Archive for the ‘Electrical’ Category

Kitchen Remodeling: Lighting and Electrical

ugly kitchen light

Ugly Old Fluorescent

HelpHive Kitchen Remodeling Series

Part I: Kitchen Remodeling: Where to Start
Part II: Kitchen Remodeling: New Countertops
Part III: Kitchen Remodeling: Lighting & Electrical

If you have decided to remodel your kitchen and have the costs in front of you, you are likely dealing with some sticker shock. While it is easy to get carried away, it is just as easy to make critical mistakes in the name of saving money. Now is the time to remodel your lighting and electrical receptacles.

Take time to think through where you need more light for workspaces and consider accent lighting. Adding receptacles, or changing their locations, and making sure their circuits can carry the load makes good sense.

Where are the wires going to go?

Some wiring runs can be exposed behind torn out cabinets making some changes easy. There is usually some drywall work needed somewhere though, and this means it can pay to open up a path in your ceiling or wall if needed to bring in more lighting or receptacles.

kitchen lights 2

Pendants and Recessed

Getting light where it’s needed

You want good overall general brightness and you want to eliminate any shadows in workspaces. This may be best accomplished with a combination of overhead lighting and under cabinet fluorescents. Depending on the kitchen design style some will prefer to accomplish all with recessed lights.

Accent Lighting

Accent lights can add drama to your kitchen. These can be recessed mini-cans, pointable lights,  or pendants. Usually the light is tightly focused rather than broadly scattered. You may want to use a pair of spots over an eating bar, or showcase a high end range. They can function as the lights you leave on when you want low light and they can add to the general lighting for task areas. Some create a nice look with over cabinet rope lighting or fluorescents.

Don’t Skimp on Receptacles

Most kitchens don’t have enough receptacles or placement is not well thought out, or just doesn’t match the layout of your small appliances.When adding receptacles your contractor should make sure that planned load does not exceed the capacity of circuits used. Sometimes you need to bring in extra circuits from the main panel. Assuming load requirements can be met single duplex receptacles might be doubled up for convenience. Still additional locations are often needed. Make sure over stove microwaves, garbage disposals and dishwashers have grounded receptacles and are not hard wired. This will make for easier future service. You may want a receptacle above your upper cabinets for adding holiday and party lighting.

Make sure you hire a recommended, licensed electrician. We have come across a lot of improper wiring through the years and the people have been very fortunate disaster didn’t occur. The money you spend now on lighting and electrical receptacles will add immensely to your overall remodeling effort and the cost during a remodel can save a lot over making it a separate project.


JR Mathwig Builders on HelpHive


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Hidden Electrical Hazards

We recently had the opportunity to interview the owner of Mr Electric of North King and Snohomish Counties, Paul Livesay, and Eric – one of his electricians.  The topic: electrical safety and the hidden hazards that homeowners should be aware of – read on to learn more about this important topic…

ElectricalSafety1. What kind of certification or training does an electrician need to have before they can do electrical work?

A licensed residential electrician must have a minimum of 4000 hours of  documented apprenticeship under the direct  supervision of a licensed journeyman electrician, plus classroom work and pass a comprehensive examination administered by the Washington State Dept.of Labor and Industries. Also, to maintain his/her license and assure the electrician is current with any changes in electric code, an electrician must annually complete a minimum number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Compliance with the continuing education requirement is closely monitored by the Dept of Labor and Industries.

2. What are some of the different electrical issues that you see in a typical home?

  • Old and poorly maintained (dirty) service panels
  • Over reliance on extension cords resulting in overloaded circuits
  • Using light bulbs in fixtures with different ratings (many people don’t know that the wiring in their table lamp is rated so they may put a 100 watt bulb in a 75 watt fixture)
  • Older homes without GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) as current code requires

3. In various parts of country, including here in the Pacific Northwest, we have many older homes.  What types of issues do you see with these older homes?

  • As mentioned above , no GFCIs
  • Old fuse boxes with knob and tube systems
  • Aluminum wiring  (common in late 60s to early 70s) which has possibly corroded and thus becomes a hazard
  • Ungrounded electrical systems

4. Are there preventive measures (installing of GFIs, replacing of panels, wiring etc.) you recommend homeowners taking for household safety?

The question, to a large degree, answers itself. Even if wired correctly and to code in the first place electrical systems performance and safety diminish over extended periods of time. New knowledge and technology necessitate changes in the National Electric Code, nearly all of which address safety. Two recent code changes that come to mind are the requirement for tamper proof receptacles throughout a house and Arc Fault breakers in the main service panel.

5. Say I’m a homeowner and am doing a DIY project that requires electrical work, why would I care to get a permit before doing the work?

  • Purchasing  a permit will require  the DIYer to think through the project in advance of going to the permit counter and explain exactly the goal and details of the project
  • It will begin the proper documentation (record) of electrical work performed at the house which will be helpful in the event another electric project is done by someone other than the DIYer or the house is to be sold and a real estate inspector has questions
  • The house will be professionally inspected by a licensed authority to ensure the work has been done in accordance with current electrical code (again for the purposes of safety)

6. What regular maintenance/service should a homeowner consider to ensure the electrical safety of their home and family?

  • Have the home annually inspected by a licensed electrician where he/she will check for proper system grounding  and bonding, breaker function, panel cleanliness (possibly get panel tune-up), code changes, etc.
  • Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you don’t have them, get them.

7. With fall and then winter, we’ll be seeing more opportunities to put up outdoor lights etc.  Do you have tips on how to wire these with safety in mind?

Depending on the additional electrical load it is usually advisable to install  a new dedicated circuit(s) and, if so , be sure to install approved outdoor receptacles with GFCI protection. If the project is just seasonal or Holiday lighting additional power may not be necessary, call a professional electrician for advice

8. Any other tips for homeowners you’d like to share?

If you are beginning an electrical project, large or small, and are wondering what the green wire connects to, call a qualified licensed electrician. When in doubt, always call a professional. After all, it’s about  SAFETY!


Mr Electric-NW King and Snohomish Counties on HelpHive


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Add a Light or Electrical Outlet

ellightbulbDo you need a light over your sink? Is there a workspace that could use a recessed light? Do you need an extra outlet? What is involved in putting in these items?

Adding a light

  • Though it should be obvious please don’t attempt to tie new wiring into your system with the power on!
  • To add a switched light you need to run power to a switch and then to your light. Wired differently the power can go to the light first.
  • If there is attic access above your light location the light junction box can be placed from there. Wire can be fed down the wall to the switch location without disturbing sheetrock.
  • If there is no attic above, access must be gained to run wire, usually through selectively cutting drywall. You may have an outlet for a power source in a stud bay that lines up with a ceiling joist bay that will get you to your desired light location, limiting cut outs to just one in the ceiling near the wall. Your switch location may be perpendicular to the direction your ceiling joists are running requiring a 6″ wide cut from light to wall. If you don’t have an outlet in the stud bay you wish to place your switch in, you will need a horizontal swath cut out to run power from outlet to switch.
  • Though retaping, texturing, priming, and painting adds complexity,  getting light where needed or desired can be well worth it.
  • Lights take little power – so you can almost always add lights to an outlet circuit but wiring must be done correctly. You might consider hiring a professional electrician.
  • Wire mold, or a decorative cover for electrical wires can be useful to bring power in situations where it is not fully seen. An example would be taking power from an outlet to a switch and across several under cabinet florescents using wire mold because it isn’t that visible. Wire mold can look a little tacky on an open wall or across a ceiling to a light.
  • Lighting can also be extended with lighting rope or track lighting.

Adding an electrical outlet

  • From one outlet you can bring power to another. Sometimes you have access to the wall such as when replacing cabinets and can open up the stud bays, at a level that will be covered, in order to run your wire. You can run wire down to a point that will be covered by baseboard and make a run to your new location. With attic access it can pay to run wires straight up into attic, over to new stud bay, and down to new outlet location.
  • Adding additional outlets, in and of itself, adds no load to a circuit if they are for the sake of convenience. Consider though the added load of all the appliances or devices that will be placed on the circuit. Sometimes you can’t just tie into a run for your intended purpose and need to add a new circuit.
  • Another way to add receptacles is to carefully cut out enough drywall to allow for a double gang box. The original single gang is removed by pushing wires out of it, carefully cutting nails that attach it to studs without damaging sheetrock, and removing it.  The new box can be a remodel type which has tabs to grab drywall or the basic box type which attaches to studs with screws from inside the box.

JR Mathwig Builders on HelpHive


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Not So Shocking Electrical Tips

By Doug

Most do it yourselfers will quickly grab a saw or hammer, maybe even a concrete trowel, and launch into a project without fear. This is usually not the case when that scary electricity is involved. What is it that makes us so hesitant? My conclusion is that what you don’t know could kill you, and most home project people have not taken the time to understand the basics about the electrical system in their home. It is not my plan to give you step-by-step instructions for wiring your own home, but I will try to dispell some of the mystery and “fright” factor involved.

  • Rules. Electrical work is very logical, based upon very specific rules and methods. If something is not working in the system, there is a discernable reason and a process of troubleshooting through which you can track down the problem. It is much less complicated than electronic devices (like DVD players and TVs), having only a few different components that do very dedicated kinds of jobs for us.
  • At the Center. The Main Panel is the heart of the home electrical system. This is the place where the Utility company’s power supply (usually 220 volts with three wires) is attached to your home through a meter that measures the amount of energy you use over a period of time. Power moves through the meter and into the Main Breaker which distributes the power (110 volts each side) onto two metal (usually aluminum) bars. Individual breakers are attached to those two bars and when turned “on”, pass electricity on to whatever “load” (dryer, furnace, lights, receptacles) they are connected to by way of wire running throughout your home. Even though it may be inconvenient to do so, one way of limiting your exposure to “live” power in the main panel, is to turn off the main breaker whenever you are making changes in the main panel enclosure, keeping in mind that the large wires coming in from the meter are still “hot” and need to be avoided at any exposed point (bare wire) where they are connected to the main breaker.
  • Loads. There are wires hidden in your walls and attic and perhaps under your floor. These carry power from the main panel to a variety of power “users” called loads. In each room you will see receptacles which are wired into circuits (a few of them chained together on one wire leading back to the main panel). When any appliance, lamp or other power user is plugged into a receptacle, it draws power from the panel, through the wire, through that receptacle. Most rooms have a light switch and a ceiling light fixture. The switch acts simply as a “break” in the power until you turn it “on” and power moves from the panel through the switch and onto the light. Some specialized receptacles are found at electric dryers and electric ranges. These are connected to special breakers that take power from both of the bars in the main panel, carrying two 110 volt circuits to provide one 220 volt circuit. Other 220 volt circuits can include water heaters, air conditioners, spas, welders and shop power tools.
  • Hots, Neutrals and Grounds. Black wires are attached to breakers in the main panel. Sometimes there are two wires (one black, one red) to form a 220 volt circuit as mentioned above. The white wires are attached to a special bar in the panel called a neutral “buss” which is also connected to the neutral wire from the power company. Ground wires are usually bare copper (can be green coated or aluminum) are also attached to the neutral buss in the panel. A ground wire is connected to a “grounded” source such as a galvanized water pipe, rebar embedded in the foundation or footings, or a grounding rod driven into the ground outside (different rules apply throughout the country).
  • Alternating Current. AC is the name given to household current (power flow) and describes the back and forth pulsation of power from hot to ground and back which takes place 60 times a second. I remember as a child when my hometown converted from 40 cycles to 60 cycles. The lights were brighter and no longer had the flicker of the slower pulsations.
  • Do It Yourself. There are some excellent resources available at libraries, building supply stores and online to walk you step-by-step through the wiring of each of the devices I have mentioned above. Be careful to follow the instructions, especially any safety warnings. Here are a couple of online resources: Chiff.com (has lots of links to other electrical sites) and About.com (a discussion forum where you can ask any electrical question).

Fear Not! Do your homework and then do your electrical repairs and additions.

Find Quality Local Electricians


Doug on HelpHive
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