Resources for DIY electrical

I was reading this post (https://permies.com/t/364002/DIY-School) and my memory was jogged.

I had to take a state licensing test that had test questions way out of the scope of work I needed to do. I was getting the license for a specialty trade that went from not requiring a license to requiring a license in 2023.

I found this youtube channel below to be very informative and helpful. Now the guy has an online training course (but still has a ton of free videos on youtube). Watching some of the videos on the more advanced subject matter was a key to passing the test.

I would start here if you need some clarity on DIY electrical questions.

https://electricianu.com/online-electrician-programs-and-courses/

https://www.youtube.com/electricianu

Here are some information on DIY electrical:

https://www.nordichomeinspection.com/why-homeowners-shouldnt-do-electrical-work/

https://www.arlinghausair.com/reasons-why-you-shouldnt-diy-electrical-work/

https://greenwoodheating.com/blog/thinking-about-diy-electrical-work-heres-why-you-shouldnt/

Anne Miller wrote:Here are some information on DIY electrical:

https://www.nordichomeinspection.com/why-homeowners-shouldnt-do-electrical-work/

https://www.arlinghausair.com/reasons-why-you-shouldnt-diy-electrical-work/

https://greenwoodheating.com/blog/thinking-about-diy-electrical-work-heres-why-you-shouldnt/

If I google if I should do framing, I'll get a list of contractor websites telling me that I should not. If I google if I should do plumbing, I'll get a list of plumbing contractor websites telling me that I should not.

Apply common sense and if you don't understand what your doing, you may not want to do it. Or if you are just uncomfortable with it.

Jackson Bradley wrote: I would start here if you need some clarity on DIY electrical questions.

I'm old school - I used a book the last time I needed to swap out some antique plug receptors for new ones. With the book for reference, it was very easy to follow the steps to make sure the ground was where it belonged, and the live and neutral wires were connected correctly.

This is the sort of repair that I feel that many homeowners can learn to do - quite frankly, if you can learn to drive a car, learning to replace an electrical outlet is far easier.

I haven't checked out the videos Jackson linked to, but if I needed to do more extensive work, it's nice to have some recommended by someone who's used them.

Yes, I live in a house where whoever did the wiring, needed more training. But that training is often free at our fingertips if one cares to put in the time to study. My husband has seen too many situations where people who were trained, blatantly ignored their training just to make an extra buck.

Thinking you know better than your training, or how the manual says to do something, is sometimes true, but many times not, in my opinion.

I recently watched a show where the guy used youtube videos to install an expensive stainless steel double oven.  That was three years ago and they have not had an oven since that one blew up or didn't work.

He and his family were scared to do any more so they hired a profession.

It turns out that the whole house had to be rewired to make it safe which cost him a lot of extra money.

For me, when I'm learning a new skill, I like to start small and simple (and the least dangerous) and work my way up. Electricity is terrifying to me, but I know that if I started small (with things like changing out a light fixture), I could build knowledge from there.

I really like permies SKIP/PEP framework. You start with learning the easier, less dangerous skills and move up from there. I haven't really started on the SKIP Electricity activities. But, to me, they seem like a good start for learning basic electricity skills.

Youtube channesls, like the one Jackson mentioned, can be a really useful way to start small and build up skills and knowledge to be able to do electrical work.

In my opinion, the best possible way to learn DIY electrical is to follow a journeyman* service** electrician around for a couple weeks and learn on the job. After that amount of time as an electrical apprentice, I felt ready to take on a simple side job that would have been equivalent 1.5 points toward Paul's Straw Badge for electrical.

If you don't have that kind of time to spare (and who does?) my next choice would be Youtube. Find videos that are as close as possible to what you are trying to do. Skim comments first to make sure you're not seeing a bunch of people saying stuff like "I'm an electrician and this is a terrible/dangerous way to do this".

I have found ElectricianU (Youtube channel) is a pretty good resource for general knowledge. Never tried it for particulars ("how to do X"), but I'm sure if they offer that kind of content it's solid.

The problem with books is that they may be out of date; the National Electrical Code is updated every three years to keep up with changes in technology and safety standards, for good reason. If you're going to go from a book that's fine, but make sure it's been published recently (like, it should at least not be talking about cloth-sheathed wire and stuff) and if possible try to verify that its author is a qualified authority.

And of course if anyone here has questions about electrical work, feel free to reach out to me! As long as I'm around I will be happy to answer as best I can.

*"journeyman" means "has at least 4-5 years of experience and probably knows what he/she is doing". Yes, the word "man" can refer to either sex; the language of the trades is still in the process of modernizing beyond the gender norms of the past.

**"service" means an electrician who goes around and installs or fixes stuff in different kinds of places, whether houses, office buildings, warehouses, or what have you. This is a distinct kind of electrician from one who works exclusively in factories, or in new construction, etc.

Ned Harr wrote:In my opinion, the best possible way to learn DIY electrical is to follow a journeyman* service** electrician around for a couple weeks and learn on the job. After that amount of time as an electrical apprentice, I felt ready to take on a simple side job that would have been equivalent 1.5 points toward Paul's Straw Badge for electrical.

This is great advice.  

I would add my suggestion of getting a job that works with electricity.  Not necessarily as an electrician.

Dear hubby started out working with Product Refrigeration like the big walkin coolers in grocery store.  That is where he learned about electricity  as those coolers had to be hooked up to electricity without power cords and outlets,

Air Conditioning might be another place to learn about electricity.  I am sure there are many more.

When we built our house, Dear hubby did all the wiring.  The property had electricity mounted on a pole.  Dear hubby and I pulled the wring from there into the house where there already was a panel.  He did not like that panel so we replaced it.

If I had to I might change out a wall outlet or a light switch though that is all I am ever going to do.

Ned Harr wrote:
The problem with books is that they may be out of date; the National Electrical Code is updated every three years to keep up with changes in technology and safety standards, for good reason. If you're going to go from a book that's fine, but make sure it's been published recently (like, it should at least not be talking about cloth-sheathed wire and stuff) and if possible try to verify that its author is a qualified authority.

Built my house in the early 90s using the 1984 code. Wanted something newer, but in the pre-internet days current code books were very expensive. No inspections back then (other than septic) so this was not an issue. Also found the McGraw-Hills companion to the NEC invaluable to my understanding. Set up in numbered sections that match the NEC and explain it in a more layman friendly way. Both books are still on my shelf behind me.

Agree with the premise of this thread that *most* homeowners should not do their own electrical. Would add that *no* contractor that is not an electrician should. Personally have seen as bad or worse work done by jack leg contractors than homeowners. Plus contractors sometimes try to hide dangerous things that a homeowner would leave exposed.

Anne Miller wrote:I would add my suggestion of getting a job that works with electricity.  Not necessarily as an electrician.

I 50% agree with this. My #1 recommendation after electrician would actually be not HVAC or other specialist, but to work for a remodeler or house flipper. You can generalize some electrical knowledge as a specialist but it will take a while and much of it might not be applicable to your own projects. A remodeler or house flipper on the other hand...

But there's a catch: there are many remodelers and house flippers who are hacks and will teach you to do things wrong. So you've gotta find one who knows his/her stuff and who takes pride in the quality of the work. You might discern some of that by asking questions like "What is your level of experience with electrical work in particular?" As William Bagwell said, and I would vouch for this too, people who know "just enough to be dangerous" often are.

Again, if you have questions about electrical work, feel free to ask me here on Permies (remember, photos help) and I'll answer as best I can. I visit the forums at least once every few days and typically browse according to topic, with an eye out for "Electrical".

There are definitely categories to doing your own electrical.

I imagine most folks are comfortable changing things "like for like". You can find the breaker, turn it off, take a picture of the outlet or switch wiring, and install the new one. Doing that may spur you on the figure out why the outlet is a GFCI or not, why it is located at that spot it is in the circuit series, what the difference between a GFCI and standard outlet is, etc.

Moving to the breaker box to change breakers or swap a standard breaker for a GFCI may be too intimidating. Most newer house breaker boxes have a main breaker that cuts power to all of the breakers but your incoming service will still be hot unless you can kill it at the meter base. Doing things in the meter base  (if it is a combo base with a meter and some breakers) is in a similar category.

If you are pulling new wire, understanding some particulars like voltage drop/amp rating to size wire, continuous loading on a breaker % requires a working knowledge of the NEC tables and/or experience, usually.

I doubt very much in the interior breaker box and service base are very interesting to most homeowners and if things seem intimidating, gauge your own comfort level and call for a tradesman.

The videos cover many categories of electrical and hopefully they will be helpful to help tackle some projects.

A caution about "non-contact voltage detectors", picture below. I have personally had 2 different makes/models show a wire was not hot and it was. This was early on in my time working around electrical and I do not use them. I always use a voltmeter. Mileage may vary but my voltmeter has never lied to me.

I'm so glad I have basic electrical skills.  It's saved a lot of pain and a life.  It's as important as knowing how to drive, in my book, and safer.

If Parents aren't an option to learn from, start at the library.  There are books of course.   Most have free access to LinkedIn classes and other repair which includes electricity basics.  Several I know have in person classes for repair and house repair.  If not, the librarian probably knows somewhere that does.  These in person clasees are usually free as it's seen as a basic skill akin to snaking a drain.

The DIY shops often employ retired tradesmen who love teaching stuff like this if it's not a busy time.  The young contractors that shop there are often helpful if approached kindly.  They like showing off and being a hero.

When I was doing a particularly difficult upgrade, I invited a friend of a friend over to teach me how to bring it up to code. He's a practicing electrician.  I would have gotten rid of the old wires, but it was actually the 1980s wires that were the problem. He showed me what to look for, I gave him my best bottle of whiskey. I did the work.  It passed inspection with flying colours,


Having basic 120v wireing knowhow like how to change a plug, light fixture, or how to wire a new circuit is a big help.  It also acts as a guide for when we need an electrician.   Some jobs, like spark shower from the ceiling light, are a 10 min fix.   Other things, like a faulty ground, it's good to get a man in.

Oh, and don't toss the packaging as it usually has instructions and tricks to make life easier.

caution about "non-contact voltage detectors", picture below. I have personally had 2 different makes/models show a wire was not hot and it was. This was early on in my time working around electrical and I do not use them. I always use a voltmeter. Mileage may vary but my voltmeter has never lied to me.

I love my little guy.  The usual have two or three settings.   I set mine to max sensitivity and test it before turning off the breaker.  It will often give me a false positive if something else with a battery is plugged in on the same circuit.  I've never had it give a false negative on max settings.  

One of the other settings on mine is for 240v (stoves and stuff) which can give a false negative. Each one is different, so check the instructions to be sure.

And check again if you lend it to anyone because humans like to press buttons and reset things.  

I use this voltage tester, made by Amprobe:


If I touch that white tip to a wire and it doesn't light up, I can safely touch the conductor. No false negatives. That's why my boss and I swear by this tester.

Sometimes the tip lights up even though it's just a couple volts and I wouldn't have gotten hurt. I learn that usually because it doesn't make sense it should light up so I pull out a voltmeter instead. Better a false positive than a false negative.

Now, what's funny is different electricians have different (strong) opinions on voltage testers. First time I took out the above tester around this other electrician who isn't my boss, but who I work with occasionally, he sneered and called it "the widowmaker". Yet that's what my boss calls the type of tester that guy uses! My boss has a better argument though, which is that the Amprobe tester has no moving parts and thus nothing to fail. (The AA battery in it lasts usually longer than the life of the tester, maybe longer than the life of the electrician!)

Jackson Bradley wrote:I imagine most folks are comfortable changing things "like for like". You can find the breaker, turn it off, take a picture of the outlet or switch wiring, and install the new one. Doing that may spur you on the figure out why the outlet is a GFCI or not

Be aware that not all devices are configured the same. Sometimes on a GFCI the line-side lugs are closest to the ground lug, sometimes the load lugs are closest to ground and the line lugs are on the far end. This trips up electricians, so I'm sure it can trip up DIY homeowners. Same goes for many other components.

Most newer house breaker boxes have a main breaker that cuts power to all of the breakers but your incoming service will still be hot unless you can kill it at the meter base. Doing things in the meter base  (if it is a combo base with a meter and some breakers) is in a similar category.

The latest code says that the main shutoff actually must be outside next to the service entrance, though there is still often a main breaker in the main panel. If you open the outdoor shutoff (only brand new houses, or newly renovated houses will have this) then the feeder wires going into your main panel will be dead and safe to work on. You could do this to change your whole panel. If you just shut off the main breaker in the panel, then your bus bars will be dead but your main lugs will still be hot. You could safely work on your branch circuits this way, but you could not safely do a panel change.

Rocking a meter out is NOT in the same category as shutting off your main breaker. For one thing, it is a delicate task because you need to keep the line-side lugs connected so as to not alert the power company that you are fiddling with their equipment or your service, while safely keeping the load-side lugs disconnected so you can do your work without the meter slipping back in and energizing the main feeders without your intending it.

For another thing, if you do accidentally alert the power company and they send someone out to see what's going on, if there is a union journeyman electrician there to tell them "Sorry, just doing a panel change, didn't want to bother you, stern warning please" they will be more likely to oblige than if they show up and find Joe Schmoe Amateur; in the latter case they're going to be very unhappy and might take further action against you.

For a third thing, you are dealing with a full 100, 200, or 400 amps on the line side lugs of a meter, and if those slip out of position you could have an arc flash. When my boss and I do panel changes on older homes, even if I am doing the bulk of the work myself, he will at least rock the meter out for me and put it back again at the end, because it takes extra skill and practice. I'm at well over 2000 hours of experience in electrical work but I am not yet ready to do that particular task. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ROCK OUT A METER ON YOUR OWN UNLESS YOU ARE A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED ELECTRICIAN.

r ranson wrote:
Having basic 120v wireing knowhow like how to change a plug, light fixture, or how to wire a new circuit is a big help.  It also acts as a guide for when we need an electrician.   Some jobs, like spark shower from the ceiling light, are a 10 min fix.   Other things, like a faulty ground, it's good to get a man in.

Yes! Having some basic electrical knowledge will help you know when you can tackle a project, and when it's over your head and too dangerous to try. If you don't know anything, you might think you either (A) Can do anything, or (B) Can do nothing. Both are dangerous.

Also, having a basic knowledge of electricity would help you know when something is worth worrying about. My dad was never an electrician, but did a lot of electrical wiring as a mechanic. There's been many a time I've asked him, "Dad, do I need to worry about this?" Maybe a light fixture is always burning out bulbs, or the lights dim every time you turn on the vacuum. Are these things to worry about, or not? You don't know if you don't have some knowledge. Knowledge is power and understanding. That knowledge can keep you and your house safe. You don't have to do the electrical work to benefit from knowing basic electrical skills.

I hate the fact that electricity is super confusing and overwhelming to me. One day, I really want to gain knowledge and skill in that area, so I'm not always afraid and lost. I don't necessarily want to do my electrical stuff, but I want to understand what's happening in my house.