Wiring the Panel Box

This is a task it is wise to take your time and do it as neatly as possible.  Before you begin to do anything in the panel box make sure that there is no power running to it. Do not rely on breakers alone check it with your testers. Then take a moment to plan your work. Personally, I like to start with the larges breakers and work my way through the box in descending order.  When I begin, I start pulling the wire for the longest run of the biggest wire. I staple as I go being sure to have a staple within 12 inches of the receptacle box I run to. When I get to the panel I like to start on the outer plugs and work my way in if possible. I run the wires in the outer corner of the box and bend 90-degree corners to the bus bar, natural bar and then the positive go directly into the breakers themselves with ever line neatly in line with the other. Before moving on I us my label maker and mark the line with its usage and if it is or isn’t a home-run on the 20- and 15-amp breakers because the 30 amps and above are typically home runs. (A home run is a line that originates in the panel box and delivers power.) I know that I will be labeling the cover plate to the breaker when the pulling of wires is over but in case, I have to reenter this box down the road I label the individual pulls of wire so that I don’t have to read the label off the cover plate.   

Taking your time and making your panel box look neat does more than just please the eye.  It satisfies a safety concern. When I open a box and wire are running every which way. I am extra careful because it a warning that there is danger in the box. I look for double taped wires other than the grounds. It is legal to double tap ground wires but you need to check the box to find out how many wires are permitted under a single set screw.  I though sometime other breakers fit into another company’s box it is best to purchase the breakers which are manufactured by your box’s company.

 When I tighten my wires under the set screw, I make sure the I don’t have to much wire protruding through. Typically, I like to just see a smidgen past the clamping, and no insulation going into the set screw tunnel. Doing this neatly and not running wires every which way also help the box stay cool and not allow the wires to rub into one another helps keep good connection and eliminates some chances of future wire failures. Hopefully if another person opens the box and removes the cover plate, they will know to continue this practice. If not then I hope they are afraid to mess around in the box and call me or a qualified electrician. When I get to the kitchen Everything is GFCI. The refrigerator needs it because of the ice-makers and water dispenser, the garbage disposal needs it because it’s under the sink where the drain line and water valves are. Sometimes under the counter mounted microwaves don’t need to be GFCI but at this point I have a right and left run from the sink and they are on their own 20-amp GFCI /AFCI breakers. I like to use the slim 15/20-amp breakers in the bathrooms. The 15 Amps run the lights and the fan where the 20 amp on a GFCI can run 3 additional receptacles. If you get to something that confuses you a little take a break and draw it out then return to the task of wiring you runs and identify your home runs. If you use a wire for a reason other than its color marking place the appropriate tape on it so that every one knows what you have done.  It’s never fun to find that a natural wire is now a load carry wire. Take your time and do the task right, and if you are not licensed for everyones safety call an electrician to oversee your work, or do it themselves.

This is a blog that offers suggestions it is not intended to be instructions of how to wire your panel boxes. Electricity requires skilled tradesmen to perform the tasks.  If you decide to wire you own projects you do so at your own risk and you assume full responsibility for the decision you’ve made.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.    Wiring the Panel Box