Chad Yanni’s Helping Hands Construction. How-to guides and Tutorials
Welcome to my How-to Page, where you’ll find step-by-step slideshows and detailed instructions for various projects I have completed. You’ll also discover safety tips, and links to materials used in the projects. All to help you tackle your own projects with confidence. Keep in mind I am not licensed in any specialty trades, and I am just sharing how I or other homeowners accomplished their projects. Use the material links as a reference and check with your local building suppliers for availability.
“Adding a 3-Way Switch for living room Ceiling Fan and a 3-Way Dimmer for Kitchen Light: Enhancing Home Lighting Operations”
3-way addition
“Existing switch removed from box.”
Instructions:
1. Use a circuit finder to locate the breaker at the panel and shut off the power to ensure you’re working safely.
2. Remove the cover plate from the existing switches.
3. Carefully unscrew and pull the switches away from the wall.
“Cutting the Top Nail of Existing Junction Box”
Use a sawzall to cut the top nail of the existing junction box. After cutting the bottom nail this will allow you to remove the box and gain access inside the wall to run new wiring.
“cutting the Bottom Nail of Existing Junction Box”
Use a sawzall to cut the bottom nail of the existing junction box to remove the box and gain access inside the wall for running new wiring.
“Junction Box Free from 2×4”
Move the junction box out of the way, allowing access inside the wall to run new wiring.
“Marking and Tracing Location for New 3-way Switches”
Find the location where you want your new switches.
Use a stud finder to make sure you don’t run into a stud.
Check the other side of the wall to ensure there is not another switch directly on the other side.
Use level to insure box is level, trace and cut out hole for box.
“Drilling Access Hole Above Existing Switch”
Climb into the attic with drill and glow rods. Then locate the wall above the existing switch.
Drill a 3/4 to 7/8 inch hole in the top of the wall directly above the existing switch.
This step is necessary to provide access inside the wall for running the new wire.
“Drilling Access Hole Above New Switch Location”
“Locate the wall above the planned spot for the new switches and drill a hole to provide access inside the wall for running the new wire.”
“Glow Rod Inserted Through Hole in Top of Wall & wires attached to rod”
Insert the glow rod down the hole you drilled above the location for the new switches.
Return to Living Room:.
Connect Wire to Glow Rod:14-gauge wire is used because the circuit is 15 amps.
Connect a 14-3 wire to bring power to the common terminal of the new 3-way switch and 3-way dimmer. The 14-3 wire will also include the travelers for the kitchen lights controlled by the dimmer.
Connect a 14-2 wire to bring the travelers over for the fan 3-way switching.
Run wire threw attic
Return to attic. Pull rod with wire attached up the wall. Run wire across attic to where I drilled hole on top of wall above the existing switches and push rod down hole.
Pull wire down the wall
Fish rod out of the wall and pull wire down the wall.
Install cut-in-box
Pull 14-3 and 14-2 threw back of cut-in-box ensuring the insulated part of wire is inside the box. Wire on the left side is correct, and the right side is incorrect.
Make up wires at the new location of 3-ways
Tie both copper wires together with 2 pig tails. ensuring that you will be able to ground the new switches. Add two pigtails to the black wire coming from the 14-3. these two pig-tails are power/common for your 3-way switch and dimmer. Red and white are my travelers for my kitchen lights and the black and white from the 14-2 are my travelers for my fan.
Hook up wire too 3-was switch and dimmer
Hook up wire ensuring white and red from 14-3 go to travelers on dimmer and the common from dimmer gets hooked to one of the black pigtails that are coming from the black wire on 14-3 the other pig tail goes to common on the 3-way switch and also making sure the black and white from 14-3 go to travelers on 3-way switch for fan
Resecure existing junction box
Feed wires into existing junction box. Then resecure the box to 2×4 with 3 wood screws.
Wire Three Way-Switches
Find existing hot wire. It will have 2 pigtails coming of it that connect to existing switch. Remove pig tails from switch then remove them from hot wire. Take hot wire and wire nut to black wire from 14-3. Remove switch leg on existing switch and connect to common terminal on three-way switches. Use black and white on 14-2 that was ran as travelers for fan and connect them to traveler terminal. Use red and white on 14-3 that was ran as other set of travelers. Connect grounds to ground crew
Screw in 3-way switch and dimmer
Screw switches into junction box at new location assuring that the switches are straight and align with the slots on cover plate. Apply cover keeping all screw parallel with each other not like the bottom right screw.
Screw in new 3-switches at existing location
Screw new 3-way switch into existing junction box insuring they are straight and are able to align with slots in cover plate.
Things to think about while doing this project.
Choosing the Right Spot: When picking your location for a new three-way switch, consider how you’ll get wires from point A to point B. In this case, I had an attic above me, making the installation fairly easy. Make sure there are no other switches or junction boxes directly on the other side of the wall. For example, I had to move my switch six inches over to ensure there was enough room for the junction box in the wall. Also, keep the location of the studs in mind—you don’t want to cut were a 2×4 is and damage your drywall. Once you’ve decided on the location, cut out the hole for the box, ensuring it is level.
Removing existing Box: When cutting the nails on your Junction box make sure to use a short metal blade. You also need to keep Saw Zaw at a good angle this allows it to reach the nail and cut it without damaging the drywall in the process. This also helps to ensure that you don’t hit the dry wall on the other side of the wall.
Drilling Holes: When drilling your hole in the attic, keep your drill straight and away from existing wires. This avoids unnecessary electrical or drywall repairs.
Selecting the Right Wire:
In my project the existing lights were on a 15amp circuit which requires 14-gauge wire. For this 3-way addition I ran a 14-2 and 14-3 Romex. Note that this might not work for all installations. My dimmer did not require a neutral wire, which is not always the case so make sure to check your devices. These two Romex wires also would not have worked if I wanted the dimmer in the kitchen were the existing switch was. The common on dimmers must come from power not the switch leg. To see were i got the wire diagram to the left click here.
Repair/Upgrade to Existing Outdoor Light.
I recently completed a job where I installed an outside light that was purchased by a customer. The existing light had been improperly installed, making it necessary to upgrade the materials to ensure a safe and functional installation. I carefully removed the old light and replaced it with the new one, following all proper procedures and guidelines to deliver a secure and professional result.
light repair before and after
Begining to repair a improperly installed light fixture
Existing light fixture and box are not rated for outdoor use. The wire is also not protected.
light switch
This image shows the light switch that controls the outdoor light fixture. It’s important to do your research and find out as much as you can about the existing light fixture. In this case, communication with the groundskeeper revealed that the light was on a switch and not constant power, there was also a note marking it as an outside light.
Using a Wire Tester/Tracer
This image shows a wire tester/tracer plugged into the light fixture. This is the first step in tracing the circuit to shut off the breaker, ensuring 100% safety. Even with the light being on a switch, there can be rare cases of back feed in the neutral wire, which can cause a shock if you only shut the switch off.
Scanning for the correct breaker
This image shows the process of scanning the breaker to find the correct one to shut off. This step ensures that the power is completely off, providing 100% safety during the project. If you don’t have a tool like this, you can turn on and of breakers until the light is off or just turn off the main breaker.
once breaker is found make sure it is in the off position.
This image shows the breaker in the shut-off position. Turning off the breaker is a crucial step to ensure safety during the project
Removed Light Fixture and Box
This image shows the wall where the existing light fixture and box were removed, leaving only the wire hanging out of the hole. This step is crucial for preparing the area for the installation of a new, outdoor-rated light fixture.
Prepared 3 O Bell Box
Prepared 3 O Bell box with sealtight connector and 12in piece of 1/2in seal tight for easy installation onto the wall in order to protect wire and giving the light fixture a whether proof box to be mounted to.
Mounted 3 O Bell Box
This image shows the new 3 O bell box and seal tight mounted on the wall. The wire has been fed into the seal tight and the seal tight has been inserted into the existing hole to protect the wire. I did not use a strap on the seal tight because the hole is within 12in of the box making it not needed in this install but you are going to want a strap within 12 in of the box. The 3 O bell box is then securely mounted on the wall using the mounting brackets.
Connecting wires
This image shows the process of connecting the wires from the new light fixture to the existing. wire from the building. This step ensures that the new light fixture is properly wired and ready for use. There is no existing ground so the grounding screw on bracket, bell box and the green grounding wire on light is not need. Continue to screw light to bracket insuring that all wires are tucked into box and is tightly secured to 3 O bell box with gasket provided with new light.
Turn breaker Back to on Position
Return to panel and switch breaker back to the on position.
Test light & insure everything is operating properly.
I turned the breaker back on and tested light to ensure the existing switch and new outdoor light are operating correctly. Everything worked great unfortunately the customer thought this was a motion light and I will return to and a dusk to dawn/motion sensor.
The first step in this project is to gather as much information as possible about the existing light. Determine if it is operated by a switch, has constant power, or if the light junction has any power at all. Thanks to communication with the groundskeeper, I knew the light was controlled by a switch inside the building, which was even marked with a note. The next step is to shut off the breaker. While you could shut off the switch, there is a chance the neutral wire could have a back feed, so it’s safest to shut off the power at the electrical panel. I used a breaker locator from Klien tools that you can purchase on amazon by clicking here. Alternatively, you can have a buddy help you by turning the light on and flip the breakers off and back on until the light turns off. In this case, my breaker finder identified the correct breaker by scanning beside the breakers. Once the power was shut off, I removed the existing light and box to begin the installation of the weatherproof 3 O bell box and LED light. The box was purchased at Home Depot and you can find it by clicking here. Keep in mind it comes in three different colors and are going to want to pick the one that best matches your light. I prepared the box by installing a 1/2in seal tight connector and a 12-inch piece of seal tight, ensuring all existing holes were plugged with the provided plugs. I also purchased this at Home Depot and you can view it by clicking here. I then slid the wire through the seal tight, inserting the end into the existing hole where the wire was coming out of the building. Fortunately, the hole was already large enough for the seal tight to fit. After securing the 3 O box to the wall, I installed the provided bracket and connected the wires. Typically, you would have a ground wire (plain copper or green) that connects to the grounding screw on the bracket and wire nut them all together, but in this case, there was no ground due to that age of the building. So, I connected all wires using wire nuts: white to white (neutrals) and black to black (hots). After securing the light to the bracket and ensuring all wires were inside the box, I adjusted the light and turned the breaker back on at the panel.
Motion Sensor Added to Outdoor light
To the left is a picture of the light after the motion sensor was installed, which I did not have at the time of installation. Although I forgot to take pictures of the process, I’ll walk you through it:
Remove the Light: First, remove the light and disconnect the wires.
Unscrew the Box: Unscrew the box from the wall. This allows you to remove the plug in the bottom of the box and screw in the motion detector. Leave the lock ring on; this allows you to tighten the motion sensor in your desired position.
Reconnect the Light: Proceed to reconnect your light. Take the neutral (white) wire from the light and sensor and connect it to the neutral coming from the house. Then connect the line wire (refer to the sensor instructions to identify line and load) from the sensor to the hot wire coming from the house. Finally, connect your load wire to the black hot wire coming from the light
Receptacle Addition Removing Extension Cords and Clutter
