How to Rewire Your Home Without Hiring an Electrician

Introduction

Rewiring a home can seem like a daunting task, but with proper planning and safety precautions, it's possible for a homeowner to do it themselves without hiring an electrician. As someone who has rewired parts of my home, I've learned a lot through experience and research. In this guide, I'll walk through the complete process of rewiring a home safely and legally without professional help.

Reasons to Rewire

Here are some common reasons you may need to rewire your home:

• Upgrading to a larger electrical service - If your home's electrical demand has increased over the years, you may need a service upgrade to 200 amps or more. This allows you to run more high wattage appliances and equipment simultaneously.

• Faulty or outdated wiring - Older homes can have damaged or insufficient wiring that needs to be replaced. Common signs include flickering lights, frequent tripped breakers, burned out sockets, andbuzzing or shocking sensations from outlets.

• Remodeling and additions - When remodeling a kitchen, bathroom or adding a new room like a home office, new wiring is often required to meet code and supply adequate power.

• Safety concerns - Outdated wiring that lacks proper grounding and arc fault protection can be a fire hazard. Rewiring lets you add modern safety features.

Dangers of DIY Electrical Work

While rewiring a home as a DIY project can save money, there are risks involved if proper precautions are not taken:

• Electrocution - Mistakes like touching live wires can result in severe injury or death by electrocution. Make sure to shut off power at the main breaker before working.

• Fire - Faulty wiring is a leading cause of electrical fires. All work should be done to local building codes to prevent fire hazards.

• Legal issues - In most areas, homeowners are allowed to do their own electrical work. However, permits and inspections are usually still required to make the rewiring legal and safe.

Preparing for a Rewiring Project

Careful planning and preparation is crucial before starting a DIY rewiring project. Here are some key steps to take:

• Research local permit requirements - Most municipalities require permits for electrical work. Research what's needed in your area and acquire all required permits.

• Create a circuit map - Map out all the existing circuits, outlets, switches and appliances in the home. This provides a reference for the new wiring.

• Plan the wire size and type - Consult local code to determine the correct wire size and type for the home's electrical service. This depends on wire run length and circuit load.

• Label everything - Clearly label each circuit at the breaker and every switch, outlet and junction box. This keeps things organized.

• Purchase all necessary supplies - Make a list of everything you'll need, like wire, boxes, outlets, tools, and safety gear. Buying in bulk saves money.

• Schedule disconnection of power - Contact your utility company to disconnect the power when you're ready to start wiring.

Safety Tips

Rewiring a house involves dealing with dangerous high voltage electricity. Make safety your top priority:

• Shut off power at the main breaker - Lock out the main breaker with a padlock so it can't be turned on accidentally.

• Working one circuit at a time - Focus your work on deactivating and rewiring only one circuit at a time to avoid confusion.

• Use a voltmeter - Double check wires with a voltmeter to confirm power is off before touching.

• Wear protective gear - Always wear insulated gloves, long sleeves and eye protection when handling wires.

• Keep others out of the work area - Make sure pets, children and other family members don't have access to prevent electrocution risks.

• Regularly inspect your work - Continuously check for potential hazards like exposed wires, faulty grounding or loose connections as you work.

Removing Old Wiring

The first major stage of rewiring is removing the old electrical wiring from the home:

1. Turn off power at the main breaker then double check it's off with a voltmeter.

2. Open the main electrical service panel and remove all the circuit breakers.

3. Go around the house removing all cover plates from switches and outlets.

4. Remove the screws holding outlets and switches in their electrical boxes and detach them from the wires.

5. Carefully pull the wires out of each box, make note of wire colors and connections for reinstallation.

6. Coil up wiring as you remove it, so it doesn't get tangled.

7. Disconnect wires from all ceiling electrical boxes for lighting fixtures.

8. Check that all wiring is fully removed from the house.

9. Finally, pull the wires out of the main service panel and remove them.

Installing New Wires

Once the old wires are removed, the new replacement wiring can be installed:

• Start by mounting new electrical boxes throughout the rooms. Boxes should be flush with finished walls.

• Run the new wires between boxes stapling them to joists or studs every few feet. Leave some extra wire at ends.

• Match wire colors consistently for each type of circuit according to electrical code.

• Connect the wires to the outlets/switches and mount them back into the boxes.

• Label each wire that will be going into the main panel for the circuit breakers.

• Clamp armored cable to the exterior of the house to replace exterior outlet wiring.

• Use junction boxes to splice wires together that split off in multiple directions.

Connecting Circuit Breakers

The final stage is installing the new circuit breakers and connecting all the new wiring in the main panel:

• Carefully insert each wire into its designated breaker, matching wire size and type to breaker amps.

• Tighten the screws on the breaker firmly to secure the wires in place.

• Snap or bolt the breakers into place on the panel, being sure not to damage wires.

• Attach cable clamps properly to secure and relieve strain on wires entering the panel.

• Double check that every wire is matched with the appropriate circuit breaker.

• Create a detailed circuit index to label and document where each breaker is going.

• Open all the branch circuit breakers and then reopen the main breaker.

Testing and Inspections

With all the new wiring completed, thoroughly test and inspect it:

• Visually inspect all work, check for loose connections, exposed wires, loose knockouts etc.

• Press the test button on all GFCI outlets to ensure proper function.

• Turn each individual breaker on and off, checking for proper operation.

• Flip every light switch and test every outlet in the home to confirm correct wiring.

• Use a voltmeter to verify power at outlets and lights on each circuit.

• Thoroughly check for any hazard like inadequate grounding or reverse polarity.

• Schedule required electrical inspections by your municipality. Make any corrections needed.

• If all inspections pass inspection and power is reconnected without issues, the rewiring project is complete!

Conclusion

While rewiring an entire home is an ambitious project for a DIYer, it's certainly achievable with proper planning, safety precautions, adherence to electrical code, and attention to detail. Always obtain the necessary permits, have an initial wiring plan mapped out, and be prepared to problem solve issues as they arise. Reward yourself when you finally turn the main breaker back on and see all your hard work come to life!