Home Electric Training Materials

Home Maintenance:  What is a Breaker? 

(Update 10/14/2022)

This class teaches stuff your parents should have taught you or stuff that you could easily learn on a DIY video if you took the time. This workshop is focused on home energy - specifically electricity. Knowing a bit about how the home electric system works will help you with not only your future homes but in many practical situations at work or at play. I teach some basic knowledge about outlets, switches and lights. It is hands on experience.

Codes and Loads THERE ARE CODES!! 

  • Permits Required for large projects -new circuits or adding outlets. Pretty sure changing outlets fixtures and switches does not require a permit.
  • Homeowners can do stuff but must follow the code (room by room Links to an external site. has some good general information)

 

Why do you need this training?

  • You need to change an outlet
    • Old outlets
    • Don’t like the style or color of outlets or switches
  • You want to upgrade a light fixture
  • You want to convert to Smart house wiring (NEST or smart lights)
  • You want to monitor your home energy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Volts: Think of it as pressure or potential energy

Current (Amps). Think of it as water flowing through a hose

DC/AC: Direct or Alternating Current

Resistance: Ohms

Power: Measured in Watts. Volts x Amps = Watts

Energy: Watts x hours = Wh or kWh

 

 

Simple Circuit

 

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Use a Voltmeter

  • DC volts from a battery
  • AC volts from the outlet
  • Resistance
  • Current (can't do that, Needs to be in series.

Power to your home.

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  • 120 VAC (standard) or 240 VAC (dryer, oven, hot water heater) Higher volts, same amps more power!!
  • Standard breaker panel: 60 or 100 amp service. Newer homes maybe 200 amp service. You can’t tell by looking!!
  • Multiple circuits in the service panel/breaker box. They will add up to more than the total of the incoming amps as it assumes not all will be loaded at the same time. EG. a 100 amp service could have ten 15-amp circuits.
  • Wires get hot when in use (resistance) hence the need for correct wire sizes and circuits.
  • Wire size - bigger wire handles more amps. Smaller number =  bigger wire :} As a guide, #14 wire is good for 15 amps, #12 wire is good for 20 amps. 10 guage wire is bigger than 12 guage.
  • 14/2 or 12/2 wire is common. The /2 means 2 wires (not three or more)
  • Circuit Protection:
    • Standard circuit breakers insure that the wires don’t get too hot and start a fire. They work on a current overload. Standard breakers are thermo magnetic. It will “break” the circuit if constant load heats wires using the thermo part of the breaker. This is bimetalic strip that bends. With a short circuit . . . there is a magentic field generated that results in breaking the circuit. 
    • 15, 20 or 30 amp circuits handle different loads, Electrical current is measured as amps (or ampacity). 
    • GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) are in place to protect people. They are based on a “current leak”. Response time is much faster. More on these later.
    • AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter) (2008 code?).  Circuit board that looks at frequency of arcing.
  • What is the dangerous part of electricity (volts or amps)? Read this article Links to an external site..

Circuit Calculations

  • Watts = Volts x Amps  (Assume 120 volts in the house)
  • What is maximum watts on a 15 amp circuit?
  • What is watts for a 1 amp appliance?
  • What is amps of a 1500 watt appliance (microwave)?
  • Would a 15 amp circuit ‘break” if you had a refrigerator (1000 W) and toaster (1200 W) plugged in and running at the same time?
  • If you are constantly “breaking the circuit” would it be a good idea to change your breaker from a 15 amp to a 20 amp?

 

Outlets are so Cool!!

  • Wire colors: which wire is hot? (black one) 
  • What are the white and green or no plastic casing for? (white=neutral, Green = ground)
  • Which wire is hot? (need to test)
  • Three sizes/shapes of holes to plug into. Think small child's fingers. Last one they will stick their finger in is the smallest one - that one is hot.
  • Three different color screws. - white, brass, green. White is white. 
  • Option for ‘stick in’ or use screws.
  • Why double set of screws? (e.g. two hot, two neutral?)
  • What is the tab for?
  • Some outlets have no ground . . .?? (Old style. Never replace an outlet that has a ground with an system that is not grounded.)
  • Some electronics don’t have a ground . . .?? (double insulated - typically non-conductive housing)

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outlet to power

 

Wire that Circuit!!

Wiring of a standard outlet, light and switch. New style wiring (2008 code)


 wiring

  • Starting with framed wall, receptacle and #14 wire
  • Connect an electric outlet, and a switch and light bulb combo.
  • Test if the outlets or light are hot with volt meter.
  • Test watts used by an appliance using watt meter.

Older Style Wiring.

  • Power (hot and neutral) came into light and neutral went to switch.
  • This is important with new smart switches needing both hot and neutral. Smart Bulbs do not need this HOWEVER  with Smart Bulbs, the light switch must always be on for the light to work as Smart bulbs/smart switch needs power all the time to connect with the wireless in the house.

old wiring

Standard switch

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Three Way Switch Wiring


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More on GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)

  • Measures amps in and out of circuit.
  • Checks for current leak. Senses amps out of hot and amps back to neutral.
  • Quicker than a circuit breaker
  • Used around water (bathroom,kitchen garage)

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240 Volt

Dryer, Hot water Heater. Electric Oven/Stove. More power with same amps.

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Terminology and Concepts

Stranded vs solid wire, Wire nuts, Receptacle box, Conduit, Switch, Switch plate, Wire Sizes, GFCI outlet: Ground Fault Circuit Interupter, Circuit Breaker. Breaker Box or Breaker Panel, Wire stripper, Volt meter, Watts, watt hours, volts, amps, resistance. Smart Switch. Black is Power. White is Neutral, Green is Ground!