Prepare Your Electrical Work Plans and Specifications—Always!

You can’t expect someone to bid on a job if you don’t specify exactly what you want done. It’s not enough to say, “Just add some receptacles and lights wherever you think we need them.” You have to specify where you want them, the types of fixtures you want, and even the styles of light bulbs. You don’t need detailed plans and specifications for everything. Adding a clothes-dryer circuit, for example, is pretty straightforward once you’ve designated where the laundry will be located. Details increase as the scope of the job increases. Installing a new service panel might mean a different location than an existing box. (This obviously is true when an old fuse box located off a back porch is replaced.) A complete update of your existing system, including running all new wire, would have to be detailed, especially when it comes to fixtures and their locations. The following list outlines a very basic plan:

Sample House Plan

Main service: 200-amp Square D QO service panel

Location: NE corner of basement Existing fuse box will serve as a junction box for any existing circuits to be retained. The door will be screwed shut. New circuits to be added: Washing machine, dryer

Kitchen: Add two 20-amp small-appliance circuits with GFCIs, white Leviton receptacles, and cover plates. Install nine recessed cans (white trim) with dimmer switch (white) and two 18-inch fluorescent fixtures over counters. Run outlet for range and separate circuits for microwave, refrigerator, and disposer.

Lighting: Add sufficient 15-amp circuits to bring bedrooms, living and dining room, and hallway up to code for receptacles (six-foot rule).

Office: Run dedicated 15-amp computer circuit.

Master bathroom: Run GFCI. Install six-light fixture over mirror and recessed can over toilet (white trim). Install Nutone QT-200 fan.

First-floor bath: Run GFCI. Install four-light fixture over mirror. Install Nutone QT-100 fan.

Living room: Install four wall sconces and one recessed can over fireplace.

Dining: Use existing chandelier. Check wiring for safety.

Bedroom hallway: Use existing fixture and check wiring. Use existing bedroom ceiling lights and check wiring.

Basement: Run 20-amp circuit for workshop. Install four-foot fluorescent fixtures. Install six ceramic light fixtures in basement ceiling, locations to be marked.

Garage: Run GFCI and one light over each car bay. Run wiring for two garagedoor openers (to be installed by others).

Front porch: Install new porch light (Nautilus style). Install GFCI for outdoor use.

Rear porch: Use existing light and check wiring. Install GFCI for outdoor use. Contractor will supply all labor and materials and will remove any refuse from job site. Job will be kept broom-clean daily. Billing will be done in two installments with a 10-percent down payment to be applied toward materials.

Insurance Is a Must

This is the bottom line: You want your contractor to be fully insured. Proof of insurance usually is a requirement for a contractor to obtain a license. Insurance protects you if there’s an accident or damage during the course of the work. In addition to a general liability policy, contractors must cover their employees with government-mandated policies such as workers’ compensation.

The need for contractor’s bond (surety bond)

A contractor’s bond (surety bond) is required in many states before a contractor will be issued a license to operate. The bond helps guarantee that a contractor will perform according to the terms of a contract. I suppose it’s not much different in principle from a jail bond, which is an attempt to guarantee a defendant’s appearance in court, but with a more wholesome connotation.
A bond is registered with a governing authority in one of two ways:

• The contractor can establish a special account with a cash deposit equivalent to the amount of the bond.
• A bonding company can be engaged for a fee. The amount of the bond varies from state to state. In Washington, for example, the bonding rates are relatively low. A general contractor only has to post a $6,000 bond, and a specialty contractor or subcontractor (electricians, plumbers, painters, and so on) must post only a $4,000 bond. If you are not satisfied with a contractor’s work, you can put in a claim against the bond, although you’re limited to its dollar amount. This isn’t much consolation if all you can collect is a fraction of the value of the work, and you must pursue additional financial relief through the courts or arbitration.

Any claim against a contractor must be legitimate. You have to prove that the work was not done to the specifications agreed to in your contract. Just as a bond gives you some leverage in the event of faulty work, a lien (sounds like “lean,” appropriately enough) gives a contractor some protection against a customer’s spurious claims. Sometimes called a mechanic’s lien, this handy piece of legal work enables a contractor to file a claim against your home until your debt is paid. This doesn’t mean your contractor is going to take up residence in your spare bedroom if you don’t pay, but the lien must be satisfied before the property can be sold. In some cases, a forced sale of the property can occur.

Electrical License and Bonding

Unless you live buried away in the extreme northeast corner of Montana in an area so remote that no one, not even the IRS or junk mailers, knows it exists, you should expect an electrician to be licensed, bonded, and insured in accordance with local and state laws. These requirements are fairly standard across the country. They protect you and the contractor from each other if problems arise. A license is simply permission from a governing authority to do a specific business. It shows that a contractor is registered, often with both the city and the state, and has met certain standards. This enables a contractor to hang a shingle out and say, “I’m an electrician.” It also means the local government has collected a registration fee and will be collecting taxes from the licensee.
Two requirements usually have to be met before a contractor’s license is issued:

• The individual must be bonded.
• The business must be insured.

Contracting for Electrical Contractor

If you skim the Yellow Pages, you’ll find lots of listings for electrical contractors, but that’s not the best way to choose one for your job. You probably didn’t find your physician, dentist, or auto mechanic this way, so why choose an electrician blindly? Do what you did with all the other professionals in your life—get some referrals.
Start with other homeowners. They will be your most obvious resource, particularly if they’ve done any remodeling. Ask your friends, family, co-workers, even your dentist! There is no guarantee that a contractor will give you the same results in your home, but there’s a good chance you’ll be satisfied with the results of a referral. Most small contractors survive on referrals and will want yours as well.
A contractor’s time is valuable, so don’t call a dozen of them to give you a price for adding one circuit to your house. A larger job (such as a service change or a total rewire) is another matter, and three or four bids would not be inappropriate. First, however, there are a few legalities to consider.

Choosing a good electrician

Few homeowners do all the necessary electrical work on an old house. Upgrading a service, tying into old circuits, and rewiring existing ceiling lights can be intimidating tasks. Even if you choose to do more limited electrical work and hire the rest out, a good working knowledge of electricity and your home’s electrical system will enable you to discuss the job intelligently with your electrician and to compare bids more critically.
When you hire a contractor, you each have your respective responsibilities and expectations. You need to clearly communicate what you want done and the time frame in which it must be completed. The contractor must be equally clear in stating the work as he or she understands it from your plans, the cost for labor and materials, and a reasonable completion date. Any changes by either party must be negotiated.
This might be a new experience for you. You’ll find this stranger and perhaps a crew of one or two people wandering around your house in work boots, punching holes in the walls, and shutting your power off from time to time. Who are these people and how do you deal with them? Suddenly you’re an employer of sorts, hoping these new employees are going to work out before you write them a check. You and your contractor should have the same goal: an efficient job done as agreed to in advance with a minimum of disruption. Don’t worry, clear communications with a carefully selected electrician—and maybe a box of doughnuts in the morning—will smooth the way for everyone involved.

More on Surge Suppressor

A couple other tech toys you might not have known you desperately needed are line conditioners and an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). A line conditioner adjusts the line voltage to a norm, getting rid of highs and lows. This is a good piece of equipment to have if your home electrical system has a regular case of the sags. A UPS is basically a sophisticated battery pack with various filtering properties that kick in when you have a power outage. The key word here is “battery.” You don’t want to be running your laser printer or copying machine off of this if you lose power. Use it for your computer, not the peripherals.
Surge suppressors come with a few guidelines as well, just like extension cords. These guidelines include …

• Don’t go beyond the electrical rating of the suppressor.
• Surge suppressors are designed for indoor use in dry areas.
• Don’t plug the suppressor into an extension cord.
• Keep children and pets away from the suppressor’s power cord.
• Suppressors are not designed to be used with aquariums.

Some available systems offer protection starting at your home’s meter. A suppressor is installed near the electric meter, and it protects major appliances from surges and lightning strikes. Standard plug-in suppressors are installed inside your home for more sensitive equipment. The Square D company manufactures an inexpensive surge suppressor that mounts directly in the service panel like a two-pole breaker.

Some considerations before you purchase surge suppressors

If you must wade, here are some considerations before you purchase:

• The suppressor should have at least a UL 1449-330-volt let-through rating (the lowest amount of voltage the suppressor allows to pass through). This is basically a safety rating. A higher rating, UL Adjunct Endurance Testing, meets tougher government Commercial Item Description (CID) Class, Grade, and Mode specifications.
• Telephone line, fax line, and coaxial cable line protection should be provided. ➤ It should have a high joule rating. (This measures your suppressor’s capability to absorb energy, which is measured in joules.)
• It should have high surge amp ratings.
• The suppressor should have an indicator light to show that the device is working.
• It should provide protection in all three modes (surges between hot, neutral, and ground lines).
• It should have instantaneous response time.
• The unit should shut off power to all of its outlets once the unit has reached its capacity to protect.
• It should offer a broad degree of EMI/RFI noise reduction. Competing claims among surge-suppressor manufacturers start sounding like taunts between opposing cliques in the schoolyard.

It begins to sound like the Macintosh versus PC battle. My advice? I’d still buy the suppressor with the best guarantee for my price range. Any damage to your equipment or data then becomes the manufacturer’s problem. (Read the guarantee carefully.)

Warranty for Surge Suppressors

If you search the Web for surge suppressors or go into a computer store, you’ll be surprised at how many manufacturers have the absolutely best product available. They can’t even agree on the best criteria to judge suppressors. What’s a consumer to do? Simple: Pick the suppressor with the best warranty. Such a warranty will guarantee the following:

• Repair or replacement of the suppressor and any connected equipment for life if the suppressor fails to protect against surges
• Payment for the retrieval of lost data
• A high maximum dollar amount for damages This kind of guarantee doesn’t come as cheaply as a less-inclusive one, but it does make choosing a suppressor a lot easier than wading through the claims and manufacturers’ specifications.

Computers Aren’t Very Tough

We can replace a television or an answering machine quite easily, but it’s not so easy to retrieve lost data on a hard drive after a surge or spike hits the old PC. The worst-case scenarios, at least as presented by various surge-suppressor manufacturers, include …

• Losing any data in memory.
• Possible damage to the file allocation table because the computer would not have been shut down properly.
• The stress of regular, unnoticed surges gradually deteriorating your computer’s components.
• Sags causing a system crash and the possible loss of data.
• A strong spike frying your PC.

If you live in an area of frequent storms or windy weather that might cause your power to go out, a surge suppressor should be higher up on your birthday wish list than if storms are infrequent. Nevertheless, given our creeping dependence on computers and stored data, a surge suppressor is a good idea wherever you are. (Sorting through all the competing claims by different manufacturers is another issue altogether.)