Quick guide residential wiring diagrams,codes and symbols

device, wall mounted Duplex receptacle outlet, Isolated ground, wall mounted Duplex receptacle outlet, split wired, wall mounted Duplex special purpose outlet Emergency outlet, ‘wall

Quick guide Residential Wiring Diagrams,

Codes, And Symbols

traveler wires j{ evelor wires:

XÃ Ales to light

Sway switch with light at end

Outlet symbols Duplex receptacle outlet with GFI or GFC! device, wall mounted

Duplex receptacle outlet, Isolated ground, wall mounted Duplex receptacle outlet, split wired, wall mounted Duplex special purpose outlet Emergency outlet,

‘wall mounted Garbage disposal outlet, wall mounted

General outiet,

Electrical circuits

microwave 240-volt circuit

oven circuit for electric stove

5'

TUB/SHOWER OVER 1/2" W.P GYP BRD 42" WALL

1/2" W.P

\

RA 24"x24" DBL DOMED ©

| \\ 30" ibe ~—.k_ INSULATED TEMP

| (KNEE SPACE GLASS SKYLIGHT

h

—@®) BLANKED OUTLET MOMENTARY CONTACT

FAN OUTLET S, : THREE WAY SWITCH 5 OUTLET Seo REMOTE CONTROL

3H” = 3 SINGLE, TRIPLEX, ETC Se mmaAmmmmn

S FOUR WAY SWITCH

WITH PULL SWITCH S ELECTROLIER SWITCH WPF

E ® SPECIAL PURPOSE

S SWITCH AND PILOT LAMP

VAPOR DISCHARGE —* @) FLOOR OUTLET POWER PANEL

SWITCH € KEY OPERATED SWITCH

K

EXIT QUXET € og CIRCUIT BREAKER

Electrical Wiring Diagrams

Simple outlet circuit middle of : | end of

=) circuit

tie all ground wires together

Pigtail GFCI Outlets

Fas irk

Attach to terminal

pigtail off

‘e)molgeell

Single switch before light

3-way switch with light in center

trance to breaker box

Cable Sizes

30-Amps 20-Amps 15-Amps 10-Amps 7-Amps

3-wire armored cable

UF cable

Electric 120/240V Two #6 hot wires @ @

range 50 amps and a #8 neutral wire 129/240V 120/240V

The following rules apply to 15A & 20A receptacles on 120V circuits They do

not apply to 240V receptacles or to 30A 120V receptacles

L] AII bathroom receptacles [3802.1] {210.8A1}

LJ All garage & accessory building receptacles [3802.2] {210.8A2}?"

LJ All receptacles in unfinished basements EXC [3802.5] {210.8A5}?"

Permanently installed fire or burglar alarm system [3802.5X3] {210.8A5X}

The 2005 NEC and the 2006 IRC have exceptions for receptacles in garages

and unfinished basements that are not readily accessible or that serve applianc-

es not easily moved from one place to another, such as freezers A receptacle

for a single appliance under that exception must be a single receptacle, and for

two such appliances a duplex receptacle can be used

L] All outdoor receptacles EXC [3802.3] {210.8A3}

Receptacles for snow melting & deicing equipment on dedicated branch

circuit if located so they are not readily accessible _ [38 02.8X] {210.8A3X}

L] Equipment plugged into receptacles installed under above exception

req’s GFPE protection in plug cap [4001.7] {426.28}

L] All receptacles in crawlspaces at or below grade level _[3802.4] {210.8A4}

L] All receptacles serving kitchen counters F30 [3802.6] {210.8A6}

L] Receptacles within 6ft of outside edge of laundry, utility,

or wet bar sinks [3802.7]? {210.8A7}

(] Receptacles in boathouses [3802.8] {210.8A8}

Residential Electrical Guidelines

240-volt outlet, wall mounted 240-volt outlet, clothes wall mounted

240-volt outlet, range, wall mounted Clothes washer outlet,

wall mounted Dishwasher outlet, wall mounted

Duplex receptacle outlet,

te

Here are a few typical guidelines that apply to residential work These are NOT legal interpretations

of any one code, so check with your local authority before starting work

Duplex receptacle outlet, floor mounted Duplex receptacle outlet, wall mounted

dditional 240-

Duplex receptacle outlet

with GFI/GFCI device, wall

mounted One lighting/convenience outlet circuit should be for every 575 square feet of floor space in a house

Any bathroom or garage outlet within 6' of a sink must be Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protected All kitchen

outlets for countertop must be GFCI protected Bedroom outlets should be Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFC!) protected

Duplex special purpose

outlet, key letter or abbrev., or indicate NEMA

config Emergency outlet, wall mounted

Garbage disposal outlet, wall mounted

General outlet, ceiling

mounted General outlet, wall mounted

Junction box, ceiling mounted

At least one GFCI outlet is required in an unfinished basement, as well as most outdoor outlets Exceptions include inacces- =<

sible outlets like those in a garage or behind a refrigerator eS

Any point along the bottom of a wall (which is 2' or wider) must be within 6' of an outlet The 6' distance cannot be measured | _*

across a doorway or fireplace And the outlet must be within 5 1/2' of the floor (This cuts down on extension cord use, espe- @®

cially across doorways, fireplaces and similar openings )

room, hallway, stairway

light switch must control

, for example) or ar

Rough-in Electrical i

In a new house, addition or major remodeling project, cable and boxes are "roughed-in"

before the walls are insulated and drywalled

dunction box, wall

mounted

Notching walls and drilling holes

STUDS

Actual ; NOTCHED Dimensions

Nominal Dimensions NOTE: Insulation can be put up then removed for an inspection, but inspection must be

done before the walls are sealed by a vapor barrier and wallboard DRILLED

Make sure wall switches are located with proper respect to door swing,

and wall outlets will not conflict with tile, cabinets, lockers, casework, or

Each box should stick out a little past the framing so its front will be flush

with — or set back just a fraction from — the drywall

Notches should represent less than 25% of the joist depth (see Notched / 25% above) Holes should represent less than 60% of the joist depth (see Drilled / 60% above)

You can use a scrap piece of drywall to set boxes out the right distance `

Some boxes even have a pre-formed %" reference line for quick installation |

: Non-Load-Bearing Walls

Drill or notch the framing to allow for the cable/wiring to run between

boxes, down into the under-floor crawl spaces, up into the ceiling, as well

as through studs (Most rooms have either an attic above or a basement/

crawlspace below Drill holes so cable runs horizontally through joists.)

the joist depth (see Notched / 40% above)

A heavy-duty right-angle drill with a 1" bit is the tool for this job Wall holes

drilled at about knee-height will be just right for outlets Holes through ` JOISTS

Ceiling joists and wall plates will be a bit harder; that's where the right-angle | Notches must represent less than 1/6th of the depth of the joist

drill comes in really handy

Notches should represent less than 40% of

boxes (See "Pulling Cable," inside.)

Drilled holes in joists must not be within 2 inches of an outside edge of the joist Pull wire/cable into each box; clip, clamp and cap

Drilled holes must represent less than 1/3rd of the overall depth of the joist

Use metal reinforcing plates (nailing plates) at all points where the drilled

hole is less than 1%" from either outside edge of a stud or joist Nailing

plates are required over all notches

Cable Checklist

Cabling must be installed and supported properly It also must be protected from

physical damage and from electrical damage

PULLING CABLE

"Running cable’ or "pulling cable" is a bit more involved than it sounds

Bends in Romex must not be made too sharply Bending cable incorrectly can

weaken the outer sheathing as well as the insulation on the individual conduc-

tors The radius of the curve of the inner edge of any bend must not be less than

five times the diameter of the cable A correct installation will result in a "jug

handle."

| Getting cable to cooperate can be frustrating and time consuming So

_ it helps to be patient and a bit creative

-check your circuit diagrams before running any cable Also

Cable must be fastened to the framing every 4-1/2 feet, using staples, cable ties,

straps, hangers, or similar fittings

note where you can double-up runs anywhere by pulling two atonce

Flat cables (e.g., 14/2 Romex or 12/2 Romex) must not be stapled on edge ulling wire through conduit, or even when pulling nonmetal-

Flat cables may be installed on top of one another and fastened with one staple,

so long as one flat side of one cable is against the framing member and the |

other flat side is against the flat side of the next cable (Two cables should not

be placed side-by-side and fastened with one staple; this can damage the cable

insulation.)

thed cable through holes in studs, joists, etc., "fish tape" can

ough holes, hooked to the cable or wire, and pulled back to

ll cable is to start at the last fixture in the run, pull

Where cable runs through wood framing members, it must be no closer than

1-1/4 inches to the nearest edge of the framing member When this clearance

cannot be maintained, a nailing plate must be added for protection In cases

where a framing member is notched to accommodate electrical cabling, a nailing

plate is always required

complete the run, and then start pulling it

Where cable runs through metal studs, plastic grommets must be inserted in ail |

holes, whether those holes are manufactured or field-drilled The plastic grom-

met must cover all metal edges of the hole, to provide physical protection as the

cables are pulled through the metal studs

g runs, you may need to return to the

to feed more cable through Two people

tangle or bind If you feel re-

Openings around penetrations through walls, floors, and ceilings must be filled

with an approved fire-stopping material (Some locales require fire-stopping

Cabling must be secured within 12" of every nonmetallic box that's larger than

2%" x 4" vice panel, leave a foot or so of

and the box/spool end for

All cables that run into metal or plastic boxes must be protected from abrasion

This can be accomplished by using connectors that have smooth openings for

the cabling to go through or by simply making sure a short section of the cable

sheathing extends past the clamping mechanism of a cable clamp

All cables that run into metal or plastic boxes must be secured to the boxes Com-

monly, this is done using internal or external clamps

Account for the voltage drop that can be caused by long runs of cable Try to limit

drop to less than 3% (See Voltage Drop table.)

Separate runs of cable/wire are required for bedroom outlets (so they can be

provided with Arc-Failure Circuit Interrupter (AFC!) protection The same is true

for any other circuits requiring AFCI or GFCI protection

"Hot" wire In an outlet, itis always

"Ground" or "grounding" wire In an

"Second hot" wire in a 3-way outlet

CIRCUIT TYPE

wired to the narrow spade or brass-colored terminal

outlet, it is always wired to the green terminal

Often called the "traveler."

"Neutral" wire In an outlet, it is always wired to the wide spade or silver-colored terminal

M v

Electrical Switch Symbols

Fused switch, wall mounted

Fused safety switch

xxAF= frame size

xxAT= trip size

Key controlled switch,

Manual motor switch,

with thermal overloads

wall mounted

Momentary contact Intermittent

switch, wall mounted

Motion detector sensor

Photoelectric switch

Pilot/remote light switch

load off, wall mounted

Pilot/remote light switch

load on, wall mounted

Remote control switch

receiver, wall mounted

Ceiling pull switch

ceiling mounted

Chain pull switch

Circuit breaker switch,

Dimmer switch, wall mounted

Disconnect safety switch

Door, closet, or jamb switch

Double pole switch, wall mounted

Electric eye, relay

Electric eye, source

Enclosed circuit breaker

xxAF= frame size

xxAT= trip size

Evaporative cooler switch

3-switches, fan, pump,

speed controller, wall mounted

Explosion proof switch

wall mounted

Flourescent light dimmer

switch, wall mounted

Four-way switch, wall mounted

Three-way switch, wall mounted

Timer or motor switch with thermal overload wall mounted Time clock switch Variable speed or volume control switch, wall mounted

Wall bracket pull switch

Weather proof circuit

breaker, wall mounted Weather proof switch, wall mounted Cable tray Conduit turning up Conduit turning down Conduit with capped end Emergency circuit Exposed circuit Homerun to panel letters indicate panel numbers indicate circuits

Plug in or feeder bus

Exat light, wall mounted

arrow indicates exit

Exit light, recessed

wall mounted

Exit light, shaded area

indicates number of faces shown, arrow indicates exit

no arrow when directly

over an exit door

Flourescent fixture, ceiling mounted

Flourescent lighting fixture,

O Flourescent lighting fixture,

p pendant style, ceiling mount Same as above, wall mount

Flourescent lighting fixture

recessed style

ceiling mount Flourescent lighting fixture surface mount with outlet

box, ceiling mount Flourescent lighting fixture

on critical branch circuit

Bit Fiourescent | ® | on emergency circuit Mel lighting fixture

Flourescent fixtures continuous row

Illuminated house number,

wall mount

Incandescent lighting fixture,

ceiling mounted

bank, urued caling routed

Incandescent lighting fixture,

chandelier, ceiling mounted

(Oy @ controlled by low voltage switch relay in box, wail mounted

Incandescent lighting fixture,

Œˆ letter in triangle is reference

to key, ceiling mounted

Incandescent lighting fi :

mimoriveray lights, wall mounted

Incandescent lighting fixture,

multiple flood lights,

KAR Wea mounted

Incandescent lighting fixture,

OO recessed, ceiling mounted

5 Incandescent lighting fixture,

fixture, ceiling mounted

Incandescent lighting fixture, rough-in only, ceiling mounted Incandescent lighting fixture,

spot light, ceiling mounted Incandescent lighting fixture,

heat tamp, ceiling mounted

Incandescent llighting standard

uppercase = key, number= 4k circuit number, switch contro! Ơ

@:+o@

Incandescent lighting fixture

surface directional light wall mounted

incandescent lighting

fixture, track lighting

Incandescent lighting fixture

MN underwater recessed, bottom fixture

=r Incandescent lighting fixture

underwater recessed, wall mounted

® underwater Incandescent lighting fixture

up beam (ar bottom mounted

( Oy) Incandescent lighting fixture

(S=) watitan

LÔ On va nương

Outlet Symbols

220-volt outlet, wall mounted 220-volt outlet, clothes dryer wall mounted

220-voit outlet, range,

Blanked (unused) quad

outlet, wall mounted

©0943

Clothes washer outlet, wall mounted

Combination switch and double

outlet, receptacle, wall mounted

Combination switch and single outlet receptacle, wall mounted

Dishwasher outlet wall mounted Drop cord

@eoojn”®92

Outlet symbols

Duplex receptacle outlet

with GFI or GFCI device,

wall mounted

Duplex receptacle outlet,

isolated ground, wall mounted

Duplex receptacle outlet,

split wired, wall mounted

Duplex special purpose outlet Emergency outlet,