Wiring diagram

miamicanes

Active Member
I'm trying to create something resembling a formal wiring diagram for my bathroom so I'll be able to come up with a coherent shopping list for things like wire, boxes, etc... and have some future idea how it's all physically routed once the walls are covered up again and all I have to go by are my notes.

Is there any free/trial software that's particularly good for creating wire diagrams and enables you to convey information like:

* Color of wire insulation
* Wire gauge (12 or 14)
* Circuit
* physical path through specific conduit between specific junction boxes
etc?

Ideally, maybe a program that let you define your junction boxes and conduits, then create a wire, show where it originates (pigtail from a circuit, a switch, etc), then click your way through its route through pigtails and conduit until it gets to its final destination?

I've tried experimenting with various types of written annotations, like

* referring to boxes as @x, where 'x' is a number identifying the box (@0 is the main service panel, @1 is the switchbox in the master bedroom through which all the wires coming from the service panel to the second floor pass, @2 is a switchbox in the master bath, etc)

* referring to conduit as [x,y] where x and y are junction box numbers, so [1,2] would be the conduit connecting junction box #1 and junction box #2

* referring to circuits as 'A', 'B', 'C', etc, where each circuit originates from a specific breaker.

* referring to branches as Xn, where 'X' is the circuit letter, and 'n' is a unique number. So if I had a light connected through a 3-way switch to circuit 'D', its two traveler wires might be D7 and D8. This is approximately the point where my scheme starts to get ugly and break down.

Any suggestions, either for annotation strategies or software to make the job more straightforward?
 
I was expecting something from my builder/electrician for my new construction home, but it trully seems like they pretty much wing it.

I walked though with them and they marker on the studs and floor/ceilings where the light switches and outlets were going and then they run the cables/romex without any particular plan it seems. The end result seemed fine although in a few place you can see they changed the initial plan and took a new route of a route coudl have been simpler if they'd taken a step back and looked at it more carefully. In the end the electrons don't care too much about a few ft of extra distance so it's doesnt really matter.

Whats the reason you need conduit? Can't you do romex by itself in the walls?
 
I snagged the blueprints for my house from the city, scanned them in in sections, stitched them together, and now I have a HUGE TIFF that I can markup using OmniGraffle/Visio/whatever.

Sounds like Visio or Omnigraffle would be your best bet for what you are looking for.
 
To be honest, I'm not exactly a fan of Romex. Let's just say I've nailed and drilled through Romex twice since high school. There won't be a third time if I can help it :)

The conduit in question is already there... it's a 3/4" metal conduit cast into the second floor's suspended slab. Right now it's carrying 5 wires. At this point, it looks like it's going to be carrying 7 when I'm through, down from the 10 I was originally planning.

As far as electricians planning goes, I've found at least two conduits so far that weren't even used for anything. The blueprints I got from the City show where things like outlets and switches are supposed to be (sort of), but left the details 100% up to the electrician. The electrician just kind of hacked and slashed through whatever happened to be in the way, and left two or three sections of steel studs so completely compromised, the drywall and screws were literally the only things holding it together!.

In one spot, the electricians apparently didn't quite put the outlet in the right spot, and had to move it after spraying the insulation on the wall. If it's not obvious, there used to be a big mirror above the sink.
 

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Whoops... can't forget the pic that explains everything. I guess longnecks didn't exist yet in 1982 :)
 

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