Residential Electrician

Course List

Instruction Sets
Your program consists of nine Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you'll use in your new career.

Here's how it works
Your first Instruction Set will be sent immediately after your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with.

Note: Graduates of the Residential Electrician Program also earn 6 credits toward an Associate Degree in Industrial Electronics and Electrical Maintenance Technology at Penn Foster College.

Here is an overview of what you'll learn and the order in which you'll receive your lessons.

Instruction Set 1

Learning Strategies
The advantages of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations.

Getting Started as a Residential Electrician
Electricity simplified; house circuits; electrical distribution.

Instruction Set 2

Working Safely with Electricity
Classifications and categories; National Electrical Code® (NEC®); OSHA; shock; first aid.

Electricians’ Tools
Electricians’ equipment; metric conversion; measuring instruments.

Practical Exercise:
Electrical Fundamentals

Learning Aid:
DVD: Safe Use of Hand Tools

Equipment:
Parts Kit for Electrical Fundamentals

Instruction Set 3

Nature of Electricity
Simple circuit operation; conductors, insulators, and resistors; electrical symbols used in schematics.

Electrical Equipment, Part 1
Boxes and fittings; pull boxes and splice boxes; conductor and conduit fittings.

Electrical Equipment, Part 2
Devices and loads; switches, relays, thermostats, remote controls, control diagrams, fuses.

Practical Exercise:
Installing Electrical Equipment

Learning Aid:
DVD: Installing Switches, Receptacles, and Lampholders

Equipment:
Combination Wiring Tool
Screwdriver Set
Safety Goggles
Parts Kit for Installing Electrical Equipment

Instruction Set 4

Conductors
Properties and characteristics of conductors; installing and connecting wires and cables in residential circuits; sizing conductors.

Working with Conduit
Installing conduit fittings and supports; tools used to bend conduit; determining conductor and conduit sizing.

Practical Exercise:
Conduit and Conductors

Learning Aid:
DVD: Doing Conduit Work

Equipment:
Parts Kit for Conduit and Conductors

Instruction Set 5

Wiring Electrical Components, Part 1
Cabling and boxes; three-phase circuits; mounting and wiring boxes.

Wiring Electrical Components, Part 2
Devices and fixtures; lamp control; wiring lamp holders; major appliance and space heater wiring.

Math for the Trades
Basic math operations; English and metric measurement; using a protractor; using formulas to solve problems.

Circuit Analysis and Ohm’s Law
Finding the total resistance in series, parallel, and series-parallel circuits; using Ohm’s Law; reading current, voltage, and resistance with a meter.

Working with Multimeters
Performing tests for short circuits; performing resistance tests; measuring current and output voltage.

Practical Exercise:
Working with Circuits

Learning Aid:
DVD: Special Wiring Applications

Equipment:
Digital Multimeter
Parts Kit for Working with Circuits

Instruction Set 6

Electric Heating
Use and measurement of heat; liquid, gas, and resistance thermometers; ultrasonic and solar heating.

Controls for Air Conditioning
Controls for heating, cooling, ventilating, and humidifying; pressure, humidity, and air cleaning.

Reading Electrical Schematic Diagrams
Electrical drawings; schematic symbols; distribution circuits and symbols.

Practical Exercise:
Wiring HVAC Circuits

Learning Aid:
HVAC System Schematic

Instruction Set 7

Electrical Blueprint Reading
Parts of blueprint, including conduit, cable list, and bill of material; symbols and abbreviations.

Wiring Electrical Circuits
Feeder and branch circuits; wiring a residence; portable, fixed, and stationary appliances.

Transformers
Connections of single-phase or polyphase
transformers; autotransformers; maintenance.

Practical Exercise:
Advanced Electrical Work

Instruction Set 8

The National Electrical Code®
Working with and interpreting codes; how the code applies to commonly-encountered tasks.

NEC® Graded Project
Evaluating actual wiring diagrams to locate code violations; laying out a portion of a wiring diagram to conform to the NEC.®

Learning Aid:
Residential Wiring Diagram

Textbooks:
National Electrical Code®
Understanding the National Electrical Code®

Supplement:
Work Experience Option

Instruction Set 9

Troubleshooting Electrical Systems
Common problems that occur in electrical systems; basic troubleshooting steps.

Electrical Estimating
Residential, commercial, and industrial electrical installation.

The Business of Electrical Contracting
Employee management; organization; insurance; business costs; bidding; dealing with customers; and business growth.

Textbook:
Electrical Estimating

Graduation Set
(Sent to you when all program requirements and financial obligations have been met.)

• Journeyman Exam Preparation Guide

 

Online Library and Librarian
Students in Penn Foster Career School have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and to assist students in research activities during their studies with Penn Foster Career School.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.

You must have completed the 8th grade to enroll in this program.

National Electric Code and NEC are trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.