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Thu, Nov 27 2008 Last weekend I finally got around to installing receptacles, switches, and light fixtures in the bedroom and the office alcove. All told there were two cable TV jacks, three switches, four light fixtures, and 15 receptacles. Not a big deal, really, but enough for me to kill a day and a half. Of course, that included a long hike with the dogs, two trips to the hardware store, one trip to the medicine cabinet (for a Band-Aid), and one major whoops on the very last receptacle.
After wiring 14 receptacles, I was feeling pretty cocky about how quickly I could do the job (never a good sign). I knew just how much Romex to leave sticking out of the box, how much insulation to strip, which way to bend the wires so that they were pulled under the screws as I tightened them. I had it down to a science. Or maybe an art. Or maybe just to the point where I wouldn’t get fired if I were working for a competent electrician, but I was definitely working faster at the end than I was when I started.
The hardest part of the job, for me at least, is removing the outer sheathing from the Romex, or cable. I use a cable ripper, which is made for the job, but it only splits the sheathing lengthwise. You then have to separate the conductors from the sheathing, reach into the box, and cut off the sheathing. I use a pair of diags (pronounced “dikes” and short for diagonal cutting pliers). On the very last receptacle, I reached in, cut the sheathing to within 1 in. of the back of the box, as per code, and when I pulled out the sheathing, the ground wire came out with it. “Oh, [expletive deleted]!”
I got up and walked away, which is almost always the best thing to do when you make a mistake. You have to clear your head and think your way through the problem. My first thought was that maybe I hadn’t stapled the cable within 6 in. of the box like you’re supposed to. I went back and yanked on the wires. Nothing. Of course, I stapled it within 6 in. of the box. I’m the editor of Fine Homebuilding; I probably measured to make sure it was 6 in.
Eventually I realized that I had a little over 1 in. of ground wire entering the box and that I could probably attach a pigtail to it, which is what I did. It wasn’t easy, but I eventually managed to twist the wires together and even got a crimp connector on them.
Next time I’ll try not to get cocky.
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