How to Replace Electric Wire in My Home's Attic

Slide on work gloves, a dust mask and safety glasses to protect skin, lungs and eyes, respectively. Ask an assistant for help and provide him with the same protective equipment. Work during the day, if possible, to benefit from the natural sunlight that will pour into attic windows.

Find the main circuit panel for your house, often located in a garage or basement, and turn off all power to the attic.

Climb into the attic. Use flashlights, if necessary, to provide additional light while you work.

Insert a non-contact voltage electrical tester into any outlet you wish to check or change. Look at the tester's prefabricated digital display to see if electrical power to the outlet is on or off. The tester is an additional protective measure to ensure protection against electric shock.

Unscrew the junction box plate. Unscrew the plug. Pull the plug out from the junction box.

Unscrew the wire screws holding the hot, neutral and ground wires. Pull the wire out from the junction box. Follow the wire along the rafters. Pull out wire staples to remove the wire until you reach the junction box used to connect the wire to wires coming up into the attic from lower floors. The connection junction box is often located at the bottom of a wall and includes a black faceplate. Disconnect the opposite end of the wire at the connection junction box.

Run a fresh 14-gauge cable from one junction box to another. Attach the cable to rafters and wall frames with wire staples. Position the cable between the staple spokes -- do not staple through the wire -- and fasten it to the rafters or frames. Apply a staple every 6 inches. Allow 8 inches of excess cable at each end of the wire.

Strip off 8 inches of outer plastic coating at each end of the 14-gauge cable. Three individual wires are now exposed at each end: a black (hot) wire, a white (neutral) wire and a green (ground) wire.

Run the individual wires into the connection junction box. Trim 1 inch of sheathing off each individual wire. Twist the exposed (hot) copper wire to the hot wire in the junction box. Turn a plastic wire nut onto the twisted copper wires to prevent them from touching the metal junction box. Repeat for the neutral wires. Screw the ground wire into the 5/16-inch ground screw using a nut driver. Tuck the wires into the box and screw on the faceplate.

Place the individual wires at the opposite end of the 14-gauge cable into the second junction box. Trim 1 inch of sheathing off each individual wire, as in step 9. Screw on the exposed (hot) copper wire to the brass screw on the fresh plug. Screw on the exposed (neutral) copper wire to the silver screw. Screw on the exposed (ground) copper wire to the green ground screw. Tuck the wires into the box and screw on the faceplate. Repeat these steps for additional wires and outlets.