How to Splice Hard Wires

The electrical wires in your walls provide a hard-wire or permanent electrical supply to lights and outlets. There are three wires in a typical residential electrical circuit. The black hot wire delivers the power from the electrical panel. The white wire is the path back to the source, and the green or bare wire is the ground. Splicing into these wires provides a parallel branch that is used to power another light or outlet socket.

Non-contact voltage detector
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Insulated wire (same gauge as the wire you are splicing into)
Pliers
Twist-on wire connectors

Instructions

- 1
  Turn off the power for the circuit you are working on at the home's electrical distribution panel. Confirm the power is off by touching a non-contact voltage detector to the wire's insulation. Double check the power is off by turning on a light or plugging in a working lamp.
- 2
  Cut the wire in the location you wish to make the spice with wire cutters.
- 3
  Strip 3/8 inch of insulation off both ends of the wire with wire strippers. Strip 3/8 inch of insulation off the insulated wire.
- 4
  Crimp the end of each bare wire with the pliers to leave groove marks from the pliers on the bare wire. This is to provide a rough surface to help the wires grab one another.
- 5
  Align all three bare wires beside one another and twist with pliers until they are joined.
- 6
  Install a twist-on wire connector on top of the twisted wires.

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