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How Often Do I Need a Junction Box When Wiring a Room?

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Whenever you splice wires together while installing residential circuitry, the electrical code requires you to enclose the connections in a junction box. This safety measure prevents fires that can occur when the wires overheat and also protects people from getting shocked by live wires. You don’t often have to install a dedicated junction box, however, because switches, lights and receptacles are all installed in electrical boxes that can serve double-duty as enclosures for spliced wires. Here at Emergencybrisbaneelectrician.com.au our electrician Brisbane 24 hours can service any electrical need, just call us to discuss your issue.

Safety Requirement

The electrical code requires wire connections to be enclosed primarily because loose connections present a fire hazard. Even if you securely twist the wires together, screw on a wire cap and wrap the ends with electrical tape, there is still a possibility that current surges can overheat the wires. Over time, this may degrade the tape and wire caps, and insulation or framing may ignite. This degradation can also result in exposed wires, and even if they aren’t accessible enough to touch, you can still be electrocuted by driving a nail or a screw into the wall.

Electrical Boxes and Junction Boxes

Installing an electrical box is a precursor to adding any device, like a switch or receptacle, to a circuit. Boxes can be made of metal or plastic, and you usually screw or nail them to a stud or rafter, although you can anchor remodeling boxes directly to the surface of drywall. The only difference between a box for a circuit device and a junction box, or J-box, is that the latter serves no other purpose than to enclose spliced wires. Its opening is covered, not by a circuit device, but by a flat metal cover.

The Need for a Junction Box

Electricians usually minimize the number of junction boxes needed for wiring. They plan the circuitry so that they can make connections for branch circuits inside a switch or receptacle box, using a box big enough to accommodate all the wires. Careful planning usually eliminates the need for a separate J-box when wiring a room from scratch, but one or more may be necessary when adding to existing wiring. A J-box may also become necessary in other circumstances, such as when a miscalculation results in the need for splicing because of a cable that is too short to reach its destination.

Installing Junction Boxes

When upgrading the wiring for a room, you may find it necessary to tap into a wire to add a branch circuit for a light or outlet. You’ll need a junction box if you can’t make the connections inside an existing electrical box. You should install the box with the opening facing out from the wall so all the wires inside are accessible. Like any electrical box, it should be installed so that the edge of the opening is flush with the wall. Screw the cover on with machine screws so you can remove it easily.

How to Connect AWG8 Wire in Junction Box

Electrical junction boxes aren’t used just to provide convenient ways to mount receptacles, switches and light fixtures. They’re actually required by the National Electrical Code when making a wire connection. When you repair a cut in an electrical cable or splice electrical wires together, you need a junction box to protect the connections. Using a junction box also protects you from electrical shock and your home from electrical fires. Following the proper steps when making wiring connections can keep you and your family safe.

Position a screwdriver against a 3/4-inch knockout on the side of a 4-inch square metal junction box. Strike the screwdriver with a hammer to remove the knockout. Grab the knockout with pliers and twist it off the box if the screwdriver does not remove the knockout completely. Repeat the steps to remove the knockout on the opposite side of the box.

Fasten 3/4-inch clamp connectors to the 4-inch square junction box through the knockouts. The connectors thread from the outside of the box with the threads of the connectors inside. Screw the locknuts provided with the connectors onto the threads to secure the clamps to the box.

Verify there is no power present by touching the wires with a non-contact voltage tester. Push the American wire gauge 8 (AWG 8) inside the 4-inch square junction box through the 3/4-inch clamp connectors. In normal wiring applications, a circuit with AWG 8 wire includes three or four wires as a parts of 8/2 or 8/3 nonmetallic (NM) cable.

Cut the black exterior sheath off the electrical cables with a utility knife to expose the AWG 8 wires inside. Remove 3/4 inch of insulation from the wires with a pocket knife. AWG 8 wire is too large for a wire cutter/stripper.

Cut a 6-to-8-inch piece of 10 gauge solid bare copper wire to create a pigtail ground wire. The ground wire size for AWG 8 is one gauge smaller than the insulated wires. Wrap the wire clockwise around a 10/32 green ground screw inside the junction box. Tighten the screw to hold the wire inside the box, creating a ground to the junction box.

Twist the blue wire connector onto the two white AWG 8 wires inside the junction box to join them. Do not twist the two wires together before installing the wire connector. Instead, let the motion of the connector twist the wires. This makes a better wire connection and avoids a loose wire connector.

Twist another blue wire connector onto the two bare copper wires and the bare copper pigtail ground wire attached to the junction box. Twist another blue connector to the two AWG 8 black wires. If you’re working with a 240-volt circuit, use another blue connector to join the two red AWG 8 wires. Having some issues with your electrical lines? Click here!

Why Paint Protection Matters In Our Car?

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Car paint protection Sydney is important in recovering your car paint to its previous splendor. It also protects it so you vehicle has great appearance for many years to come. Several automobile hygiene items already existing available today and all of them claim to offer protection to your automobile paint. The reality is that not all of these products are the exact same, the exact same means not all cars are comparable. While every auto could basically acquire you from point X to Y, there is still a huge distinction between auto models. The same applies to vehicle wax, paint protection and polishes. Every one of these products give certain amount of sparkle, yet that is as similar as they could obtain.

In this page, we inform you, whether you are a brand-new auto proprietor or a not-so-new one, on the vital truths regarding paint protection items that are available out there. Through this, we believe you could make the right choice when selecting the best protection for your precious vehicle.

Are all car paint protection items the very same?

Obviously they are not. There are several types of paint protection products and they have differing high quality and price. When purchasing car paint protection Melbourne people need to not make the error of basing their choice totally on the cost of that defense product. Instead, your decision on the kind of defense you pick must be educated by what it is that you intend to accomplish. A product that supplies defense versus UV rays, bird dropping road salt, acid rain and bug deposit all rolled into one is definitely much more expensive compared to an item that only offers short-term sparkle.

An additional thing is that different products offer varying degrees of shine. If you want to acquire a product that gives you a longer beam however needs much less upkeep, be readied to pay a couple of added dollars for it. Bulk of protectants that are available on the market currently provide only minimal quantity of protection versus the aspects discussed above. Most of them do not provide enduring shine and require reapplication. Consequently, it is very important that you beware of just what you choose for your vehicle.

Can car paint protection aid maintain your car s worth along with resale value?

The paint work and appearance of a vehicle will certainly help in maintaining not only its value however also resale worth. A vehicle that is well maintained with a mirror surface paint, has actually an improved resale worth. It also saves you money and time now. With an excellent paint protection, a bunch of time is minimized cleaning it since gunk and dirt are quickly gotten rid of. Additionally, it succeeded t need waxing to keep its look.

Just what are several of the things you can get out of an excellent car paint protection?

One of the major perks of car paint protection is that it adds real worth to the vehicle. An appropriate paint protection application could provide your auto extraordinary glass luster and also keep its value. For these reasons, folks are commonly prepared to component with $1000 merely to obtain good paint protection. When done properly, there will certainly be less waxing and the cleaning will certainly be much easier in situation your automobile get dirty and should be cleaned. This translates to more cost savings in future.

Can your automobile s paintwork be damaged by simply bird dropping?

The answer is indeed. Chances that your automobile is getting ruined daily without you possibly noticing are really genuine. Most people only believe that the greatest risk to their auto s paintwork is UV rays. While this is true, the damages comes after several years. Bird droppings are nevertheless much more prompt risk. They create harm in just a matter of days.

Bird droppings, as you know, are the item of a bird s digestive system. Without going too much into biology, droppings could have high levels of acids which could harm the paintwork.

Most people are stunned by the quantity of damage that could result from a bird going down. While it could go unnoticed to an untrained eye, an expert that recognizes exactly what he wants in vehicle will easily see it.

Is vehicle waxing the best solution?

Although vehicle shaving is known to supply immediate luster, it is not the best option. The reason it is called wax is given that it is made of wax. And as you understand, polish will certainly thaw when exposed to warmth. When polished paint is utilized on your auto, it comes to be soft when exposed to heat. This loosens luster and makes your auto more susceptible to entrapping impurities. It is wonderful for program automobiles because these do not rest in the sun for a whole day everyday.

By its extremely nature, wax hardly ever sticks to the vehicle surface. Wax could not stick well to any type of area. Merely attempt sticking wax to any surface and you will see this. In the same way, wax eventually cleans off of your automobile, which will leave your vehicle with much less or no security in any way.

Exactly what are the various other ordeals that you need to know about car paint protection?

The need to effectively take care of your auto, that is, detailing and cleaning, could not be overemphasised. Deciding on respectable automobile wash outlets and detailers is not just important however additionally shields your auto from damage. In other words, address the paintwork of your car similarly you would look after your skin. Anything that gained harm your skin gained damage your auto paintwork.

An additional essential point is a top quality vehicle shampoo. This minimises area damaging that arise from rubbing when the car is being washed. You also need a soft stack clean mitt or sponge and it must be of top quality. If you want a streak-free drying out, you have no alternative but to demand a terry towel or a leather chamois to dry your auto.

Conclusion

As with anything else, you just obtain what you have actually spent for with car paint protection. Consequently, it is important to choose the appropriate location to wash or information your vehicle. This ought to be assisted by the span of time it takes to wash your automobile safely and effectively. I spent my time looking for a good company that can protect my car paint but then I stumbled to a website which provide amazing protection. To visit the site you might want to click here.

DIY Bathroom Remodel on a Budget

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Hello! I’m so excited to be the newest contributor here on Remodelaholic! My name is Colleen and I’m the DIY and lifestyle blogger behind Lemon Thistle– home to DIY, home decor, parties and babies. Before I share my bathroom renovation, let’s get to know each other, shall we? I’m a mama to 18 month old twins, I love to party, and my awesome hubby and I are working our way through renovations on our new home. Oh, and we’re operating on a budget too. Nice to meet you! Designer bathrooms offer you competitive bathroom prices on luxury products, from bathroom mirrors to heated towel rails and walk in baths. If you want to change the part of your bathroom that made up of plastic, I can suggest a glass replacement company for you.

It’s officially been one year since we bought our home- a completely original 60’s split level that needed a lot of work (you can see all the before photos here). We’ve been renovating since we got the keys and have another couple years to go. Years!? Yep, we’re working on a budget, so we’re doing everything ourselves. We so enjoy seeing what a bit of elbow grease and paint can accomplish- the transformation is already thrilling. Since we’re working on a budget (I’m sure you can relate!), we had to prioritize our renovations. Our kitchen wasn’t useable, we needed to upgrade all the un-fun stuff (plumbing, electrics, windows etc.), we needed an income suite from the basement, and we really wanted to refinish the floors before we moved in (because who want’s to live through that!?). That meant that our ugly but completely functional bathroom would have to wait. We had it on the schedule for NEXT summer.

But the joys of home ownership means that the one room in the house you thought could wait… can’t. Since we moved in and started using our bathtub it’s been leaking, friends. Not just little leaks, but BIG awful leaks. We had plumbers in to fix it- then another leak would start. This went on for months (and about 5 fixes) until we were out of options. It was leaking into our basement suite, our wall was rotting from all the water, the tile surround was cracked and we couldn’t figure out where the leaks were coming from. We had to reconsider our waiting. I should mention that we only have one bathroom in our house (other than our suite), so not using the tub wasn’t an option. Enter renovating in phases.

Do you remember Young House Love? I loved reading their blog, and they were advocates for renovating in phases. I had always been of the mindset- fix it once and don’t waste your money covering the ugly. But we totally couldn’t afford to do the whole bathroom the way we wanted right now. We could have done a ‘meh’ renovation on the whole room… or we could renovate in phases. We chose the latter and I’m SO happy we did! We knew the bathtub had to go. Our flooring was peeling back and we were pretty sure the subfloor had bad water damage too- so that had to go as well, although we couldn’t afford to lay the tile we want in there permanently. There was really nothing wrong with the vanity or toilet- so we decided those would have to wait.

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Here’s what we did for ‘Phase 1’ of our renovation:

  • Painted EVERYTHING to get rid of that awful pink
  • New shaker door and textured window (along with all the other doors and windows in the house)
  • New farmhouse trim and baseboards (along with all in the house)
  • New toilet seat (it was broken)
  • New Towel Rack (I made this one out of pallet wood! You can check out the DIY here)
  • New Tub, surrounding drywall, tile surround, and trim (faucet/ shower)
  • New shower curtain (Another DIY I’ll be sharing on my blog tomorrow! It’s extra-tall and wonderful)
  • Added a fan for humidity
  • Temporary flooring
  • Temporary light fixture
  • New hardware for the vanity

Whew… it was a lot, right!? The basics- paint, door, window, and all trim were completed for the whole house before we moved in. We also added a bathroom fan and switched out the light fixture before we moved in. The light fixture when we purchased the house was not only broken, but so close to the wall that it had burnt a hole in the drywall! The light fixture we put in is a freebie from my Dad’s bathroom renovation (score!). We plan to get a new one when we finish the remodel (and the one I have my eye on is a beauty!). We also replaced the dated hardware on the vanity with affordable hardware from Target. The chunky plates for the hardware allowed for a quick switch without patching holes in the vanity. These changes were done before our bathtub woes and made a huge difference on their own! The pink being gone was the best part (who paints a ceiling pink!?). I guess this part was technically ‘Phase 1’ but we’ll call it ‘Phase 1A’ and bend the rules.

When our bathtub came out, so did all the plumbing within reach. Our plumber couldn’t even pin point one specific leak because everything was leaking a bit. We bought a builder grade tub from the plumbing supply store and chose to tile the surround. We used the same flooring as in our kitchen renovation to tile the majority of the shower (San Marco Viva Linen). We’d originally bought enough to tile the bathroom floor and our entryway and were storing it in our basement. Using this up means we’ll need to figure out something else for the floors when we get there, but saves some coin in the mean time. The marble hexagon accent tile is the same tile we used for backsplash in our kitchen (from Home Depot), so we were able to use cut pieces and extra from that to help cut cost as well. I tiled the shower myself, I learned on our basement suite shower a couple months ago and am so thrilled with how it turned out! (Grout colour is Delorian Grey) I feel like I can tile anything now. The faucets are Moen (Eva and Iso-we love their lifetime warranty!). Click here to meet our bathroom renovators.