observing the quality of their own work and the work of their company. Even as they walk to lunch they might observe the job site wiring looking for something missing or out of place.Beginner electricians are more concerned about what they are going to do after work. Beginners have trouble recognizing that they did not finish their assignment. Finished means 100% complete not 90% Beginners will say "I'm finished" yet when you check their work 5 to 10% of their task is incomplete, not because they didn't know how to do it, but because they just didn't do it and they didn't check to see if they missed anything.

Check your own work
1) Verify that the Home Run (wire to panel) is connected to your circuit.2) Visually follow the wiring around your circuit to ensure that all boxes are connected
together and that all wires are in the box.
3) Consider the mistakes you, or others, have made in the past and check to see if you
made them again.
4) Check to see if any changes or additions were completed as instructed by the builder
or customer.

Check your teams work
Common mistakes;1 of 3 wires not inserted into the box
Closet light wire not inserted into box
Wire to fireplace inserts forgotten or not connected
Wrong depth on a bar hanger style light box
4 gang box not level or flush with sheet rock
Forgot to set boxes on the wires for outside receptacles in brick
Missed fire caulk or nail plates

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