The plywood closet cap is installed in this update of How To Build a Basement Closet. This project is continued from Basement Closet Drywall Finishing.

Closet Light Electrical Permit Inspection

I filed for a building permit to cover the new electrical circuit for the closet light and left the 2×4 wall and closet ceiling open for the inspector to inspect the new wiring. The building inspector looked at the NM-B 14/2 wiring for proper installation, checked that all junction boxes – including the ceiling light octagon box – were grounded and the outlets correctly wired. (Note: The steel light switch box does not have to be grounded.) The building inspector confirmed NM-B cable is acceptable in Wiremold raceways so long as the outer insulation jacket is not removed. He said “Nice work!” and signed my permit for the final inspection.

Drywall Closure

I shutoff the electricity at the circuit breaker panel because I’ll be working with the closet light switch (a.k.a. toggle switch) as I measure for the drywall and mount the toggle switch to the box.

With the electrical inspection behind me, I can close up the closet by installing the final section of drywall. A drywall panel is cut from a 1/2 in by 4 ft by 10 ft sheet to fit around the closet door. This wastes most of the drywall sheet, however it’s best to install the largest section of drywall possible to minimize joints and achieve the best appearance. Click on the image for a full size view.

Building a Basement Closet: Drywall Panel Installation

Since I’ve already wired the light switch, I’ll make careful measurements and mark the drywall for the switch box cutout. An alternate approach would be the “bump” method to make an imprint of the switch box on the back of the drywall as I did for the octagon ceiling box. However, in the interest of making productive use of my time while scheduling the building inspector appointment, I went ahead and wired the closet light circuit.

Remember the electricity has been shutoff at the circuit breaker.

Measuring the Switch Box for Fitting the Drywall

The wired light switch was simply poked through the drywall cutout for the steel switch box (the circuit breaker is Off), then the drywall panel installed in the normal way with coarse thread drywall screws.

The last section of drywall after installation and finishing. The light switch won’t be mounted to the switch box until I’ve painted the drywall.

Basement Closet Construction: Drywall Installation

How to Build a Basement Closet: Plywood Cap Installation

Drywall or Plywood Closet Roof

I debated whether it would be best to install drywall or plywood for the closet cap (or roof it you prefer). The 2×4 closet ceiling joists are load bearing and can support a substantial weight, including my 215 lb frame without so much as a creak or wobble.

If I capped the closet with 1/2 inch drywall, I thought it would only be a matter of time before someone (perhaps a future homeowner) either climbed on top of the closet or used it for extra storage space and broke through the drywall.

Plywood Closet Roof

I decided to install 1/2 inch cabinet grade plywood for the closet roof for strength and durability. I can now use the space over the closet for extra storage or work platform should I ever need to install an access panel in the suspended drywall ceiling to get at crawlspace. (I can’t image why I’d ever need to work in the crawlspace ;-) maybe to fix a plumbing problem or run new wiring.)

The 1/2 in by 4 ft by 8 ft sheet of cabinet grade plywood is set on the closet to mark the dimensions for sawing. This was easy, I just ran a pencil along the edge of the drywall.

Basement Closet Construction: 1/2 inch Plywood Cap

I made the first cut with my circular saw by:

• Laid the plywood on 2x4s for clearance over the concrete floor.
• Clamped an aluminum channel as a saw guide to the plywood sheet.
  The aluminum channel must be setback from the pencil line to align the saw blade with the line.
• Adjusted the saw blade depth to about 3/4 inches so it’s well clear of the floor.
• Rechecked alignments, floor clearance and any obstructions, then made the saw cut.

Building a Basement Closet: Sawing the Plywood Cap

The second circular saw cut is made the same way. Notice the offset between the aluminum saw guide and the cut edge so the blade is aligned with the pencil line.

Building a Basement Closet: Plywood Cap 2nd Cut

A really neat thing is the saw dust vacuums off SkimStone concrete floor very cleanly.

The 1/2 inch plywood closet cap ready for installation:

Building a Basement Closet: Plywood Cap Ready to Install

The plywood cap is set on top of the closet for fastening with wood screws:

Basement Closet Construction: 1/2″ Plywood Cap

I made small pencil marks on the wall for the centers of the 2×4 ceiling joists then drew a straight line with the 4 foot level to locate the joists. I also made careful note of where the NM-B 14/2 cable was run through the bore holes in the 2×4 joists so as not to set a wood screw into the cable. The 2 inch bugle head deck screws were driven in a regular pattern and set even with the plywood surface.

Building a Basement Closet: Plywood Cap Mounted with Wood Screws

Outside Corner Moulding Installation

Outside corner moulding purchased at the local home improvement store is installed to cover the edge of the plywood cap and drywall. I measured and made the 45 degree miter cut on my Dewalt Compound Miter saw:

Outside Corner Moulding: Miter Cut

The outside corner moulding is fastened to the edge of the closet wall with 1-1/2 inch brad nails set in the side and top. The brad nailer is a wonderful tool!

Outside Corner Moulding: Fastening with Brad Nails

Outside corner moulding and the 45 degree corner miter cut as viewed from above the closet:

Closet Outside Corner Moulding: Top View

Trimming out the closet walls with outside corner moulding will look really nice when painted:

Basement Closet: Outside Corner Moulding

The plywood cap deck screws and wall joints are filled with paintable silicone caulk:

Basement Closet Construction: Plywood Cap and Outside Corner Moulding

Now that the drywall is finished, I can install the door jambs, door casing and bi-fold doors in the next project update (coming soon!).

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Build a Basement Closet: Plywood Cap Installation appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project explains how to extend power from an existing wall outlet with Wiremold® surface mount raceway and wire the electrical boxes in this installment of How To Build a Basement Closet. This project is continued from wiring the light switch.

How to Extend Power from an Existing Wall Outlet

At this point in the basement closet project, I’ve completed the Wiremold wiring rough-in and connected the wires for the closet ceiling light and light switch as I work my from the ceiling light back to the existing wall outlet. In other words, I’m making the wiring connections starting at the new electrical circuit termination (the ceiling light) and working sequentially back to circuit origin (the wall outlet). Making the wiring connections in this order minimizes the risk of accidentally working on a live wire because the wall outlet power source is the final connection.

Electrical Safety: As always, the power must be shutoff at the circuit breaker before working on the electrical wiring. Verify the electricity is off with a voltage detector. Hire a licensed electrician if in doubt.

The electrical wiring connections to made next are the:

• Wiremold BW35 junction box.
  The outlet box is used here as a junction box here with a blank cover plate.
• Leviton T5015-W single receptacle wall outlet and Wiremold BW35 outlet box.

The Wiremold wiring diagram is illustrated here:

Wiremold Electrical Outlet Power Extension Wiring Diagram

Wiremold Junction Box Wiring

The Wiremold BW35 junction box is used to connect the NM-B 14/2 cable inside the 2×4 stud wall to NM-B 14/2 cable from the Wiremold® 700 Series metal channel. The BW35 box is removed to expose the back plate. Do the following:

• Cut an 6 inch length of NM-B 14/2 cable from the roll and remove the copper ground wire.
• Install a #10 green ground screw in the dimple of the back plate.
• Make a small loop in the end of the ground wire, loop it around the ground screw, then pinch the loop closed with needle nose pliers.
  See the red arrow in the next photo.
• Tighten the ground screw.

Wiremold BW35 Junction Box Wiring: #10 Ground Screw

NM-B 14/2 wiring preparation:

• The outer jacket of the NM-B 14/2 cables are carefully removed so as not to damage the insulation on the individual wires.
  Make a short, shallow lengthwise cut in the outer jacket at the end of the cable, then peel the outer jacket back like a banana.
• Leave 1 inch of of the outer insulation jacket extending past the Halex 3/8 in. 2-Piece Clamp Connector (red arrow in next photo).
  Also take care to have 1 inch of the outer jacket insulation for the other cable extending past the Wiremold 90° elbow into the BW35 junction box.
• Tighten the cable clamp screws to secure the NM-B 14/2 cable in the center of the back plate.
• Trim the wires if needed to have at least 6 inches of wire extending past the back plate.
• Strip approx. 5/8 inch of insulation from the ends of the black (hot) and white (neutral) wires with wire strippers.

Wiremold Junction Box Wiring: NM-B 14/2 Wires and Cable Clamp

Matching the wire colors, right-twist (clockwise) the ends of the ground, black (hot) and white (neutral) wires together using linesmans pliers and secure each set of wires with a wire nut.

NM-B 14/2 Wiring Connections in Wiremold Junction Box

Fold the wires and install the Wiremold BW35 junction box with the two included screws. The junction box will be closed with a standard blank wall plate cover to conceal and protect the wires.

Wiremold Junction Box: NM-B 14/2 Wire Connections

Then snap the elbow cover into place:

Wiremold Junction Box and 90 degree Elbow

Wiremold Wall Outlet Wiring

Electrical Safety Caution:

The final wiring connections to power the new circuit are about to made. Be absolutely certain to shutoff the power at the circuit breaker panel if you haven’t already done so. Verify the electricity is Off on all wires with a voltage detector to avoid shock, injury or death.

The final wiring steps are to:

• Cut a length 6 inch length of NM-B 14/2 cable from the roll for the new receptacle pigtail wiring.
• Twist and wire nut the NM-B 14/2 wires from inside the wall (to the circuit breaker), the Wiremold raceway and the outlet pigtail.
• Connect the pigtail wires to the new outlet.

The wiring diagram for the following steps is:

Wiremold Wall Outlet Power Extension Wiring Diagram

After shutting off power at the circuit breaker and verifying the electricity is indeed Off, I connected the main circuit wires as was done for the junction box (see above). Next, the new single receptacle outlet will be connected to the pigtail wires. Reminder, you can install a dual outlet receptacle if preferred.

Wiremold Outlet Box and Receptacle Wiring

The next (non-standard) installation steps are:

• Wire the new outlet per the manufacturer’s instructions included with the outlet.
• Insert a receptacle tester into the outlet.
• Turn On the electricity at the circuit breaker to verify my wiring connections (see the photo below).
  Two yellow lights indicates the outlet is correctly wired.
  Caution: Do not touch the receptacle because the side terminal screws are exposed and you can be shocked!
  This is a construction zone and the outlet will be exposed only for a short time. I also don’t have children or pets running about.

You should adhere to the standard outlet installation procedure:

• The electricity is Off at the circuit breaker
  
• Mount Wiremold metal box to the back plate
• Wire the receptacle per the manufacturer’s instructions
• Mount the outlet to the Wiremold box (the outlet is now protected in the box)
  
• Turn On the circuit breaker
  
• Insert the receptacle tester in the outlet to verify the wiring is correct.

I chose not to follow the standard procedure because the wires inside wall were so short and it would be far easier to fix any wiring problems with the box out of the way.

Wiremold Electrical Outlet Wiring

Being careful not to touch the side terminals of the toggle switch, I flipped the light switch On. Let there be light! The new circuit for the closet ceiling light works!

Wall Outlet Power Extension with Wiremold: Testing the Light Circuit

I shutoff the power at the circuit breaker panel, verified the electricity was Off by observing all lights on the receptacle tester are now off (the receptacle tester was still plugged into the outlet), then:

• Fed the wired receptacle through the Wiremold outlet box.
• Mounted the box to the back plate with the two screws included with the Wiremold outlet box.
• Mounted the outlet to the Wiremold outlet box.

Wiremold Outlet Box and Receptacle

The Wiremold outlet box, metal raceway and junction box to extend power from the existing wall outlet to the ceiling light:

Existing Wall Outlet Power Extension with Wiremold

Looking ahead for a moment, here’s the Wiremold wall outlet power extension after the basement closet construction is completed:

Finished Basement Closet with Wiremold Wall Outlet Power Extension

View of the basement closet construction and wiring for the ceiling light:

Closet Ceiling Light Wiring with Wiremold

While the circuit breaker Off, I wrapped the toggle switch for the ceiling light with 3M vinyl electricians tape (red arrow in the above photo) to temporarily insulate the side screws because I plan to install that section of drywall after the building inspector has signed-off on my electrical permit.

The drywall and corner bead are installed in the next part of this project.

Hope this helps,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Extend Power from an Existing Wall Outlet with Wiremold appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project shows how to wire a light switch after the switch box wiring rough-in in this phase of How To Build a Basement Closet. The closet ceiling light was wired in the prior installment.

How to Wire a Light Switch

The new basement closet wiring has been roughed-in for the wall outlet power extension to the closet ceiling light. I’m now making the wiring connections working my way from top to bottom:

• wire the ceiling light fixture
• wire the wall light switch
• connect the Wiremold surface mount junction box
• lastly, connect the light circuit to the wall outlet for power

Because the NM-B 14/2 line-side (bottom cable) is not yet connected to the wall outlet, the wires are dead (no electricity) and are safe to work on.

If you happen to be replacing an existing light switch, shutoff the electricity at the circuit breaker panel and verify the power is Off with a voltage detector before working with the wiring. Hire a licensed electrician if you have any doubts.

Rough-in Wiring Preparation

In the next photo, the NM-B 14/2 cable entering the bottom of steel switch box is the “line-side” that will carry power from the wall outlet. The NM-B 14/2 cable leaving the top of the switch box is the “load side” that goes to the ceiling light.

The Leviton 5501-LHI heavy duty grounding illuminated-off toggle switch will operate the closet ceiling light. I like illuminated light switches in certain locations because it saves hunting around in the dark. The proper name for this common style of light switch is a “toggle switch”. One minor issue with the Leviton commercial grade 5501-LHI switch is it clicks a bit loudly when flipping the switch, whereas most residential light switches operate quietly.

Prepare the roughed-in NM-B 14/2 cables by doing the following:

• The outer jacket of the NM-B 14/2 cables are carefully removed so as not to damage the insulation on the individual wires.
  Make a short, shallow lengthwise cut in the outer jacket at the end of the cable, then peel the outer jacket back like a banana.
• Leave 1 inch of of the outer insulation jacket poking inside switch box as shown.
• Tighten the cable clamp screws in the switch box to secure the NM-B 14/2 cables.
• Trim the wires if needed to have at least 6 inches of wire extending beyond the switch box.
• Strip approx. 5/8 inch of insulation from the ends of the black (hot) and white (neutral) wires with wire strippers.

Light Switch Wiring: Leviton Grounding Light Switch

Light Switch Ground & Neutral Wiring Connections

Ground wire (bare copper) connections:

• Cut a 6 inch length of 14 gauge copper wire to make a pigtail connection to the light switch.
• Make a small loop in the end of the pigtail ground wire and place the loop around the green ground screw on the light switch.
• Pinch the loop closed with needle nose pliers.
• Tighten the ground screw.
• Right-twist (clockwise) the ends of the three ground wires together with the linesman pliers and secure with a wire nut.

White (neutral) wiring connections:

• Strip about 5/8 inch of insulation from the white neutral wires.
• Twist the white wires together and secure with a wire nut.

Light Switch Wiring: Ground Wire Connections

Light Switch Hot (Black) Wiring

The Leviton toggle switch is side wired. Take care to orient the light switch correctly… the toggle lever will display the word “On” when the switch is upright and in the On position. The line-side (from the circuit breaker) black wire from the bottom of the switch box is connected to the bottom side screw as shown in the next photo.

• Make a small loop in both black (hot) wires.
• Connect the line-side black wire to the lower switch side screw.
• Pinch the loop closed around the correct side screw on the switch.
• Firmly tighten the screw.

Light Switch Wiring Connections: Neutral and Ground Wires

• Loop the load-side (to the closet light) black wire around the upper side screw, pinch the loop closed with needle nose pliers, then tighten the screw. (I’ve yet to tighten the upper side screw in the next photo to illustrate the wire loop.)

Leviton Grounding Toggle Swtich Wiring: Black (Hot) Wires

The finished light switch wiring connections:

Toggle Switch NM-B 14/2 Wiring Connections

Drywall Installation

If you’re wondering why I installed the light switch before the drywall, the reasons are:

• I’m leaving this part of the wall and electrical wiring open while waiting for the building inspector to arrive and sign-off on my work.
• The light switch will be slipped through the drywall cutout for the switch box when I hang the drywall, so this is not a concern.
• I want to complete the wiring connections so the closet light is operational to better see when finishing the drywall inside the closet.

But what about the exposed side screws on the light switch? Wouldn’t that be a shock/electrocution hazard if the electricity is turned on before mounting the light switch in the steel switch box? It sure would be! To avoid being accidentally shocked, I temporarily wrapped the toggle switch with several layers of 3M vinyl electrical tape rated for 600 volts.

Light Switch Temporarily Insulated with Electrical Tape

Since I don’t have young children or other susceptible persons in the house, doing so isn’t a major concern. I informed the family of the hazard with orders to stay out of the construction site and to keep the basement bedroom door closed.

I’m not recommending that you do this; instead you should fold the wires into the switch box and mount the toggle switch to the box. The switch plate can be temporarily installed if you’re worried about children sticking their fingers in the switch box.

The Wiremold® junction box and outlet box wiring connections are completed to power up the closet light in the next part of this series.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Wire a Light Switch appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project explains how to wire a closet light in this phase of How To Build a Basement Closet. See the previous project which illustrates the drywall installation and ceiling electrical box wiring rough-in.

Closet Ceiling Light

I purchased a Hampton Bay Textured White 2-Light Flushmount Model # FL226-S, ceiling light from Home Depot for about $20. The light is rated for two (2) 60 watt medium base bulbs. I liked the clean low profile look of the unit and wanted two bulbs for good illumination. The 60 watt power limit per bulb is not a problem with compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs that draw just 23 watts each with an equivalent light output of 100 watts.

Closet Light: Hampton Bay Textured White 2-Light Flushmount

Please refer to the Hampton Bay 2-Light Model # FL226-S installation guide for the details.

How to Wire a Closet Light

Caution: The basement closet wiring is roughed-in, but is not yet connected to the main circuit, therefore the closet light NM-B 14/2 wires are not energized (no electricity).

If you are replacing an existing ceiling light fixture, be absolutely certain to shutoff the power at the circuit breaker and confirm the electricity is Off in the ceiling light circuit with a voltage tester. Failure to do so can result in electric shock, injury and death. If you are not familiar with electrical wiring, please hire a licensed electrician.

The ceiling electrical box roughed-in wiring is prepared as follows:

• The outer jacket of the NM-B 14/2 cable is carefully removed so as not to damage the insulation on the individual wires.
  Make a short, shallow lengthwise cut in the outer jacket at the end of the cable, then peel it back like a banana.
• Leave 1 inch of of the outer insulation jacket poking inside the ceiling octagon electrical box as shown.
• Tighten the cable clamp screw in the box to secure the NM-B 14/2 cable.
• Trim the wires if needed to have at least 6 inches of wire extending beyond the ceiling box.
• Strip 5/8 inch of insulation from the ends of the black (hot) and white (neutral) wires using wire strippers.

Closet Light Wiring: Ceiling Electrical Box

• Attach the light fixture mounting strap using the two screws that came with the ceiling electrical box.
• Cut a new 8 inch length of NM-B 14/2 cable from the roll, then pull the ground wire conductor from the cable jacket.
• Install the green ground screw on the mounting strap.
  The ground screw is included with the light kit.
• Make a small loop in the ground wire using needle nose pliers so it fits around the ground screw.
• Place the ground wire loop around the ground screw such that the end of the loop is “with the right hand twist” of the screw, then pinch the loop closed around the ground screw with the needle nose pliers.
  The right-hand (clockwise) orientation of the ground wire loop is needed so the loop tends get tighter as the screw is turned.
  In contrast, a “lefty” loop orientation will want to open up as the ground screw is tightened.
• Securely tighten the ground screw on the ground wire.
• Trim the new ground wire to the same length of the other wires.
• Thread the two light canopy mounting screws about 3/8 inches into the mounting strap.

The steel electrical box must be grounded as required by the electrical building code via the mounting strap ground screw and ground wire.

Closet Ceiling Light Wiring: Mounting Strap and Ground Wire Screw

The closet ceiling light wiring connections are straightforward:

Connect the Ground Wires:

A best practice is to connect the ground wires of a circuit first so there’s ground path that’s better than your body… just in case. Connect the light fixture ground wires by:

• Using a pair linesman pliers, right twist (clockwise) the two 14 gauge solid bare copper wire ends together from the NM-B 14/2 cable.
  Linesman pliers have flat wide jaw ends that are perfect for gripping and twisting electrical wires.
• Hold the end of the braided copper ground wire from the light fixture even with the 14 gauge wires.
• Twist on an orange wire nut (provided with the light fixture) to fasten the three ground wires together.

Connect the Black (Hot) and White (Neutral) Wires:

• Right-hand twist together the ends of the two light socket black (hot) wires.
  These are stranded flexible wires, twist together using your fingers.
• Hold the light socket black wires even with the end of NM-B 14/2 black wire.
• Twist an orange wire nut on all three black wires.
• Do the same to connect the white (neutral) wires.

In the next photo, I’ve nutted the three black (hot) wires and twisted together the two light socket white (neutral) wires prior to nutting the wires with the NM-B 14/2 white (neutral) wire.

Closet Ceiling Wiring Connections: White Neutral Wires

The completed ceiling light wiring connections for the hot, neutral and ground wires. Check that all wires are held securely by the wire nuts.

Closet Light Wiring Connections: Black, White and Ground Wires

• Carefully fold and tuck the wires into the ceiling octagon electrical box.
• Align the canopy keyholes with the heads of the canopy mounting screws, then press the canopy over the mounting screws until it’s flush with the ceiling drywall.
• Twist the canopy clockwise to lock it place around the mounting screws, then tighten the canopy mounting screws.
• The light fixture insulation tends to hide the keyholes so this took some trial and error.

Closet Ceiling Light Wiring & Installation

You may be thinking: “Isn’t wiring the light before the drywall is installed, finished and painted a bit premature?”

My reply is “No, because I need a light in the closet to see better while hanging and finishing the drywall. When it’s time to paint the ceiling, I’ll shutoff the circuit breaker, drop the light canopy, paint and set it back in place.”

Jumping ahead several steps in the closet light circuit wiring process, the next photo is what the closet light looks like during the basement closet construction. Power from the existing electrical outlet inside the closet is extended with Wiremold metal raceways and junction boxes to the wiring inside the 2×4 walls to reach the light switch and ceiling light.

Building a Basement Closet: Ceiling Light Installation

Next up, wiring the closet light switch.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Wire a Closet Light appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project explains how to cut and install the ceiling drywall for the ceiling electrical box in this installment of How To Build a Basement Closet. See the previous installment for how to hang the closet drywall.

How to Build a Basement Closet: Ceiling Drywall

The closet ceiling drywall is simple rectangular section cut from a single sheet of 4 ft x 8 ft x 1/2 in sheetrock gypsum drywall using the score & snap method explained in the previous project. The ceiling panel can be cut up to 1/4 inch smaller than the ceiling dimensions because the gap at the walls will be covered by the drywall on the closet walls, however I used 1/8 inch tolerances which worked fine with carefully built straight & true 2×4 framed walls.

Locating the Ceiling Electrical Box

The trick to installing the ceiling drywall panel is to mark and cut the hole for the ceiling light octagon electrical box. Instead of making a lot of complicated measurements, the easiest way is to rub a felt tip marker (a crayon or lipstick will also work) on the rim of the electrical box, hold the drywall in place against the ceiling joists, then bump the drywall with your palm to transfer the marker ink to the drywall.

Painting the rim of the octagon ceiling box with a red marker to transfer the box outline to the drywall:

Ceiling Drywall Installation: Marking the Ceiling Electrical Box

Close-up of the back of the drywall ceiling panel after making an impression of the ceiling electric box. I used a spare octagon box to trace the full outline left by the red marker with a black ink pen.

Ceiling Drywall Installation: Locating the Electrical Box

The hole for the octagon ceiling box is cut as follows:

• Drill two pilot holes inside the ceiling box outline.
  The pilot holes are for starting the jab saw to avoid tearing the finish side of the drywall.
• The box outline is cut only on the “pull stroke” towards the saw handle so as not to leave a jagged edge on the finish side of the drywall.

Drywall Ceiling Installation: Sawing the Hole for the Ceiling Light Electrical Box

The completed hole in the ceiling drywall panel for the octagon electrical box:

Ceiling Drywall Installation: Hole Cut for the Ceiling Light Electrical Box

Working with a helper, the drywall ceiling panel is held in place against the 2×4 ceiling joists and fastened with course thread drywall screws. A drywall dimpler bit in the cordless drill/driver sets the screws the proper depth every time.

Closet Drywall Ceiling Installation with Drywall Screws

The drywall screws are spaced 8 inches apart and driven into the 2×4 ceiling joists. The center lines of the joists are marked in pencil for accuracy. The drywall cutout for the octagon electrical box fits perfectly!

Ceiling Drywall and Octagon Electrical Box

View of the installed ceiling drywall panel in the basement closet:

Closet Drywall Ceiling Panel Installation

The drywall ceiling panel, ceiling joists and wiring rough-in for the ceiling light as viewed from above the closet. Notice the 2×4 ceiling joist on the far left. The purpose of that joist to provide a surface (“nailer”) to fasten the drywall where it abuts the 2×4 stud wall.

Basement Closet Construction: Drywall Ceiling Panel and Electrical Box

The rear and far right edges of the drywall panel are fastened to the ledger boards:

Closet Drywall Ceiling Installation: Ledger Boards and Wiring Rough-In

The closet ceiling light fixture is installed in the next part of this series.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Build a Basement Closet: Ceiling Drywall appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project explains how to wire a closet light with Wiremold metal raceway by extending power from an existing electrical outlet in this installment of How To Build a Basement Closet. The wiring rough-in is shown in this tutorial.

This project is continued from Part 1.

Wiremold Wiring Rough-In

After fitting the Wiremold® receptacle boxes, inside elbows and metal raceways, the elbow on the far right is unscrewed from the wall and the NM-B 14/2 electric cable is pushed through each section of raceway. Wiremold is designed to be installed one raceway (channel) at a time in sequence because each component fits together with a tongue and slot system that fits 3/8 inch into each end of the raceway.

Note: Before installing the Wiremold raceway, decide if you want to use the hidden raceway mounting clips or the exposed straps. If using the hidden mounting clips for a cleaner look, install those now. Given that this installation is inside a closet, I chose to use the straps which are installed over the raceway. The raceway clips and straps are purchased separately in Wiremold Metal Raceway Accessory Pack, part # BWH9-10-11.

Wiremold Wall Outlet Power Extension: NM-B 14/2 Wiring

Closeup of the NM-B 14/2 cable bend inside the Wiremold 90 degree inside elbow. Make the cable bend radius as wide as possible without kinks or pinches.

NM-B 14/2 Cable at the Wiremold Inside Corner Elbow

After running the NM-B 14/2 cable and mounting the raceways, the Wiremold mounting strap is installed with two screws set in drywall anchors and the metal bushing inserted into the ends of the raceway. The bushings are included in the Wiremold accessory pack.

Wiremold Raceway and Outlet Box Installation

Close-up of the Wiremold outlet box and raceway with the metal bushing. Pull at least 8 inches of cable past the raceways to each outlet box. You can always cut it shorter when making the wiring connections. Remember the cable never gets any longer!

Wiremold Metal Raceway Bushing

I drilled a 3/8 inch hole through the drywall in the Wiremold back plate, which is centered between the 2×4 wall studs. (BTW, that’s a temporary piece of drywall set in place just to rough-in the wiring.)  The next strand of NM-B 14/2 cable from the outlet box to the light switch will enter the wall here. Instead of an “outlet box”, it’s purpose is to make a Wiremold “junction box” for the wiring connections.

Wiremold NM-B 14/2 Wiring Rough-In

View of the Wiremold wiring rough-in from outlet box (left) to the junction box (right) next to the closet door:

Wiremold Wiring: Outlet box to Junction Box

Basement Closet Wiring Rough-In

A new span of NM-B 14/2 cable is run from the Wiremold junction box inside the closet to the light switch box. Then another span of electrical cable is run up the 2×4 stud wall to the closet ceiling joists. The NM-B cables are secured by cable staples within 12 inches of the steel switch box.

Basement Closet Wiring Rough-In: Light Switch Box

NM-B 14/2 electric cable run from the switch box to the closet ceiling joists.

Basement Closet Light Wiring Rough-In

The NM-B 14/2 cable is run through the bored holes in the 2×4 ceiling joists to the closet light ceiling box:

Basement Closet Light Wiring Rough-In: Ceiling Octagon Box

The steel octagon box has NM cable Screw Clamps (NMSC) to secure the electrical cable to the box. The NM-B cable is stapled within 12 inches of the ceiling box.

Closet Light Ceiling Box Wiring Rough-In

View of the closet ceiling light wiring rough-in from the other side:

Closet Ceiling Light Wiring Rough-In: Steel Octagon Box

Closet light wiring rough-in comprehensive view. Notice the Wiremold raceway along the lower wall.

Closet Light Wiring Rough-In: View from Above the Joists

Basement closet light wiring rough-in with Wiremold to extend power from the existing wall outlet to the light switch and ceiling light using NM-B 14/2 electric cable:

Building a Basement Closet: Wiring Rough-In with Wiremold

The drywall is installed next so I can mount the ceiling light.

If you want to skip ahead in this series and read about completing the Wiremold electrical wiring, click here.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Wire a Closet Light with Wiremold – Part 2 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project explains how to wire a closet light with Wiremold metal raceway to extend power from an existing electrical outlet in this installment of How To Build a Basement Closet. This project is continued from Part 4.

Extend Power from an Existing Wall Outlet

120VAC power will be extended from the wall outlet inside the closet to the light switch and closet light as illustrated in this photo using Wiremold® 700 series metal surface raceways and Wiremold receptacle box fittings with Romex^® NM-B 14/2 electric cable.

Closet Light Wiring: Extend Power from Wall Outlet to Ceiling Light

Electrical Building Permit

Wiring a new branch circuit requires a building permit and electrical inspection to ensure all work complies with the National Electric Code© (NEC) which are incorporated into your local Building Codes. I filed for a Building Permit to cover the closet framing and wiring. If in doubt, contact your local Building Dept. for permitting and inspection requirements.

If you are uncomfortable or uncertain about working with electricity and wiring, please hire a licensed electrician.

Wiremold 700 Series Surface Wiring Materials

Based on the simple wiring plan in the above photo, I created a list of Wiremold components to extend power from the existing wall outlet to the closet ceiling light:

• Leviton unbreakable nylon single outlet wall plate.
• Leviton Tamper-Resistant Single Outlet rated for 15 Amps, 125 Volts.
  Because people have a tendency to overload wall outlets, I opted to install a single outlet instead of a dual outlet. I also figured that a single outlet in the closet would be sufficient. This is just my personal preference.
• Wiremold On-Wall® Metal Extra Deep Outlet Box, part # BW35
• Wiremold Metal Raceway Accessory Pack, part # BWH9-10-11
• Wiremold Metal Raceway Inside Elbow, part # BWH7
• Wiremold 700 Series Small Raceway metal channel, 10 foot length (not shown in the photo below)
• Romex^® NM-B 14/2 electric cable.
  14 gauge, 2 conductor (hot & neutral) wires plus the ground wire.

Extend Power from a Wall Outlet: Wiremold Surface Wiring Project Materials

Other miscellaneous electrical wiring supplies are:

• Halex 3/8 in. 2-Piece Clamp Connectors (5-Pack).
• #10 Grounding Screws for metal electrical boxes.
• Wire Nuts for 14 and 12 gauge wire.
• #6-32 screws to fasten the Wiremold outlet box the wall electrical box.

To put the following Wiremold installation steps into perspective, the finished job is shown in the following photo. Power is extended from the existing wall outlet around the inside corner of the closet wall into the newly constructed 2×4 wall to the light switch and closet light:

Extend Power from an Existing Wall Outlet with Wiremold

Wall Outlet Power Extension Wiring Diagram

The following Wiremold wiring diagram illustrates the electrical devices and wiring connections to extend power from an existing wall outlet to the ceiling closet light.

Wiremold Electrical Outlet Power Extension Wiring Diagram

Recall that I chose to replace the original dual wall outlet with a single outlet, however a dual outlet may be installed.

Wiremold: NM-B versus THHN Wire

Single conductor stranded THHN type wire is normally installed in Wiremold raceways because THHN wire is more flexible for pulling and can take sharper bends around corners.

Solid conductor NM-B type cable can be used in Wiremold raceways in compliance with the NEC 310.11 for proper cable and conductor marking, only if the outer insulation jacket is NOT removed. This is because the outer jacket on NM-B cable is marked while the individual conductors are not marked

NM-B cable is much stiffer than THHN wire, therefore the full length of NM-B cable required to reach the next junction box must be pushed or pulled through each section of Wiremold channel as it’s installed.

I chose to use NM-B cable since it’s what I have on-hand and saved the cost of buying THHN wire.

Wiremold Wall Outlet Power Extension

Watch the Wiremold installation video on YouTube.com to familiarize yourself with the system.

Be absolutely certain to shutoff the power at the circuit breaker panel before starting work on the wiring. Failing to do so can cause injury and/or death. Always hire a licensed electrician if in doubt.

Verify the power is off with an outlet tester or voltage detector. I always plug the outlet tester in first to verify the outlet is powered and correctly wired (it also shows the tester is working!) then shutoff the circuit breaker. The outlet tester lights are all Off indicating the electricity is Off.

Wiremold Wall Outlet Extension: Shutoff the Electricity

Remove the receptacle mounting screws to release the outlet from the wall box. Couple of notes here:

• The old outlet is wired using the “backstab” method. Press the tip of a very small screwdriver into the release holes to pull the wires out.
• The original electrician just met the required 3 inches of wire extending beyond the wall box. The wall box is very shallow because the concrete foundation wall is behind the electrical box, which has been furred and finished with drywall.

Wiremold Outlet Extension: Remove the Old Receptacle

NM-B 14/2 wires after removing the electric receptacle:

Wiremold Outlet Extension: NM-B 14/2 Wires

• The NM-B 14/2 wires are fed through the center of Wiremold BW35 Outlet/Receptacle box back plate, then the back plate is leveled, then fastened to the plastic wall box with two screws. Wall box mounting screws are not included with the BW35 Wiremold outlet box, so you must provide your own.
• The NM-B 14/2 wires are fed through the Halex 3/8 in. 2-piece clamp connector. The clamp connector acts as a bushing to protect the wires from the sharp edges of the back plate hole.

Wiremold Outlet/Receptacle Box: BW35 Wall Plate Installation

The “wings” of the Halex clamp connector mount inside the Wiremold back plate. Don’t tighten the clamp screws yet, this will be done later. Next, a 6 inch length of 14 gauge copper ground is installed with a #10 ground screw in the metal dimple. Loop the ground wire around the ground screw, then tighten the screw. The ground screw and wire are required by the Building Code to ground the outlet box.

Wiremold Outlet Box Installation: Clamp Connector and Ground Screw

A horizontal level line is drawn on the wall with the carpenter’s level from the center of the Wiremold BW35 receptacle box to the corner and right wall. The twist-out on the right side of the receptacle box cover is removed with a pair of pliers. Note the twist-out is scored for the Wiremold 500 (small profile) and 700 (larger profile) metal channels. I’m using the larger size Wiremold 700 raceway and removed the whole twist-out the outlet box.

The Wiremold 90 degree inside elbow BWH7 is marked and mounted next with Buildex® STUD SOLVER® E-Z Ancors to the drywall.

Wiremold Installation: Receptacle Box and Inside Elbow

The the distance between Wiremold receptacle box and inside elbow is measured, then add 3/8 inch to both ends (or 3/4 inch total) because the raceway has a slot that connects to the tongue on the outlet box and elbow. A standard 10 foot section of Wiremold 700 series raceway is clamped to the workbench and the measured section is cut. The Wiremold steel channel can be cut with a hacksaw, but why not bring out the big toy and cut it with the Milwaukee Tools portable band saw? (I’m always looking for excuses to buy tools. The band saw cuts through the raceway like it was butter.) Debur the cut with a file per the Wiremold metal raceway installation instructions.

Wiremold 700 Series Metallic Wire Raceway Installation

The Wiremold 700 metal channel fits on the mounting tabs of the receptacle box back plate and elbow. Wiremold is intended to be installed one item at a time working in a linear fashion and you may have to unscrew the inside elbow to mount the steel channel. The NM-B 14/2 cable will be installed after I’ve fitted all the Wiremold components.

Wiremold Channel Installation: Receptacle Box to Inside Elbow

The 2nd Wiremold receptacle box will mount inside the wall by the closet door. The center wiring hole in the back plate is positioned so it’s centered between the wall studs to run the NM-B cable into the wall. I measured and sawed (i.e. shortened) another piece of Wiremold 90 degree inside elbow to fit the box.

Wiremold Receptacle Box and Inside Elbow Fitting

Detail of fitting the Wiremold BWH7 inside elbow:

Wiremold Inside Elbow Installation Detail

The Wiremold receptacle box back plate is mounted to the 2×4 wall studs with Simpson Strong-Drive wood screws. I used the EZ Ancors to mount the elbow to the drywall.

Wiremold Receptacle Back Plate and Inside Elbow Mounting

Checking the final fit of the inside elbow and receptacle box after mounting with screws:

Wiremold Receptacle Box and Inside Elbow

The wiring rough-in explained in the next part of this project.

Thanks,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Wire a Closet Light with Wiremold – Part 1 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This repair is continued from Part 1.

Heat Shrink Tubing Wire Insulation Repair

Before proceeding make certain the electricity is shut off the circuit breaker panel to prevent electrical shock, injury and/or death. If in doubt, hire a licensed electrician.

As described in Part 1 of this project, the insulation on the NM-B 14/2 copper wires will be repaired with Raychem heat-shrink tubing rated for 600 volts and 275°F (135°C), Part #CPGI-RNF-100-ASRT-4N-BLK.

NM-B 14/2 Electrical Wire Insulation Repair: Raychem Heat Shrink Tubing

The NM-B 14/2 copper conductor wire insulation will be repaired with two pieces of heat-shrink tubing: 1) 3/32″ section against the wire and 2) 1/8″ section over the 3/32″ piece for a double layer of protection.

The larger piece of 1/8″ diameter tubing about 1-1/2″ in length is slipped over the 14 gauge wire first well away from the end so it’s not prematurely heated and shrunk. The smaller 3/32″ diameter tubing is next positioned over the wire according to the strip gauge on the back of the Leviton Heavy Duty Outlet Model 5252 to expose the correct amount of wire lead. The new outlet will be back wired using the screw-and-clamp method.

Leviton Heavy Duty Outlet #5252: Strip Gauge and Heat-Shrink Tubing

Heat-Shrink Tubing

I used a butane torch lighter to carefully shrink the 3/32″ tubing over the wire. Specialized heat-shrink butane torches or an electric heat gun may also be used, however a large heat gun is difficult to control due to the wide cone of hot air. The advantage of a butane torch lighter is the torch jet works in all positions, including upside down for even heating of the heat shrink tubing. Do not use an ordinary Bic butane lighter because it does a poor job of projecting the flame downward.

Work carefully while keeping the end of flame at about 1 inch away while applying heat to all sides of the tubing with a back-and-forth motion to avoid overheating which will cause the tubing to become brittle and crack. I held my other hand about 2 inches behind the wire to judge the amount of heat applied by the torch lighter. The Raychem tubing shrinks at 203°F. Practice heat shrinking first on a scrap piece of wire.

Shorted Electrical Outlet Repair: Heat-Shrink Tubing Wire Insulation Repair

After the 3/32″ inner layer of tubing has been heat shrunk, slide the 1/8″ inch section of tubing into place and heat-shrink it with the butane torch lighter. Notice how the heat-shrink tubing squeezes tightly around the wire:

NM-B 14/2 Wire Insulation Repair with Heat-Shrink Tubing

I coded the repaired white (neutral) wire with a piece of white electrical tape for anyone working on this outlet in the future to indicate it is still the neutral side of the circuit. Otherwise someone might think the black heat shrink tubing on the white neutral wire means it’s been re-purposed as a hot wire. The black (hot) wire insulation has also been repaired with heat-shrink tubing:

NM-B 14/2 Wire Insulation Repair: Code the Neutral with White Electrical Tape

Back Wiring the New Wall Outlet

The new Leviton heavy-duty outlet model 5252 is back-wired using the screw-and-clamp system. Each pair of NM-B 14/2 wires for the same circuit are installed in matching positions. I installed the line-side wires from the circuit breaker panel in the middle position of the outlet for a minor degree of electrical balancing for the two feeder circuits on either side; this is just a personal preference.

Shorted Electrical Outlet Repair: Back-wired Leviton Model 5252 Outlet

Receptacle Testing

After checking the wires are securely back-wired to the outlet and the clamp screws are tight, the wires are carefully folded into the outlet box to avoid kinks. The new Leviton model 5252 outlet is fastened to the wall box by the two mounting screws, then power is turned On at the circuit breaker.

The outlet wiring is checked for correctness with a receptacle tester. The two orange lights indicates the outlet is wired correctly:

Shorted Electrical Outlet Repair: New Receptacle Testing

The cover plate is attached and the receptacle is checked again:

New Wall Outlet Wiring Verification with a Receptacle Tester

Arc Fault Circuit Breaker Upgrade

My home was built shortly before the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) required Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) for circuits serving bedrooms and other locations. An AFCI breaker would have tripped when the loose outlet wires in my son’s room caused the arc short.

I purchased several Eaton 15 Amp Single Pole Combination Type FIRE-GUARD AFCI BR Type Breakers that matched my electrical panel (your panel will likely require a different breaker model) for about $38 each and replaced the standard breakers to reduce the future risk of arc shorts. Most homeowners will want to hire a licensed electrician for this advanced task which requires shutting off the power the entire home at the service entrance.

Hope this helps,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Repair a Shorted Electrical Outlet – Part 2 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This tutorial explains how to replace a shorted electrical outlet and repair the burnt and charred wire insulation.

Electrical Outlet Hissing Noise

The problem started when my son complained of hearing a hissing or sizzling noise from a wall outlet in his bedroom and temporarily losing power to some of the other outlets and lights. The circuit breaker wasn’t tripped and power would come back On by itself at the affected outlets and lights.

I asked my son to point out the outlet that was sometimes making the hissing noise. After shutting Off the electricity at the circuit breaker panel and verifying the electricity was Off with a voltage detector, I removed the outlet face plate and mounting screws. What I discovered was shocking! (Pun intended.) The outlet side terminal screws were not tightened on the NM-B 14/2 wires! The wires were just looped around the terminal screws making a loose connection that resulted in an arc short and heating that burned and charred the wire insulation. See the excellent “Short Circuit” and “Poor Connection” topics in the presentation by Dr. V. Babrauskas at 2001 International Fire & Materials Conference as posted on interFire.org.

Shorted Electrical Wall Outlet: Burned and Blackened Wires

I could tell that the outlet is wiring is original from when the home was built by the metal crimp sleeve connectors on the ground wires and white primer spray painted on the wires after the drywall was installed. Why weren’t the side terminal screws properly tightened? My guess is the electrician got distracted during the job, or maybe it was quitting time that day, and forgot to tighten the terminal screws.

I’m lucky the electrical arc short didn’t cause a fire.

Here’s a closeup of the burned and charred insulation on the neutral (white) wire and blackened terminal screw – that screw should be silver colored like the other screw next to it:

Burned Wire Insulation on Shorted Electrical Outlet

The plastic case of the outlet was melted where the wires touched the case:

Shorted Electrical Outlet Wiring

Both the neutral (white) and hot (black) wires were loose (a wiring fault), resulting in shorting and arcing that heated the wires and burned the insulation:

Shorted Electrical Outlet: Hot and Neutral Wires Burned and Pitted

Other Wall Outlets Lose Power

Why did the power to the other outlets and lights temporarily go out and then come back on?

The reason for the intermittent power is because the outlets are wired in Series and the loose wires on this outlet are the source of electricity for those “downstream” outlets and lights (desk lamp and closet light). When the computer, Xbox, stereo, TV and lights on those downstream outlets were turned On, the electrical load of those devices caused cause the loose receptacle wires to heat up due to the poor (high electrical resistance) connection. The result was technically a “brown out” where the loose outlet wires couldn’t provide sufficient electricity to meet the power loads, so power was lost and the TV, desk lamp, etc. wouldn’t operate. Meanwhile the loose outlet wires would heat up like the wires in a toaster due to the loose/high resistance connection to the outlet with arcing and burned insulation. The arcing (electrical sparking) at the loose connection makes the hissing or sizzling noise.

Series Wired Electrical Wall Outlet: Shorted Wires and Power Loss

Shorted Wall Outlet Repair

To repair the shorted wall outlet and burned insulation on the wires, the following is required:

• Repair the burned insulation on the copper wire conductors
• Replace the old wall outlet

Since I’ve previously written a tutorial on how to replace an electrical outlet, the remainder of this project will focus on repairing the burned insulation on the individual wires (copper conductors) of the NM-B 14/2 cable. The burned insulation was repaired with Raychem Heat-Shrink Tubing which is rated for 600 volts and up to 275 °F (135 °C) operating temperature, which equals or exceeds the 600 volts and 194°F (90°C) limits of the NM-B 14/2 wire insulation. I also used Scotch 35 Vinyl Electrical Tape to code the repaired wires to avoid confusion for future electricians doing work on the outlet.

Shorted Wall Outlet Repair: Heat Shrink Tubing and Electrical Tape

Closeup of the Raychem Heat-Shrink Tubing Kit, Part #CPGI-RNF-100-ASRT-4N-BLK, which is available at Home Depot for about $18.

Electrical Wire Repair: Raychem Heat-Shrink Tubing: Rated 600 volts and 275°F

NM-B Wire Insulation Repair Options

There are several ways to repair the shorted outlet wires:

1. Replace the entire run of NM-B 14/2 cable with the burned insulation from this outlet to the next outlet in series.
   This would require major work tearing open the drywall, removing cable staples, etc. I really didn’t want to go there nor is it necessary in this situation.
2. If the wires are long enough, cut the wires back beyond the burned insulation.
   The National Electrical Code (NEC) 300.14 requires the wires extended a minimum of 3 inches outside the electrical box. If I cut the wires, I would be at or below the 3 inch minimum length requirement. I also don’t like shortening wires because they never get longer.
3. Cut back the burned wires and wire in a pigtail connection to lengthen the wire so it extends at least 3 inches past the outlet box.
   This is possible and I would go with this option if the outlet box only had two (2) NM-B 14/2 cables, however it has three (3) NM-B 14/2 cables and the box is at it’s maximum wire fill allowance for an 18 cubic inch single gang outlet box. A pigtail wouldn’t increase the wire fill count per the NEC calculations, but I’d be cramming wire nuts and more wires in a too small box. Per the NEC wire fill calculations, the volume allowances for this outlet box are: 6 power conductors, 1 ground and 2 for the receptacle for a total of 9 volume allowances. For 14 gauge wire 2 cubic inches of box space are required per volume allowance. 9 volume allowances * 2 cubic inches/volume allowance equals 18 cubic inches; which equals the 18 cubic inch volume of the outlet box.
4. Strip off the burned insulation and wrap the exposed copper conductor with electrical insulating tape.
   Easy, quick and very inexpensive. This is probably what most electricians would do.
5. Strip off the burned insulation and cover the exposed copper conductor with an appropriately rated heat-shrink tubing.
   I liked this option the best and is how I made the repair. The extra effort and cost were minimal and it looks nicer compared to wrapping the wire with electrical tape.

Electrical Tape or Heat-Shrink Tubing?

There are recommended repair methods for the outer insulation jacket, but not for damaged conductor insulation in a terminating situation as I have with the shorted outlet wires. If this were damaged to the inner insulation or copper conductors in a cable span, the solution would be to splice in a new section of cable with two junction boxes.

To confirm if electrical tape or heat-shrinking tubing were acceptable conductor insulation repair methods, I called the Southwire Company, the manufacturer of Romex® NM-B cable, and explained my problem to a product support engineer. The engineer said that stripping off the burned insulation and wrapping the wire in electrical insulating tape would be an acceptable repair, but liked heat-shrink tubing better. Adhesive shrink wrap tubing would be best to prevent any possibility of the tubing slipping on the wire, however adhesive tubing in such a small diameter (1/16″ to 1/8″) probably wasn’t available. The minimum requirements are the heat-shrink tubing be rated for at least 600 volts, meet or exceed the NM-B cable operating temperature and recognized by Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL Standard 224, 600V/125˚C). The Raychem Heat-Shrink Tubing used in this repair meets all three requirements.

Shorted Electrical Outlet Repair

If you’re not comfortable working with electricity and electrical wiring, please hire a licensed electrician.

Recall that the electricity is shut off at the circuit breaker panel. Never work on live circuit to prevent shock, injury and/or death.

To begin the outlet repair:

1. I disconnected and straightened all the wires from the old electrical outlet.
2. Working with a helper at the circuit breaker panel while on the mobile phone, I asked my helper to turn on the electricity.
3. Being extremely careful not to touch the live wires, I identified the line side wires (i.e. the wires that provide power to the outlet from the circuit breaker) with a non-contact voltage detector. I also verified there was no power on the other wires.
4. I then asked my helper to turn off the circuit breaker and verified the circuit was dead with the voltage detector.
5. I then coded (tagged) the line side hot (black) and neutral (white) wires with red and white electrical tape as shown in this photo:

Shorted Wall Outlet Repair: Identify and Code the Wires

The damaged insulation on the 14 gauge copper wires must be stripped back to the undamaged insulation. The worst of the charred insulation has fallen off the wires as I handled and straightened the leads:

Shorted Electrical Wall Outlet: Burned Insulation on the NM-B 14/2 Wires

Here are the wires after stripping off the burnt and swollen insulation are shown in this next photo. This was necessary such that the 3/32″ diameter heat-shrink tubing would fit over the undamaged insulation.

Shorted Wall Electrical Outlet Repair: Burnt Insulation Stripped from Wires

I next removed the tarnish and oxidation from the copper conductors with a bit of steel wool, mainly for appearances sake.

Shorted Electrical Wall Outlet Repair: Stripped and Polished Wires

This project is concluded in Part 2.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Repair a Shorted Electrical Outlet – Part 1 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project explains how to repair a ceiling fan that won’t turn by replacing a blown motor capacitor. Total cost of the repair was $12 for a new motor capacitor ($8 for the capacitor plus $4 shipping).

The problem was the Hampton Bay Colby Model # EF200DA-52 ceiling fan stopped running. The ceiling fan lights worked fine, but the blades wouldn’t turn. The lights and fan are controlled by a single wall switch. I pulled the fan chain several times to cycle through the Off-Low-Medium-High fan speeds but the blades would not turn. However, the blades turned easily when I pushed them by hand so the motor bearings weren’t frozen.

Hampton Bay Colby Ceiling Fan Model EF200DA-52: Fan Blades Won’t Turn

I suspected the fan switch might be bad, so I got a step ladder to get a closer look. The room was quiet and I noticed a very faint humming noise when fan switch was set to the Low, Medium or High fan speed. This indicated the fan switch was working, but something was wrong with the ceiling fan motor.

Electrical Safety

Turn off the power to the ceiling fan at the circuit breaker panel before proceeding to avoid electrical shock, injury and/or death. Verify the electricity is off by operating the light switch and verifying with a voltage tester. A non-contact voltage tester is very convenient.

Blown Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor

I disassembled the light kit by removing the bulbs, glass shades and three small screws that attach the light fixture to the fan housing. Please refer to the Owner’s Manual for your fan for the dis-assembly procedure.

After removing the light kit, the problem was obvious: The ceiling fan motor capacitor was blown. The capacitor case was ruptured with gobs of hard gray plastic swelled out. What caused the motor capacitor to fail? It probably wore out with age because I’ve not had problems with other ceiling fans and appliances on the same electrical circuit.

Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Model EF200DA-52: Blown Motor Capacitor

My ceiling fan was manufactured July 2005 and only has the single start/run motor capacitor. Ceiling fans manufactured after January 1, 2007 may have two black boxes that resemble a capacitor: 1) start/run motor capacitor and 2) light kit power limiter to restrict the total light bulb wattage to not more than 190 watts.

Aside: The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that all ceiling fan lamps have not more than 190 total watts. To comply with the law, fan manufacturers install a current limiting device such as a power limiter or fuse to limit the total light wattage. Now you know why new ceiling fans have candelabra sockets packaged with dim incandescent bulbs and warning label not to exceed the maximum wattage or the lights won’t work. If you exceed 190 watts total for all light bulbs, the lamp power limiter cuts off the electricity to the lights. This basically forces you to replace the dim incandescent bulbs with lower wattage, but overall brighter, compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs.

If you fan has a power limiter, both the lamp power limiter and motor capacitor look like small black boxes with several wires attached. The motor capacitor will be connected to the pull chain fan switch and the lamp power limiter is attached to the light switch.

In this next photo, I’ve unscrewed the metal cap that attaches the orange fan switch to the fan housing to better expose the capacitor wires. Notice that the motor capacitor is wired directly to the fan switch and other capacitor wires are permanently crimped inside the clear plastic caps.

Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan EF200DA-52: Fan Switch & Blown Motor Capacitor

Given the permanent wiring situation, the only way to replace the ceiling fan motor capacitor is to cut the capacitor wires. Use a pair of wire cutters to cut the capacitor wires off close to the capacitor such that you have sufficiently long wire leads to wire in the new motor capacitor.

Order a Replacement Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor

You will need the ceiling fan Model Number or UPC # to order replacement parts from Home Depot / Hampton Bay Customer Support as listed on the label affixed to the top of the fan motor:

Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan: Model Number and UPC # Label

I called the Home Depot / Hampton Bay Customer Support toll free line at 877-527-0313 which is staffed Monday to Friday from 9am – 6pm EST. I explained the blown capacitor problem and provided the UPC # to the pleasant customer service representative (CSR). The CSR looked up the part, quoted the price ($12 which includes shipping), took my credit card payment information, and gave me her name and extension to contact her if I had any questions or issues. I really like it when a customer service rep. takes personal responsibility for customer satisfaction!

In a couple of days the replacement capacitor arrived via 1st class mail from King of Fans in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. King of Fans is the USA distributor for Chien Luen Industries, the Chinese manufacturer of Hampton Bay ceiling fans for Home Depot. Who would know the replacement parts better than the original equipment manufacturer?

Install the New Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor

The replacement start/run motor capacitor type CBB61 was identical to the blown capacitor in every way (except the case wasn’t ruptured) with the same color wires in identical positions and electrical specifications printed on face:

Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor CBB61: Blown Capacitor and New Unit

Ceiling fan motor capacitors can have two (2) to five (5) wires in different arrangements, so don’t worry if your ceiling fan capacitor looks different than mine. The procedure for wiring in a new fan motor capacitor is the same as shown in the following steps; just match identical wire colors and fasten the wires together.

I stripped about 5/8 inch of insulation from the new capacitor wires, then right-hand (clockwise) twisted the stranded wire ends to form a tight lead (“righty tighty, lefty loosey”). A right-hand twist is essential because wire nuts tighten with a right-hand twist. It’s much more convenient to strip the wires now before getting on the ladder.

Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor CBB61: Strip the Wires

Next, I stripped the insulation from the corresponding wires on the ceiling fan that were previously cut to remove the blown capacitor:

Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor Replacement: Strip the Leads on the Fan Wires

The new ceiling fan motor capacitor is wired to the fan by:

• Twist the matching color fan and motor capacitor wires together.
• Secure the wires with a small wire nut.

Ceiling Fan: Wiring the New Motor Capacitor

The first pair of wires are secured with a small wire nut as shown in the following photo. It’s important to use the correct size wire nut for light gauge wires so the wires don’t come loose. I used small orange wire nuts left over from prior ceiling fan installations. If you need to buy wire nuts, get the Ideal 72B Blue wire nuts or equivalent size at the home improvement store.

Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor Replacement: Wire Nut

Wire in the remaining capacitor wires using the same method:

• match the wires by color
• twist the wire leads together
• secure the wires by twisting on a wire nut

Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor Testing

Before closing up the ceiling fan wiring, I let the new motor capacitor dangle from the wires, turned on the electricity at the circuit breaker panel and flipped on the wall switch to verify the wiring was correct and the fan motor worked.

I shut off the electricity at the circuit breaker panel before closing up the wiring and reinstalling the light kit.

Reinstall the Ceiling Fan Light Kit

Having wired-in the new ceiling fan capacitor, the switch cap is screwed onto the fan switch, then the motor capacitor and wires are tucked into the bottom of the fan – it was a tight fit! The new capacitor can just be seen as the black box on the right inside the fan. The blue and white light power wires are hanging out for plugging into the light kit.

Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor Replacement: Reinstall the Light Kit

The light kit is reattached to the ceiling fan with the three small screws that were previously removed. Then the glass shades and light bulbs are installed last. Remember to turn on the power at the circuit breaker.

Ceiling Fan Light Kit Re-Installed

$12 dollars for a new motor capacitor and 45 minutes of work was much less effort and expense compared to buying and installing a new ceiling fan!

Thanks for reading,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Replace a Ceiling Fan Motor Capacitor appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.