There are numerous items in your home that have electrical wiring. Outlets, lights and appliances come quickly to mind. Some items use low voltage, others use a lot of power, like an electric range.
There are two key issues with electrical wiring. The first is the wire itself. Wiring usually runs inside the walls and ceilings of your home. The power runs through the wire and is controlled by a panel box that contains circuit breakers. The second item is the connections that determine where the power goes. The connections are inside of the boxes that devices like outlets and lights are hooked to.
Before attempting any electrical repair, you want to make sure you have a good understanding of electricity. Following safety guidelines cannot be stressed enough. People are seriously hurt and killed by electricity. See the article 'Electricity Safety Tips' and 'Basic House Wiring' for more information.
Electrical Wiring - Finding Help
Below you will find some common problems you are likely to have with your electrical wiring. There is a brief description and a link that will lead you to additional electrical wiring information. Our evaluation sections of the pages will help you to decide if you want to make the repair. The "What Can You Save?" and "How Hard Could It Be?" sections give you a quick overview of the repair. This will help you decide if you feel confident enough the make your own electrical wiring repair.
The "Check the Simple Things First" section will clue you in to easy fixes to check for. Is it possible to solve your problem without a lot of effort? Many times it is. In an effort to warn you about what you are in for, there is the "What Can Go Wrong" section. Benefit from the mistakes made by others, avoid problems.
Electrical Wiring Topics
How many things do you have in your home that have plugs on them. Millions of items manufactured every year, all making the assumption that you will have somewhere to plug them in. That is where the lowly electrical outlet comes in. Set up with a standardized set of openings, things can be plugged into them and 'presto' they work. Follow the link above for more information on the issues associated with electrical receptacles.
Light switches are one among the simplest of electrical devices. All they do is break the current to the light. A simple yet important technology.
For information on a standard light switch follow the link above. This article has a discussion on the issues associated with light switches, single, two way or whatever.
The other weirdly named switch is discussed in this article . OK I understand that there are three elements, two switches and one light, three way. Then why don't we call a standard switch a two way? The article helps you with two of the three parts of your three way, the 'two' switches. We cover all switches in our home electrical repair topics, no matter how many 'ways' they have.
Dimmer switches are slick devices that dim your lights to the desired level. There is a level of complexity that comes with a dimmer. The dimmer regulates the amount of power going to a light. Fortunately the technical aspects are built into the dimmer.
Things can go wrong with the lights in your home. We already mentioned the light switches. What do you do if the light doesn't work when you flip the switch? Time to get out the candles. That is one option, the other would be to repair the lights.
Most of the time there is a simple explanation for why the light won't work. You may be able to figure it out and repair it in a few minutes. Sometimes you just get tired of your fixtures and want to replace them. Whatever your problem this article can help you with this type of home electrical repair.
Internet phones, cell phones, wireless phones and smart phones. Does anybody need to plug a phone in anymore? You would be surprised. Hard wired phone lines are still a big factor in the phone industry.
There are different ways that phones can be hooked up. Different problems, as well. Take a look at this article to see what your problem might be. Phone jack wiring is an important home electrical repair.
Once in a while you will have troubles with an electrical circuit in your home. What can you do? You may be able to isolate the problem. You could have a loose connection in one of your boxes.
On a rare occasion a breaker will go bad. Is it possible to change one yourself? Find out if is this is a home electrical repair you can make.