How is our house wired?
This is probably the most confusing question any homeowner can ask.
Mostly because I don't have much faith in residential wiring.
It is a crap shoot as to if you get good electricians or not.
Then there is the home owner that goes in and makes it worse.
Not all but some.
There are grades of wall outlets and switches.
Don't go to some place and buy cheap outlets fixtures or switches.
You will pay for what you get and more than likely the builder did just that buy the cheapest crap money can buy and ((((NOT)))) pass on the saving to you.
Next electrical tape.
As far as I am concerned there are two grades and dont cheap out on it.
3M Super 33+ and 3M Super 88+.
88+ being the best.
The other cheap stuff I call crap wrap.
Avoid or just dont use tape alone to make any splice.
That is not what it is for.
Wire nuts to make splice.
Yellow for 12 gauge.
What is a gauge?
It is the size of the wire, the smaller the number the bigger the wire.
Split bolt kerney.
This is the critter the connects the ground wire to the ground rod that is driven into the ground.
Check it at least annually to see it is connected and check it for continuity.
Here is what one looks like.
The ground wire and the rod go in the same hole and it is tightened down.
Next how to check for voltage.
I am going to stop right here and tell everyone if they have no way to check for voltage then just don't mess with it at all.
If you do you will end up killing yourself.
I dont even mess with it unless I have a meter.
DO NOT assume it is off because something you plug into a socket doesn't work but works some place else.
DO NOT use this sort of thing as a way to check voltage period.
Get a meter or a what they call a Wiggy volt testing pen or some sort of voltage tester.
I use a meter because I have to check far more things than voltage due to my trade.
But a good meter is the best way to go.
DO NOT assume the thing works what ever it is.
They can and have fooled a few people.
Test it first on a live outlet or something.
Even then before you touch the wire just tap it with you finger before you grab it.
You cant be too safe.
Don't mean to scare anyone but it is a matter of life and death.
DO NOT assume the juice is off in a lamo because the switch is off.
Unplug it before you mess with it.
Some idiot may have wired the outlet up wrong.
If they did this then hot is still there where the bulb screws in.
That switch is supposed to turn off the hot.
That is why we now have what they call those pesky polarized plugs.
The wide plug is supposed to be neutral the narrow hot.
In the old days they were both the same size.
In other words dont put you finger in a light socket no matter what.
Worth