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dyne posted:Thanks for the advice. You're right, I can't put a sub-panel in the attic because I have one of those fold down stairway entrances to it. I've also heard about the GFCI thing, but half the outlets in the house don't work as-is and we need to add a bunch anyways I plan on doing a similar project in my two story house. What I'm going to do is bore a hole in one of my non-load bearing walls all the way down to the basement big enough to run probably trade size 1 1/2 or 2. I'll run my wires through that all the way from basement to second floor. Plus, since i'll have a bit of extra fill that if I ever need to run any other wires through, I can use the same conduit without making any more holes. All you have to do is secure the conduit and put a Jbox on each end. Once you come out of the box you anchor accordingly depending on where your wires are going. As far as your circuits you will need one 20 amp for your bathroom, probably 2 20s for your bedrooms and hallway to be safe and one 15a lighting circuit for the entire floor. You're looking at at least 57 amps of load for your wires. So use 6 awg wire for your home run.
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Oct 20, 2009 07:33
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Dragyn posted:You know, I can't find this stuff anywhere, and I live 5 minutes from both Home Depot and Lowes. You made the head too big. Sucks to be you. You can try to have someone at the other end feed the wire in; you'd be surprised how that little effort on the other end will help you. That pulling lube would also have helped. They put it in different places, most times it's in an endcap or on some random shelf somewhere. Ask around; the employees may know.
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Oct 20, 2009 16:44
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:You made the head too big. Sucks to be you. Well I can still use the lube at this point, as the turn I have to get it up is vertical at the end of the pipe in my garage, just pour some down onto the rope/wire/tape. The wire is running about 50 feet from the other end of the pipe, pushing it from the other side just bends it at this point, too far from the head sadly. Going to try some more tonight. Failing this, I'm going to try it from the other direction, may be a bit easier.
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Oct 20, 2009 16:56
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RedReverend posted:I plan on doing a similar project in my two story house. What I'm going to do is bore a hole in one of my non-load bearing walls all the way down to the basement big enough to run probably trade size 1 1/2 or 2. I'll run my wires through that all the way from basement to second floor. Plus, since i'll have a bit of extra fill that if I ever need to run any other wires through, I can use the same conduit without making any more holes. All you have to do is secure the conduit and put a Jbox on each end. Once you come out of the box you anchor accordingly depending on where your wires are going. So supporting the wire on a 2 story vertical run is not necessary if it's through conduit? Can the conduit just be secured in the attic or basement? If I use a single 6awg wire from the main panel to the attic, wouldn't that really just be 1 circuit for the entire upstairs (note: I can't use a subpanel in the attic).
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Oct 20, 2009 20:33
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dyne posted:So supporting the wire on a 2 story vertical run is not necessary if it's through conduit? Can the conduit just be secured in the attic or basement? Right, the wire is considered supported in conduit, or at least I cant find anything in the code that says otherwise. Assuming you are using PVC, the conduit needs to be supported within 3 feet of the top and bottom and if using #1 1/2 or #2 then every 5 feet thereafter. Right, I missed where you said that you aren't putting a subpanel up there. Then you'll need all of those circuits to be home runs. So you'll need 3 runs of 12/2 and one run of 14/2. Have you thought about maybe putting a subpanel on your second floor somewhere? It might save you money, running the #6 up there instead of 4 homeruns. I plan on putting it on a wall in my hallway and hanging a picture over it so nobody has to see it. RedReverend fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Oct 21, 2009 |
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Oct 21, 2009 00:09
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RedReverend posted:Have you thought about maybe putting a subpanel on your second floor somewhere? It might save you money, running the #6 up there instead of 4 homeruns. I plan on putting it on a wall in my hallway and hanging a picture over it so nobody has to see it. I'm not so sure about this. The discount you get on buying a 1000' spool of 12/2 romex probably outweighs the cost of the subpanel and #6. And don't bother running 14/2 anywhere. Just get the 1000' of 12/2 and use that for everything. You can connect it to 15A breakers if you've got 15A only outlets, then if you (or anyone who ever lives in that house) wants to upgrade to 20A outlets, you're set. Material isn't the biggest cost in this project: it's time. Spend the few extra bucks and make it overbuilt, since you're saving THOUSANDS of dollars by doing it yourself. Also, panels must be "readily accessible. Capable of being reached quickly... without requiring those to whom access is requisite to... remove obstacles...." So no pictures over your breaker panel. Also, no panels in bathrooms or over stairs. You have to wonder why there are specific rules not to put a panel in a bathroom, don't you?
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Oct 21, 2009 06:07
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dyne posted:So supporting the wire on a 2 story vertical run is not necessary if it's through conduit? Can the conduit just be secured in the attic or basement? Type NM cable (romex) is permitted to be unsupported where the cable is fished between access points through concealed spaces in finished buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable. So, 2 stories vertical is fine. Just remember to support it: within 12" of every box, and every 4.5ft thereafter, using staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, etc.
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Oct 21, 2009 06:12
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I'm not so sure about this. The discount you get on buying a 1000' spool of 12/2 romex probably outweighs the cost of the subpanel and #6. Yes, I'm aware of the codes about accessibility. And when the inspector comes by there won't be anything covering the panel. After he's gone though, my wife won't want to look at that panel.  You are right though, I hadn't priced the 12/2 vs #6 w/panel so was just guessing as to it probably being cheaper.
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Oct 21, 2009 15:45
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Red, if you really, really want to futureproof, then put in media jacks with conduit to them. That way you don't have to tear open the walls in your living space anymore to run any cables in the future. Proper structured cabling would run all those conduits back to one central location (expensive), but you can get by cheaper just running them to non-living space, like an attic or basement.
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Oct 21, 2009 20:22
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Upon trying to replace the wall sconce in my bathroom, I found that there wasn't a box in the wall, the old fixture was just screwed into the drywall. With the light I'm replacing it with, this isn't an option. There's a small hole in the drywall to accomodate the bx line, and there are no studs upon which I could mount a box (At least, not while maintaining a center on my mirror). Does a metal 2 gang old work/rehab box exist? I've seen single gang metal ones, and up to 4 gang plastic ones, but that's it. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Oct 27, 2009 |
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Oct 27, 2009 19:34
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Slugworth posted:Upon trying to replace the wall sconce in my bathroom, I found that there wasn't a box in the wall, the old fixture was just screwed into the drywall. With the light I'm replacing it with, this isn't an option. There's a small hole in the drywall to accomodate the bx line, and there are no studs upon which I could mount a box (At least, not while maintaining a center on my mirror). Most of the metal cut-in boxes I've dealt with are modular. You can unscrew one side plate on two single-gang boxes and they just stack and screw together to make a double-gang. I think these are called "gangable" boxes. The side plates may have anchor wings or you may be using f-wings.
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Oct 28, 2009 01:13
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Slugworth posted:Does a metal 2 gang old work/rehab box exist? I've seen single gang metal ones, and up to 4 gang plastic ones, but that's it. Have you thought about using a Ceiling fan Old Work box? Placed horizontally between the studs, it should be within code.
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Oct 28, 2009 14:29
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insanity74 posted:Are you saying that you plan to use a ganged switch box to support a light? Wow, they make ceiling fan boxes for old work? You'd imagine that with all the vibration from the fan, it'd crumble the drywall it's holding onto would crumble to dust after awhile.
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Oct 28, 2009 16:16
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kid sinister posted:Wow, they make ceiling fan boxes for old work? You'd imagine that with all the vibration from the fan, it'd crumble the drywall it's holding onto would crumble to dust after awhile. That one looks like it braces to the ceiling joists. I don't know how you would use one if you didn't have access though short of doing some new ceiling work.
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Oct 28, 2009 16:21
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stubblyhead posted:I don't know how you would use one if you didn't have access though short of doing some new ceiling work.
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Oct 28, 2009 17:17
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insanity74 posted:Are you saying that you plan to use a ganged switch box to support a light?
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Oct 28, 2009 23:06
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I have a Siemens panel (200A) in my recently purchased house (2003 construction). One thing I have discovered and been unable to rectify is that the none of the outside outlets seem to work. Upon looking at the panel, there is an open spot covered in a electrical tape where it appears a breaker once was. So my sharp deductive reasoning leads me to believe that for some reason the previous homeowner removed the breaker for the outside outlets and never replaced it. Why he did this is mystery and I have no way of contacting him to see why. The outlets appear to be in good condition and I have no reason to believe there may be a wiring fault that would cause him to totally remove the breaker. I purchased a replacement 15A breaker, however when I got home I noticed that I had a Square D QO HOM breaker where the rest of the breakers in the panel are Siemens QP breakers. The QO appears to fit and there seems to be some suggestions on the Internet that these are compatible parts. My question is can I safely substitute the SquareD breaker for the Siemens (and does this violate code?) or will my panel box explode in a shower of sparks? Furthermore, should I just break down and contact an electrician to try and diagnose why the previous homeowner removed the breaker in the first place? tl;dr: Can I substitute a Siemens QP breaker for a Square D QO breaker and not violate code or the safety of my family.
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Oct 31, 2009 16:34
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skeetio posted:I have a Siemens panel (200A) in my recently purchased house (2003 construction). One thing I have discovered and been unable to rectify is that the none of the outside outlets seem to work. Upon looking at the panel, there is an open spot covered in a electrical tape where it appears a breaker once was. So my sharp deductive reasoning leads me to believe that for some reason the previous homeowner removed the breaker for the outside outlets and never replaced it. Why he did this is mystery and I have no way of contacting him to see why. The outlets appear to be in good condition and I have no reason to believe there may be a wiring fault that would cause him to totally remove the breaker. Is this the breaker you bought? http://ecatalog.squared.com/fulldetail.cfm?partnumber=HOM120 Without knowing why the previous homeowner taped if off, it's impossible to say whether energizing it is safe or not- did a worker put a nail through a wire somewhere? Was a neighbor constantly stealing power? Who knows. grover fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Oct 31, 2009 |
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Oct 31, 2009 18:16
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I'm trying to get access to the main circuit breaker of my building, in order to clarify some conflicting data about its amperage, but I've run into an unexpected obstacle - I can't open the box! It's inside a standard electrical equipment box which has the circuit breaker's switch handle sticking right through the middle of the door. I open the small plastic butterly handles on the side and the door of the box starts to open but gets stuck on something after moving by just a few centimeters - I assume that's the circuit breaker's handle which, going right through the door, gets in the way. How do I open this box? Do I need to take the handle off somehow? Here is a picture of what seems to be a similar handle: 
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Nov 3, 2009 13:32
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EssOEss posted:How do I open this box? Do I need to take the handle off somehow? It's an interlock to prevent you from opening the box while energized. You can either figure out how to bypass the interlock (there's usually a small screw somewhere you can unscrew) or you can turn the breaker off, open the box, look inside, close the box, then turn the breaker back on. Standard warnings apply, with the addition of the new warning about there being enough energy available to set all your clothes on fire instantly should something go wrong, and possibly enough energy available to explode several hundred grams of copper into molten spheres traveling just subsonic right into your face.
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Nov 3, 2009 14:24
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Aha, I see. Makes sense. Thanks for the fast answer!
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Nov 3, 2009 18:21
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Standard warnings apply, with the addition of the new warning about there being enough energy available to set all your clothes on fire instantly should something go wrong, and possibly enough energy available to explode several hundred grams of copper into molten spheres traveling just subsonic right into your face. By the way, if any of this actually happens, take pictures and post them.
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Nov 3, 2009 18:32
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Can you guys tell me if the plan for my bathroom is ok code-wise before I get started? Here's a diagram of what I plan on doing: Click here for the full 816x862 image. I'm going to run a 12-2 wire from the circuit breaker to the bathroom. I was going to run that to a junction box, then split it to 2 circuits - one to the vanity light & GFCI receptacle and another to the exhaust fan & light and a second GFCI receptacle. I read that the exhaust fan & light had to be GFCI protected since it's too close to the shower....so I was going to run the wire first to the GFCI receptacle, then come off the load side of that to the switches for the fan & light, then to the fan & light. 2 questions: Does the vanity light have to be GFCI protected? And can the GFCI receptacle across from the shower be placed low to the ground? I read somewhere that the outlets in the room had to be above the level of the sink
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Nov 8, 2009 23:00
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dyne posted:Can you guys tell me if the plan for my bathroom is ok code-wise before I get started? Here's a diagram of what I plan on doing: First off, your MSPaint penmanship is atrocious. Second, you only need 1 GFCI in this instance and you'll save yourself a few bucks. GFCIs have screw down terminals on them that you can use to connect to further regular outlets down the line and protect them as well, provided you stick the "GFCI protected" sticker on them. Third, skip that extra junction box and just run the romex to one of your boxes in the picture, then run it from there to the other box. A 2-gang box should be plenty deep for all the wiring you'll be shoving into the first box, but you may want to spend a few cents extra and get a deeper one.
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Nov 9, 2009 00:38
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Holy christ, I finally got around to looking at the minor electrical problems that have been plaguing the house I'm renting since I moved in. Besides the minor, easily fixable issues of reversed hot and neutral and a floating ground, I discovered that all 14 lights in the house, 4 outlets, and 2 ceiling fans are on one 15 amp breaker and on knob and tube wiring that really shouldn't be handling more than 7 amps. What's worse is that it only has one terminus in the basement, so I can't just break it out into a bunch of 10 amps and go about my business. Short of tearing down walls or snaking romex through 150 year old walls, I'm hosed. Especially since the landlord doesn't give a poo poo. corgski fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Nov 14, 2009 |
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Nov 13, 2009 22:56
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^^^^^ I looked at a place like this when I was hunting a new place to stay a couple of years ago. It was a sickening patchwork of electrical disaster. I'm completely astonished it hasn't burned down yet. I'm replacing a bathroom fan. The light and fan are on separate switches in the current installation. Aaaand... it's done via a 14/3 drop, power supplied to the fixture, so if I want to install some sort of clever timer switch I have to run more wire, because there's no neutral at the switch. gently caress. Suggestions? Is there some kind of timer I can install at the fan unit? It's one of these bad boys: http://www.nutone.com/product-detail.asp?ProductID=11032
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Nov 16, 2009 00:02
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slap me silly posted:I'm replacing a bathroom fan. The light and fan are on separate switches in the current installation. Aaaand... it's done via a 14/3 drop, power supplied to the fixture, so if I want to install some sort of clever timer switch I have to run more wire, because there's no neutral at the switch. gently caress. Suggestions? Is there some kind of timer I can install at the fan unit? It's one of these bad boys:
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Nov 16, 2009 00:33
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Those are the dial-type ones that go "tickticktick" and look like some relic from the 70s, right? Fuuuck... I guess this one's not too ugly: http://www.kitchensource.com/bathroom-fans/br-59.htm
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Nov 16, 2009 00:52
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I've got another question. The existing wire running to my bathroom fan is too short to reach the connection point on the new unit. I bought some more NM and a junction box, but I'm not sure how to set it all up. How am I allowed to install this junction box? There's about 16 inches of blow-in insulation that will cover everything up when I'm done. If I just nail the box to a joist, it'll be buried. By the way, turns out there is power run to the switch on a wire I didn't know about, so all my previous questions about timers were moot. Woot
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Nov 21, 2009 05:14
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slap me silly posted:I've got another question. The existing wire running to my bathroom fan is too short to reach the connection point on the new unit. I bought some more NM and a junction box, but I'm not sure how to set it all up. How am I allowed to install this junction box? There's about 16 inches of blow-in insulation that will cover everything up when I'm done. If I just nail the box to a joist, it'll be buried. Run a new wire. Installing a new, hidden j-box is just asking for someone else to get really pissed off that you cheaped out on 16" of wire.
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Nov 21, 2009 13:09
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I've got a question and figured this thread should do the trick. I was making coffee this morning on the electric stove and realized it took a bizarrely long amount of time. The stove was just not working very well. When the coffee was ready and I was drinking it, the light in my kitchen went dimmer and dimmer until it went off, and so did my radio. I checked the fuses but they are ok, and when one blows lights and everything go off in a second, they don't just slowly stop working. I tried to turn the stove on again, and the light and radio also did! So what is going on? Is my stove short-circuiting something? This is very confusing. Thank you very much.
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Nov 21, 2009 13:25
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Run a new wire. Installing a new, hidden j-box is just asking for someone else to get really pissed off that you cheaped out on 16" of wire. Fart Jesus LOL posted:I've got a question and figured this thread should do the trick. I was making coffee this morning on the electric stove and realized it took a bizarrely long amount of time. The stove was just not working very well. When the coffee was ready and I was drinking it, the light in my kitchen went dimmer and dimmer until it went off, and so did my radio. I checked the fuses but they are ok, and when one blows lights and everything go off in a second, they don't just slowly stop working. I tried to turn the stove on again, and the light and radio also did! So what is going on? Is my stove short-circuiting something? This is very confusing. Thank you very much. grover fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Nov 21, 2009 |
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Nov 21, 2009 14:31
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Run a new wire. Installing a new, hidden j-box is just asking for someone else to get really pissed off that you cheaped out on 16" of wire. Haha, I do appreciate the do-it-right-the-first-time advice but if you saw the actual situation and still wanted to do that I'd think you were mental. I'll make sure the junction box is accessible, etc. Related to the lights dimming, I stumbled on this example of horrible (not in my house thank god): http://www.byond.com/members/MikeH?command=view_post&post=7813
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Nov 21, 2009 21:58
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I'm assuming this is a wiring question, so here goes: the lights dim way more than I'd expect them to when any large appliance cycles on. The central air is the worst culprit, but I've noticed it with a vacuum cleaner, and even a small corded drill. I stuck my logging multimeter into a random wall socket, which read around 130vac. Then I flipped the air conditioner on, and the outlet power dropped by 12vac, staying at 118vac until the air conditioner cycled off. 130v without a load seems a little high, but maybe it's no big deal. I'm pretty sure a 12 volt drop is a pretty big swing, though. Just in my minor poking around replacing switches and outlets for cosmetic reasons, I haven't run into anything that looks hacked together, so I'd like to have some faith in the house wiring. Its a 1976 build. Am I worrying too much, and should I just ignore the dimming light, or is it possibly indicative of a larger problem?
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Nov 23, 2009 06:33
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eddiewalker posted:I'm assuming this is a wiring question, so here goes: the lights dim way more than I'd expect them to when any large appliance cycles on. The central air is the worst culprit, but I've noticed it with a vacuum cleaner, and even a small corded drill. How far is it from your house to the transformer?
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Nov 23, 2009 23:24
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Well, all my wiring is underground, but there's a small plastic electrical company box in the corner of my yard. It looks similar to a large, upside down flower pot, so I don't know if its big enough to be an actual transformer. Someone was hypothesizing something about a loose neutral on the mains maybe providing an inadequate return path for the power, but I don't know how likely that is. If it's something I need to call the utility provider about, I'd like to be informed before I deal with them.
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Nov 23, 2009 23:39
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Is there an easy way to tell if the service drop going into a house is 120 or 240 volt?
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Nov 25, 2009 18:18
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eddiewalker posted:Well, all my wiring is underground, but there's a small plastic electrical company box in the corner of my yard. It looks similar to a large, upside down flower pot, so I don't know if its big enough to be an actual transformer. Transformers are generally at least the size of a garbage can. Most residential tranformers are pole-mounted cans, or locked boxes about the size of a desk. Anything like that on your block? Each will typically feed a handful of homes in order to keep the low-voltage lines short. If it's a long way from your house to yours, this could very well be the problem. If so, complain to your power company- it's their fault and not yours. Mr. Clark2 posted:Is there an easy way to tell if the service drop going into a house is 120 or 240 volt? If there are two insulated wires and one uninsulated wire, it's 240V. Also, if there are any 2-pole breakers in your panel, it's 240V. Nearly all residential drops in the US are 240V.
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Nov 25, 2009 18:33
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grover posted:You mean besides measuring it with a voltmeter? Thanks! I just checked mine and it is exactly as you described. Another drop related question. There is a neighborhood near mine where all the houses have 2 mastheads. They're all single family homes, built around the same time, probably late 60's to early 70's. Pretty much everywhere else that I've looked, the homes all have only one masthead. Any idea why this is might be?
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Nov 25, 2009 19:54
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Mr. Clark2 posted:Thanks! I just checked mine and it is exactly as you described.
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Nov 25, 2009 20:17
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