Once-Important Electrical Knowledge Homeowners Don’t Need to Know Anymore

If you don't use a landline, why would you need to know how to wire a phone jack? See what other electrical skills DIYers don't need to keep up with anymore.

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how to replace phone jack

How to Replace a Phone Jack

Who has a land line anymore? More and more homeowners are ditching their land lines and opting for cell phones only. So knowing how to replace a dead phone jack is becoming less important to DIYers than learning how to cover up this no-longer-useful home fixture.

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how to wire a home audio system
Family Handyman

How to Wire a Home Audio System

Thanks to Alexa, homeowners can have a home audio system without running a mess of wires like what was required back in the day.

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install floor outlet
Family Handyman

How to Install a Floor Outlet

Fewer and fewer homeowners are finding floor outlets to be as useful as we once thought. It’s certainly a manageable DIY project for most homeowners, but do you really want to cut into your hardwood flooring?

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fix corroded coax cable
Family Handyman

How to Fix a Corroded Coax Cable

Homeowners are cutting the cord nowadays, opting for smart TVs and streaming services over good ol’ cable. If you’re moving toward to the cable-free camp, you won’t need to know how to replace the crimp-on ends of your coax with compression-type connectors.

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wire a doorbell
Family Handyman

How to Add Another Doorbell Chime

High-tech wireless doorbells with cameras and microphones are becoming the norm, quickly replacing their hardwired predecessors. Pretty soon, homeowners won’t need to know how to wire an old fashioned doorbell like this.

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Aluminum wiring
Aluminum Wiring

How to Install Aluminum Wiring

Many houses built between 1965 and 1972 were wired with aluminum instead of copper, which can be a fire hazard. Though DIYers no longer need to know how to run aluminum wiring throughout a home, updating the connections with sections of safer copper wire is important knowledge to have, if your home has aluminum wiring. Keep in mind, however, that it requires a trained electrician to make the updates.