Intro - Checklist - Prep - Rough In & Box Placement - Stud Preparation - Wire Installation - Terminal Placement - Wire Connection I - Wire Connection II - Fixtures & Outside Wiring - Track Lighting - Wiring Extensions - Breaker Box
Installing the Wiring
Margin of Error: 1/4"
Local and national codes require wire that is insulated and is the most efficient size for the appropriate application. The most commonly used interior wiring is a 12 or 14-gauge NM (nonmetallic) sheathed cable, sometimes called "Romex." Within the cable are plastic-coated copper wires, colored for each function.
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Hot wires, usually black (sometimes red or blue), carry the power. Neutral wires, usually white, return the power. Grounding wires of bare copper (sometimes green or green and yellow) provide a path to the ground when an electrical failure occurs.
Beginning at the breaker box, expose enough wiring to reach the breaker switch and neutral bus bar. Use a cable stripper to prevent cutting the plastic coating on the wires.
Knock out a box tab that will provide a direct route to the switch for the wiring. Knock out the tab at the junction box that provides the closest connection for each separate cable. Pull the wire and secure with a cable connector. Make sure that only the uncut sheathing is clamped at this opening.
Splice the cable back far enough to allow at least 6" of lead wire to stick out of the face of the box.
Push the wire through each hole and roll the wire within the notches of the studs, keeping the wire smooth and free from kinks. Secure it with horseshoe nails at the notches. Local code will tell you how close to the junction box the first horseshoe nail must be (usually 8"), and how often the wire must be supported (usually every 4 1/2').
If, for any reason, you find that a wire does not reach from one junction box to another, do not tape two wires together to make it longer. Separate wires should only be connected at junction boxes that will be placed in the wall. It is a good idea, and often required by code, to make these junction boxes accessible by placing a solid cover-plate over a junction that will not make use of a receptacle. Try to play it safe and use a wire that is long enough to reach.
Provide at least 6" of wire to spare at each end. Local code may vary on this length, so be sure to check. It is a good idea to label both ends of each wire with colored tape so you can always determine where it leads.
Where there is less than 1 1/4" between the face of the stud and the wiring, nail guards should be placed on the studs to protect the wire from any nails or screws that will attach the wall covering.
Now it is time to call in the inspector to check your work, before you complete the connections.
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