Dont Know Remodeling

As you’ve learned, electrical wiring starts in the service panel, an electrical box, and runs to the end of the circuit, another electrical box, where the fixtures or other components are installed. So the first step in setting up a new circuit is installing electrical boxes where they need to be.

Electrical boxes, sometimes called terminal boxes, house the connection between the wires and the fixture or receptacle. Somewhere between the service panel and the terminal box there may be another electrical box or two. A junction box is one that protects an electrical splice such as where two or more electrical lines join up. A switch box also can be between the panel and the terminal box and house a switch that turns the circuit to the fixture on or off.

Installing electrical boxes in new homes is relatively easy because the wall framing is in place but the drywall isn’t. The electrician simply nails the boxes in the appropriate locations and runs wire cable from there back to the service panel. If your bathroom remodeling job requires that you open up or add new walls the process is the same for you. Boxes are mounted on studs or other wood components and wires are run through other wall members back to the panel.

However, what if you’re not planning to tear up a wall covering or add a new wall? Then you can install remodeler’s boxes, special electrical terminal boxes that can be installed through the drywall. Here’s how:

1. Use an electronic studfinder to identify the location of the stud onto which you can attach the box.

2. Using the template that comes with the remodeler’s box, cut a hole in the drywall for the box.

3. Remove the “knockout” hole in the box and pull the wires through.

4. Insert the remodeler’s box through the hole and against the stud.

5. Nail or screw the box to the stud.

Note that some building codes require that you use metal boxes with locknuts that tightly grip the wire cable. Make sure you install the electrical boxes according to local code requirements—or be ready to remove and replace them if the building inspectors says so.