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Q. How is UF electric wire different from regular Romex cable?A. If you lay cable underground, it must be UF (underground feed) cable, which has each individual wire insulated and had plastic wound around the insulated wire for weather and sunlight protection. Romex has a paper product around the insulated wires.
Q. What type of wire should I use for a 220-volt outlet?
A. The best choice is a three-wire cable with a ground. Also, make sure it's rated for the amperage you need.
Q. Which color wire nut do I need?
A. Check the package. It will tell you what size and how many wires each color of nut will hold.
Q. I think there is a short in a wire running to one of my rooms. Is there some way to test to find out?
A. A continuity tester will let you know if there is a short. It is a tool that includes a battery so that it can supply a low-voltage current to devices and wires to see if there is complete circuit.
Q. I need to run some wire through my wall. Do you have any suggestions?
A. Instead of trying to feed the wire through, use a fish tape. This tool is a small wire on a reel that is easier to feed through. Once you have fed it through the wall, attach the wire and pull the tape back through.
Q. I want to run a new wire to install some additional outlets. Do I have to run these wires through the wall?
A. You can use surface wire channels that allow you to run the wire on the outside of the wall and still maintain an attractive appearance.
Q. Do I need special tape for wiring?
A. Yes, you should use electrical tape.
Q. How large of a cord should I use when wiring an appliance?
A. Depending on the length of room, use cords with 16-gauge wire for appliances pulling less than 15 amps ad 12-gauge wire for appliances pulling up to 20 amps.
Q. I am running an underground cable in my lawn. What should I use to connect the wires?
A. You can use a waterproof wire nuts if you do not have a waterproof box.
Q. What do the colors of the plastic insulation mean on wires?
A. They are designed to indicate their use, but be careful because they are not always hooked correctly. Hot wires those carrying a current at full voltage, are usually blue, yellow, black, red, or white with black marks. Neutral wires are usually solid white or green. Ground wires are usually either green or bare copper.
Q. What do numbers on electrical cable mean?
A. They refer to the number an types of wire inside the cable. For example, 14-2 means the cable has two 14-gauge wire inside. 12-3 G means the cable has three 12-gauge wires plus a bare ground wire.
Q. If there is a short in line, where should I look for it?
A. Search for loose taped wire; also look for worn fabric insulation on old wires and check any terminals that have multiple wires since one of the wires may have slipped off.
Q. Do you have something I can use to insulate and repair cords and wire with?
A. You can use heat-shrink tubing. It's designed to fit something half its size in diameter.
Q. What is Bx Cable?
A. This is a trade name for an armored cable that wraps the wires in a flexible metal sheathing.
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