As a 40 + year electrician the thing that really bothers me is guys who trim the wires to the exact length when terminating to the breakers, and then bundling the wires so tightly that troubleshooting individual wires is impossible. A service panel will probably last 40 years or more and many modifications are going to take place after you are long gone. Circuits will be added, breakers replaced and loads will get moved around. Also, the heating and cooling of conductors will cause them to expand and contract, allow for this movement. Always, always, always leave an extra loop of wire inside the panel. Run the wire down past it's breaker a few inches and then come back up to terminate. Trimming a panel isn't an art contest, it's all about function, safety and future servicing. The need for splicing wires in a service panel because they are too short is bad practice and usually frowned upon by inspectors.

Just watched the installing an EV charger, top notch! I really appreciate your attention to detail, level, well anchored etc. Its evident you take pride in your work. All those tips learned from experience. I’m learning a lot from your videos….THANK YOU!!

I love your videos!!! As an electrical apprentice your videos provide so much information and code that helps me out alot

Keep it up brother! You are a great teacher. Your videos are very nice and organized! Very informative and clear

Thank you. You are my go to Pro for electrical.

You sound so patient and gentle talking about how not to fuck up the panel that it's making me laugh. I'm usually like, "WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THIS? FOR FUCKS SAKE STOP DOING THAT." I'm here after watching you install that Leviton panel from the future. Man I really like your style. You're a great example for people looking to run their own company someday. Keep it up!

I just discovered your videos and wish I had had them decades ago! I am a long time (40+ years) DIY'er who has done a lot of electrical work in the course of three historic home remodels. While I am now comfortable with almost all residential electrical, there is always something to learn. Your videos are great. You are concise, articulate, and focus on the details and tips that most electricians are reluctant to share. I am amazed (and disappointed) that you have only 8000 views on this video....you should have 800,000. Keep up the good work. Cheers, bob

Very good advice. I appreciate it.

One of my pet pieves is when i open up a panel or j box and find all the metal shavings from where they drilled their KOs in the bottom. Use your magnet on your level and clean that mess out

Yes sawdust and debris at the bottom of a stud bay by sloppy builders is a fire hazard also. Good point about the panel screw also! Only problem is when the hole becomes stripped out and you have to use a larger screw, choose a new screw carefully.

Ok i was hoping for a little more than that, but in fairness those are all valid points.

In Canada we use push in Style as you can put 2 14/2 wires in the same hole. In Canada we are not allowed to Ty wrap wires in a bundle

Just found your videos. Excellent! Straight to the point. No jibba-jabber. I just subbed. Also, you said "half inch in front of drywall" at the end. I assume you meant half inch in front of the framing? When talking about bushings and connectors, I suggest showing a closeup of the hardware so we know exactly what you're talking about. Though I've worked with the two-screw connectors, I haven't worked much with panels and wondered if these were special bushings you were referring to.

I gotta change out the screws that hold my panel cover on! The ones that came with the house are the pointy, little ones, and I don't want stuff to be dangerous and/or not up to code!

Joel looks like the Bob Ross of electrical instruction... “We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”

What a great way to connect wires vs wire nuts. I ordered the 90 piece kit! Thanks. One question - is there a similar way to connect #8 wire? I've wired a stove outlet with some existing wire I had lying around so I didn't have to purchase more, but found the outlet was 6" too high. I would really to 'simply' extend these #8 wires. Any recommendations?

In addition I always push the wires away from where the screws enter the panel just to make sure the wires dont contact the screws.

I just watched your video about installing the 220 outlet for an EV. Probably the best DIY video I've watched on You Tube. Last year, I was going to put a Hot Tub on my back deck and the Electrician wanted about 3k to install a 220 outlet out back. Does that seem right? Good to know you're in Indy. I live in Lawrence.

Thanks god bless

Thank you for your post A question please how would one identify the common wire 100amp the ground where is Marked but not the common it's been installed in the pipe underground Thank you for your time

don't know if the 2x4 close in, but i do know the box expands out. especially in the middle.

How should the cables enter a free standing panel do we need cable glands in such panels?

Ooh ooh I get to be the keyboard electrician that names one more: If those wires up top are zip tied together for more that 24 inches they are subject to bundling codes and need to be derated. Don't zip tie them they- they get stapled to a 2x4 in the bay instead (if the local musicality requires that) Thanks for the video!

Quick question, where can I find code reference on the blunt screw for the panel cover?

I was changing a light switch in my kitchen. I tried to locate the circuit breaker to disconnect the power, but after trying each one separately, the power was still on. I then turned off all of them, and the power to the switch was off. I then started to turn each breaker on, one at a time, and the power finally came back on so I thought I now knew what breaker controlled the switch. So, I turned the rest of the on and turned off the breaker that I identified. Guess what? The power remained on. Turns out that the electrician who installed the switch initially had the switch on two breakers. Since the electrician did this work about 3 years ago, I called him and told him what I found. He said it wasn't dangerous and said, "You can leave it that way if you want, or I can come over next week and fix it. I chose to wait and have him fix it. He said the reason why this happens is because "we never turn off power in the box while working and it was just missed." This is a problem when they take short cuts when doing electric work. After he fixes this, I will never use him again.

When the sub panel door is open, is it normal to have a gap on the top and bottom of the panel? It’s out doors and it exposes the wood and insulation.

Very helpful video, thumbs up, but.... drywall isn't always 1/2"

Do all breakers trip to the centre? Mine are stab-loc federal pioneer .

Can you leave extra breakers inside the panel box?

Is there Vapor barrier behind your panel? In my area bundling more than 3 wires together is a code violation. I noticed you had all of your wires tie wrapped together.

The raceway or conduit is not directly connected to the panel. It's code to bond the ground to the outlet box.?

I prefer the push in bushings over the 2 screw ones because once thats drywalled you are not undoing the 2 screw connector with out removing rock. The panel lip may need to be 5/8 out as in certain locales garage wall to house wall is 5/8'. So set the screw in center so it can be adjusted after ock is in if needed,

@electricproacademy- Looking to move an outside A/C unit to the other side of my garage. Is it a code requirement to run the 10/3 inside conduit above the blocks in the rafters. Clearly need conduit from box to rafters. I see lots of other wire 12/2 - 14/2 in the wild (no conduit) in my rafters. Thanks for the great videos!!

Many garages use 5/8 inch type X gypsum board not 1/2 inch.

Was an electrical inspector for 20 years. I’ll always remember this one electrician that left cigarette butts at the bottom of his new panel installation. What a sloth he was!

Why would they run neutral and ground wires behind the buss bars?

No where in the NEC does it specify blunt tip screws, only that it is securely fastened with a fastener... I get where your headed, but I have also seen these panel screws nick wires when the wires are passing in a bundle passed a screw hole. The screws you are referring to are a special kind of hardened thread generating screw. They are only available from an electrical supply house.

1. Don't use incompatible breakers. 2. Don't leave debris in the panel. 3. Romex must enter through protective connector. 4. Use blunt tipped fasteners for the panel cover. 5. Panel must emerge 1/2 inch past studs. 6. Watch the "working space" video

Another thing not to do is all those home runs coming into/out of the panel…they’re bunched up in two major bundles. Try to avoid that and go with no more than three or so. Heat is a killer in bundles like that.

Shouldn’t you have a point of attachment for all wires entering the panel within 12” of the top of the panel?

As a sparky in the Netherlands is am amazed about the number off group switches as we call them.(translated in english off course!)Is this for a normal house or for a factory or what?I know your houses are in general bigger than ours,but still,thats a lot off switches!

Felt like I was listening to a DIY guy talking about electrical.

Hey bro so we aren’t gonna talk about the zip ties holding the wires together isn’t that bundling here in Oregon it’s illegal I guess it varies state to state huh. Great videos man !

Without reading through all the comments, Is the main breaker feeding this panel within sight?

Does the romex insulation have to be removed right after entering the panel or can it stay on until close to the termination connections? Stripping the last 5” is easier than 24”.

Writing on scraps of insulation with a sharpie is not worth the time. Open that panel up in a few years and you most likely will find the sharpie ink soaked in to the insulation making it totally not readable. Weird but true.

After that panel is closed up and drywall is installed there is no way your adding additional circuits thur an existing romex connector. Good luck if your on an outside wall.

UL requires the square head screws on the assembled unit that's shipped to the customer. Everybody knows these screws get lost. There should be six more screws inside the panel attached and labeled "Spare non-piercing panel cover safety screws." And allow as an alternate mechanical shielding that prevents wires from being in harms way. Until something like this is done, asking a homeowner to go to the hardware store to buy a special screw that they don't even understand is all you can offer, yet dysfunctional from a regulatory perspective. Before I knew what I know now, I left missing screws still missing, and I left replacement screws in place when I opened panel boards in the past. After I finished writing this I'm going to buy a bunch of spares for my toolbox.

I see several white wires attached to breakers, in our jurisdiction these need to be covered at each end with black or red tape at both ends of the run.

A solution for a panel that is flush with the stud and has no reveal is? Thanks

Zip-tied Romex bundles outside the top of the box are a no-no.....No?

It's not an electrical issue, but why aren't the side tabs of those fiberglass batts stapled to the studs? What good is the vapor barrier if it's left open? That is an open invitation to unnecessary air infiltration.

Eaton "could" seek to expand their listing to accept Square-D, but seemingly helping the competition is not what shareholders are looking for. But if Eaton wanted to disrupt the market with a universal panel, killing panel sales for everyone else... Also this making their own breakers in a commodity, driving down prices for all brands of breakers (that are now stupid expensive), they could. However, they would have to chase all new breakers released by all others and pay for compatibility tests. The fat money is in the fancy new breakers that protect most in 30 years when outlets become sloppy loose, that improperly torqued screw didn't matter until some day a space heater is plugged in... These c a f c i and GFCI plus CAFCI breakers have little circuit boards, capacitors, failure prone solder joints, and are in a thermal cycling environment. These breakers are to protect houses burning down after they age, the one exception being they should also trip when deficient power strips are in the chain of the continuous power appliances like space heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and even refrigerators in the freezers. I support using the new circuit breakers, as an electrical engineer who has designed safety circuits and who has investigated fires, but the way this is playing out with very expensive breakers in a monopolistic market is causing a lot of workarounds, and horribly likely preventing people from upgrading old panels and fuse boxes and federal Pacific boxes because the new panel with its compliment of breakers could run $800 before the electrician's labor is even counted.

Fire barrier is 5/8 drywall

So what is the "SMOKES" circuit?

If a panel is designed to be between studs why are there twice as much knock outs or even at all on the sides for cable entry?

Shouldn't bundle wires going into box like that. Overheating could result. Give wires breathing room.

Son, you are not allowed to strap wires with cable ties like that :) that's a failed inspection in my state

I'd watch zip-tying bundles of conductors after they exit the panel. This is not a good idea. This can cause heat build-up between the conductors due to lack of air circulation.

Assuming that wall is insulated because it’s an exterior wall your video shows one of my pet peeves, putting the panel in an exterior wall that the code requires to be insulated to R-15 or R-20 and because of the panel there ends up being a cavity that is roughly R-0. I’ve encountered situations where the panel was so cold there was condensation all over inside, not good! There’s too many of us willing to be “that guy” because it saves us 10 minutes of work or a couple of bucks in wire. I would love to see a building inspector fail a final building inspection for this reason and make the electrician move the panel at his expense.

#6 You need insulation covered.

The push in connectors are reusable.

Hahaha try to find the right breakers during this times haah

You missed the elephant in the room when stating the breaker vs. panel compatibility. There are many panels out there where the original mfgr. is no longer in business. And some of those do NOT have an official replacement by another mfgr....although there are breakers made that fit and work well. There are arguments over this all the time.. The code is vague, but seems to cover it..No...you do not have to tear out your panel (at least last time I checked) even though there are no "official" replacement being mfgd. And as far as push in vs. 2 screw connectors. Are you kidding? Use what you want. We do remodels and have to deal with this type of thing every single day. For starters,..cutting (and repairing afterward) the sheetrock along the top is by far a bigger pain than dealing with the metal vs. plastic connectors that are the next thing to deal with.

That's funny. A square d breaker is a much better breaker than a ge or any other lesser breaker. Cutler hammer is good too since they use square D internal workings. Too bad they don't cross list them. The whole purpose for homeline panels is so homeowners can interchange breakers. I personally would never install a homeline, don't trust the aluminum bus bars. And why would you want someone putting a ge breaker in a square D or ch panel.

So what do I do to cover all the wires that are not in conduit to a back mounted panel on back porch of 120 old house. I’ll need room to run all the new wires as I eliminate the tube and knob wires. Currently no framing no conduit.

We can't use Romex in Chicago most of these videos are useless to us

Every machine thread screw is blunt end...

Although it looks nice, you have too many cables bundled together and need to derate them. Better practice would be to put a nailer board above the panel.

Ok rain man

I notice you have ring on your finger ?

@4:07 You mis-spoke and said half inch in front of drywall...

Interesting many of his so called shorts were actually bad connections, Shocking how many electricians agreed with this error.

1) Cables CAN enter a panel without a connector in some jurisdictions. In the Southwest (AZ), our panels are almost exclusively placed outdoors and all the cables enter through a single large bushing in the back. It may not be NEC compliant but it is allowed here and has been the standard since the 60''s.

fire code requires 5/8 fire rated drywall not soft 1/2in

Nothing about that panel would pass Canadian codes LOL

Dam These American measurements sure fcking confusing

No words about NOT USING a driver to tighten Romex and mc connectors!!!? You would get a box of cat asses from me....have a nice day.

Ew... music... boo

You used the non word “umh” only once, unlike Benjamin… from another channel. He was prolific in the use of the non words and I was compelled to unsubscribe!

Stop trying to scare people. Give me a bucking break

This guy knows nothing about breakers he is she seeing what he is told

Dude you don’t know what you are talking about. Cover screws are not available.

Like you have never made a mistake....or still make mistakes.....Give us a break....As a City Inspector for a major city in California.....Trust me, your not perfect and I would LOVE to inspect your work. Without you knowing I was coming.....just sayin. Great tips...but try not to act so clean as a whistle.....

Studpack subscriber reporting in 🫡

Pretty sure you are wrong about the breaker compatibility. See reference linked below from Eaton themself. www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/low-voltage-power-distribution-controls-systems/circuit-breakers/classified-circuit-breakers/ul-classified-replacement-circuit-breakers-sa00304001e.pdf