With the demolition complete, electrical was next on the agenda. The checklist for electrical was:
- Remove all existing receptacles and wiring
- Replace all receptacle boxes with plastic, Carlon's Super Blue boxes
- Replace all receptacles with commercial grade, 20A Leviton outlets
- Replace all receptacle wiring with 12/2 WG Romex
- Install [4] 6" Halo H7ICAT cans
- Install [4] EcoSmart E26 10.5 Watt LED bulbs. (So awesome btw)
- Install Lutron Maestro Wireless dimmer for the recessed lights
- Run 2 new circuits - a 20A AFCI for the receptacles and 15A AFCI for the recessed lights
- Run a new receptacle on the same leg to the adjacent room (my office)
- Disconnect the receptacle in the office off the rocker switch
- Off the same 15A leg, install a junction box in the attic so it can also feed recessed lights in the office
- Install [1] 6" Halo H7ICAT can in the office
- Determine what circuit a random retrofit receptacle is on, move into office (it's along a shared wall), upgrade the receptacle to commercial grade Leviton 15A, replace box with Carlon super blue new work box
Yikes!
Sounds like a lot, but it all went rather quick, and without much of a hitch.
Running the wiring in the attic to attach the lights was not the coolest thing I've ever done. Rolling around in insulation, both old and new layered on top of one another, made for an itchy and cough filled day(s). Also, even though I was 3+ feet off the wall on the gable side of the roof, it still got really cramped back there.
A tip I read about running wire across joists was to build a "U" out of [2] 2"x4"s and [1] 1"x6", run the wire(s) on the bottom portion of the "U", and drill down whenever you need to go through a top plate or to a light. The nice way about this is it'll prevent you from stepping on the wire and run the risk of ripping it out of a light, or worse yet, arcing. I didn't have the materials to make the "U", so instead I just ripped 2 pieces of OSB I had laying around and just didn't make the vertical edges. Another side benefit of making such a bridge is that it now brings your wiring above the joists and insulation, possibly preventing a future owner from laying down plywood and covering or damaging your wiring.
Another struggle I had was running the 12G through a solid corner. I was drilling 3/4" holes through all the studs, but found that drilling a 1" hole through the solid corner made fishing it through much easier.
I learned a few NEC codes during this process:
- Receptacles should be 12G Romex only on a 20A breaker
- Bedrooms must be protected by AFCI's (I'm using these wherever possible from now on, despite the 8x price tag from an average breaker)
- You can't mix different wire gauges
- You can't power receptacles and overhead lighting on the same leg
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Lutron Maestro IR Dimmer
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6" Halo H7ICAT Cans
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