I removed a dishwasher and now the wires are exposed. I turned off the circuit to that outlet. I am planning on waiting a while to replace the dishwasher. I want to turn the circuit back on so I can use the other outlets, but don't want to leave the wires exposed. Any ideas?
Congratulations on getting the dishwasher removed. That certainly is the hardest part. Here are a couple of suggestions 1) You can use wire nuts (if you have any) or use Black Electrical tape. It's very inexpensive, (does not conduct electricity) and you can find it at most grocery store and hardware stores. Wrap each wire independently with plenty of tape, then wrap a good layer of tape around both (wrapped) wires. The next thing to do , is to make sure the electrical wire does not touch the floor (in case of a water leak etc..) Coil up the wire, (close to where is comes out of the wall) and use the black electrical tape to fasten / wrap around it. 2) You could add a (on/off) switch on that line. Put the on/off switch in a safe and easy place to access... even with a dishwasher installed! That way you don't have to turn off the whole circuit, just that individual line to the dishwasher. Hope this help!
There are little caps that twist on to wires for just that purpose. Go to any hardware store and explain the problem. they will give you what you need and tell you just how to use them. Once capped, you can use the other outlets with no danger. Duct tape will work temporarily, if you wrap each one separately and make sure they don*t touch each other.
Are they in an electrical box,or just hanging there? Either way, you need to twist them (individually) screw the proper sized wire nut on to them, then wrap some electrical tape around them. If they have a box, you can just put a cover on it. If they are just dangling out of the wall,( very unusual,but you never know) Just put a plain cover over them, after wrapping them. After they have been wrapped separately, it will be safe to turn the breaker back on. Use a electrical tester before touching any electrical wiring,even after you think you have turned the breaker off. I almost killed myself thinking the breaker I shut off lead to the particular wire I was working on. Come to find out, a switch to a light, and an outlet not more then a foot away from that ,were pigtailed on to separate circuits. Don't ever guess, or assume nothing when working around electricity. Byee
N.E.C. code requires the wires to be placed in a box with a blank plate. use wire-nuts or black tape on the wires
wire nuts that can hold 1 .. 14awg wire or a bit smaller... twist one on each individual wire and give it a little tug, it sould not come out, then wrap some electrical tape around each of them
