Do you need help with your renovation project? 👆🏼Hit the JOIN button to access the members only Discord 🔨Consult directly with Jeff about your project 🔨Crowdsource information on the best products and materials 🔨Post your incredible before and after’s 🔨Meet other DIYers Once you've hit JOIN, go to the members tab to find the link to join the members only Discord 👇🏼 www.youtube.com/@HomeRenoVisionDIY/membership
Got a little emotional watching this. How could that be? I'm relatively new to Jeff, but his personality reminds me of Rich, my father-figure when I was growing up. He was kind, smiled along as he could fix anything... explained everything to me as if I was smart enough to understand. He had some cool and funny sayings, "to boot". He had such an easy going, optimistic attitude. He passed long ago, at 50. At 60 (dunno how I made it this far), throughout my life, everytime I'm working on something he's always watching over me. And when I get negative or feel I can't get something fixed, Rich is right there guiding me through it all, just like when I was a kid. Rich was an Electrician at trade, but fixed everything... just like Jeff. Very sincere thank you to both these men for helping us all out...
Those were the days. People loved what they did, and were not pressured to build a small city every year. My Grandfather build houses and was quiet, patient and kind. Memories are so good for the soul. Thanks for sharing yours, it made me smile too
When wiring the wire to the outlets I had an experience where I only used my cordless drill/screwdriver to attach the wires. I went back to a location that I had wired a year later and noticed black scorch marks above a light switch. I opened the cover and noticed that the cordless driver hadn’t tightened the screws on the switch to the point that they wouldn’t move, so everytime someone flipped the switch on or off a little bit of movement would loosen the screw, after a years time the screw was so loose that everytime the switch was flipped a spark would occur. I’m grateful I discovered my error as it could have very easily started a fire. From that point onward I made sure that after I attached wires to switches or plugs that I would follow through with a manual screwdriver and give everything one more twist to make sure that they won’t ever work themselves loose. When you did your switch you said not to worry, that you did not want them too tight, I think you should reconsider that and ensure that they are tight enough so that they won’t ever loosen, it can be dangerous otherwise. Other than that it’s an excellent video and it’s very informative, I love the electric tape on the white wire!
After initially tightening the screws, after a few seconds go back and tighten the screws again. Copper is a soft metal and friction with the screw head causes the wire to expand ever so slightly making it feel you made a tight connection. The copper cools and shrinks a little and that requires retorquing to achieve proper tightness.
@@TheRealCheckmate You must be the guy that uses the push-in connections on electrical devices. That phenomenon is real, try it for yourself. Grab some copper wire and make a few connections and tighten the screws as snuggly as you think is tight. Go back ten seconds later and re-tighten the screw and see it and fell it turn a few degrees. Then give us your explanation for this phenomenon, Professor Whoopie.
@@TheRealCheckmate whatever the reasoning is he still makes a good point that especially on light switches going back and giving it another twist is a good idea. My ex-wife was living in the unit where I discovered the scorching above the switch and if the place had caught fire I would have felt terrible. Thank god I noticed it when I stopped by.
Great video. Two comments: 1) instead of having the male plug hanging outside, you can purchase a generator plug inlet and mount it on the side of the shed. 2) the screw slots on the plates are vertical because dust is less likely to collect compared to if the slots are horizontal.
I just checked out my face plates with screws adjusted horizonally and you're right the amount of dust collected there over the past four decades is probably contributing to my chronic allergic reactions whenever I am in the vicinity of their face plates. I've reminded the wife to make sure to clean them from now on thanks
Every time I go to someone else's house, I take a thin screwdriver with me and, when no one is looking, I set the faceplate screws to 2 o'clock. Yeah, I'm that guy.
Didn't check all the comments for this, but one suggestion for wiring, "First to make, Last to break", talking about the ground wire. That way, if you just happen to be working on a live circuit, the electricity travels down the path of least resistance, that ground wire, and not you.
Jeff, Watching you is like sitting in a garage with a favorite uncle. working on a build. The videography and editing is wonderful. Your descriptions are so clear and conscise. However, THIS gem of a tutorial has just given me so much knowledge and even better, CONFIDENCE. I got this!
Thank you for the comprehensive video on how to get it done. I appreciate your explanation of key details. Very helpful to DIYers. I would caution that most local codes do define “temporary,” meaning that after the end of the “temporary” period (usually months - NOT years as you described) an inspection WILL be required! This is not to criticize your work - your procedures are sound. BTW, a good electrical contractor has one (or more) techs who focus solely on small jobs. Small jobs create thankful & loyal customers. Guess who they’ll call when they have a bigger job? Being willing to take on small jobs makes loyal customers at the very least, and has the potential to win bigger jobs down the road, either thru repeat business or referrals. IMHO, having one (or more) techs who focus solely on small jobs pays off in the long run.
Hi Jeff, I am in Ireland, I worked for an American Railway Signalling Company here for 11 years. All our slotted screws were always vertical - Reason given was moisture can run down the slot and also while all being Vertical, then looked better. Perhaps just me but I would have run Plastic Conduit along the horizontal run, would have looked very professional. Good work, Great at explaining. Here in Ireland, The UK and Europe in general, Brown = Live, Blue=Neutral and Green/Yellow striped = Earth (CPC). Old Colours were Red =Live, Black= Neutral and Green=Earth (CPC). Philips and Robertson screws :) well we have our problems here too, Metric and Imperial pipe fittings mixed in the one installation , especially something built from 30 years ago and parts upgraded. So you could have 1/2 inch Copper, 1/2 inch Qualpex (plastic imperial) and 15mm Acorn (Grey metric) and perhaps Polly Pipe and fittings outside which would be for 1/2 and 3/4 black plastic hose pipe with both thick and standard wall thickness with White and light blue inserts for thick and thin or vice versa, Only the correct one will fit.
I really love how through you are with your videos. Not just now this and now that but why. And you don't rush in doing step by step. I'm buying my first house as I comment, so I'm trying to start learning more before I start planning any upgrades.
That works only if the outlet you plug the shed extension cord into the house is not GFCI protected. You cannot have 2 GFCI’s in series. I found that out trying to plug in a welder into a GFCI protected outlet. The welder has its own GFCI built in. 😅
Probably makes more sense to put the GFCI on the outlet that the extension cord powering the whole thing plugs in to .. Most likely place where a fault would happen is where water might be. Better yet, use a GFCI breaker on the circuit
Right the last bit on the outside is just not acceptable. The cable is not UV rated and can deteriorate in the sun. Also, the plug is not waterproof and is likely to hang down and fill with water on the first rain.
Excellent video! Thanks for the system approach. One thing I learned in the Navy to help remember the wire color code for the outlet and switch screws is White to Bright --> Neutral/white to silver screw Black to Brass --> Hot/black to brass screw Green to ground --> Bare copper wire to green ground screw I think the "white to bright" is the only part I didn't hear you say. Thanks again for the no-nonsense teaching style. I love it. Keep up the good work.
I remember when I was a teen in the 70's with my Roadrunner (Plymouth). Must have changed the stereo 3 or 4 times as they got better. "Grey and white are right" (speakers) is the mnemonic I made up and I still remember it! Taught myself to rebuild an engine, too and probably became an Engineer because of that (not electrical Engineering!).
Great tid bit of info... just like to add something for safety, I was always taught to connect Grounds (GREEN) then Neutrals (WHITE) then Line/Power (BLACK) even tho the power is off, its just great practice. Also there should be no exposed wire from under the terminal screws, wire insulation should be up to the screw not under the screw. I know common sense right... but every one wants dollars, no one has sense anymore. Cheers
@@johnrledrew That is the way I was taught when I apprenticed for electrician. Most of the time when I was wiring outlets and switches the electrician I was working under had already energized the circuits. So I was wiring the outlets 'hot'. Heavy boots and insulated tools are your best friends.
Nice edit on attaching the plug at 42:18. Prior to that, I was yelling at you to not forget to slide the housing on first. But you were so smooth, almost no one noticed! 😄
Nice layout and well done on the video. The only thing i would have done differently would be to mount a weather tight box on the outside instead of the 90° junction point on the inside. Essentially the same functionality, but ill never have to worry about cleaning off my work bench to access it. It would also serve as a junction point for later permanent power.
Only thing different i would have done is instead of that male plug hanging out the side of the shed, install a little portal with a door you can just open and feed your extesion through when in use and then the connection is inside the shed out of the weather and out of public view
I'm surprised there was no mention of this in the video. He mentioned it wasn't a weather proof plug but then it's assumed he's leaving it out in the weather?
The best solution would be a generator power inlet box. It would add maybe 50 bucks to the total cost of the project but they're designed to be weatherproof and permanent, and you can get ones that are just 120V 15A type plugs for an extension cord (usually for a whole house generator you'd get a big locking 240V plug).
I like running electric in my chicken coops and their runs. I used two timers so the lights in the run turn off half an hour before the coop to draw the chickens inside to eat and drink before they roost for the night. A dusk to dawn porch light for me and a couple of outlets for accessories like the water warmer. I also added a couple outside outlets to power the occasional yard tool
I was watching Zach Fields tutorial video on replacing a bathroom sink. At the end of the video he recommended your video on How To Silicone a Bath. After watching a few of your other videos I subscribed. I have watched dozens of videos on wiring a house and never really understood how it all worked. You explained how switches are wired and outlets are wired in such a way I FINALLY understand how they all connect and work. This channel is great.
Also good to note on your switches and outlets that the push fitting for the wire is a single time use per most manufacturers so once you pull the wire out of it you have to use the screw contacts anyway. There have also been a number of studies showing a number of different circumstances where failure of a switch or receptable is due to a push connector issue. Screw connectors all day if you want it to be one and done and easy to work on later if you need to. Great job man. Always love your videos. I am not a certified electrician but I was a certified electrical engineer and I am a handyman. Keep the great content coming.
Thank you! I had to wire up a fountain in my back yard with a switch. I've never done that kind of thing before. Your video made the process super simple. I had to use an existing conduit that went below ground and came back up in the middle of a bricked in slab. A video by another DIY wiring guy showed me how to run a cord through the conduit and then pull the romex through. Thanks!
Jeff, I know somethings can seem nitpicking. But I have been told more than once, “Ground, Neutral, Hot”. Always protect yourself first when connecting electrical, because even when it’s not hot, it’s still hot. This really hit home a few years back on a major transmission line project, first person on site after a long weekend was killed exiting his truck when he touched the dirt. The line was a long ways from being live yet. But traveled 100’s of km’s beside another live 500kv transmission line. Voltage induced all weekend on the new construction line, and being an unconnected grounding station the voltage potential was great. Same as on DC, negative before positive.
you are the best especially for us DIY’ers, who know squat about anything but are willing to admit when they’re over their heads, like me! …….you’re the BEST ! eh!
Nicely done! I've done my own electrical work for over 40 years. Just happens I did this exact thing 2 years ago. I even made my own sensor to turn on the light when a person is detected.
I used a boat/RV adapter that fits into the wall. I assumed that's what you were going to install when you drilled that big hole in the wall... not just a dangling bit of cord. The inset adapter has a male plug set inset, and has a cap to seal it when not in use.
You should hook up ground first neutral second and black last as a good practice, in some case see people think the turned power off and didn’t if you hook up hot first you are now working live
I like that he's a regular guy doing stuff to save...on wiring, I'd have rolled out more and had fastened it flat to the studs/rafters. Functionally it does nothing but looks neater. Nice work regardless. Thanks!
i did basically this same setup in my shed / small garage. about 20 years ago.. power is not used super often.. so the 30 seconds to plug in to my outside 20 amp gfi to my shed is not a hassle. and this was a quick easy way to have shop lights and place to charge batteries etc.
@@gregoryfoster9833 I installed a generator inlet box with a male receptacle at my house and another one with a female receptacle at my shed. I then used a 50 amp direct bury generator cord between them. I needed the amperage for a large 240v table saw, mini split and also a welder occasionally but you may only need 30 amps (big price difference in the cord). The best prices I found are on e-bay. This setup also allows me to disconnect the shed cord and use my generator for the house through that inlet box when necessary. If you only need 120V you can do the same thing with 30amp RV boxes and cords. I just did this for my neighbor who only needed lights and small power tools.
Here in MN, we hold our drrill at our hip to keep the holes level. We also use a Milwaukee right anglel, but that is commercial electric. There are obviously more than one way to accomplish this. Some people make a leveling stick but that takes too much time for production.
I bought an RV receptacle that you can plug an extension cord into to feed power to my shed. It looks better than a cord hanging out. My first setup was to just run the cord through the door. I found the RV plug on Amazon, and it works great until I can get permanent power.
I wired my oldest daughters basement couple of years ago (Ontario, Can) and upon inspection was surprised to learn we must now run neutrals to all boxes, used or not. Its now code. Cut it, cap it and coil it away... stick with 14-3 (12-3 if you're rich) is for any future use or expansion, also many smart home type devices mostly all require a neutral, even if a standard pole switch doesn't..
Hi Jeff, I also added wiring to my new 12x24 shed. the only difference is that I only drilled a small hole, just enough to slip the wiring through to the outside to keep the hole small. then attached the plug. I also had the wire come out of the floor to hang the wire and plug under the shed away from the elements. Thanks for the vid.
Check out the Leviton Decora Edge receptacles, they will change the way you wire. Even the electricians I have heard from swear by them because of how much faster they are for the same price.
46:55 OMG! You are the first person I've seen do the same as I do with the orientation of the screws. When I bought my house over 20 years ago, I went through every room and "fixed" the orientation of every screw. 👍
I'm a little confused. I understood you to say the yellow receptacle on the outside of the shed is not waterproof. But it's left dangling in the weather. What did you do with it?
Last summer, I helped a friend do this very thing, except the shed was pretty far from the house, so we did some solar panels on the roof, 12v LED lighting and an inverter for AC power. We also put in a generator plug on the outside and a manual transfer switch on the inside setup so that the generator would charge the batteries and power the outlets.
Wow! Thank you! I just had my shed installed & I want to run electrical outlets before I put my 1/4" plywood up in the inside. I learned so many tips & trucks from you. You were easy to follow & it was helpful for me. Ive done minor electrical work like adding plugs & lights but now I'm ready to run some wire in my shed. I can get most of that done B4 an electrician gets to me thanks to your video! I appreciate you!!
I received a deep gash on my finger from a installation just like this one. The light switch had a full sized plate sitting on top of a box on an unfinished wall, exactly as in this video. Reaching in the dark to flip the switch on my finger caught the razor-sharp corner of the plate instead. There are small outline outlet plates, usually in grey plastic, that just barely cover the edges of a standard electrical box. They are made for installations like this.
My first thought too when he put the full size plates on. We just bought a new house and the two outlets under the sink and microwave outlet had the big plates that I replaced with the box sized grey ones.
Temp/permanent alt: Wire underground up onto post by building into appropriate covered receptacle(amps as needed). Flex cord(through wall) fitted with a plug into brkr panel. Plug into receptacle. Avoids inspection but also some real property tax because of its temp designation by using a cord/plug.
It's amazing to learn how to do this stuff. I've put in a couple of power outlets and connected to breaker switches for my garage. Got fed up with trying to use an extension cord. I've also added light switches and more power outlets in my house along with fixing someone electrical crap job where grounds were broke in 2 outlets and he had 2 light switches hooked up to 1 outlet for the garbage disposal and dishwasher. I'm a newbie but someone was incompetent in the stuff I found.
Great video. I don't know about Ontario, but in Québec we have to permanently mark white wires, when used as a switch loop (black sharpie on all the visible white of the wire).
He has also mixed up the whole switch leg wiring.....at the plug the black feed should have gone to the white thus indicating to anyone in the future that the white is now a hot...and the the return from the switch...is a black going to the plug........but since when do d.i.yers ever follow the rules😂😂😂😂😂
I fully unroll the wire first, then I'm not trying to wrangle a twisted wire onto a flat surface. I prefer the clips that hold it tight to the surface, it makes the install look cleaner
When you talk about permitting and inspection requirements, you really need to make it clear *where you are located.* These requirements can vary drastically from one place to another, and just because this doesn't require a permit for you does not mean that's true for lots of other people in other places. In many places, even if the connection to the shed itself is not "permanent", if you are doing any _permanent modification to the structure_ for it, such as everything you are doing inside in this video, that work still may well need a permit and inspector sign-off before it can be used. Everyone should always check with their own local city/county offices to determine whether something they're doing requires permits or not. Don't just blindly trust what some yahoo claims in a RUclips video. (I was pretty impressed with the rest of the video, though. This is all really good quality work, and a good example of how to do this sort of stuff correctly. Much better than lots of other DIY RUclips videos out there. I do wish you'd actually put some sort of weatherproof box on the outside so that the (non-waterproof) extension cord plug connection could be done somewhere out of the elements. The current way, you just can't really safely plug in the shed in the winter time, which seems kinda dumb.)
Great video. I'm installing 2 sheds in my backyard. I'll do your wiring trick, except, no extension cords needed. I just bought an Eco Flow Delta 2 Max. I'll keep that generator charged and inside one of sheds. It will be pluged into an outlet to provide power to the wiring inside that shed. If I ever need power in the other shed, I'll either carry the generator there, 50 lbs and plug it in. Alternatively, I would run an extension cord from the generator to the wiring in the other shed. 👍
Any outlet being directly exposed to the outside like that should also have a wrap or two of electrical tape around the outlet to cover the contacts. Distance from outlet to 1st staple is generally 12 inches. Also, don't forget the stretch loop in the outgoing wire. I just bend the wire in a half loop before stapling. That way you have room to move the outlet if you want to.
Thank you Jeff, like others have said here, you are exceptional and a gifted teacher; your nothing-is-impossible approach is appreciated and relatable. Keep on keeping on and a big thank you from Newfoundland. I am about to wire up my shed so this was a perfect watch for me.
Good video for beginners, i am trying to get my son into electrical apprenticeship and your videos are great! Just a thought, run the temporary extention cord from outside through the siding port to the inside... so the non waterproof plug is inside.
Yes, I could show him stuff myself but kids prefer to see someone else in a video online, don't ask me why but yeah. He has seen inside lineman videos and they were boring so i wanted him to see how we actually do things lol
The USA desperately needs more apprenticeship programs for all of the building trades, as contractors are having a difficult time finding qualified workers. Children in their first or second year of high school should be encouraged to join apprenticeship training if their academic tests show that they are unlikely to be heading to college. This is how most European countries are set up so that the high school students graduate with a completed apprenticeship program of the students choice, or they continue on to college which is free for all students who have the grades and test scores to qualify for free university programs. It’s no wonder that American students have fallen behind all European students.
A different approach that that can be sealed nicely for weather/bugs is a pvc junction box on the exterior, then out of the bottom of the box have a 6 inch whip with a male cord end on some sjo type of wire. or just have the cord end inside the junction box, take the cover off to plug in your shed, then unplug and tuck the male cord end into the jbox when you don't need power. later on if you decide to bring 30 or 60 amps out to your shed or shop that junction box can easily be swapped for an outside surface box for a 15a gfci or something else to suit your needs.
PLAY @ 1.25 speed... I like to use 'rv' style weather plugs on my sheds exterior. My 'rule of thumb' is, IF it looks straight it most likely is. I like to put an 'S' in my walls / ceiling between the 'middle' of the studs for 'extra' unlike what you did at the box where it can strip the wire if you pull the excess wire into the box. I also use a GFCI. Very 'useful' video!
Interior Romex outside...a truly brave soul! You already said that plug was not waterproof. The paper in the Romex acts like a wick for moisture....Brave you are indeed! 🤔
I’m basically doing the same thing with installing plugs and lights in my cargo trailer using a 15A waterproof port plug as my external access for the extension cord. Great tips as usual!
Here in Cowlitz county if the shed is under 200 sq ft, no need for building inspection and no electrical. I use SO cord. Three outlets one light switch for four led tube type lights.
My son's shed got a similar set up. At the entrance there was 2 LBs. One on each side. The cord came in and was connected there. The next year 3#12 replaced the #14 cord. 2 circuits so he can run a saw and have light if that breaker trips.
Given the opportunity I always run 14-3 to my switches, just because new smart switches need a neutral and it's always nice to have the option in the future
@Lightingcap yes, or in his switch leg he did he could cap off the white for future neutral use and use the red and black for the switches legs. If he ran power to the switch the 14/3 could go to a seperate fan and light on ceiling if he was to put one in (like in a house).
in US code a neutral is required in the box personally I had never thought of solving this with 14/3 instead of running the feeder and fixture wires back to the switch box
As a contractor, I think this is a brilliant way to get short term power. For off grid, using a solar generator could be an easy alternative, same principal - just plug into the solar generator and let the sun do it's work. I have been testing out a few different solar generators with onboard batteries.
I'm a polymer scientist and your comment about silicone v. polyurethane sealants surprised me. Silicone doesn't stick well to wood, so I could see how water could intrude after adhesion loss with wooden building materials. Otherwise, unless someone did something crazy when formulating, a silicone-based sealant should be far more stable against damage by water than any polyurethane-based sealant. Could you share more about your experience with silicone sealants with us?
Others have mentioned having a neutral in the switch box. Personally I'd put an outlet/switch combo in the switch box and make use of the neutral as well. The other thing to mention is that (as I understand it), the horizontal runs of exposed wiring can't be at that level, they must be 6 feet or higher. This is to make sure the wire isn't used for some other purpose (hanging something up, or standing on it). Also the "tamper proof" outlets are a pain (but required now). As for GFCI, I suspect that the extension cord feeding this "temporary" installation is probably plugged into one.
This "temporary-to-permanent" concept is very practical and time-saving for the future. Thus seems mostly practical if the shed is within 75 ft of the power source. My shed will be about 135-150 ft from any power source and would have to run through a garden and around other objects. So, I am looking at a possible solar solution. Anyone else considering this option?
I’m in the same situation. $7000 for a sub panel with permits Looking for something as an alternative because my 200’ extension cord can only do so much.
@@Paap810Rent a trencher from home depot for $100, buy the conduit/boxes, wires, sub panel, wire clamps for box, plastic shields for tec wire, breakers and install it all. Have an electrician inspect your work and tell you if there's any issues. Fix any issues and have them make the final connection to the house and sign off. Saves you thousands, you learn new tricks and the electrician can make $500 for a half hour of work 😅
2 extension cords? That's what I have going right now for my shed which is just over 100ft from an exterior outlet. One of these days I'll rent a ditch witch and bury a line, but it's been working fine. Just use 12/2 extension cord if you plan to run any power tools out there. I wrapped where the cords connect with shrink wrap (like for packaging) and no issues. Extension cords can be found surprisingly cheap, considering UF-B wire is like $2/foot.
I used a solar system, but it’s for my chicken coop tractor. Since it’s set up basically like a RV trailer that I can hook to the hitch of my truck and move it anywhere on my 5 acres. Using the grid for power would have been a problem every time I moved the coop tractor. So I ran my own solar system with the solar panels on the roof of the coop with the battery inside the coop. Gives me enough power for all the lights I need in the coop plus power for a heater to run in freezing weather and a heater water bowl . I have also used drills in the coop as well. Only thing I have to do when I move the coop tractor is maybe have to change the angle of my solar panels for the best sun shine to hit my panels. My system actually was fairly cheap, got a solar kit from harbor freight and a medium size converter to handle the amount of power I be using in the coop. My lights are all 12 volt bulbs and surprisingly very bright! I bought the light bulbs on Amazon and their a clear glass bulb instead of frosted which dims the lights a bit. Later on I did run a 110 volt power line going around the 3 watts of the coop with plug ins. I ran a RV male plug that’s got a waterproof surround and lid on the outside of the coop. Just like you find on most any RV trailer. Now if I ever need to use 110 volt power inside the coop tractor I just have to run an extension cord to the coop and plug it in. With solar as your only source of power you still have to deal with bad weather and when the sun not shining you don’t get much power charging your battery bank. It’s nice to have the option to still have the 110 volt power installed inside your building where you can still connect a extension cord in a pinch to get you by least for a short period of time! Or least be able to connect a generator if the power grid too far away?
30:49 they could require a permit for solar , any way they can take your money. Do you think in the 1800s you had to pull a permit to cut down a tree and build a log cabin. Dig a hole as a well , or install a outhouse? Maybe the wind mill that put water in the horse troft needed a city permit? This is a Free country? Whos kidding who? No building permits and code came about because of some of the disasters in the past where whole cities burned down like sf and the windy city. And or because people would wire a new outlet with 16/2 no ground speaker wire. People had no clue how to make it safe.
I usually pigtail to each outlet so if an outlet fails it's quick to find the failed outlet, but the rest will still work, whereas running wires in and out of each outlet it's more difficult to find which outlet failed because when one goes out they all go out.
tip, to cut vinyl siding in cold weather simply bring out a hair dryer and warm it up, only takes a few seconds and off you go. nice hole no cracking even in the middle of winter. yw.
The previous owners of my house did something similar with their shed. They ran 50a 240v to a NEMA plug on the outside of the house. Put a 50a 240V NEMA plug on the outside of the shed and ran it as the supply to a small panel in the shed. Whenever they wanted power in the shed, he'd just use a NEMA power cord to connect the two sockets. Everything about it felt incredibly wrong but I respect his desire to not pull a permit if he didn't have to. 😆
Absolutely amazing teaching Jeff. I swear I’d love to watch a show with Jeff and Mike Rowe work together. Kinda like Tim Allens Home Improvement meets This old house.
Definitely filled some gaps in knowledge for electrical at least in wire management, in my area people have started using cap and plates after drilling holes for structural and accidental screw protection. Drilling a hole for the wire insert a metal cap (some just use steel pipe cutoffs) for structure and then hammer an engineered plate in at the drywall side for screw protection. Also using box bags around the boxes just makes the plastic job easier down the road. These are just preventative steps to reduce future problems.
If you're going to put drywall of panelling on later, you should have metal plates on studs where the wire goes thru the studs, so screws or nails can't puncture the wires.
@@David-uf9qm Some municipalities don't allow power to non-permit required structures. My town allows small sheds and the like without requiring a permit to place them, but they will jump on you for wiring it without it being a permitted and inspected structure. Running an extension cord out when needed is a functional work around, though I'm thinking that I'd just put a "shore power" style input connector under an outdoor outlet cover instead of the romex pigtail.
@@heyallenify Some municipalities are clearly too protected from the people they don't serve. I agree with you about the outdoor outlet, and personally I'd find a legal way to run power immediately adjacent to the shed out of spite.
As a Licensed Electrician of 30 yrs....there is so much you did that makes me question your knowledge BUT... that would be in America. In Canada I see you do things differently. WOW.
Anyone that says you don’t need an electrical permit for this is incompetent. I’m a building inspectors that follows the national electrical code. (NEC) he is wrong.
@DCVinson well just because where you are for an extension cord to supply 2 outlets needs a permit doesn't mean you have to have a permit everywhere for temporary electric. I don't have to have a permit to do anything, build a wind turbine, build a 30x50x12 shop and wire it, build a barn, build a house, etc. Not everywhere in the country is as "advanced" as where you are, not all of us us live in a city, thank God for that.
i would prefer five thumbs up for this video. It was very informative and slightly entertaining. (Good for keeping the attention of your audience). You kept your word of calmly and consistently showing what you were doing without hurrying or rushing through things. There were some slight errors mostly in not getting the correct camera angles so we could see exactly what your hands were doing at times but this is due to you guys being electricians and not camera people. Most forgivable. I feel that you would be a great teacher at things like this. Other videos I've watched they seemed like they were trying to get a medal for who was the fastest. With the pace you had it made everything more comprehensible. Thanks for your time in this informative video. A big ""Good on You!!!"" Me southern AZ.
Just saying but I would of added an other PVC elbow box on the outside like the one you put inside, that way your outside connection would be out of the weather and it would have been easier to seal the siding. Nice video.
Hey Jeff. I suggest doing a pigtail on your outlet receptacles. At 30:15 Bring the blacks together and pigtail one black/white (other than the switch leg wiring) to it instead of relying on the little brass tap to make your connection. I was told this by old timer electrician long ago. It is better practice. Probably even code. Cheers!
Exactly what I was thinking when I saw that. Pigtailing is definitely best practice in that situation, best not to rely on a brass tab that is designed to snap off fairly easily. As far as providing connection to all downstream power supply, the pigtail replaces the tab, so its not really an unneeded extra connection. It is a superior connection that replaces an inferior one. The pigtail's wire nut is designed for the exact purpose of making that connection (to everything downstream) - the tab may be adequate but it is specifically designed to supply a power connection between the outlet's dual receptacles, not a connection across the outlet to everything downstream.
Many localities don't allow 'daisy chaining' power through an outlet box via the two screws on the outlet fixture. My AHJ does not. They want you to tie the two hots with a pigtail to the outlet, likewise the neutral and ground. There's the reason to save those cutoff bits of wire! In fact, for the ground, they want us to use "Greenies" which are a murette in the top to allow the pigtail to exit. I'm not sure if this is an electrical code requirement or not, but our inspectors do not allow it in any case. Also, makes it so much easier to replace outlets in the future.
talking about 15 or 20 amp wire and outlets but one thing not mentioned. You can run 12 gauge with a 20 amp breaker and 15 amp outlets per code. You can use lower rated outlets in the same way you can put 15 amp outlets in a bathroom that requires a 20 amp circuit. You can't do the opposite (shouldn't need to say that one and Jeff did say that). The point is that you only run 15 amps on any given outlet but you can run power hungry tools that are individually able to work on a 15 amp circuit but together would require a 20 so long as you don't go over 15 amps total on any one outlet.
I already liked this channel...not after seeing this and he said the screws go vertical on the covers...my favorite channel! ROFL. ;) I love following this channel. I ask my father (40+ years in the business) for advice all the time...but he lives in a different state. If it is something that is easier to see done...this is my stop to try to understand what my father describes. Great job! Keep up the great work!
Great video as always. Lots of tips for beginner DIYers and good reminders for older DIYers like myself. One question though, you have your male plug running outside to attach to the extension cord, but you didn't show anything about weatherproofing that connection. I was waiting to see if you were going to put another L connector box on the outside too like you used on the inside or one of those outdoor receptacle boxes with the clear plastic lid for rain protection. What are your thoughts on this?
I’ll be building my shed this spring and electrical work was never my strong suit. Plus it will be used mostly with woodworking equipment table saw, bench planer, and so on. I’m actually very excited about the build but electricity ⚡️ that’s another stressful 😣 job for me. Much appreciated on the tutorial
Hi, I saw your comment about your future work. I built a 32x12 permitted garage shop alongside my house 15 years ago for woodworking. I installed a 100 amp 240 VAC subpanel, and love having that power available. I currently have seven 240 volt loads. (heater, air comp, dust collector, table saw, band saw, MIG welder, CNC router) Point is it will be worthwhile to put in 240 VAC. Especially if you are going to maybe add heater one day. Another thing I recommend is to get a current copy of the NEC (code) book and spend time studying it if you are planning to do it yourself so you do it right and have the reference at hand. I hope you have a friend that is an electrician you can ask questions of. I am an EE, but the Electrical trade is certainly a skilled trade and I respect their knowledge and practices. The code is your friend so be sure to follow it. You can DIY it, but be sure you have the competency. Permit it and have your work inspected. We are blind to our own mistakes, and this is something you want done right. I also recommend watching registered electricians you-tubes instead of DIYers, so you don't learn wrong 'knowledge'. This guy was pretty good but he is not up to current code.
Do you need help with your renovation project? 👆🏼Hit the JOIN button to access the members only Discord
🔨Consult directly with Jeff about your project
🔨Crowdsource information on the best products and materials
🔨Post your incredible before and after’s
🔨Meet other DIYers
Once you've hit JOIN, go to the members tab to find the link to join the members only Discord 👇🏼
www.youtube.com/@HomeRenoVisionDIY/membership
Where did you get those lights?
😂😂😊😊😂😊
I'm an older dude, and I don't have my dad around to answer these questions, so I'm pretty grateful there's someone out there teaching these things
@@MyChannel-wg8ml Why was it wrong to put electrical tape on the screws to avoid contact? I’m trying to learn a little bit of everything.
@@jhayrios5514 It's not wrong, it used to be standard practice.
I wouldn't recommend following anything this guy says.
Agree. @@samelioto476
@@samelioto476 Who are you to recommend anything? You don't even have a channel to see who you are.
Got a little emotional watching this. How could that be?
I'm relatively new to Jeff, but his personality reminds me of Rich, my father-figure when I was growing up. He was kind, smiled along as he could fix anything... explained everything to me as if I was smart enough to understand. He had some cool and funny sayings, "to boot".
He had such an easy going, optimistic attitude.
He passed long ago, at 50.
At 60 (dunno how I made it this far), throughout my life, everytime I'm working on something he's always watching over me. And when I get negative or feel I can't get something fixed, Rich is right there guiding me through it all, just like when I was a kid.
Rich was an Electrician at trade, but fixed everything... just like Jeff.
Very sincere thank you to both these men for helping us all out...
Everyone needs a Rich in their life. Mine was my Dad. He passed away 2 years ago yesterday. Happy to share what I have learned.
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Thank you for sharing. May he rest in peace, what a wonderful man.
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY You Dad must have been very proud of you. He set a fine example. May he rest in Peace.
Those were the days. People loved what they did, and were not pressured to build a small city every year. My Grandfather build houses and was quiet, patient and kind. Memories are so good for the soul. Thanks for sharing yours, it made me smile too
Instant fanboy
When wiring the wire to the outlets I had an experience where I only used my cordless drill/screwdriver to attach the wires. I went back to a location that I had wired a year later and noticed black scorch marks above a light switch. I opened the cover and noticed that the cordless driver hadn’t tightened the screws on the switch to the point that they wouldn’t move, so everytime someone flipped the switch on or off a little bit of movement would loosen the screw, after a years time the screw was so loose that everytime the switch was flipped a spark would occur. I’m grateful I discovered my error as it could have very easily started a fire. From that point onward I made sure that after I attached wires to switches or plugs that I would follow through with a manual screwdriver and give everything one more twist to make sure that they won’t ever work themselves loose. When you did your switch you said not to worry, that you did not want them too tight, I think you should reconsider that and ensure that they are tight enough so that they won’t ever loosen, it can be dangerous otherwise. Other than that it’s an excellent video and it’s very informative, I love the electric tape on the white wire!
After initially tightening the screws, after a few seconds go back and tighten the screws again. Copper is a soft metal and friction with the screw head causes the wire to expand ever so slightly making it feel you made a tight connection. The copper cools and shrinks a little and that requires retorquing to achieve proper tightness.
@@TheRealCheckmate 'ever so slightly' it's like retorquing new alloy wheels. Look into it wise guy.
@@TheRealCheckmate You must be the guy that uses the push-in connections on electrical devices. That phenomenon is real, try it for yourself. Grab some copper wire and make a few connections and tighten the screws as snuggly as you think is tight. Go back ten seconds later and re-tighten the screw and see it and fell it turn a few degrees. Then give us your explanation for this phenomenon, Professor Whoopie.
@@TheRealCheckmate...... wow, I bet you’re a real joy at gatherings....... clown!
@@TheRealCheckmate whatever the reasoning is he still makes a good point that especially on light switches going back and giving it another twist is a good idea. My ex-wife was living in the unit where I discovered the scorching above the switch and if the place had caught fire I would have felt terrible. Thank god I noticed it when I stopped by.
Great video. Two comments:
1) instead of having the male plug hanging outside, you can purchase a generator plug inlet and mount it on the side of the shed.
2) the screw slots on the plates are vertical because dust is less likely to collect compared to if the slots are horizontal.
Always wondered why it was vertical.
I just checked out my face plates with screws adjusted horizonally and you're right the amount of dust collected there over the past four decades is probably contributing to my chronic allergic reactions whenever I am in the vicinity of their face plates.
I've reminded the wife to make sure to clean them from now on thanks
@@joseph7105 I never paid that much attention to the screws in the face plates.
Every time I go to someone else's house, I take a thin screwdriver with me and, when no one is looking, I set the faceplate screws to 2 o'clock.
Yeah, I'm that guy.
@@joseph7105 DId your wife slap you and say, "You can clean them I have enough to do"?
Didn't check all the comments for this, but one suggestion for wiring, "First to make, Last to break", talking about the ground wire. That way, if you just happen to be working on a live circuit, the electricity travels down the path of least resistance, that ground wire, and not you.
Jeff, Watching you is like sitting in a garage with a favorite uncle. working on a build. The videography and editing is wonderful. Your descriptions are so clear and conscise. However, THIS gem of a tutorial has just given me so much knowledge and even better, CONFIDENCE. I got this!
Yes. I just found him yesterday. I'm a Jill of all trades, master of none.
Thank you for the comprehensive video on how to get it done. I appreciate your explanation of key details. Very helpful to DIYers. I would caution that most local codes do define “temporary,” meaning that after the end of the “temporary” period (usually months - NOT years as you described) an inspection WILL be required! This is not to criticize your work - your procedures are sound. BTW, a good electrical contractor has one (or more) techs who focus solely on small jobs. Small jobs create thankful & loyal customers. Guess who they’ll call when they have a bigger job? Being willing to take on small jobs makes loyal customers at the very least, and has the potential to win bigger jobs down the road, either thru repeat business or referrals. IMHO, having one (or more) techs who focus solely on small jobs pays off in the long run.
Hi Jeff, I am in Ireland, I worked for an American Railway Signalling Company here for 11 years. All our slotted screws were always vertical - Reason given was moisture can run down the slot and also while all being Vertical, then looked better. Perhaps just me but I would have run Plastic Conduit along the horizontal run, would have looked very professional. Good work, Great at explaining. Here in Ireland, The UK and Europe in general, Brown = Live, Blue=Neutral and Green/Yellow striped = Earth (CPC). Old Colours were Red =Live, Black= Neutral and Green=Earth (CPC). Philips and Robertson screws :) well we have our problems here too, Metric and Imperial pipe fittings mixed in the one installation , especially something built from 30 years ago and parts upgraded. So you could have 1/2 inch Copper, 1/2 inch Qualpex (plastic imperial) and 15mm Acorn (Grey metric) and perhaps Polly Pipe and fittings outside which would be for 1/2 and 3/4 black plastic hose pipe with both thick and standard wall thickness with White and light blue inserts for thick and thin or vice versa, Only the correct one will fit.
I really love how through you are with your videos. Not just now this and now that but why. And you don't rush in doing step by step. I'm buying my first house as I comment, so I'm trying to start learning more before I start planning any upgrades.
You can also place a ground fault outlet on your first outlet to protect the run.
That works only if the outlet you plug the shed extension cord into the house is not GFCI protected. You cannot have 2 GFCI’s in series. I found that out trying to plug in a welder into a GFCI protected outlet. The welder has its own GFCI built in. 😅
@@nakedtommy40Your statement that you cannot wire GFCI in series is factually incorrect.
you can infact have gfci in series
a lot of outdoor appliances and extension cords contain their own non removeable gfci
Probably makes more sense to put the GFCI on the outlet that the extension cord powering the whole thing plugs in to .. Most likely place where a fault would happen is where water might be. Better yet, use a GFCI breaker on the circuit
@@nakedtommy40 you prolly plugged the welder into a 15amp outlet is what happened
Leviton makes a great connector you can use for “temporary” power connections.
15 Amp 125-Volt Straight Blade Grounding Power Inlet Outlet, Gray
Right the last bit on the outside is just not acceptable. The cable is not UV rated and can deteriorate in the sun. Also, the plug is not waterproof and is likely to hang down and fill with water on the first rain.
@@JasonEDragonHe was so close! Leave the cord connection inside! There was so much that was bad about this video.
Even better add an in-use cover to make it completely weatherproof and fully up to code
Can you get that plug in 20 amp
Excellent video! Thanks for the system approach. One thing I learned in the Navy to help remember the wire color code for the outlet and switch screws is
White to Bright --> Neutral/white to silver screw
Black to Brass --> Hot/black to brass screw
Green to ground --> Bare copper wire to green ground screw
I think the "white to bright" is the only part I didn't hear you say. Thanks again for the no-nonsense teaching style. I love it. Keep up the good work.
I remember when I was a teen in the 70's with my Roadrunner (Plymouth). Must have changed the stereo 3 or 4 times as they got better. "Grey and white are right" (speakers) is the mnemonic I made up and I still remember it! Taught myself to rebuild an engine, too and probably became an Engineer because of that (not electrical Engineering!).
Great tid bit of info... just like to add something for safety, I was always taught to connect Grounds (GREEN) then Neutrals (WHITE) then Line/Power (BLACK) even tho the power is off, its just great practice. Also there should be no exposed wire from under the terminal screws, wire insulation should be up to the screw not under the screw. I know common sense right... but every one wants dollars, no one has sense anymore. Cheers
Black to Brass or you will fry your @$$
@@johnrledrew That is the way I was taught when I apprenticed for electrician. Most of the time when I was wiring outlets and switches the electrician I was working under had already energized the circuits. So I was wiring the outlets 'hot'. Heavy boots and insulated tools are your best friends.
Nice edit on attaching the plug at 42:18. Prior to that, I was yelling at you to not forget to slide the housing on first. But you were so smooth, almost no one noticed! 😄
I caught too. He wired the end up without running the wires through the back, then all of a sudden there it was
Came to the comments to see if anyone else caught it. 😂😂
When he took it apart, he dropped it instead of putting the wire through, so it was a pretty blatant mistake.
He didn't tell us how he performed at magic trick where all of a sudden it was in his hand ready to attache.
My Dad was a Master Electrician & manager of a rural electric co-op.
Love the detailed & methodical aapproach you present. 👍
Nice layout and well done on the video.
The only thing i would have done differently would be to mount a weather tight box on the outside instead of the 90° junction point on the inside.
Essentially the same functionality, but ill never have to worry about cleaning off my work bench to access it. It would also serve as a junction point for later permanent power.
Only thing different i would have done is instead of that male plug hanging out the side of the shed, install a little portal with a door you can just open and feed your extesion through when in use and then the connection is inside the shed out of the weather and out of public view
I'm surprised there was no mention of this in the video. He mentioned it wasn't a weather proof plug but then it's assumed he's leaving it out in the weather?
Yeah, seems like he could've come up with a better solution.
The best solution would be a generator power inlet box. It would add maybe 50 bucks to the total cost of the project but they're designed to be weatherproof and permanent, and you can get ones that are just 120V 15A type plugs for an extension cord (usually for a whole house generator you'd get a big locking 240V plug).
All he had to do was spring for a power inlet receptacle and it would've looked like a proper job
I like running electric in my chicken coops and their runs. I used two timers so the lights in the run turn off half an hour before the coop to draw the chickens inside to eat and drink before they roost for the night. A dusk to dawn porch light for me and a couple of outlets for accessories like the water warmer. I also added a couple outside outlets to power the occasional yard tool
I was watching Zach Fields tutorial video on replacing a bathroom sink. At the end of the video he recommended your video on How To Silicone a Bath. After watching a few of your other videos I subscribed. I have watched dozens of videos on wiring a house and never really understood how it all worked. You explained how switches are wired and outlets are wired in such a way I FINALLY understand how they all connect and work. This channel is great.
You are the first person to explain why you put one on the bottom vs. the top. I've been wondering for years. 🙂
you dont. hes an idiot
you dont. hes an idiot
When I ran mine I used a small RV inlet. Was very efficient and waterproof.
Also good to note on your switches and outlets that the push fitting for the wire is a single time use per most manufacturers so once you pull the wire out of it you have to use the screw contacts anyway. There have also been a number of studies showing a number of different circumstances where failure of a switch or receptable is due to a push connector issue. Screw connectors all day if you want it to be one and done and easy to work on later if you need to. Great job man. Always love your videos. I am not a certified electrician but I was a certified electrical engineer and I am a handyman. Keep the great content coming.
Thank you! I had to wire up a fountain in my back yard with a switch. I've never done that kind of thing before. Your video made the process super simple. I had to use an existing conduit that went below ground and came back up in the middle of a bricked in slab. A video by another DIY wiring guy showed me how to run a cord through the conduit and then pull the romex through. Thanks!
Jeff, I know somethings can seem nitpicking. But I have been told more than once, “Ground, Neutral, Hot”. Always protect yourself first when connecting electrical, because even when it’s not hot, it’s still hot. This really hit home a few years back on a major transmission line project, first person on site after a long weekend was killed exiting his truck when he touched the dirt. The line was a long ways from being live yet. But traveled 100’s of km’s beside another live 500kv transmission line. Voltage induced all weekend on the new construction line, and being an unconnected grounding station the voltage potential was great. Same as on DC, negative before positive.
you are the best especially for us DIY’ers, who know squat about anything but are willing to admit when they’re over their heads, like me! …….you’re the BEST ! eh!
Nicely done! I've done my own electrical work for over 40 years. Just happens I did this exact thing 2 years ago. I even made my own sensor to turn on the light when a person is detected.
I used a boat/RV adapter that fits into the wall. I assumed that's what you were going to install when you drilled that big hole in the wall... not just a dangling bit of cord. The inset adapter has a male plug set inset, and has a cap to seal it when not in use.
You should hook up ground first neutral second and black last as a good practice, in some case see people think the turned power off and didn’t if you hook up hot first you are now working live
I like that he's a regular guy doing stuff to save...on wiring, I'd have rolled out more and had fastened it flat to the studs/rafters. Functionally it does nothing but looks neater. Nice work regardless. Thanks!
i did basically this same setup in my shed / small garage. about 20 years ago.. power is not used super often.. so the 30 seconds to plug in to my outside 20 amp gfi to my shed is not a hassle. and this was a quick easy way to have shop lights and place to charge batteries etc.
Use a generator plug box for a cleaner interface e.g. NEMA SS2-50P going to a panel in the shed. Then install an RV receptical on the house.
Can you explain this? I going to start wiring my shed before winter.
@@gregoryfoster9833 I installed a generator inlet box with a male receptacle at my house and another one with a female receptacle at my shed. I then used a 50 amp direct bury generator cord between them. I needed the amperage for a large 240v table saw, mini split and also a welder occasionally but you may only need 30 amps (big price difference in the cord). The best prices I found are on e-bay. This setup also allows me to disconnect the shed cord and use my generator for the house through that inlet box when necessary. If you only need 120V you can do the same thing with 30amp RV boxes and cords. I just did this for my neighbor who only needed lights and small power tools.
Here in MN, we hold our drrill at our hip to keep the holes level. We also use a Milwaukee right anglel, but that is commercial electric. There are obviously more than one way to accomplish this. Some people make a leveling stick but that takes too much time for production.
I like the idea! Love the title as it is kind of permanent on the shed side, temporary on the outside.
Cheers
This is, by far and away, the very best channel on RUclips!!! Thank you for all you do.
I bought an RV receptacle that you can plug an extension cord into to feed power to my shed. It looks better than a cord hanging out. My first setup was to just run the cord through the door. I found the RV plug on Amazon, and it works great until I can get permanent power.
Did the same, except I got a twist-lock version to ensure the plug wouldn't come loose.
@@Dracovivi I don't have a lot of activity in my backyard, but that still was an even better idea than mine.
If that’s working so well why would you get a permit lol. And does that one extension cord be able to function that whole shed?
I wired my oldest daughters basement couple of years ago (Ontario, Can) and upon inspection was surprised to learn we must now run neutrals to all boxes, used or not. Its now code. Cut it, cap it and coil it away... stick with 14-3 (12-3 if you're rich) is for any future use or expansion, also many smart home type devices mostly all require a neutral, even if a standard pole switch doesn't..
I've been lurking and loving your videos for years. I love learning with you in a practical way. Thanks for the easy-to-follow instructions and ideas.
Appreciate that. Cheers
Hi Jeff, I also added wiring to my new 12x24 shed. the only difference is that I only drilled a small hole, just enough to slip the wiring through to the outside to keep the hole small. then attached the plug. I also had the wire come out of the floor to hang the wire and plug under the shed away from the elements. Thanks for the vid.
Check out the Leviton Decora Edge receptacles, they will change the way you wire. Even the electricians I have heard from swear by them because of how much faster they are for the same price.
this is more informative than the union apprenticeship i did here in the states around 2009. God's work, God bless.
46:55 OMG! You are the first person I've seen do the same as I do with the orientation of the screws. When I bought my house over 20 years ago, I went through every room and "fixed" the orientation of every screw. 👍
and here I thought it was my OCD, lol. Glad I'm not the only one.
Like it really matters
100%
I'm a little confused. I understood you to say the yellow receptacle on the outside of the shed is not waterproof. But it's left dangling in the weather. What did you do with it?
Your real name is "Monk" right? :)
Been doing my own home wiring for 40 years. Nothing has burned down yet (knocking on wood). Always interested in learning something new.
Last summer, I helped a friend do this very thing, except the shed was pretty far from the house, so we did some solar panels on the roof, 12v LED lighting and an inverter for AC power. We also put in a generator plug on the outside and a manual transfer switch on the inside setup so that the generator would charge the batteries and power the outlets.
Wow! Thank you! I just had my shed installed & I want to run electrical outlets before I put my 1/4" plywood up in the inside. I learned so many tips & trucks from you. You were easy to follow & it was helpful for me. Ive done minor electrical work like adding plugs & lights but now I'm ready to run some wire in my shed. I can get most of that done B4 an electrician gets to me thanks to your video! I appreciate you!!
You may need to get an electrical permit and install a sub panel in the shed. You might also need to have an electrician make the panel connections.
I received a deep gash on my finger from a installation just like this one. The light switch had a full sized plate sitting on top of a box on an unfinished wall, exactly as in this video. Reaching in the dark to flip the switch on my finger caught the razor-sharp corner of the plate instead.
There are small outline outlet plates, usually in grey plastic, that just barely cover the edges of a standard electrical box. They are made for installations like this.
My first thought too when he put the full size plates on. We just bought a new house and the two outlets under the sink and microwave outlet had the big plates that I replaced with the box sized grey ones.
Or metal covers of about $1 that match the outline of a standard one gang box.
Temp/permanent alt: Wire underground up onto post by building into appropriate covered receptacle(amps as needed). Flex cord(through wall) fitted with a plug into brkr panel. Plug into receptacle. Avoids inspection but also some real property tax because of its temp designation by using a cord/plug.
It's amazing to learn how to do this stuff. I've put in a couple of power outlets and connected to breaker switches for my garage. Got fed up with trying to use an extension cord. I've also added light switches and more power outlets in my house along with fixing someone electrical crap job where grounds were broke in 2 outlets and he had 2 light switches hooked up to 1 outlet for the garbage disposal and dishwasher. I'm a newbie but someone was incompetent in the stuff I found.
A light switch to a dishwasher? That’s crazy!
Great video. I don't know about Ontario, but in Québec we have to permanently mark white wires, when used as a switch loop (black sharpie on all the visible white of the wire).
Best method is to get heat shrink and a neat gun. Makes a more permanent indication,
In Ontario you cannot permanently mark a white wire any colour unless it is #1 or larger
He has also mixed up the whole switch leg wiring.....at the plug the black feed should have gone to the white thus indicating to anyone in the future that the white is now a hot...and the the return from the switch...is a black going to the plug........but since when do d.i.yers ever follow the rules😂😂😂😂😂
I fully unroll the wire first, then I'm not trying to wrangle a twisted wire onto a flat surface. I prefer the clips that hold it tight to the surface, it makes the install look cleaner
When you talk about permitting and inspection requirements, you really need to make it clear *where you are located.* These requirements can vary drastically from one place to another, and just because this doesn't require a permit for you does not mean that's true for lots of other people in other places.
In many places, even if the connection to the shed itself is not "permanent", if you are doing any _permanent modification to the structure_ for it, such as everything you are doing inside in this video, that work still may well need a permit and inspector sign-off before it can be used.
Everyone should always check with their own local city/county offices to determine whether something they're doing requires permits or not. Don't just blindly trust what some yahoo claims in a RUclips video.
(I was pretty impressed with the rest of the video, though. This is all really good quality work, and a good example of how to do this sort of stuff correctly. Much better than lots of other DIY RUclips videos out there. I do wish you'd actually put some sort of weatherproof box on the outside so that the (non-waterproof) extension cord plug connection could be done somewhere out of the elements. The current way, you just can't really safely plug in the shed in the winter time, which seems kinda dumb.)
I think you mean used legally, obviously it can be used
Great video.
I'm installing 2 sheds in my backyard. I'll do your wiring trick, except, no extension cords needed. I just bought an Eco Flow Delta 2 Max. I'll keep that generator charged and inside one of sheds. It will be pluged into an outlet to provide power to the wiring inside that shed. If I ever need power in the other shed, I'll either carry the generator there, 50 lbs and plug it in. Alternatively, I would run an extension cord from the generator to the wiring in the other shed. 👍
Black wire on the brass screw. White wire on the silver screw. Thx for sharing.....
I like the simplicity of this electrical run. I'm thinking of doing the same. Even with 35 years experience you can still make mistakes.
Any outlet being directly exposed to the outside like that should also have a wrap or two of electrical tape around the outlet to cover the contacts. Distance from outlet to 1st staple is generally 12 inches. Also, don't forget the stretch loop in the outgoing wire. I just bend the wire in a half loop before stapling. That way you have room to move the outlet if you want to.
That's good practice but not code
Thank you Jeff, like others have said here, you are exceptional and a gifted teacher; your nothing-is-impossible approach is appreciated and relatable. Keep on keeping on and a big thank you from Newfoundland. I am about to wire up my shed so this was a perfect watch for me.
Good video for beginners, i am trying to get my son into electrical apprenticeship and your videos are great! Just a thought, run the temporary extention cord from outside through the siding port to the inside... so the non waterproof plug is inside.
Yes, I could show him stuff myself but kids prefer to see someone else in a video online, don't ask me why but yeah. He has seen inside lineman videos and they were boring so i wanted him to see how we actually do things lol
The USA desperately needs more apprenticeship programs for all of the building trades, as contractors are having a difficult time finding qualified workers. Children in their first or second year of high school should be encouraged to join apprenticeship training if their academic tests show that they are unlikely to be heading to college. This is how most European countries are set up so that the high school students graduate with a completed apprenticeship program of the students choice, or they continue on to college which is free for all students who have the grades and test scores to qualify for free university programs. It’s no wonder that American students have fallen behind all European students.
A different approach that that can be sealed nicely for weather/bugs is a pvc junction box on the exterior, then out of the bottom of the box have a 6 inch whip with a male cord end on some sjo type of wire. or just have the cord end inside the junction box, take the cover off to plug in your shed, then unplug and tuck the male cord end into the jbox when you don't need power.
later on if you decide to bring 30 or 60 amps out to your shed or shop that junction box can easily be swapped for an outside surface box for a 15a gfci or something else to suit your needs.
44:50 What about weatherproofing that male plug?
PLAY @ 1.25 speed...
I like to use 'rv' style weather plugs on my sheds exterior.
My 'rule of thumb' is, IF it looks straight it most likely is.
I like to put an 'S' in my walls / ceiling between the 'middle' of the studs for 'extra' unlike what you did at the box where it can strip the wire if you pull the excess wire into the box.
I also use a GFCI.
Very 'useful' video!
Interior Romex outside...a truly brave soul! You already said that plug was not waterproof. The paper in the Romex acts like a wick for moisture....Brave you are indeed! 🤔
I guess you don't understand the concept of t e m p o r a r y. AFTER he runs the permanent cable he will pull the romex inside to the power panel.
Canadian romex doesn't have paper on the inside
@@xl600mine U.S. does for interior Romex, not on underground exterior. Interesting about Canada. Thanks for the note. ✌
I’m basically doing the same thing with installing plugs and lights in my cargo trailer using a 15A waterproof port plug as my external access for the extension cord. Great tips as usual!
I was wondering when Jeff would realize he forgot the yellow plug backend... and then the edit happened haha MAGIC!
Hahaha i noticed it too. And I noticed he edited his vid....
Lol. I caught it as well. He should've left it in the video. I've done the same thing several times repairing extension cords.
I noticed that....
Here in Cowlitz county if the shed is under 200 sq ft, no need for building inspection and no electrical. I use SO cord. Three outlets one light switch for four led tube type lights.
Definitely need an electrical permit in WA state. I’m also fairly certain the NV also requires one.
You do in Ontario too ( where he is doing this work ) but it makes for a catchy title.
My son's shed got a similar set up. At the entrance there was 2 LBs. One on each side. The cord came in and was connected there. The next year 3#12 replaced the #14 cord. 2 circuits so he can run a saw and have light if that breaker trips.
Given the opportunity I always run 14-3 to my switches, just because new smart switches need a neutral and it's always nice to have the option in the future
14-3 is two hots, a neutral, and a ground (in the US), used for three-way switches or often used to power a fan and light on separate switches.
@Lightingcap yes, or in his switch leg he did he could cap off the white for future neutral use and use the red and black for the switches legs. If he ran power to the switch the 14/3 could go to a seperate fan and light on ceiling if he was to put one in (like in a house).
in US code a neutral is required in the box
personally I had never thought of solving this with 14/3 instead of running the feeder and fixture wires back to the switch box
That's the first thing I noticed was his switch box not having a neutral. This future permanent wiring job won't pass inspection.
New NEC code requires white neutral at a switch, so no more recoloring white for a switched hot. 3+ground or 4+ ground cable for switches now.
As a contractor, I think this is a brilliant way to get short term power. For off grid, using a solar generator could be an easy alternative, same principal - just plug into the solar generator and let the sun do it's work. I have been testing out a few different solar generators with onboard batteries.
Do you have any recommendations for solar generators yet?
I'm a polymer scientist and your comment about silicone v. polyurethane sealants surprised me. Silicone doesn't stick well to wood, so I could see how water could intrude after adhesion loss with wooden building materials. Otherwise, unless someone did something crazy when formulating, a silicone-based sealant should be far more stable against damage by water than any polyurethane-based sealant. Could you share more about your experience with silicone sealants with us?
My question also. Am I waterproofing stuff all wrong?
@@SK-qt1rmThey use silicone when making fish tanks.
@binnsbrian you don't make wooden fish tanks
@@larryjolicoeur7169you missed the point
They make silicon boobs, I don't think they absorb water in the shower. That would be great though... " take your time in the shower".
Others have mentioned having a neutral in the switch box. Personally I'd put an outlet/switch combo in the switch box and make use of the neutral as well. The other thing to mention is that (as I understand it), the horizontal runs of exposed wiring can't be at that level, they must be 6 feet or higher. This is to make sure the wire isn't used for some other purpose (hanging something up, or standing on it). Also the "tamper proof" outlets are a pain (but required now). As for GFCI, I suspect that the extension cord feeding this "temporary" installation is probably plugged into one.
I've done this work before, DIY, but I learned a couple of things to make the next one easier. Thanks!
Cheers
I have to say. You explained this so well that I trust myself to do it without having to hire no one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ GREAT JOB!
This "temporary-to-permanent" concept is very practical and time-saving for the future. Thus seems mostly practical if the shed is within 75 ft of the power source. My shed will be about 135-150 ft from any power source and would have to run through a garden and around other objects. So, I am looking at a possible solar solution. Anyone else considering this option?
I’m in the same situation. $7000 for a sub panel with permits
Looking for something as an alternative because my 200’ extension cord can only do so much.
@@Paap810Rent a trencher from home depot for $100, buy the conduit/boxes, wires, sub panel, wire clamps for box, plastic shields for tec wire, breakers and install it all. Have an electrician inspect your work and tell you if there's any issues. Fix any issues and have them make the final connection to the house and sign off. Saves you thousands, you learn new tricks and the electrician can make $500 for a half hour of work 😅
2 extension cords? That's what I have going right now for my shed which is just over 100ft from an exterior outlet. One of these days I'll rent a ditch witch and bury a line, but it's been working fine. Just use 12/2 extension cord if you plan to run any power tools out there. I wrapped where the cords connect with shrink wrap (like for packaging) and no issues. Extension cords can be found surprisingly cheap, considering UF-B wire is like $2/foot.
I used a solar system, but it’s for my chicken coop tractor. Since it’s set up basically like a RV trailer that I can hook to the hitch of my truck and move it anywhere on my 5 acres. Using the grid for power would have been a problem every time I moved the coop tractor. So I ran my own solar system with the solar panels on the roof of the coop with the battery inside the coop. Gives me enough power for all the lights I need in the coop plus power for a heater to run in freezing weather and a heater water bowl . I have also used drills in the coop as well. Only thing I have to do when I move the coop tractor is maybe have to change the angle of my solar panels for the best sun shine to hit my panels.
My system actually was fairly cheap, got a solar kit from harbor freight and a medium size converter to handle the amount of power I be using in the coop. My lights are all 12 volt bulbs and surprisingly very bright! I bought the light bulbs on Amazon and their a clear glass bulb instead of frosted which dims the lights a bit.
Later on I did run a 110 volt power line going around the 3 watts of the coop with plug ins. I ran a RV male plug that’s got a waterproof surround and lid on the outside of the coop. Just like you find on most any RV trailer. Now if I ever need to use 110 volt power inside the coop tractor I just have to run an extension cord to the coop and plug it in. With solar as your only source of power you still have to deal with bad weather and when the sun not shining you don’t get much power charging your battery bank. It’s nice to have the option to still have the 110 volt power installed inside your building where you can still connect a extension cord in a pinch to get you by least for a short period of time! Or least be able to connect a generator if the power grid too far away?
30:49 they could require a permit for solar , any way they can take your money.
Do you think in the 1800s you had to pull a permit to cut down a tree and build a log cabin. Dig a hole as a well , or install a outhouse?
Maybe the wind mill that put water in the horse troft needed a city permit? This is a Free country?
Whos kidding who?
No building permits and code came about because of some of the disasters in the past where whole cities burned down like sf and the windy city. And or because people would wire a new outlet with 16/2 no ground speaker wire.
People had no clue how to make it safe.
For the exterior entrance to the shed, use a RV NEMA 15 amp inlet, much neater plus it seals the hole from moisture and bugs/pests.
I usually pigtail to each outlet so if an outlet fails it's quick to find the failed outlet, but the rest will still work, whereas running wires in and out of each outlet it's more difficult to find which outlet failed because when one goes out they all go out.
tip, to cut vinyl siding in cold weather simply bring out a hair dryer and warm it up, only takes a few seconds and off you go. nice hole no cracking even in the middle of winter. yw.
The previous owners of my house did something similar with their shed. They ran 50a 240v to a NEMA plug on the outside of the house. Put a 50a 240V NEMA plug on the outside of the shed and ran it as the supply to a small panel in the shed. Whenever they wanted power in the shed, he'd just use a NEMA power cord to connect the two sockets. Everything about it felt incredibly wrong but I respect his desire to not pull a permit if he didn't have to. 😆
thanks for the video. You starting with your termination point at the switch lifted a lot of confusion for me about wiring. for me.
Absolutely amazing teaching Jeff.
I swear I’d love to watch a show with Jeff and Mike Rowe work together.
Kinda like Tim Allens Home Improvement meets This old house.
Would love to have him on the show
How much excess wire do you need when installing a receptacle? He says, the wire’s a little bit crowded… really?
Definitely filled some gaps in knowledge for electrical at least in wire management, in my area people have started using cap and plates after drilling holes for structural and accidental screw protection. Drilling a hole for the wire insert a metal cap (some just use steel pipe cutoffs) for structure and then hammer an engineered plate in at the drywall side for screw protection. Also using box bags around the boxes just makes the plastic job easier down the road. These are just preventative steps to reduce future problems.
❤ thank you so much❤ I cannot find people to do small jobs and with your excellent tutorial I think I can do this!!🎉
Glad I could help!
If you're going to put drywall of panelling on later, you should have metal plates on studs where the wire goes thru the studs, so screws or nails can't puncture the wires.
You can also use a Robertson no 1 on the outlet
Was gonna say, I thought the Ecx head took a Robertson or Philips bit.
If I was going to do this much work, I would have wired it permanently. Just saying, but a great job Jeff. 🇨🇦💝👍
“Permanent temporary” is my new favorite way of alluding to a fix that’s legally dubious.
its kinda like the 'accidentally on purpose' expression
My landlord wasn't interested in replacing the attic fan. I put a desk fan in the hole, held up with paperclips. Four years later it's still running.
Needing a permit for power to an out building is legally dubious
@@David-uf9qm Some municipalities don't allow power to non-permit required structures.
My town allows small sheds and the like without requiring a permit to place them, but they will jump on you for wiring it without it being a permitted and inspected structure.
Running an extension cord out when needed is a functional work around, though I'm thinking that I'd just put a "shore power" style input connector under an outdoor outlet cover instead of the romex pigtail.
@@heyallenify Some municipalities are clearly too protected from the people they don't serve.
I agree with you about the outdoor outlet, and personally I'd find a legal way to run power immediately adjacent to the shed out of spite.
I live in North Eastern Ontario in an unorganized township and am considering doing this type of setup for my chicken coop. Great video. Thanks!
Where's the other ground wire? At each outlet I see just one ground wire. No pigtail. How are you bonding the grounds together?
As a Licensed Electrician of 30 yrs....there is so much you did that makes me question your knowledge BUT... that would be in America. In Canada I see you do things differently. WOW.
Has anyone said you sound like Red Green? Not the incompetent part just the sound, you definitely know what you are doing.
he’s incompetent. must be a canadian virtue
he’s incompetent. must be a canadian virtue
Anyone that says you don’t need an electrical permit for this is incompetent. I’m a building inspectors that follows the national electrical code. (NEC) he is wrong.
@DCVinson well just because where you are for an extension cord to supply 2 outlets needs a permit doesn't mean you have to have a permit everywhere for temporary electric.
I don't have to have a permit to do anything, build a wind turbine, build a 30x50x12 shop and wire it, build a barn, build a house, etc.
Not everywhere in the country is as "advanced" as where you are, not all of us us live in a city, thank God for that.
i would prefer five thumbs up for this video. It was very informative and slightly entertaining. (Good for keeping the attention of your audience).
You kept your word of calmly and consistently showing what you were doing without hurrying or rushing through things. There were some slight
errors mostly in not getting the correct camera angles so we could see exactly what your hands were doing at times but this is due to you guys
being electricians and not camera people. Most forgivable. I feel that you would be a great teacher at things like this. Other videos I've watched
they seemed like they were trying to get a medal for who was the fastest. With the pace you had it made everything more comprehensible.
Thanks for your time in this informative video. A big ""Good on You!!!"" Me southern AZ.
Always wire ground neutral hot good practice reverse when disconnectindisconnecting
Just saying but I would of added an other PVC elbow box on the outside like the one you put inside, that way your outside connection would be out of the weather and it would have been easier to seal the siding. Nice video.
Hey Jeff. I suggest doing a pigtail on your outlet receptacles. At 30:15 Bring the blacks together and pigtail one black/white (other than the switch leg wiring) to it instead of relying on the little brass tap to make your connection. I was told this by old timer electrician long ago. It is better practice. Probably even code. Cheers!
PIGTAILS ARE JUST AN UNNEEDED EXTRA CONNECTION THAT CAN FAIL
Exactly what I was thinking when I saw that. Pigtailing is definitely best practice in that situation, best not to rely on a brass tab that is designed to snap off fairly easily. As far as providing connection to all downstream power supply, the pigtail replaces the tab, so its not really an unneeded extra connection. It is a superior connection that replaces an inferior one. The pigtail's wire nut is designed for the exact purpose of making that connection (to everything downstream) - the tab may be adequate but it is specifically designed to supply a power connection between the outlet's dual receptacles, not a connection across the outlet to everything downstream.
@@cjc9719Especially if you have higher load which can cause the receptacle to overheat
Electrician here , no need to pigtail the receptacles are designed to handle full load
@@larryjolicoeur7169 YEP! All pigtails do is add one more unneeded failure point!
Many localities don't allow 'daisy chaining' power through an outlet box via the two screws on the outlet fixture. My AHJ does not. They want you to tie the two hots with a pigtail to the outlet, likewise the neutral and ground. There's the reason to save those cutoff bits of wire! In fact, for the ground, they want us to use "Greenies" which are a murette in the top to allow the pigtail to exit. I'm not sure if this is an electrical code requirement or not, but our inspectors do not allow it in any case. Also, makes it so much easier to replace outlets in the future.
I saw what you did there when you were wiring up the plug!
talking about 15 or 20 amp wire and outlets but one thing not mentioned. You can run 12 gauge with a 20 amp breaker and 15 amp outlets per code. You can use lower rated outlets in the same way you can put 15 amp outlets in a bathroom that requires a 20 amp circuit. You can't do the opposite (shouldn't need to say that one and Jeff did say that). The point is that you only run 15 amps on any given outlet but you can run power hungry tools that are individually able to work on a 15 amp circuit but together would require a 20 so long as you don't go over 15 amps total on any one outlet.
More Therapy by Jeff. Love watching these videos. So therapeutic.
I already liked this channel...not after seeing this and he said the screws go vertical on the covers...my favorite channel! ROFL. ;) I love following this channel. I ask my father (40+ years in the business) for advice all the time...but he lives in a different state. If it is something that is easier to see done...this is my stop to try to understand what my father describes. Great job! Keep up the great work!
Great video as always. Lots of tips for beginner DIYers and good reminders for older DIYers like myself. One question though, you have your male plug running outside to attach to the extension cord, but you didn't show anything about weatherproofing that connection. I was waiting to see if you were going to put another L connector box on the outside too like you used on the inside or one of those outdoor receptacle boxes with the clear plastic lid for rain protection. What are your thoughts on this?
I used an RV connector box for the temporary connection. Available on Amazon.
I’ll be building my shed this spring and electrical work was never my strong suit. Plus it will be used mostly with woodworking equipment table saw, bench planer, and so on. I’m actually very excited about the build but electricity ⚡️ that’s another stressful 😣 job for me. Much appreciated on the tutorial
Hi, I saw your comment about your future work. I built a 32x12 permitted garage shop alongside my house 15 years ago for woodworking. I installed a 100 amp 240 VAC subpanel, and love having that power available. I currently have seven 240 volt loads. (heater, air comp, dust collector, table saw, band saw, MIG welder, CNC router) Point is it will be worthwhile to put in 240 VAC. Especially if you are going to maybe add heater one day. Another thing I recommend is to get a current copy of the NEC (code) book and spend time studying it if you are planning to do it yourself so you do it right and have the reference at hand. I hope you have a friend that is an electrician you can ask questions of. I am an EE, but the Electrical trade is certainly a skilled trade and I respect their knowledge and practices. The code is your friend so be sure to follow it. You can DIY it, but be sure you have the competency. Permit it and have your work inspected. We are blind to our own mistakes, and this is something you want done right. I also recommend watching registered electricians you-tubes instead of DIYers, so you don't learn wrong 'knowledge'. This guy was pretty good but he is not up to current code.
41:49 I like your honesty Jeff when you forgot to put top of plug on 👍🏼
was looking for this. I do this so often and have that' DAMN IT' moment :) Humans.
I too was chuckling when I saw him start attaching the plug end, and the the top magically appeared at 42:20. I didn’t hear him say anything though😂