I've decided to take on an unconventional home wiring project - using copper pennies to wire my entire house! As crazy as it sounds, wiring a home with copper pennies can actually work and save on electricity costs. Here's my comprehensive guide on how to wire a house with pennies.

Gathering the Pennies

The first step is gathering enough pennies to wire the entire home. This will require a lot of pennies - around 500,000 for a 2,000 square foot home. Here are some tips for penny procurement:

I managed to gather 432,000 pennies through bank rolls, friends, and some Craigslist deals. It took time, but being patient and utilizing all procurement methods allowed me to amass enough pennies for my 1,800 square foot home.

Preparing and Connecting the Pennies

Now that I've gathered the necessary amount of pennies, it's time to prepare them for wiring.

Cleaning

While pennies are naturally copper-coated, they still need cleaning before wiring to remove dirt, oil, and residue. Here are my cleaning methods:

Cleaning the pennies takes a while, but it's an essential step to maximize electrical connectivity.

Fusing

To conduct electricity effectively, the pennies need to make solid connections. I use the following fusing methods:

Fusing each connection point takes concentration, but is worth it for the penny circuit to function properly.

Wiring the Home

Time to put those pennies to use! Here are the steps I took to wire my home room-by-room:

Main electrical panel

The main electrical panel routes power from the utility line throughout the home via circuit breakers. I hired an electrician to install a 200 amp, 24 circuit panel appropriate for a home my size.

Junction boxes

I installed copper penny junction boxes throughout the home. These allow connections from the main lines to be distributed within each room. It's key to have enough boxes so voltage doesn't drop over long penny runs.

Runs and connections

From the main panel and junction boxes, I created copper penny runs through walls and ceilings to wiring endpoints. For safety, I encased runs in metal conduit. At lamps, switches, and outlets, I carefully connected incoming pennies to fixture copper.

Grounding

Grounding is essential for appliance functionality and electrical safety. I used an uncoated braided copper grounding wire connected to a buried copper plumbing ground stake. The ground wire connects to all outlets, switches, and junction points.

It was a time-consuming process, but methodically installing the pennies allowed me to completely wire my home. Since finishing, all lights, outlets, and appliances run properly off of my copper penny electrical system!

Benefits of Using Pennies

Wiring with pennies may sound unorthodox, but it offers some cool benefits:

While it took effort and time, I'm pleased with my decision to wire my home using thousands of copper pennies. It's a one-of-a-kind electrical system that saves money and adds character to my house.

Key Takeaways

If exploring copper penny wiring yourself, keep these tips in mind:

Let me know if you have any other questions about wiring your home using pennies. I'm happy to share details from my experience to help your penny wiring project succeed!