Basement wiring

Hi
I'm new to electrical work but do all my house repairs. I'm building 2 rooms in my unfinished basement and I have already framed the rooms. What I want to do is wire electrical outlets to each room. Right now in my basement all I have is 3 big electrical outlets that have conduit running to them and then conduit running up the walls to the 6 ceiling lights. I have an electrical book called basic wiring by time life books but I still am not sure how I can run these new electrical outlets, if I need to put in a new circuit or if I can run these off the existing outlets that are down there now. The outlets that are there have their own circuit. Could someone point me in the right direction with any suggestions or websites I could go to and read about what to do next? Also do my new electrical outlets have to have conduit run to them?
Thanks in advance for your help
Mike

 

Isn't that Time-Life basic wiring book about 20-years old? I recommend you get several more home wiring books. Try the $6 green paperback, "Wiring Simplified" and Black & Decker's home wiring book. I think books are so much better than web sites for learning basic skills. Then you can use web sites to supplement what you have learned, and ask questions in forums such as this.

I recommend several new circuits for your basement. Don't try to tap off existing circuits. You'll be severely limiting yourself.

Good luck. Don't start until you've studied hard.

 

do you recommend a new circuit for every new room i add?

 

No, I recommend you design the electrical system to your planned activities. This requires you to think about what activities you will do where, what electrical equipment you might add later, what appliance you might plug in where, etc.

For example, you may want to have one circuit for a desk area where you might have a bunch of computer equipment. For this circuit, you may want a number of closely spaced receptacles, some above the desk and some below it.

You may want to another circuit for your entertainment center where your TV and stereo and other such equipment will go. This area may also benefit from a number of closely spaced receptacles.

If you will have a bathroom, you will want to dedicate a circuit to that. It is best, but not required, to put the lighting on a circuit by itself with no receptacles. You will need a smoke detector or two or three (depending on whether you have a bedroom or not), and you can put those on the lighting circuit. Do you anticipate any need for supplemental electric heat? If so, design for it now.

These are just examples. The possibilities are endless. The code mandates certain minimums, but you have to live there, so it is best to design for how you plan to use the basement. The more you plan, the better the results. That applies not just to the electrical system, but to the heating, the layout, the lighting, etc.

 

Thanks a lot for your help. I will definitely post updates to let you know how it is going and I have already started reading from the book I just picked up "wiring simplified". Just one more quick question...is conduit required for wiring in my basement? Otherwise I would like to get rid of the existing conduit.
Thanks
Mike

 

Whether conduit is required and where it is required is usually a local issue. Ask your building department.