09-26-2019, 11:40 AM
cbelt3 wrote:
B'man...
It's a great idea. I would definitely start with a book of some sort. I had the Time Life book as a youth, learned a lot, then got the HOme Despot book 25 years ago and learned more from that.
Suggestion #1- Get a non-contact voltage sensor. Keep it in your pocket. Test EVERYTHING before you try to work on it.
Suggestion #2- Label the breakers as you research your lines.
Suggestion #3- Label outlets and switches with the box and breaker. You can put the label inside the switch / outlet plate if you don't want people to see it. Pulling a plate is easy and won't shock you.
Suggestion #4 - a nice multimeter is very helpful when you're figuring out what's what.
Suggestion #5- Black is hot, white is not. DO NOT DEVIATE FROM THIS.
Suggestion #6- Never work on live circuits.
[spoiler=But if you get cocky...]
But if you 'HAVE' to (really you don't), only touch things with one hand. Keep the other hand in your pocket. A shock from one hand to the other has a higher chance of killing you than a shock from one hand to a leg. Yes, I've worked on live circuits a few times because I HAD to (Mains breaker would not shut off and calling the power company would have been agonizing and I didn't have the time). And I've been shocked a number of times in my life.
[/spoiler]
I've got all those covered. Labeling the outlets and switches is a good idea. I hadn't thought of that. I do maintain an updated drawing of my panel that lists what each circuit controls. So that's something. It's ever-evolving.
When I was replacing all the outlets in my daughter's room, I shut the power off at the panel and tested an outlet and the switch. All dead. I zipped around the room and replaced all the outlets and the switch. When I went to remove the last outlet, I got a nice little buzz. It was then that I discovered the "front wall" breaker. Such that all the outlets on the front wall of my house, regardless of the room they're in, are on that one breaker.
I'll admit I have worked on a live circuit before. When I was trying to figure out the mess that was my kitchen three-way switch. I gave up running out to the panel and turning the breaker off, running in and changing a wire, running back to the panel to turn the breaker on, and running back in to find that no, that didn't work either. So I left it on and switched the wires hot. I was very careful and only touched the wires with my insulated pliers. Stupid I know. But I was fed up after futzing with it for hours. I ended up putting it back the way it was btw.