This project is continued from Part 7.
At this point the circuit wiring is complete for the under kitchen sink outlet and I turned on the electricity at the 150 AMP service disconnect switch at the outdoor electric meter box.
Under Sink Electrical Outlet – Circuit Testing
Ground Fault Circuit Breaker Testing:
Testing the ground fault circuit breaker is simple:
- Press the white “Test” button on (GFCB) the ground fault circuit breaker.
The switch tripped off to the middle position as it should. - Reset the circuit breaker by moving the ON/OFF switch to the full OFF then ON position.
Satisfied the GFCB was working fine, I replaced the door cover on the circuit breaker panel and secure it with the screws, being careful to keep my hands and fingers out of the panel.
Receptacle Tester:
A receptacle tester is used to verify the wiring is correct for the under kitchen sink outlet. Just plug in the tester and read the light pattern. The diagnostic light patterns are printed on the tester label. The two yellow lights indicate the outlet is wired correctly:
Under Kitchen Sink Electrical Outlet – Receptacle Tester
Install NM Cable Staples
The orange NM-B 10/3 cable for the 30 AMP clothes dryer circuit was incorrectly fastened to the 2×4 studs with clamp designed for metal flex conduit instead of a proper NM (non-metallic) cable clamp. I also need to secure the new run yellow NM-B 12/2 cable for the under kitchen sink receptacle with the correct size staples.
The flex conduit cable clamps were removed and I installed Gardner Bender #PS-75 3/4″ inch NM Cable Wood Staples approved for NM 10/3 gauge cables on the orange 10/3 cable serving the 30 AMP electric dryer circuit. The PS-75 staples features a plastic saddle that won’t damage the cable insulation with two preset nails. Still, it was a bit challenging to nail these in place between the 2×4 wall studs where there’s hardly room to swing a hammer.
Gardner Bender PS-75 3/4″ NM Cable Wood Staples for 10/3 Cable
Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun
I purchased a Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun to secure the new run of NM-B 12/2 to the 2×4 wall studs. This promised to be a nice tool for working for faster cable installation and working cramped spaces.
The Cable Boss staple gun uses accepts three sizes of insulated staples for NM, coax, voice/data and low voltage cable. I’ll be using the 3/8″ staples appropriate for RG-6 coaxial, Cat 6 Ethernet (and by implication Cat 5e), and NM cable 14/2, 14/3 and 12/2 sizes. I would like to have used the Cable Boss for the orange NM-B 10/3 cable, but a large enough staple isn’t available – but the Cable Boss has the vast majority of wiring situations covered.
Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun #MSG-501 and 3/8″ Staples #MPS-2100
The staple gun is very easy to use. Staples are loaded in the normal way. You can see if you’re running low on staples through the slotted viewport on the side of the gun.
Loading 3/8″ Staples in the Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun
The Cable Boss has a channel under the staple gun to align and hold down the cable at the front and rear so there’s no danger of piercing the cable.
Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun
The Cable Boss staple gun sets the staple perfectly every time. Once in a while I did have to give the staple head a light tap with a hammer to fully seat the staple in extra hard wood. Still, the Cable Boss sure beats the traditional way of nailing staples with a hammer and I don’t miss the mashed fingers, dropped and bent staples. The plastic insulated staple is designed with support legs so you can’t over-drive the staple and crush the cable.
Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun – 3/8″ Staple in a 2×4
The Cable Boss staple gun made easy work of securing the yellow NM-B 12/2 cable to the 2×4 studs at 4 foot intervals. Quick and precise.
Securing NM-B 12/2 Cable with the Gardner Bender Cable Boss™ Staple Gun
Notice the orange NM-B 10/3 and yellow NM-B 12/2 cables are now properly secured with insulated wood staples to the 2×4 studs.
Orange NM-B 10/3 and Yellow NM-B 12/2 Cables Properly Secured with Staples
Building Dept. Electrical Inspection
I called my local Building Department to request an inspection for the electrical work filed on my Building Permit. The inspector reviewed my work and was happy to answer several of my questions on a variety of electrical topics. Interestingly, the inspector looked and felt around all sides of the breaker panel for any open knockouts. My guess is this has been a frequent problem on other job sites.
The inspector said “Nice job!”, signed the blue Approval card and stuck it to the panel.
Under Sink Electrical Outlet Installation: Building Inspector Approval Card
In the next installment of this project I’ll show hot to install a Waste King® Quick & Hot Elite Series Instant Hot Water Dispenser and Filtrete™ Water Filtration System (Model: 3US-PS01) under the kitchen sink:
Waste King® Elite Quick & Hot Water Dispenser and Filtrete™ Water Filter
Thanks for reading,
Bob Jackson
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