It would also be wise to take a course on electrical projects. Electricity is very dangerous and, unless you understand exactly what to do, it can be deadly. This isn’t just from electric shock, but also from a house fire, which improper wiring may cause. Check with your local building inspectors to see if your project requires a licensed electrician.
Once you understand wiring, using the right tools for their specific applications can make any project easier, faster, and more enjoyable. In fact, for electrical projects, it may be impossible to do them correctly without the proper tools in your electrical toolbox.
A clamp-on multimeter is a must for your toolbox. It can be clamped over insulated wires to read the current and to know if they are still carrying power. This tool also allows you to check if a specific wire is hot or not without touching it. I always recommend switching off all the breakers and working by battery-powered light to be safe.
A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) tester is inexpensive and about the only way to safely check a GFCI for proper operation. GFCI’s are used wherever an electrical outlet is near water or outdoors. Often, one GFCI will be used to protect several outlets on the same circuit.
You will need specialty pliers to make your electrical work easier and cleaner. Lineman’s pliers are the ones you will use most. These pliers are used for cutting wire, pulling it, and twisting the ends of two wires together. They are strong enough to do some crimping. End-cut pliers also come in handy when working in tight spots.
If you are going to do a lot of crimping of connectors, which you must do for some projects, purchase crimper pliers. You can apply a lot of force to the crimp joint with these. These are particularly useful for crimping the bare ground wires together. Also get standard needle-nose pliers.
You will need a pair of stripper pliers to strip the insulation from various size wiring. Get a good pair because a cheaper pair may nick the wire through the insulation. This can create a weak spot. Also, cheaper pairs do not always cut totally through the insulation, making it difficult to get it off in tight spots.
Get a roll or two of standard black electrical tape; also get small rolls of green and white to use to mark wires. An assortment of wire nut sizes will be needed for making connections for any job. Always use wire nuts in conduit boxes to make connections instead of just taping wires. Get a box of wire staples to hold the wiring in place.
