Introduction
Rewiring your entire house may seem like an intimidating task, but with the right preparation and tools, even someone with no electrical experience can complete it in a single weekend. As the homeowner, you have the ability to do your own electrical work, as long as you follow proper safety procedures and code requirements.
In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know to rewire your entire house yourself, even if you've never worked with electrical systems before. With diligent planning and focus, you can have brand new, up-to-date wiring in your home by the end of the weekend.
Safety First - Turn Off Power and Gather Proper Safety Gear
Before you touch a single wire, you need to make sure you're working safely. Electrocutions from DIY electrical work send over 30,000 people to the emergency room each year, so safety has to be your top priority.
Here are the key steps you need to take before getting started:
- Turn off power to the entire house at the main breaker panel. Verify power is off by testing outlets with a multimeter or voltage tester.
- Gather personal protective equipment: insulated gloves, safety goggles, sturdy shoes. No exceptions here.
- Turn off water and gas to the house to prevent accidental electrical fires.
- Have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on hand in case of emergencies.
- Open up windows and doors to ventilate the house during electrical work.
Gather the Right Tools and Materials
To rewire an entire house efficiently, having the right tools will make all the difference. At a minimum, you'll need:
- Wire strippers - For stripping insulation from wires
- Cable cutters - For cutting new wiring to length
- Voltage tester - For verifying power is off
- Electrical tape - For insulating wires and connections
- Fish tape - For routing new wires through walls
- Hammer drill & bits - For drilling holes to route wires
- Junction boxes & receptacle boxes - For housing wire connections and outlets
In addition, make sure you have enough 12/2 and 14/2 NM-B wiring and electrical boxes to rewire the entire home's lighting, outlets, switches, and appliances. Having extra on hand is better than running out mid-project.
Develop a Rewiring Plan
Next, you need a solid plan of attack before you dive into the actual rewiring. Take the time to:
- Map out your home's current wiring layout and take notes on which parts you want to rewire.
- Determine where you'll need new wiring runs based on new outlet and lighting locations.
- Note where you may need to fish wires through finished walls versus running them through accessible areas like the attic and basement.
- Gather all required permits and verify your plan meets local building codes.
Having a detailed rewiring plan mapped out will allow the actual electrical work to go much more smoothly.
Running New Wire - One Circuit at a Time
Now comes the fun part: running the new wiring through your home. I recommend rewiring one circuit at a time to simplify the process. Here are the steps for each circuit:
- Start by choosing which circuit you'll rewire first, like the living room lights and outlets.
- Remove any old wiring from the circuit. Detach wires from receptacles and fixtures, but leave them in place for now.
- Use your plan to route the new wire. Run it from the breaker panel through walls, basement, and attic as needed. Use fish tape to pull wires through finished walls.
- Connect the new wire to receptacles, switches and fixtures, using junction boxes to splice wires together.
- Label each wire so you know which breaker it connects to.
- Replace any old receptacles and switches with new ones.
- Test the circuit thoroughly before moving to the next one.
Take it one circuit at a time like this, and soon you'll have sparkling new wires running your lights, outlets, and appliances throughout the house.
Connect the New Wiring to the Breaker Panel
As the last step, all your new wiring runs need to be connected to the proper breakers in your main electrical panel.
- Shut off the main breaker again before working inside the panel.
- Remove the old circuit wires from the panel, but leave the breakers in place for now.
- Use caution inside the breaker panel - don't touch any bus bars or main lugs.
- Connect each new circuit wire to its corresponding breaker, matching the labeled wires you installed.
- Double check connections are tight and that insulation fully enters the breaker socket.
- Carefully close up the panel and turn the main breaker back on once all circuits are connected.
With that, you've completed the full rewiring of your home! Carefully test each circuit one by one before returning appliances and electronics to the outlets.
Call for Inspection Before Completion
The final step is to call your local building department to have your work inspected before considering the project complete. Any mistakes need to be fixed before your rewiring can be signed off.
Provided you followed code and took all safety precautions, your DIY rewire should have no issues passing inspection. And just like that, you'll have a major electrical upgrade completed on your own home in a single weekend!
While rewiring an entire house in two days takes diligence and hard work, it's very achievable for a motivated DIYer. By staying safe, planning thoroughly, and focusing on one circuit at a time, you can gain invaluable experience and save thousands on electrical costs.