WITT Electrical

You arrive at the TRU Trades residential electrical shop for another fun day of wiring. As you walk into the shop your instructor asks you to get some cable to wire up a residential 15 amp standard duplex receptacle. You go to the cabinet and grab: [[a) 10/2 armoured cable|10/2]] [[b) 14/3 NMD90 cable|14/3]] [[c) 14/2 loomex cable|14/2]] [[d) cat 5e cable|cat5e]]

When you get back to your station the instructor has left. You try to use the strut to set up the reel, but it's too big to fit through the hole on the cable reel. [[You hunt around to find something else that will work|14/2]]

When you get back to your station the instructor has left. You use the broom to set up the reel of cable on the stand. You start pulling wire off the reel, and the thin metal of the broom handle buckles and collapses. [[You'll have to find something else|14/2]]

When you get back to your station the instructor has left. You try to use the emt to set up your cable reel. It's just long enough to get through the hole in the reel, but it's not long enough to set the reel up on the stands. [[You look around for something else that will work|14/2]]

When you get back to your station the instructor has left. You use the emt to set up the reel of cable on the stand. You start pulling wire off the reel. You know you need a piece long enough to go from the electrical panel, down 3 feet, and across to the receptacle box 5 feet away on the same wall. You cut off: [[a) 5 feet of cable|5]] [[b) 9 feet of cable|9]] [[c) 12 feet of cable|12]] [[d) 16 feet of cable|16]]

You hand the 14/2 to the instructor. She says 'The best way to pull wire off a reel is by setting it up on a stand.' She gives you the 2 sides of a wire stand. 'You'll need to find something long and slender to slide through the reel and rest on the stands'. You go hunting around the shop and bring back: [[a) a 2 foot long piece of shallow strut|strut]] [[b) an 18 inch long piece of 1/2" emt|18"emt]] [[c) a broom with an aluminum handle|broom]] [[d) a 3 foot long piece of 3/4 inch emt|3'emt]]

This cable is too big and expensive to be wasted on a 15 amp plug! [[Go back to the wire cabinet and get the right cable|start]]

Although it's the right gauge and type of wire, there are too many conductors and it's expensive to waste wire. [[Go back to the cabinet and get the right cable|start]]

This cable is only approved for low voltage circuits. [[Go back to the wire cabinet and get the right cable|start]]

You cut 5 feet of cable since the box is 5 feet away. Oh no! You realized your mistake right away, this isn't nearly long enough to go from the panel, down the wall, then over the 5 feet to the plug. [[You go back to the wire reel|3'emt]]

You eyeballed it and cut 9 feet of wire, that should be long enough. You run the cable through the holes and up to the panel. You realize it's a little too short and it won't reach. [[You go back to the reel|3'emt]]

In the past you've cut the cable too short and had to get a new piece, not this time! You cut more than enough - 16 feet! The instructor comes by and says 'Don't use that long piece, it's a waste of cable! Save it for something else'. [[You go back to the reel|3'emt]]

You measured well this time - 2 feet at the panel for terminating, 3 feet down, 5 feet over and one foot at the box for a service loop and ample conductor in the box - adds up to 11 feet. Then you add just one more foot for good measure. You run your 12' conductor through the holes in the wall between the panel and the device box and staple it. It was just the right length. You decide to [[terminate the receptacle first|receptacle]] [[terminate the panel first|panel]]

You finish stapling your wire and you find yourself at the panel end, but to be safe, you know it's best to terminate the circuit devices before the panel. [[You go back to the receptacle and strip and enter the cable into the box|Back to plug]]

When you're done stapling, you find yourself at the panel end, so you decide to terminate the wire in the panel first. You strip the cable, enter it, and land the ground, neutral and hot wires. You leave and go to terminate your receptacle. Your lab partner needs to energize the panel so asks you to take your lock off. You stop what you're doing and leave your wire stripped and not entered into the box. You take your lock off and wait for them to test their lab. You're not paying attention and you don't notice when they accidentally turn on the wrong breaker - KABAM!!! The breaker trips. They energized your circuit by accident, and your black wire was stripped and touching the metal box, causing a short. The instructor comes by to see what happened and makes you [[disconnect your wire from the panel until you're ready to test.|12]]

Then you [[a) put the white wire on the ground screw of the plug, the bare wire on the brass screw and the black wire on the silver screw|wrong]] [[b) connect the bare wire to the ground screw on the box, then connect it to the ground screw on the plug. Then connect the white wire to the silver screw and the black wire to the brass screw|right]] [[c) connect the bare wire to the ground screw on the box, then connect it to the ground screw on the plug. Then connect the white wire to the brass screw and the black wire to the silver screw|backwards]]

Once you're finished, you find the instructor and get her to check it before you terminate the cable at the panel end. She takes a look and says 'Oh, that's not quite right, try again.' [[You go back to the plug|Back to plug]]

Once you're finished, you find the instructor and get her to check it before you terminate the cable at the panel end. She takes a look at it and says 'Looks good to me! Go ahead and wire the panel.' [[You go to the panel and enter the cable|Go to panel]]

[[a) First, you make sure the white wire is going to the ground bus, then the bare wire goes to the neutral bus, then the black wire goes onto the breaker screw|No good]] [[b) First, you make sure the black wire goes to the neutral bus, the bare wire goes to the ground bus and the white wire goes to the breaker screw|Not good]] [[c) First, you make sure the bare wire goes to the ground bus, the white wire goes to the neutral bus and then the black wire goes to the breaker screw|Correct]]

You're ready to energize! You go get the instructor, you both take off your locks, she looks at your panel and says 'Oh, this doesn't look right. Check your connections' She puts her lock back on. [[You open the panel and double check your work|Go to panel]]

You're ready to energize! You go get the instructor, you both take off your locks, she looks at your panel and says 'Looks good, fire it up!'. You close the panel cover and safely stand to the side while you turn on the breaker. It doesn't trip. [[You test the receptacle and it's wired correctly|Great Work]]

Great Work!