How to Easily and Safely Rewire Your Home Without an Electrician

Introduction

Rewiring a home can seem like a daunting task, but with proper planning and safety precautions, it is possible for a homeowner to rewire their house on their own without hiring an electrician. There are several reasons why you may want to rewire your home, such as upgrading to a larger electrical service, replacing old and outdated wiring, or adding new circuits and outlets.

I have successfully rewired my home while saving thousands of dollars in electrician fees. In this comprehensive guide, I will walk through the entire process step-by-step, from assessing your electrical needs, gathering the right tools and materials, to safely installing new wiring and components.

Determine Your Electrical Requirements

The first step is to determine what electrical upgrades or changes need to be made in your home.

• Make a list of all the issues, improvements, and new circuits you want to add. This could include upgrading the main service panel, running wiring for additional outlets and lighting, adding high-voltage lines for appliances like dryers, stoves or AC units, installing low-voltage wiring for phone, cable, or internet lines, etc.

• Examine your existing electrical panel and all the circuit breakers. Check the amperage rating to see if an upgrade is needed for your household's electricity demand.

• Decide if you need to run new wiring through walls and ceilings or if you can work within existing wiring paths. This will impact the scope of drywall cutting and patching.

• If there are problems with flickering lights, blown fuses, or outlets not working, diagnose where wiring faults may exist. Any damaged wiring will need to be replaced.

Thoroughly planning out your electrical goals will make the rewiring project smoother.

Gather Necessary Tools and Materials

Rewiring a house involves working with dangerous high voltage electricity. To work safely, I gathered these essential tools and protective gear:

• Electrical tape - for taping wires together and insulating connections
• Cable stripper - for cutting wire sheathing and stripping insulation
• Voltage tester - for safely checking if wires are live before working
• Clamp meters - for measuring current and troubleshooting electrical issues
• Outlet testers - for verifying outlets are wired correctly after installation
• Safety glasses - for eye protection
• Work gloves - for hand protection from sharp wires
• Face masks - for reducing dust inhalation

For the wiring itself, I used:

• NM-B Electrical Wire - flexible, plastic-sheathed wire for running through walls and ceilings
• Electrical boxes - for housing outlets, switches and junction points
• Cable clamps - for securing wires entering boxes
• Wire nuts - for joining multiple wires together in connections
• Breakers - circuit protection devices for the main service panel

Make sure to acquire all necessary materials before starting the rewiring project. You may need to make multiple trips to the hardware store throughout the process.

Safety - Turn Off Power and Install GFCIs

Electrical safety should be your top priority. Accidentally touching live wires can result in severe shock, burns or even death.

Here are some tips for working safely:

• At the circuit breaker, shut off the main power feed to the whole house. Use a non-contact voltage tester on wires to double-check power is off.

• As an extra precaution, I also flip the individual breakers to off for each circuit I'm working on.

• Install GFCI outlets at the beginning of each circuit I'm rewiring. These outlets provide protection from electrocution and automatically cut power if abnormal current flows. Test them to ensure they trip properly.

• Never work on wiring alone. Have someone present in case of emergency.

• Make sure to turn power back on slowly circuit-by-circuit to check for issues. Improperly connected wires can damage appliances, start electrical fires, or cause injury.

Working on wiring with confirmed dead circuits vastly reduces the risk of electrical shock. But always double-check with tools and testers.

Running New Wiring

Once preparations are complete, it's time to start running the new NM-B electrical wiring through your home.

Planning the Runs

• Obtain the floor plans and mark where you want new wires to be run. Plan the paths through walls and ceilings.

• Carefully measure wire runs from the main panel to outlet locations, allowing extra length for slack. Underestimating can mean falling short.

• Try to group similar voltage wires together - keep 120V branch circuits separate from 240V appliance circuits.

• Minimize bends and avoid running wires near sources of heat or moisture.

Cutting Access Holes and Mounting Boxes

• Outline removal areas on drywall where wiring will pass through studs and joists. Cut holes using a drywall saw or rotary tool. Save cutout pieces for patching later.

• Position electrical boxes allowing adequate room for wires entering and leaving. Screw boxes to studs or use braces to secure.

• Ensure boxes are flush with eventual wall surface. Shims can be used if necessary for proper positioning.

Running and Securing Cables

• Carefully run cables through holes and into boxes, leaving 6-8 inches of extra wire at ends for connections. Don't kink wires or exceed bend radius.

• Use cable clamps and staples to securely fasten wires every 4-6 feet along joists and studs as per electrical code. Support cables properly.

• Label wire ends to identify circuit locations for easier troubleshooting. Color coding tape helps.

• Avoid overstuffing boxes. Use electrical box extenders if more capacity is needed.

Making Safe Wire Connections

With cables run to each box, it's time to make connections. This is where you join all the wires ultimately leading back to the main service panel.

Prep Work

• Use cable strippers to carefully cut back 3/4" of outer sheathing from NM-B wire ends, avoiding nicking inner conductors.

• Strip 5/8" of insulation off hot, neutral, and ground wire ends. Take care not to cut into metal.

• Bend bare copper ground wires into hooks for easy attachment to grounds on boxes and devices.

Joining Wires

• Match hot wires to hot, neutrals to neutrals, grounds to grounds.

• For outlets, connect matching wires from incoming and outgoing cables to hot and neutral screws, looping clockwise.

• For switches, connect one hot wire to common terminal, and the other hot to switched terminal.

• Use wire nuts to join multiple ground wires and pigtail to outlets' ground screws. Twist firmly clockwise.

• Ensure no frayed strands or bare conductor shows outside wire nuts. Tug test each connection.

Finishing Up

• Carefully tuck connected wires into electrical boxes, bending to fit. No loose wires should dangle outside of boxes.

• Install devices like outlets and switches. Secure them flush to boxes with long mounting screws.

• Replace box covers. For decorative plates, mark and cut out tabs for toggle switches if necessary.

Follow this process to make safe, reliable wire connections throughout the rewiring project at junction boxes and the main service panel.

Wrapping Up the Job

After completing all electrical work, there are still some finishing tasks:

• Seal all holes and gaps around wires with silicone caulk where they pass through walls, floors, and ceilings. This helps stop fire spreads and air leaks.

• Patch drywall openings using joint compound and taped seams. Prime and paint patches to match old paint texture and color.

• Test outlets and lighting with circuit tester to verify proper wiring. Check for reversed polarity, open grounds or other faults.

• Affix arc fault / GFCI warning labels to service panel for any new AFCI or GFCI circuit breakers added. This reminds homeowners not to replace with standard breakers.

• Make updated electrical notes on the home's circuit list detailing new circuits and wiring changes. Include breaker assignments.

• Verify no wires were nicked or damaged during installation by energizing circuits one at a time. If any issues arise, immediately troubleshoot problems before proceeding.

With careful attention to detail at each step, you can successfully rewire your home without incident. But always put safety first.

Conclusion

While rewiring a house is an ambitious project, it can be accomplished by a homeowner without professional electrician services in many cases. To ensure both house electrical upgrades and safety, be sure to:

• Thoroughly plan out your electrical goals and wiring runs in advance.

• Have the proper tools, materials, and safety gear for the job.

• Shut off power and install GFCIs prior to starting work. Never touch live wires.

• Follow code standards when running and securing new cables.

• Make good, clean wire connections and verify proper device installation.

• Seal, finish, and test your work when the rewiring is complete.

By methodically following this guide during your home rewiring project, you can help ensure you safely upgrade your electrical system without costing too much money on hiring an electrician. Just take it step-by-step. Stay safe and good luck!