What to Consider When Choosing Wiring for Your Home
Ideally, your home will be equipped with modern house wiring and outlets. It will also ideally have an electrical panel that was installed less than 20 years ago. However, the wiring tends to be the most important part of an electrical system as it is what transports electrical current to outlets around the home. Therefore, it’s critical to understand your options when choosing the best house wiring for your property.
Wires Should Be Made With Copper
New homes almost certainly use copper wire as it is easier to maintain and can hold up well to heat. However, during the 1960s, it wasn’t uncommon for aluminum to be used in place of copper as its price soared during the war in Vietnam. Although aluminum is good enough for use in a residential home, it’s not nearly as durable or as safe as copper. Therefore, it should be the go-to material when house wiring or rewiring a home.
You’ll Probably Use Non-Metallic Cable
A cable is simply two or more wires that are put together as part of an electrical system. Non-metallic (NM) cable is used in dry indoor locations such as a family room, dining room or bedroom. The typical NM cable is going to use wires anywhere as high as 14 gauge, which translates to a 15-amp circuit. You can go as low as six gauge, which can carry a 55-amp circuit.
When Non-Metallic Cable Isn’t Preferable
There are situations in which NM cannot be used such as when local building codes prohibit it. For instance, if your home is more than three stories, you’ll need to use armored cable (AC) instead. The same may be true if you own a space that is partially residential and partially commercial. When you can’t use NM, you’ll use AC that comes with extra protection for the wires inside of it. The extra protection ensures that nails or other sharp objects cannot penetrate through and damage the cable.
Other Types of Cable to Consider
While NM and AC are great for dry, finished areas, you’ll have plenty of places in your home that come into contact with moisture. For example, your basement may have electric appliances in a space that typically deals with moisture issues. In such a scenario, you’ll want to have underground feeder (UF) cables that can get wet without any issue. They can also go underground and be run outdoors, which is ideal if you have a generator, hot tub or other electric items outside.
Cable that needs to be placed in unfinished areas should be covered in a metal exterior. This will ensure that it doesn’t get damaged in the event that you throw something heavy on the basement floor or if debris falls on it while you’re working in another part of your house.
Don’t Forget About the Little Things
Although you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it, little items such as a doorbell, a thermostat or your porch light use electricity. Of course, they don’t use enough of it to justify expensive or heavy-duty house wiring. Instead, you can opt for a low voltage wire without causing any major issues for your home. If you have a landline phone or a cable internet service, you’ll also use a low voltage wire instead of a traditional cable.
How to Tell Different Wires Apart
Assuming your home is like most in the area, you’ll probably need multiple types of cables. Therefore, you’ll want a system in place to help you keep them organized and easy to recognize. You can use electrical channels to accomplish this task, and you can also use a color code to help you quickly determine what type of wire or cable you need if an existing one is damaged.
If you are in need of an electrical system repair or upgrade, you are strongly discouraged from doing it yourself. This is because even a minor error can result in bodily injury or significant damage to your home. Instead, call the professionals at Mister Sparky to help you meet your needs in a timely, safe and affordable manner.