Common Household Wiring Methods and Procedures

Electricity is one of the few basic necessities of the common man that keeps increasing both in need and importance as the generation progresses. It is therefore, not a surprise to see electrical wiring pipes being lad even before the house has been fully constructed. 

This following excerpt shows a few common wiring procedures followed by electrical contractors in Seattle.

Basic Household Wiring:

The common wiring system of any house has four components: Mains power (from the electricity company), Load, Conductor and the Switch. Most household wirings have two main paths for transmission of electricity – the incoming phase and the outgoing phase (or neutral). The third path is grounding, which is usually done by electrical contractors in Seattle to prevent electrical current from accumulating on the surface of a heavy electrical appliance like refrigerators or geysers (thereby allowing you to touch them without getting an electric shock).

Electricity is connected from input phase to neutral phase by means of wires and conductors, making up an electrical circuit. Care should be taken not to connect incoming to neutral phase directly or it will result in a fuse blowout. A fuse is a device designed to shut down electrical connectivity in case of excess current to protect the household electrical devices from damage.

Household Wiring Layout:

When we turn on a light switch, electric current passes through a multitude of paths before it lights up the lamp. As there as many other appliances and devices connected to the same wiring system, the common method of wiring followed by electrical contractors in Seattle is parallel wiring.

In a parallel wiring system, the source of electric current and target devices are connected in such a way that no device interferes with the working of another, and the voltage received is the same no matter how many devices you use. The input and return phase of electrical gadgets are usually neutral, with occasional switches (such as fan regulator) that act as loads. The main task of load switches is to control the amount of current flow.

Now we have seen that while many devices have two-pin power plugs, other heavy appliances have three-pin power plug. The larger central pin is the grounding pin, which is primarily used to disperse excess current into the ground. These plugs are found in appliances that draw heavy electricity, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, geysers, personal computers etc. 

It is the basic requirement for every household to incorporate a grounding system to prevent rude electrical shocks while touching an appliance.

Learn more about electrical maintenance services and follow these tips to avoid electrical mishaps in your home.