Probing the Problem

You flick the light switch and nothing happens. The coffeemaker, which was set on a timer to go off at 6 A.M., sits with pot of cold water on your kitchen counter. Before assuming that the devices are shot, follow this checklist:

1. Confirm that the circuit has power and that the fuse hasn’t burned out or the circuit breaker tripped.
2. Check to see if the appliance or fixture is working by checking light bulbs, cords, and plugs.
3. Inspect the connections at the fixture and at the terminal screws to ensure they are tight.
4. ❏ Check for a problem in the circuit itself.

The very first thing you should do is confirm that power is getting to the device. Every electrician has a story about going on a service call to repair a dead circuit only to discover that the breaker had tripped and no one checked. That’s a pretty expensive discovery for a homeowner. Your first step is to examine your fuse box or service panel. Does everything look okay? Are there burned-out fuses or tripped breakers for that circuit? Check carefully. Some breakers have very little sponginess and don’t move much when they trip. You might have to test several breakers if you haven’t done a circuit map and are uncertain which breaker controls the failed device. If you can eliminate the power source as the problem, check the connections (see the following figure) by taking the following steps:

1. Turn the power off.
2. Remove the cover plate from the device, and unscrew the device from the box.
3. See if the terminal screws are tight and have good contact with the wires.
4. If the device is back wired, there shouldn’t be any bare wire showing, only insulation.
5. Check the wire nuts or taped-and-soldered connections to be sure they’re tight.

If there are no problems with the connections, you’ll have to probe further with your handy voltage tester and a continuity tester.

Replacing Old Switches and Receptacles

Now that you know about switches and receptacles, it’s time to replace any that are broken or to upgrade existing ones. The most common upgrade is swapping a standard toggle switch for a dimmer. Newer, quieter models—that don’t have the resounding “click” of old switches—sometimes are installed in older homes that still have their original devices.
The most common reason for replacing a device is wear and tear. The clips in a receptacle that hold a plug tautly or the metal arm in a switch eventually can fatigue and no longer work properly. A simple loss of power to a fixture or an appliance, however, is not necessarily a reason to replace a device. You have to do a few system checks first, which we’ll discuss in this chapter.
The short projects in this chapter will help you get your feet wet—don’t take that literally, however, when working around electricity—and gain a degree of comfort with your electrical system. Three- and four-way switches require more troubleshooting skills, but we’ll cover the most common situations with both switches. We’ll also discuss upgrading your current two-wire receptacles and making them safer when the situation calls for it—without updating the entire system with a grounded conductor.

Brass: New and Old

Many older homes have original brass cover plates, often with a dark bronze tone. These will readily take to a buffing wheel and will come out a fine, shiny brass if that’s your preference. New replacement brass plates also are available. Some homeowners and designers install them in kitchens and bathrooms, but such damp locations aren’t the best places for brass unless you like polishing them from time to time. If you go to any good-size street fair, at least in a large city, you’re likely to run into an artist’s booth selling ceramic electrical plates. Some have a theme (such as stars or suns); others are a little more whimsical. Check to see if they’re listed by UL; if they’re not, decide whether you think it’s a problem. These plates are usually ceramic, nonconducting material and can be pricey.
Local gift and design shops might carry these types of plates as well. They usually are purchased for a single room, such as a bathroom or a baby’s room, rather than an entire home.

Cover Plate for Cable Boxes

Every electrical box needs a cover plate. A junction box, which is used solely to house wires and their connections but not devices, needs a blank cover plate. The cover plate keeps probing fingers, especially those of kids, away from the wires and the terminal screws on the device, all of which are fine sources of electrical shock. Plastic is the material of choice for most cover plates, but metal is used in some commercial work and with metal boxes. Outdoor boxes have plates with foam gaskets to keep moisture out. Outdoor receptacles have additional protection: A section of the cover plate closes over and covers the receptacle when it isn’t in use. Plastic cover plates have been used since the 1920s, but other materials have been used as well.

Brass: New and Old
Many older homes have original brass cover plates, often with a dark bronze tone. These will readily take to a buffing wheel and will come out a fine, shiny brass if that’s your preference. New replacement brass plates also are available. Some homeowners and designers install them in kitchens and bathrooms, but such damp locations aren’t the best places for brass unless you like polishing them from time to time.

The Artful Flare of Ceramics
If you go to any good-size street fair, at least in a large city, you’re likely to run into an artist’s booth selling ceramic electrical plates. Some have a theme (such as stars or suns); others are a little more whimsical. Check to see if they’re listed by UL; if they’re not, decide whether you think it’s a problem. These plates are usually ceramic, nonconducting material and can be pricey.
Local gift and design shops might carry these types of plates as well. They usually are purchased for a single room, such as a bathroom or a baby’s room, rather than an entire home.

Check the Cable Box Size

Boxes come in different sizes based on the installation need. Rectangular boxes, the most common ones used for single devices, generally are two inches by three inches for residential use. Depth ranges from 15/8 inches to 319/32 inches. The deeper the box, the more wires it can accommodate and the easier it is to tuck in the wires and install a device and still meet code. You’ll really appreciate this when you’re dealing with 12-gauge wire.
A round box with
extendible bars.
How many cables can your box accommodate? Well, the bigger the box the better, but to be more exact …

• Count the number of intended cables for the box. Each hot and neutral conductor counts as one wire each, and all the grounding conductors together count as a single wire.
• Take this total and add one for any cable clamps (if they’re the same type of clamp). If you have two different types, you have to count each as a separate number.
• Take this new total and add two for each device (switch or receptacle).
• If the box contains 14-gauge wire, multiply the total number (of wires, clamps, and devices) by 2 cubic inches. If 12-gauge wire is being used, multiply the total by 2.25 cubic inches.
• The result of this multiplication is the minimum allowable volume of wires, clamps, and devices for that box.

(The volume of a box usually is stamped on the back of the inside of the box.)
Let’s say you have a light switch in a plastic box with two 14-gauge cables coming
into it. (One is the line; one is the load.) This gives you two hot conductors, two neutrals,
two grounding conductors (these count as one wire in our calculations), and
one switch. Therefore …
Two hot conductors: 2
Two neutrals: 2
One grounding conductor: 1
Device: 2
Total: 7
7 2 cubic inches = 14 cubic inch minimum box size (Note: Most plastic boxes do not have any type of clamp.)

Plastic or Steel Cable Boxes?

Both plastic and steel boxes are used in residential construction. A box has to withstand a certain amount of construction trauma when it’s installed and later when drywall is installed around it. (Drywall hangers are not necessarily kind and gentle people, at least not when they’re getting paid by the square foot.) Plastic boxes are lightweight and are easy to install, especially those that come with nails for direct attachment to a wall stud or a floor joist.
Metal boxes are standard in most commercial work. Unlike a plastic box, a metal box is a good conductor of electricity and must be grounded along with the device or fixture. Special fittings are used to connect a metal box to conduit and conductors to the box. These fittings include an array of clamps, clips, and locknuts, most of which you’ll never use in the course of residential repairs and remodeling. A plastic box works well for a single gang or device use, but some electricians find that a larger plastic box’s shape distorts during installation or when the drywall is installed. For these reasons, they use tougher boxes, either Bakelite (reinforced phenolic) or metal for two gang installations and metal for three gang. The larger the box, the more difficult it is to keep it level and in line.