Electrical
The trade where the material will kill you if you're careless. Respect accordingly.
A REMINDER
If you are reading this as an introduction to doing your own electrical work, this article is not that. Hire a licensed electrician. The wiki respects you and would prefer you remain alive.
If you are reading this as an introduction to doing your own electrical work, this article is not that. Hire a licensed electrician. The wiki respects you and would prefer you remain alive.
Overview
Electrical is the branch of construction concerned with the movement of electricity from the service entrance to wherever it's needed, and nowhere else. It is a trade of black and white: either the wire is doing the right thing or it's doing something wrong, and "wrong" sometimes means "on fire."
Principles
- Test before you trust. The tester is cheap. The alternative is not.
- Code exists for a reason. The reasons are usually named after people who died.
- Neutral and ground are not the same. They look similar. They are not.
- Torque is a real thing. Loose connections start fires. Follow the spec.
- Color codes matter. Document every deviation. Then don't deviate.
- Label the panel. The next person is depending on it. Maybe you.
Software Parallels
| ELECTRICAL | SOFTWARE |
|---|---|
| Ground | Invariants / type system |
| Breaker | Circuit breaker (literally) |
| Panel label | Documentation |
| Loose connection | Race condition |
| Lockout/tagout | Feature flag + kill switch |
| Code inspection | Code review |
See Also
Construction · Solar · The Trade · Safety · Roofing