No Pressure Ben, but at 57, I'm showing my son, (19) Jordan, this as exemplary example of an articulate and organized young man in action. Doesn't hurt, that you guys favor each other in so many ways. Great Job.. Glad you asked the guy inpecting!!!
Joby Fluorine well damn dude. Who knows maybe he owns his own electrical company and his son doesn’t even need to go to business school due to his dad teaching him early on. Plus if you take the trade seriously it’s pretty easy to exceed $22 an hour.
You are a really good teacher. I fought with a 3 gang box trying to figure out how I could get all those dang wires back into the box. Your method here is very solid. Kudos and thanks
Up to this point, I have viewed over 40 hours of video regarding Electrical Theory, residential wiring and troubleshooting, and advise to apprentices. I must say that your methods are inspiring; being I too am very methodical and OCD. With practice and determination, I hope to be just as efficient with these wiring methods! Keeps these tutorials coming!
Thank you for taking the time to post this. I was rewiring a small studio and thought I would just copy the original mess to keep it simple, bad idea. Better idea was to watch this video and be inspired to do a neat, solid job, properly labeled and clean in the box. This helped elevate my wiring game.
Ben I wanted thank you for spending the time to share your knowledge on wiring electrical switches. I always wanted to learn how electrical circuit worked. I’ve watched all your videos and learned so much that now I find myself doing all kinds of electrical projects around the house with confidence. You explain things clearly to the point and your work is clean. One of your videos was on sub panels. Happy to say I added 100 amp sub panel in the basement so I could wire up my new 40 amp heater in the garage. Keep them videos coming! Thanks again!
I've been working on re-wiring our home, and I have to say your videos are the only ones that have made any sense to me. I'm toying with the idea of starting over after watching them. Thanks for the help
I also meant to comment about the very opening scene-- When a man looks you in the eye and takes a slow, deliberate sip of coffee hot out of the thermos, you KNOW it's gonna be a serious kick ass vid!!!!!
hey vtmman, if benjamin is not an electrician, he should be! if you have not seen D.E. SERVICES LLC's switch wire video, check it out, here it is: ua-cam.com/video/8LDlCznv7o8/v-deo.html. he IS an electrician and in my opinion it is THE BEST video on you tube. i think the reason real electricians avoid doing videos is liability. anyway, many thanks to BENJAMIN AND D.E. SERVICES for taking time to teach the huddled masses (present company included) the trade.
@@fishfish70 I've seen through the years guys being very OCD on their own stuff, and arguably the fastest guy on the job when he needed to be. One doesn't necessary mean the other.
Very good "video" etiquette. No mumbling, no distortion, noise pollution, camera was properly placed, lighting was on point, message clear, content was informative THANK YOU. I was doubtful because of the young face but well made youngster. Have to appreciate the educational simple mature video, it's hard to find on youtube.
Hey Ben, You did an incredible job of explaining every step in detail for the wiring. It's very apparent you take pride in your work by the cleanliness and labeling of the wires. Nice job.
Thank you, Ben. Very thorough and easy to understand video. You must be in the top 1% of all electricians. You care and take pride in your work. Not many of you left.
Hey, I want to say thank you, for being thorough, most people looking up this video, are not experienced electricians, so we really appreciate your attention to detail, and your keen interest on pointing out important steps or things that make the end product neat, efficient and practical. Thank you! Rod ram, humble abode property management.
GREAT VIDEO at first i thought this would be long and drawn out but once i started watching i couldn't stop, watched it a couple a times. I was looking for a video to show me how to wire a 3 switch box. I used 12 gage wire it was harder but doable. Excellent wire management made the job a lot neater .
Thank goodness I found this video! I took apart a dimmer and double toggle combo to split it between two rooms and I neglected to take pics before. We turned our back dining room into a bedroom and I could not make heads or tails of the switches. This explained exactly what I needed it to. Thank you!
That sip of coffee is important! Last night I was working on a messy existing junction box in my home. (We had new LED lights burning out on and old dimmer, and my wife has guests coming over soon, so the work had to be done ASAP to calm her down.) Since I don't which light rail each cable leads to or how they might be connected elsewhere, I was trying to track each wires connection using different colored tape bits. However, I didn't have my sip of coffee! I was sleepy and incorrectly labeled a wire when I mistook one black wire for another. Once I did that, I couldn't remember what it was supposed to be. :-b I wish I had prepped with some coffee. Electrical work is not something you should do by trial and error. Be alert. Have that coffee if you need it!
Excellent video! I Like how you make it look clean and professional. Many contractors should be made to watch your videos. Answered many of my questions while watching. Kudos!!!
Gotta say this is probably the best construction video I have seen to date. Very informative, great content, easy to understand. Thanks for this video.
*$25 OFF the Sense Home Energy Monitor for Subscribers!* CLICK HERE: sense.refr.cc/bensahlstrom Here are some hand tools that I highly recommend: www.amazon.com/shop/benjaminsahlstrom Really appreciate all of your comments and the discussion here! Let me know what thoughts you have! If you use one of the above links it will also help support the channel at NO cost to you. I wouldn't be able to do this without you guys. Blessings, Ben
A superb instructional video with great detail and clear instructions. I'm replacing 4 light switches in one box with Decora switches. When I pulled out the old toggle light switches, I noticed the power coming into the first switch, then power going from the 1st to the 2nd switch, then the 2nd to the 3rd switch, then the 3rd to the 4th switch (daisy-chain). I assume this was code 17 years ago when my home was built but I prefer the pig-tail method so I'll go with this method.
Really helped me as I am doing a 4-gang box and didn't know how to get the ground wires setup to connect to the 4 switches. Thank you for making it so easy to understand!!
From a retired very particular Licensed Aircraft Tech that appears to be some fine work. I also noted that you have open communication with the inspector and you also respect them as an educator. I'm betting they love to come and inspect your work. So tired of having trades people at my house working like they are late for a flight and not an ounce of pride in their work. Well done Mr! You are an excellent example of one fine tradesman. I'll learned much and I will be watching more from you. Just one comment. I realize that those circuits had no power but you should get in the habit of leaving the ring on yer night stand.
A couple of Weeks ago, I did the same set up with the exception of a 3 way switch. I wish I had watched your video before, because your setup is a lot cleaner. Thanks for the tip on the order that you should put the wires into the box and the insulated grounds.👍
This is the best video I"ve watched in 5 days of trying to figure out wiring issues in my bathroom. Thank you so much you are an awesome instructor, keep it up you are saving many people lots of $$$ on unnecessary electrician costs!
unless you don't have 5 days to figure out one switch box, then it becomes necessary, if time was money as the saying goes. no offence meant here just for some people the safest thing fastest thing and surest thing is using a professional. but totally agree top notch electrical work can be very expensive.
Hey Ben, glad this channel was recommended. I feel a lot more comfortable after watching your vids. Mind you I am calling an electrician to switch out my panel from fuse to breaker. Can't wait for it to be done so I can add some more circuits through the home.
Crossed the T's and Dotted the I's. Bravo young man! I was taught by a self-employed son of an electrician and from a Union journeyman, your video was spot on and easy to understand, Thanks for such great content.
Great work saw this I have wired many switch boxes like the idea of the grounds tied toether like that especially with the coated wire. I like neat boxes.
I had to come back to rewatch this video to make sure everything I was doing was up to par this is the best video on this platform to show how to wire a 3 gang box :)
Spent almost 3 Hours wiring a 3 gang today, i'm no electrician, and after watching this i'm pretty sure I can get the next one down to 30 min tops. Thanks
I am working on a home now, installing timers, dimmers and three and four ways. The guy before me cut most of the grounds off. and some of the neutral, a nightmare. I wish I was following this guy, what a dream.
That's nuts! I would insist on either a whole new wiring plan or a different electrician! I was once doing a job where I came across a penny tucked in behind the fuses of an old fuse panel. I was in shock that the place had survived. Needless to say I removed the "arc-angel" and remedied the owners complaint of electrical failures off and on in half of his home.
I took my laptop out to our new She Shed I am wiring and watched this video carefully doing exactly as you did. Perfect install for my lighting switches. Thank you. Mine even looks like yours too, lol
Setting the standard is good, but RAISING IT is what our goal should be as tradesmen. Minimum code doesn’t have to be the standard, tradecraft has been fading but men like you are still out there! Thank you for the great video!
Im in the process of doing just this on my new construction always great to see how others properly do a job looks great thanks really helped all of the above!!!!
Thanks for doing this man. The guys I work with are assholes. When I ask them questions they don’t explain anything to me. This really really helps. God bless.
Hey man, I know it may not be necessarily possible for you but I reccomend trying a new company! If you can swing it, it could make a massive difference in the way you're trained.
I agree with him bud, i was in your shoes as a apprentice 12 yrs ago and i couldnt stand the journeyman i worked with, complete assholes who enjoyed watching a young guy screw up only to make fun instead of helping i left and landed with a company where i met a gentleman who changed my life. He taught me everything he knew because that is what a journeyman electrician does with apprentice men. He was my best man at my wedding and today is my best friend! There are great guys out there, do what YOU need to in order to better yourself! Wish you all the best.
AWESOME vid. Thanks, man. Not overly descriptive -- on pace to follow along. Way to be a good example with labels, pre-twist, etc. Thank you! And double thanks for *explanations*.
Man, if you still do it this way by the time you hit your forties and you're not broke, I'll be impressed! Kidding aside, clean work, hope you can maintain...
Very very nice video, and well done. I personally have some slight differences in preference and specifics on how I do things, but you even talked about that... which is cool. Everything that you did is safe and up to code. Very neat as well. Nice, I really appreciate you putting out such a high quality and in depth video so that people can see the correct way to do this. It’s all too often that I come across improperly wired boxes because someone who didn’t know what they were doing suddenly became a professional without and training. Well, after watching this video they could at least become closer to a pro! Again- nice work. One little thing that I’ll point out which may save you a slight hassle with an inspector is that technically a every wire should have a staple with-in 12” of the box and I see that some of yours don’t. I realize that you’re not done so disregard that if you still have to do that work, but I wanted to let you know. All the best.
These types of videos are what encourage un trained people to start the job in the first place. And can be very dangerous, not only for the person doing the job but whoever is inside the building they worked on.
Thanks i got a coment on some mc cable i put on the baseboard i pigtaild all 3 wires and grounded to self grounding outlet and not a tail to the box is that code the mc cable is black white green for ground i put wirenut on all 3 the cable is grounded when i put it in the connector of the sorce thanks
Excellent tutorial thanks for posting. Quick tip, I don't use insulated wires to connect my grounds, I may start now, but I always wrap switches and receptacles with electrical tape after the connections have been made which helps prevent shorts and shocks. It looks nice and adds an extra layer of peace of mind. I can't remember who I learned that from. I also tape all my wire nuts once they're on the wires. Tape is cheap and the extra few minutes it takes to do this does add up but not so much that it isn't worth doing. Safety third fellas I always say. First you must do good work period end of story. If you can't or won't find a different occupation. Second you should look good doing your work so don't be a slob, wear nice clothes to work. Then safety is always right there, always in mind, never so far that if I hurt myself at least I'm fully cognizant of what I was doing that caused it. If you're the safest person on the jobsite and you do shoddy work you'll be looking for a new job real quick. Same goes for those schmucks who can't be bothered to put on clean clothes that aren't offensive and preferably have collars. It's the little things all added up that make a big difference. Rant over. Carry on guys and remember if this job was supposed to be easy everybody would do it.
WOW! Excellent video! I love how careful you are in how you do you work. The way you label your wires is awesome! I wish every electrician would do what you do! Very considerate for future electricians doing work in this box! Thank you!!
Consider adding linemans pliers to your collection of electrical tools. These beefy pliers make it much easier to twist a bunch of wires tightly because you have so much more torque and leverage with that tool. Also, they come with a really large cutting blade to cut a bunch of conductors at once.
@Tom Garbo wagos of resistance and wire nuts don’t and can handle much more. Wire nut is just twisting 2 wires together vrs wagos separate and the metal in the wago is not as good as straight copper to copper connection
Great video. I am a fairly adept homeowner and can do most wiring. I appreciated the wiring tips on the placement and coiling of the wires. I had a load wire come loose from a hot wire. It took forever to find the issue in the box to where they were tied together. I have started to put a small plastic wire tie to bundle any wires that I am twisting together with a wire nut. Give me that added piece of mind that I won't accidently loosen a wire or that a wire will come loose from the repeated heating and cooling of a junction. Have owned the home for 30 years and still am finding weird wire things that the previous owner (a contractor) did like things track lights wired in with lamp cord.or not marking a wire color when it has been repurposed. I hope that I have found them all,
@@ShelliLoop What code requires crimped barrels? And who actually installs crimped barrels with the proper crimping tool (hint: nobody)? Most of the ones I've seen are so loose they're not actually doing anything, because they weren't crimped properly. I cut them off and replace them with a wire nut (the green ones with a hole in the top).
Also it's a good idea to keep the wires away from the edge of the box and as far back in the box as possible to keep drywallers from ziprouting your wires.
Excellent demonstration! Thanks for adding the 2 circuits in one box at the end. I’m tackling that task this weekend and that mention will be very helpful.
Nash Firebaugh - that can be a problem when having to trim excessive wire off, you would have to strip wires TWICE. Good idea, just not perfect. Thanks.
I love attention to detail as much as any good electrician, but my man, this is overkill and over fill for a dead end three gang with only single pole switches. There is such a thing as over complicating things. This is a great example of overthinking the whole job. After seeing this box, i can only imagine what it would look like with 3 or 4 way switches and more than 1 hot coming in. Lolol. You have the want to and the drive to be a great electrician. Practice, and only making 35 cents on a job because it took two days to make up switch boxes and all them labels, and you will be well on your way. Respect for doing your best to be as safe and well planned as possible.
Chad Abernathy - you got a good point. OCD is costly! But remember, this is a TRAINING video. If he skipped steps like in “really working” then the newbies would get lost. I think you both are right, but he took to the hours to make a clean video, not two minutes to pick out faults.
Ben is extremely talented and very intelligent on doing electrical work. His videos are outstanding, but sadly you could not be this extremely neat and still have a job because you are taking way, way too long to get anything done. I have been a Journeyman Electrician for 12 years and I have seen more apprentices and JM fired for being too slow than I could ever count. Contractors don't want a Picasso with a pipe bender laying out conduit, they want someone who can get it done fast to make more profit. I love Ben's detail, skill and craftsmanship. But you will get fired going this slow on 99.5% of all job sites, especially if you work for a rat shop contractor.
Let me expand on this a little. You should NEVER wear a ring doing any kind of construction. You can lose a finger or tear the flesh right off the bone. Also, electricians don't wear any metal jewelry while working. When I was in the Navy the electricians were forbidden to wear dog tags. I had an employee once who burned through half of his finger when his ring touched the positive of the battery and the car body.
Hey Benjamin, thanks bro your video help me solve my wiring issue. I’ve watched a lot of different videos all we’re not explaining the as simple as yours. Please keep making videos!
Strip the cables before putting them in the switch box. You're making the job harder plus higher risk of damaging conductors when trying to strip back outer cover/jacket.
Thanks for your thoughts! I have heard of electricians doing it that way and there are definitely some benefits of that method. For most beginners I think it is easier to pull the sheathing off after the wire is pulled into the box. Either way works. Thanks again for commenting!
I was told you're not supposed to tie all your grounds together when they're from different circuits. Show me the code that says you can do that. Are all those grounds coming from one circuit breaker in the panel
@@MrSprintcat grounds don't connect to circuit breakers. All grounds go to the ground bus in the panel box. Hot wires are what eventually land on breakers. So I'm not sure what you are asking.
What I was saying was you can't put all the neutrals together if it's from a different circuit. Like for instance if you came up into a box into the bathroom and you had one circuit for the fan in a total different breaker for the lights. You can't tie those two neutrals together. Understand what I was trying to say?
@@MrSprintcat you said "you're not supposed to tie all your grounds together." They are ALL on the same ground bar at the box. Even the Neutrals ALL land together in the box. The only wires that should land on breakers are hot legs. The neutrals should always be split for separate breakers. I think what you are talking about is where he connects the 4 neutrals together and adds the pigtail that he wire capped. Those are ALL on the same circuit breaker because he has the single feeder/homerun coming in the bottom. So yes you can.
Looks very nice! But Its really impractical to spend so much time on one box especially in residential work. Use your wire sheathing to lable your wire and keep it moving, time is money.
Dozie , Romex stripper makes nice sheathing pieces to use. And clip those grounds back except one. Twist, use green wire nut with hole so you have one long ground. Easy and just loop through screws. So much faster
I have some less than basic electrical knowledge and mostly self taught and UA-cam "How to" videos... bur again, its still less than basix. However, i do enjoy working with electrical wiring and love even more the amount of money ive saved. That being said, i was ready to call an electrician to come help with a mess my neighbor left me with claiming he was an electrician. after many calls to friends for advice and coming up empty handed and staring at a wall full of safety and code violations, your video popped up . I can truly say that your video was awesome and specific to my needs. It was simple and easy to understand and left me with comfort and confidence to be able to resolve my electrical problems AND the ability to avoid using my fingers as the defining factor between the switch and the contrlled device completing the circuits
Super informative, like Jerry said below this video was totally understandable and relatable, thanks a lot, i'm sure it will make my upcoming project much easier.
I watched a lot of videos and this was the only one that I learned anything from. I even watched videos for the specific smart switch I was wiring and none of them helped. I just needed to understand how the box was wired in the first place to figure it out. And good call on wiring an extra neutral pig tail and labeling. Would have saved me so much time.
No Pressure Ben, but at 57, I'm showing my son, (19) Jordan, this as exemplary example of an articulate and organized young man in action. Doesn't hurt, that you guys favor each other in so many ways. Great Job.. Glad you asked the guy inpecting!!!
Joby Fluorine well damn dude. Who knows maybe he owns his own electrical company and his son doesn’t even need to go to business school due to his dad teaching him early on. Plus if you take the trade seriously it’s pretty easy to exceed $22 an hour.
Joby Fluorine you’re so ignorant
You are a really good teacher. I fought with a 3 gang box trying to figure out how I could get all those dang wires back into the box. Your method here is very solid. Kudos and thanks
Up to this point, I have viewed over 40 hours of video regarding Electrical Theory, residential wiring and troubleshooting, and advise to apprentices. I must say that your methods are inspiring; being I too am very methodical and OCD. With practice and determination, I hope to be just as efficient with these wiring methods! Keeps these tutorials coming!
Thank you for taking the time to post this. I was rewiring a small studio and thought I would just copy the original mess to keep it simple, bad idea. Better idea was to watch this video and be inspired to do a neat, solid job, properly labeled and clean in the box. This helped elevate my wiring game.
Ben I wanted thank you for spending the time to share your knowledge on wiring electrical switches. I always wanted to learn how electrical circuit worked. I’ve watched all your videos and learned so much that now I find myself doing all kinds of electrical projects around the house with confidence. You explain things clearly to the point and your work is clean. One of your videos was on sub panels. Happy to say I added 100 amp sub panel in the basement so I could wire up my new 40 amp heater in the garage. Keep them videos coming! Thanks again!
I been all over UA-cam and I always end up back here.
I've been working on re-wiring our home, and I have to say your videos are the only ones that have made any sense to me. I'm toying with the idea of starting over after watching them. Thanks for the help
I'm in the middle of a remodel (which I contracted out) and videos like these help me to gauge the quality of the work that's being done.
Best video ever Ben. We can understand you, not harried very clear. No back ground music (amen) Totally understandable. Thanks ,do more.
I also meant to comment about the very opening scene-- When a man looks you in the eye and takes a slow, deliberate sip of coffee hot out of the thermos, you KNOW it's gonna be a serious kick ass vid!!!!!
hey vtmman, if benjamin is not an electrician, he should be! if you have not seen D.E. SERVICES LLC's switch wire video, check it out, here it is: ua-cam.com/video/8LDlCznv7o8/v-deo.html. he IS an electrician and in my opinion it is THE BEST video on you tube. i think the reason real electricians avoid doing videos is liability. anyway, many thanks to BENJAMIN AND D.E. SERVICES for taking time to teach the huddled masses (present company included) the trade.
Yes, no stupid intro, no stupid music, this is the way instructional videos should be. Concise, informative and complete. No nonsense. Thanks.
A mildly OCD electrician is a beautiful thing. Hire this guy.
haha time and material for sure
he'd cost u a fortune
@@fishfish70 I've seen through the years guys being very OCD on their own stuff, and arguably the fastest guy on the job when he needed to be. One doesn't necessary mean the other.
Mildly?
@@fishfish70 doing things right the first time saves money.
Good thing he doesn't do this for a living. Wouldn't make much at all.
Very good "video" etiquette. No mumbling, no distortion, noise pollution, camera was properly placed, lighting was on point, message clear, content was informative THANK YOU. I was doubtful because of the young face but well made youngster. Have to appreciate the educational simple mature video, it's hard to find on youtube.
I am also an OCD electrician. Never had an inspection fail or a callback. I do it right the first time.
It's nice to do it once and do it right.
Only electricians that don’t have much work can afford to be ocd like this guy
Is this required for rough in typically?
fuck off...tooting your horn louder doesn't make you right. The video is about him, not you. Get your validation someplace else, like your work.
@@pgood7266 post your company so that we can never hire you...
Hey Ben,
You did an incredible job of explaining every step in detail for the wiring. It's very apparent you take pride in your work by the cleanliness and labeling of the wires. Nice job.
Thank you, Ben. Very thorough and easy to understand video. You must be in the top 1% of all electricians. You care and take pride in your work. Not many of you left.
Been watching Electrical videos for past two years. I wish I’d found first. Superior work my friend!!
Hey, I want to say thank you, for being thorough, most people looking up this video, are not experienced electricians, so we really appreciate your attention to detail, and your keen interest on pointing out important steps or things that make the end product neat, efficient and practical.
Thank you!
Rod ram, humble abode property management.
GREAT VIDEO at first i thought this would be long and drawn out but once i started watching i couldn't stop, watched it a couple a times. I was looking for a video to show me how to wire a 3 switch box. I used 12 gage wire it was harder but doable. Excellent wire management made the job a lot neater .
Yes. This - super video!
This is a thing of beauty, I wish the people that did my place originally shared your practices.
Thank goodness I found this video! I took apart a dimmer and double toggle combo to split it between two rooms and I neglected to take pics before. We turned our back dining room into a bedroom and I could not make heads or tails of the switches. This explained exactly what I needed it to. Thank you!
That sip of coffee is important! Last night I was working on a messy existing junction box in my home. (We had new LED lights burning out on and old dimmer, and my wife has guests coming over soon, so the work had to be done ASAP to calm her down.) Since I don't which light rail each cable leads to or how they might be connected elsewhere, I was trying to track each wires connection using different colored tape bits. However, I didn't have my sip of coffee! I was sleepy and incorrectly labeled a wire when I mistook one black wire for another. Once I did that, I couldn't remember what it was supposed to be. :-b I wish I had prepped with some coffee. Electrical work is not something you should do by trial and error. Be alert. Have that coffee if you need it!
Excellent video! I Like how you make it look clean and professional. Many contractors should be made to watch your videos. Answered many of my questions while watching. Kudos!!!
Thank you so much. this video is by far the best one on the internet to wire a gang switch. Thanks
Gotta say this is probably the best construction video I have seen to date. Very informative, great content, easy to understand. Thanks for this video.
*$25 OFF the Sense Home Energy Monitor for Subscribers!*
CLICK HERE: sense.refr.cc/bensahlstrom
Here are some hand tools that I highly recommend: www.amazon.com/shop/benjaminsahlstrom
Really appreciate all of your comments and the discussion here! Let me know what thoughts you have! If you use one of the above links it will also help support the channel at NO cost to you. I wouldn't be able to do this without you guys.
Blessings,
Ben
A superb instructional video with great detail and clear instructions. I'm replacing 4 light switches in one box with Decora switches. When I pulled out the old toggle light switches, I noticed the power coming into the first switch, then power going from the 1st to the 2nd switch, then the 2nd to the 3rd switch, then the 3rd to the 4th switch (daisy-chain). I assume this was code 17 years ago when my home was built but I prefer the pig-tail method so I'll go with this method.
Boxes were smaller 17year ago also. This would never work in a metal surface mount box especially if bulky switches were used (gfi or fan switch)
Great job of explaining how to wire multiple switches
Really helped me as I am doing a 4-gang box and didn't know how to get the ground wires setup to connect to the 4 switches. Thank you for making it so easy to understand!!
Honestly this is one of the most helpful videos I’ve ever seen. Very detailed and very thorough. Thank you! Great video!
best video I saw on wiring multiple switches . . . made it completely understandable . . .
Jerry Waldo Glad it helped!
From a retired very particular Licensed Aircraft Tech that appears to be some fine work. I also noted that you have open communication with the inspector and you also respect them as an educator. I'm betting they love to come and inspect your work. So tired of having trades people at my house working like they are late for a flight and not an ounce of pride in their work. Well done Mr! You are an excellent example of one fine tradesman. I'll learned much and I will be watching more from you. Just one comment. I realize that those circuits had no power but you should get in the habit of leaving the ring on yer night stand.
I concur 100% and about the ring too. i Like, OLE!
A couple of Weeks ago, I did the same set up with the exception of a 3 way switch. I wish I had watched your video before, because your setup is a lot cleaner. Thanks for the tip on the order that you should put the wires into the box and the insulated grounds.👍
This is the best video I"ve watched in 5 days of trying to figure out wiring issues in my bathroom. Thank you so much you are an awesome instructor, keep it up you are saving many people lots of $$$ on unnecessary electrician costs!
unless you don't have 5 days to figure out one switch box, then it becomes necessary, if time was money as the saying goes. no offence meant here just for some people the safest thing fastest thing and surest thing is using a professional. but totally agree top notch electrical work can be very expensive.
Great work!!! Such a smart, organized expert.
Dude good work man! I love the OCD-ness mostly in part because I am the same way.
Hey Ben, glad this channel was recommended. I feel a lot more comfortable after watching your vids. Mind you I am calling an electrician to switch out my panel from fuse to breaker. Can't wait for it to be done so I can add some more circuits through the home.
Crossed the T's and Dotted the I's. Bravo young man! I was taught by a self-employed son of an electrician and from a Union journeyman, your video was spot on and easy to understand, Thanks for such great content.
Great work saw this I have wired many switch boxes like the idea of the grounds tied toether like that especially with the coated wire. I like neat boxes.
awesome video! Spoken like a teacher. Thank you.
I had to come back to rewatch this video to make sure everything I was doing was up to par this is the best video on this platform to show how to wire a 3 gang box :)
3-way gang box? Lol
This is the best video I've found for my project - 3 diff lights/sets, 3 switches, 1 circuit. 👍 I'm a DIY so it's perfect.
This was extremely helpful... Thank you!
Spent almost 3 Hours wiring a 3 gang today, i'm no electrician, and after watching this i'm pretty sure I can get the next one down to 30 min tops. Thanks
Lol my old company would bid 5 min a device.
I am working on a home now, installing timers, dimmers and three and four ways. The guy before me cut most of the grounds off. and some of the neutral, a nightmare. I wish I was following this guy, what a dream.
That's nuts! I would insist on either a whole new wiring plan or a different electrician! I was once doing a job where I came across a penny tucked in behind the fuses of an old fuse panel. I was in shock that the place had survived. Needless to say I removed the "arc-angel" and remedied the owners complaint of electrical failures off and on in half of his home.
I took my laptop out to our new She Shed I am wiring and watched this video carefully doing exactly as you did. Perfect install for my lighting switches. Thank you. Mine even looks like yours too, lol
Setting the standard is good, but RAISING IT is what our goal should be as tradesmen. Minimum code doesn’t have to be the standard, tradecraft has been fading but men like you are still out there! Thank you for the great video!
Really nice work!
Nice work. Clear and thorough explanation. I really like how you added the extra neutral.
Thanks for these videos. As a first year apprentice, I greatly appreciate you taking out the time to post these.
Im in the process of doing just this on my new construction always great to see how others properly do a job looks great thanks really helped all of the above!!!!
Thanks for doing this man. The guys I work with are assholes. When I ask them questions they don’t explain anything to me. This really really helps. God bless.
I know how it can be in the field with other guys sometimes. Glad I could fill in the gaps a bit for you! Blessings and keep up the good work!
Lol the cocky veterans in electrical field has no paitent for young or green entry level workers. Speed speed speed is all that matters.
Hey man, I know it may not be necessarily possible for you but I reccomend trying a new company! If you can swing it, it could make a massive difference in the way you're trained.
I agree with him bud, i was in your shoes as a apprentice 12 yrs ago and i couldnt stand the journeyman i worked with, complete assholes who enjoyed watching a young guy screw up only to make fun instead of helping i left and landed with a company where i met a gentleman who changed my life. He taught me everything he knew because that is what a journeyman electrician does with apprentice men. He was my best man at my wedding and today is my best friend! There are great guys out there, do what YOU need to in order to better yourself! Wish you all the best.
@@TrophyHuntr81 wow that's a beautiful story. Happy that he changed your life and improved your life ;)
Been a long time since I've had to wire up switch's and your video helped me make sure. Thanks Alan
AWESOME vid. Thanks, man. Not overly descriptive -- on pace to follow along. Way to be a good example with labels, pre-twist, etc. Thank you! And double thanks for *explanations*.
Great instructional video.
great video bro, and very nice work... clean, very clean install....
Hands down the best switch box wiring I've ever witnessed. DUDE! Next level!!
I love that pre-twisting is not prohibited. Very helpful Video for do-it-yourselfer.
Man, if you still do it this way by the time you hit your forties and you're not broke, I'll be impressed! Kidding aside, clean work, hope you can maintain...
Lol that is what I was thinking.
he must be working by the hour. can't imagine how long it takes for him to complete things.
Very very nice video, and well done. I personally have some slight differences in preference and specifics on how I do things, but you even talked about that... which is cool.
Everything that you did is safe and up to code. Very neat as well. Nice, I really appreciate you putting out such a high quality and in depth video so that people can see the correct way to do this. It’s all too often that I come across improperly wired boxes because someone who didn’t know what they were doing suddenly became a professional without and training. Well, after watching this video they could at least become closer to a pro! Again- nice work.
One little thing that I’ll point out which may save you a slight hassle with an inspector is that technically a every wire should have a staple with-in 12” of the box and I see that some of yours don’t. I realize that you’re not done so disregard that if you still have to do that work, but I wanted to let you know. All the best.
These types of videos are what encourage un trained people to start the job in the first place. And can be very dangerous, not only for the person doing the job but whoever is inside the building they worked on.
Thanks i got a coment on some mc cable i put on the baseboard i pigtaild all 3 wires and grounded to self grounding outlet and not a tail to the box is that code the mc cable is black white green for ground i put wirenut on all 3 the cable is grounded when i put it in the connector of the sorce thanks
I am about to wire up a four gang box and this is just what I needed to watch. Thanks for sharing it.
You made more sense to me than other videos. I'm having to do most of my own wiring. Thank you from Centre, Alabama. ROLL TIDE
love this video made perfect sense
Excellent tutorial thanks for posting. Quick tip, I don't use insulated wires to connect my grounds, I may start now, but I always wrap switches and receptacles with electrical tape after the connections have been made which helps prevent shorts and shocks. It looks nice and adds an extra layer of peace of mind. I can't remember who I learned that from. I also tape all my wire nuts once they're on the wires. Tape is cheap and the extra few minutes it takes to do this does add up but not so much that it isn't worth doing.
Safety third fellas I always say. First you must do good work period end of story. If you can't or won't find a different occupation. Second you should look good doing your work so don't be a slob, wear nice clothes to work. Then safety is always right there, always in mind, never so far that if I hurt myself at least I'm fully cognizant of what I was doing that caused it. If you're the safest person on the jobsite and you do shoddy work you'll be looking for a new job real quick. Same goes for those schmucks who can't be bothered to put on clean clothes that aren't offensive and preferably have collars. It's the little things all added up that make a big difference. Rant over. Carry on guys and remember if this job was supposed to be easy everybody would do it.
I must have learned this from you lol
WOW! Excellent video! I love how careful you are in how you do you work. The way you label your wires is awesome! I wish every electrician would do what you do! Very considerate for future electricians doing work in this box! Thank you!!
Best video out there on wiring a multiple switch electrical box! You made this look so simple bro!
Consider adding linemans pliers to your collection of electrical tools. These beefy pliers make it much easier to twist a bunch of wires tightly because you have so much more torque and leverage with that tool. Also, they come with a really large cutting blade to cut a bunch of conductors at once.
Wago pls
@@koirashooter Yeah...
Why don't Americans use Wagos anyway? They're the best invention since sliced bread.
@@koirashooter I've seen in like the Wago connectors, however they're pretty expensive compared to a regular wire nut.
Dude, get sum Klein's(lineman pliers) to twist your joints
@Tom Garbo wagos of resistance and wire nuts don’t and can handle much more. Wire nut is just twisting 2 wires together vrs wagos separate and the metal in the wago is not as good as straight copper to copper connection
Try this with 12/2 daily and you no longer need to hit the gym.
Every day is forearm day.
I did my entire kitchen in 12/2 and my inspector thought I was bonkers.
@@ezerasurfr I roughed an entire house in 12.2 all the homeruns into cans, switches, plugs, everything was done with my kliens.. I look like Popeye
ezerasurfr what else would you use? That inspector is bonkers if he said otherwise
J A Roadkill 14/2. Kitchen breakers are 15 amp. Why use 12/2 if it’s not a 20a?
Great video. I am a fairly adept homeowner and can do most wiring. I appreciated the wiring tips on the placement and coiling of the wires. I had a load wire come loose from a hot wire. It took forever to find the issue in the box to where they were tied together. I have started to put a small plastic wire tie to bundle any wires that I am twisting together with a wire nut. Give me that added piece of mind that I won't accidently loosen a wire or that a wire will come loose from the repeated heating and cooling of a junction. Have owned the home for 30 years and still am finding weird wire things that the previous owner (a contractor) did like things track lights wired in with lamp cord.or not marking a wire color when it has been repurposed. I hope that I have found them all,
I love the way you did your insulated ground leads - prevents potential short circuits at the switches.
Kevin Hurt - actually that was his only flaw. Never do that nor use removable wire it’s on GROUND wires. Use CRIMPED BARRELS. It’s the CODE.
@@ShelliLoop What code requires crimped barrels? And who actually installs crimped barrels with the proper crimping tool (hint: nobody)? Most of the ones I've seen are so loose they're not actually doing anything, because they weren't crimped properly. I cut them off and replace them with a wire nut (the green ones with a hole in the top).
Bro your channel is dope. When you gonna pick your electrician card? Lol
James - you are lost-dope. Try to use English and not slang that is a joke. Please?
you should get a "DYMO" brand label maker. It will make label making faster and easier.
Nice work! I like the way you coil every wire group circular to the left. So efficient for that many wires in a tight space.
He explains procedure leaving nothing to doubt. Very good demonstration.
Thank you, now i know what to do with my project. i will be watching again on your next video.
Also it's a good idea to keep the wires away from the edge of the box and as far back in the box as possible to keep drywallers from ziprouting your wires.
Yes. We experience this alot at the company I work for
Awesome work Ben, you have a great sense of organisation, very logical and simple. Two tumbs up !
Excellent demonstration! Thanks for adding the 2 circuits in one box at the end. I’m tackling that task this weekend and that mention will be very helpful.
Get a p touch! Will be easy to make labels in the future
strip the wire before going into the box, so much faster. A slight bite with wire cutters will easily do the trick
Nash Firebaugh - that can be a problem when having to trim excessive wire off, you would have to strip wires TWICE. Good idea, just not perfect. Thanks.
When wiring a house you will first run your cables to the boxes
This is by far the best video I’ve found on wiring. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
this guy really care about his job!! great video bro!
I love attention to detail as much as any good electrician, but my man, this is overkill and over fill for a dead end three gang with only single pole switches. There is such a thing as over complicating things. This is a great example of overthinking the whole job. After seeing this box, i can only imagine what it would look like with 3 or 4 way switches and more than 1 hot coming in. Lolol. You have the want to and the drive to be a great electrician. Practice, and only making 35 cents on a job because it took two days to make up switch boxes and all them labels, and you will be well on your way. Respect for doing your best to be as safe and well planned as possible.
Chad Abernathy - you got a good point. OCD is costly! But remember, this is a TRAINING video. If he skipped steps like in “really working” then the newbies would get lost. I think you both are right, but he took to the hours to make a clean video, not two minutes to pick out faults.
I agree with this comment 100%. At $80 an hour I would not get any referrals from this job.
Ben is extremely talented and very intelligent on doing electrical work. His videos are outstanding, but sadly you could not be this extremely neat and still have a job because you are taking way, way too long to get anything done. I have been a Journeyman Electrician for 12 years and I have seen more apprentices and JM fired for being too slow than I could ever count. Contractors don't want a Picasso with a pipe bender laying out conduit, they want someone who can get it done fast to make more profit. I love Ben's detail, skill and craftsmanship. But you will get fired going this slow on 99.5% of all job sites, especially if you work for a rat shop contractor.
I would have liked to see how you connected to the switch
dry wall firzt
I just did a 4 gang switch box and this video was very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
You save me a lot of time, my journeyman was really happy that he didn't have to explain to me, the apprentice
Never wear a ring while working on electric even when you are doing a rough in.
me three none he’s trying to look straight
If you’re roughing in a new place, nothing is usually energized so I think it’s OK. I usually wear gloves, but to each his own lol
Let me expand on this a little. You should NEVER wear a ring doing any kind of construction. You can lose a finger or tear the flesh right off the bone. Also, electricians don't wear any metal jewelry while working. When I was in the Navy the electricians were forbidden to wear dog tags. I had an employee once who burned through half of his finger when his ring touched the positive of the battery and the car body.
@@KitchenerLeslie2 This was a really shitty comment.
Your comment section is scary. There are going to be a lot of electrical fires lol
Hey Benjamin, thanks bro your video help me solve my wiring issue. I’ve watched a lot of different videos all we’re not explaining the as simple as yours. Please keep making videos!
great video ... super relaxing hearing a pro think and walking us through
Strip the cables before putting them in the switch box. You're making the job harder plus higher risk of damaging conductors when trying to strip back outer cover/jacket.
Thanks for your thoughts! I have heard of electricians doing it that way and there are definitely some benefits of that method. For most beginners I think it is easier to pull the sheathing off after the wire is pulled into the box. Either way works. Thanks again for commenting!
I was told you're not supposed to tie all your grounds together when they're from different circuits. Show me the code that says you can do that. Are all those grounds coming from one circuit breaker in the panel
@@MrSprintcat grounds don't connect to circuit breakers. All grounds go to the ground bus in the panel box. Hot wires are what eventually land on breakers. So I'm not sure what you are asking.
What I was saying was you can't put all the neutrals together if it's from a different circuit. Like for instance if you came up into a box into the bathroom and you had one circuit for the fan in a total different breaker for the lights. You can't tie those two neutrals together. Understand what I was trying to say?
@@MrSprintcat you said "you're not supposed to tie all your grounds together." They are ALL on the same ground bar at the box. Even the Neutrals ALL land together in the box. The only wires that should land on breakers are hot legs. The neutrals should always be split for separate breakers.
I think what you are talking about is where he connects the 4 neutrals together and adds the pigtail that he wire capped. Those are ALL on the same circuit breaker because he has the single feeder/homerun coming in the bottom. So yes you can.
Looks very nice! But Its really impractical to spend so much time on one box especially in residential work. Use your wire sheathing to lable your wire and keep it moving, time is money.
Dozie , Romex stripper makes nice sheathing pieces to use. And clip those grounds back except one. Twist, use green wire nut with hole so you have one long ground. Easy and just loop through screws. So much faster
@@nsatoday Definitely agree on the greenies, total time saver and still clean as heck
Dozie - it’s a TRAINING VIDEO, not an example of real wiring on the job.
Nicely done Ben. Very detailed and very meticulous.
Thanks for doing a proper job with clear instructions for the DIY guys.
m8, throw the torix away, use Wago !
Snotra no way, wago to small for neutral wire, when you have to connect 6 or 18 neutral wire's. No comments about wago!
They make wago that can connect 8 neutrals. Better than pigtailing 5 together in 2 spots and pigtailng the pigtail of those for the neutrals
This is a great video. Very complete and easy to follow. Thank you.
You are the man for the job! When you are learning this is the things you need to watch. Thanks
I have some less than basic electrical knowledge and mostly self taught and UA-cam "How to" videos... bur again, its still less than basix. However, i do enjoy working with electrical wiring and love even more the amount of money ive saved. That being said, i was ready to call an electrician to come help with a mess my neighbor left me with claiming he was an electrician. after many calls to friends for advice and coming up empty handed and staring at a wall full of safety and code violations, your video popped up . I can truly say that your video was awesome and specific to my needs. It was simple and easy to understand and left me with comfort and confidence to be able to resolve my electrical problems AND the ability to avoid using my fingers as the defining factor between the switch and the contrlled device completing the circuits
Super informative, like Jerry said below this video was totally understandable and relatable, thanks a lot, i'm sure it will make my upcoming project much easier.
Exactly what I was looking for. Excellent job explaining and demonstrating. Thank you.
I watched a lot of videos and this was the only one that I learned anything from. I even watched videos for the specific smart switch I was wiring and none of them helped. I just needed to understand how the box was wired in the first place to figure it out. And good call on wiring an extra neutral pig tail and labeling. Would have saved me so much time.
As always Ben really clean and well done, good work!