Electrical Plans
Specifications and Requirements Notes
Verify placement and completeness of required fixtures
1. Outlets
2. Lights
3. Switches and switch leg connectors
4. Miscellaneous fixtures A. Exhaust fan B. Ceiling fan C. TV d. Telephone E. Smoke detector F. Push button and chimes/bells/buzzer
Placement of switches
1. Place on the latch side of the door/entrance
2. Closet switches are placed on the outside of the closet.
3. Lights for hallways, stairs, and garages are controlled from both ends
4. Large rooms with two or more exits have multiple switches
5. Each room must have at least one light controlled by a switch
Placement of outlets
1. Consider furniture and appliance placement
2. For rooms other than kitchens, outlets should average one per every 6’ of wall.
3. Kitchen appliance outlets should average one per every 4’ of wall.
4. Hall outlets should be placed every 15’
5. An outlet should be placed no further than 6’ from each room corner.
6. Each appliance should have an outlet.
7. Each bathroom should have at least two outlets with at least one above the sink or counter.
8. Include weatherproof outlets on each side of the exterior.
9. Position outside outlets for decorative lights.
10. Must include at least one outlet in attic and crawl space
11. Ground fault outlets must be located where the danger of grounding exists near water sources.
Placement of lights
1. Provide enough foot-candles of illumination for the required activity.
2. Plan for light over the dining room table.
3. Include lights on the exterior for general illumination and decoration. A. Connected to motion detectors for security B. Need to be waterproof
4. Include lighting for stairs and halls.
Electrical Fixture Plan
1. Shows approximate placement of fixtures a. Does not include circuit design b. Does not consider electrical loads
2. Electrical fixtures can be shown on the working floor plan, however information should not be crowded and difficult to read. A. Draw electrical symbols on an abbreviated floor plan to prevent crowding the information. B. On CAD floor plans, layers created for various details can be turned off, providing just the basic wall outline layer.
Electrical Symbols
1. Drawn in approximate locations
2. Placement A. Standard placement 1) 48” high for switches 2) 12” high for outlets B. Where switches and outlets vary from their normal vertical placement, note the dimensional change along with the symbol.
3. Connect switches to the devices that they control by drawing a curved, dashed line.
4. A symbol legend should be provided on the drawing.
5. Except in special situations, dimensions are not provided.
Guided Practice
Guided Practice:
1. Create the Electrical symbols library in a AutoCAD .dwg document. Click here for Symbols.
2. Save_as: LastName_Electrical.dwg
3. Print a hard copy of the Electrical symblos document and submit
4. Start a new AutoCAD .dwg drawing and save_as LastName_Garage_ElectricPlan.dwg
5. Recreate the garage floor plan (click here) and add the electrical symbols to the drawing
6. Garage will be drawn on a B-size sheet of paper
7. Follow Dimensions and notes when creating the garage.
8. Plot a PDF document.
Independant Study
Guided Practice:
1. Print the floor plan document here.
2. Using the colored pencils add the appropriate electrical symbols to the floor plan.
3. Reference the information at the top of the page for receptacle placement.
4. Reference the information above to add the correct light switches.
5. Add interior and exterior lighting.
6. Add a thermostat.
7. Add Fire Detectors.
8. Add TV/Cable outlet.
9. Run wiring from switch to light throughout floor plan.
10. Add ceiling fan to Living room and Bedroom.
11. Turn in when you are finished.