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I would build a solder fume extractor instead. Its a device that pulls the fumes away from your work area and either scrubs them or blows them out the window. Using a small fan and a piece of flexible ducting taped on is a cheap way to do it. Place the fan in your window and use the duct end to position the suction where you want it. Instructables has some good ones: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Build-a-Solder-Fume-Extractor/ I like this one. It looks very clean, I however would attach a small metal or plastic junction box to that inline duct fan and both run the wires from the cord and fan AND make up the connection inside the box. You could just as easily use a small round household fan instead of the duct fan. This would be cheaper but probably a bit less powerful.
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Apr 12, 2011 23:40
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chedemefedeme posted:Seems obvious these days but I'm surprised the number of people I've spoken with who use 6 or 8 100w floods in their kitchen recessed fixtures for hours and hours a day and don't realize the potential savings (and reduced risk of overheat/fire). It took months to convince mom to finally swap out the 95 watt R40 bulbs in her kitchen to CFLs. Dad's been ready to make the switch for several years since he pays the electric bill. There's 6 recessed cans in there... She still hates the CFLs - we went with GE 26 watt R40s - since they take a minute or so to reach full brightness. What finally convinced her to switch wasn't the cost savings, no.. it was because she always bitches about how hot that side of the house is and I managed to convince her CFLs run a lot cooler. I tried a couple of others (EcoSmart, TCP) and they took much longer to warm up and didn't seem as bright. With the GE's the kitchen is painfully bright. I do hate how long most CFL floods take to reach full brightness though, I haven't been able to find anything affordable that has little to no warmup. Thankfully the lights are pretty standard Halo H7T cans, so any future LED retrofits will be pretty easy.
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Apr 16, 2011 07:45
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Crossposted from fix-it thread, since no one replied: I have two of these IKEA fixtures in my basement. They are both on the same switched circuit. If I leave them both on for a while, one string will go out. The other never does. If I switch them off, then back on right away, they will both be on again. I thought it was a transformer overheating, but would that be the case if I can just cycle it back on like that? How can I confirm? Neither transformer base feels particularly warm. http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/40135686 Since originally posting, the one string goes off almost right away. It still comes back on with a cycling of the switch, but goes out again.
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Apr 20, 2011 12:24
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mr.belowaverage posted:Crossposted from fix-it thread, since no one replied: Can you swap transformers and see if the problem follows?
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Apr 20, 2011 19:08
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I'd have to rewire each to the other's electrical box to do so, they aren't plug and play. Does it make sense that it trips almost immediately now? Both units are only 6-8 months old.
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Apr 21, 2011 03:00
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As someone who used to work for Ikea, you're lucky they lasted as long as they did. The transformer is shot. Now for my question - the lights in the hall bathroom flicker whenever they're on. It's very noticeable to me, not to the others in the house. I've already checked the wiring at the fixture and wall switch, everything seems fine. The breaker that feeds that light feeds the overhead lights in 2 bedrooms plus some outlets in both bedrooms. Is there any easier method to figure out where the loose connection may be, besides yanking every switch and outlet on the circuit? Nothing else on that circuit has issues, but I know it's only a matter of time until that slight flickering becomes a big flickering, which could then become a flickering flame. I'm hesitant to start pulling outlets apart only because that involves moving heavy furniture.
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Apr 21, 2011 08:05
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some texas redneck posted:Now for my question - the lights in the hall bathroom flicker whenever they're on. It's very noticeable to me, not to the others in the house. I've already checked the wiring at the fixture and wall switch, everything seems fine. The breaker that feeds that light feeds the overhead lights in 2 bedrooms plus some outlets in both bedrooms. If they're noticeable for you but not everyone else, that sounds like a 60 Hz flicker. Did old fashioned non-LCD computer monitors give you a headache? US mains also runs at 60 Hz, and can become apparent in fluorescent lights as the ballasts driving them age. There's no real danger, only the annoyance. If the lights are just CFLs, replace them. If they're a fixture, the solution is to replace the ballasts, and possibly the bulbs too.
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Apr 21, 2011 15:45
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kid sinister posted:If they're noticeable for you but not everyone else, that sounds like a 60 Hz flicker. Did old fashioned non-LCD computer monitors give you a headache? US mains also runs at 60 Hz, and can become apparent in fluorescent lights as the ballasts driving them age. There's no real danger, only the annoyance. If the lights are just CFLs, replace them. If they're a fixture, the solution is to replace the ballasts, and possibly the bulbs too. No, these are incandescent, and this is the only light in the house doing this. The flickering gets much worse if the bathroom fan is on or if all the bulbs in the fixture are screwed in - it has 6 bulbs, but I only have 2 in because it's unbearably bright otherwise. Yes, CRT monitors at 60 hz drive me nuts. I'm very familiar with what a 60 hz flicker is, this is not a 60 hz flicker - it's a very irregular flicker. You know, the kind you get when something isn't making good contact... which is why I was trying to find out what's going on.  However, the switch had some backstab wiring going on, and there were scorch marks around one of the backstabs that I didn't see before. Replaced the switch, all is well now.
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Apr 26, 2011 10:43
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Ugh, backstabs. You've got copper wiring too, right?
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Apr 27, 2011 04:52
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some texas redneck posted:it's a very irregular flicker. You know, the kind you get when something isn't making good contact... kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Apr 27, 2011 |
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Apr 27, 2011 18:38
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I seem to have accepted a pretty big TV installation project for someone. One of the requirements is hidden wiring, which for the most part I can deal with. The one area I am wondering on is a ceiling mount TV which we are trying to go with hidden wiring on. Its a bedroom TV that I want to install as cleanly as possible. If the tube that hangs the TV has an open cavity to route a wire, can one have an outlet inside an attic that the TV plugged into from above where the wire shoots up? By design the TV would have one of the standard plug on the back of it that looks like what is on the back of most computers. So it could still be unplugged at the unit itself. The attic outlet would be installed with a junction box, and boxed off as required to keep the blown insulation away from it if that is needed. We just want to know if this is allowed by code. I should preface this that my hand in the electrical work is advisory-only. I will be telling the electrician where the outlets need to go, they make it happen. Since this isn't my house and I am not licensed, I am not touching any of the stuff that could get me in trouble. A very rough drawing in paint of this idea is attached below.
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Apr 29, 2011 22:41
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I'm 99% sure that outlets have to be accessible, and maybe readily accessible. You could install the outlet in the ceiling and let the wire come out of the tube. Unfortunately, the code isn't about pretty or convenient, it's about safe.
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May 1, 2011 03:26
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I have a 3-gang box at the front door, and another maybe project down the line is throwing some 3" lights in the eave out front for looks. Is it a pain to replace that with a 4-gang old work box? Or would it be better to just tie them into the same switch running the other outside lights?
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May 1, 2011 03:50
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dietcokefiend posted:I seem to have accepted a pretty big TV installation project for someone. One of the requirements is hidden wiring, which for the most part I can deal with. The one area I am wondering on is a ceiling mount TV which we are trying to go with hidden wiring on. Its a bedroom TV that I want to install as cleanly as possible. If the tube that hangs the TV has an open cavity to route a wire, can one have an outlet inside an attic that the TV plugged into from above where the wire shoots up? Outlet boxes don't have to be accessible. You can get something like this: http://www.cinemabuilder.com/products/electrical/recessed-outlet-box.asp There are other recessed boxes available too. I really recommend using some kind of recessed box like that. They have covers too that look pretty good. Ask your local electrical supply house what they recommend. GD_American: The box will be nailed onto a stud. You might be able to pull out the nails with just the extra area you cut for your 4 gang box. Just make sure you cut the extra space on the side furthest from your stud. It shouldn't be too much harder then adding a new box.
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May 1, 2011 06:48
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Hey, thought the thread title was pretty appropriate, so here goes. A house recently burnt down in my area and they finally found out what the cause of the fire was. Seems they were doing some work replacing the trim in the kitchen and pulled the fridge out and used a cheap "Dollar Store" extension cord to keep it running. When they were done they just pushed the fridge back without removing the cord. The Fire Dept. determined that the cheap cord couldn't handle the load and overheated, starting a fire. Needless to say I am not short two cheap-rear end extension cords and will be picking up some better quality ones soon.
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May 1, 2011 13:58
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GD_American posted:I have a 3-gang box at the front door, and another maybe project down the line is throwing some 3" lights in the eave out front for looks. Is it a pain to replace that with a 4-gang old work box? Or would it be better to just tie them into the same switch running the other outside lights? I've done it before, and it is a pain especially on exterior walls, but it is possible. I used an open-ended hacksaw like this in between the box and drywall to cut through the nails holding the box to the stud. If you have trouble finding a 4-gang plastic box, you can always gang together single steel boxes with the plaster ears and use a bendy box support. Or you could just get a single gang double switch...
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May 1, 2011 15:51
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Blistex posted:Hey, thought the thread title was pretty appropriate, so here goes. I see this on a regular basis (I'm a part time Fire Marshal for a small town). Extension cords of any type are for temporary use only, and this is one of the reasons why. There is nearly NO reason to ever use an extension cord indoors (unless you are powering a saw or some other temporary device while you are working on the place) with the availability of inexpensive power strips and other fused type extension/plug multipliers. I also see cords fail that otherwise wouldn't have because people twist them around the legs of tables or back around themselves trying to make them look nice. Don't do this. It down-rates the cord an unknown amount (depending on how the wrapping was done). Wire is rated partially based on heat dissipation when it is not doubled back/tied to itself. When you wrap it up like this, it can't dissipate heat to the same degree so it fails with less current. Another popular one is running a cord through a wall. Seriously people, get another outlet installed. I've see WAY too many of these setups fail because of abrasion on the cords where they go through the wall. It usually starts a nice in-wall fire so my evidence eradication team (the firefighters) have to rip the whole thing apart to put it out. Add that to my living in a very old town where most buildings are balloon construction (no fire breaks between floors) and it can make for a very bad day - we show up and the attic is on fire, and it turns out to be from something in a wall on the first floor, so we have to rip the walls out all the way up through the second floor.
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May 2, 2011 17:04
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You'd love this then https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKZUFu97vus
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May 2, 2011 21:15
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quadpus posted:You'd love this then Yeah, that made it around the office a while ago. While that's pretty bad an all, I've seen worse - things involving 300A service entrances, old fuse boxes that were used as cross connects to the new breaker box, and wood strips to keep the bugs from touching the metal in said converted fuse box.
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May 2, 2011 21:28
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tworavens posted:Outlet boxes don't have to be accessible. You can get something like this: Well after more discussion on the TV mounting topic we are going off something mounted to the wall vs the ceiling to conceal the mount itself, so no more worrying about the first idea  Those boxes are hot though, will keep that bookmarked.
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May 2, 2011 22:48
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dietcokefiend posted:Well after more discussion on the TV mounting topic we are going off something mounted to the wall vs the ceiling to conceal the mount itself, so no more worrying about the first idea After doing a shitload of retrofit structured cabling in my house, I know Arlington makes all kinds of different recessed home theater boxes, like this.
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May 3, 2011 16:01
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I'm running into a problem with repairing a ceiling fan. The fan is at least 30 years old, and so is the wiring in the house. As such, all the wires are black and white, and not well-labelled. The fan has a total of 5 lights, 4 on spindles and one hanging from the bottom. Inside is a 3-way switch with a pull chain (which I replaced, and since fried while loving this job up). The switch has 4 ports labelled 1-3, and L. The L has a black wire, 1 has a white wire, and 3 has a blue wire. So it looks like this (forgive me for the terrible artwork):  I'm totally lost here. My dumb rear end took it apart, forgot to label anything, and then went to school with the job half finished, so now I can't remember what went where on the old setup. The only thing I know for certain is that the wires on the switch went back in their proper places, because I replaced those 1-for-1. I really wish I'd done that first, with it still in the fan, instead of taking it out and having the fan in a bunch of pieces BEFORE running to the hardware store to get the part. Argh. edit: off to Lowe's because the last time I tried hooking everything up I blew the switch as soon as I energized it. edit2: If anyone can give me a response that helps me fix this before it gets dark out they would be my hero and maybe I'll buy you a forum upgrade or something. It's currently 5:30 PST so I figure you all have maybe 2 hours! The Casualty fucked around with this message at 01:31 on May 5, 2011 |
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May 5, 2011 01:26
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^ bummer dude.  New fans aren't that much?Anyway, I'm wanting to wire an outlet to my garage for a welder. I picked a sample one on Harbor Freight's website just for numbers. None of the welders I found used more than 40A @ 240v. So, I figure I should run a 50A line. Eyeballing a 50 foot run (subject to measuring), are the following SKUs on Home Depot's website what I'd need to put this together? Now, I'm just going for 'rough idea'. If I don't actually have a SquareD breaker panel, I won't get SquareD breakers, and so forth. I just need to know if I'm on the right track, or if I should be overrating more than that (bearing in mind no welder I'm going to get can keep 100% duty cycle @ 40A) Wire: http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...catalogId=10053 (6/3, boo. Is 6/2 ok if I can find it?) Breaker: http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...catalogId=10053 Outlet: http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...catalogId=10053 Does that style outlet need a junction box behind it, and if so, will a standard plastic one work like I use for normal 120v outlets?
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May 5, 2011 02:20
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insta posted:^ bummer dude. Haha. Yeah new fans aren't that much, but this is my parent's house, and I'd rather spend the $3.50 and part with some of my sanity, than go fan shopping with my mother (plus I just installed a new fan in my room a few months ago and that was such a pain I never want to do it again)
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May 5, 2011 02:42
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On fan/light combos, with 3 wires (+ optional ground), generally black will be hot for motor, blue (or in some cases red) is hot for lights, white is neutral for all, and ground, if you have it (which you don't) is ground.
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May 5, 2011 02:52
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artificialj posted:On fan/light combos, with 3 wires (+ optional ground), generally black will be hot for motor, blue (or in some cases red) is hot for lights, white is neutral for all, and ground, if you have it (which you don't) is ground. So based on the picture, what should go where? Should all the hot wires go to the blue wire (#3), and all the neutral wires go to the #1 white wire?
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May 5, 2011 03:03
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artificialj posted:On fan/light combos, with 3 wires (+ optional ground), generally black will be hot for motor, blue (or in some cases red) is hot for lights, white is neutral for all, and ground, if you have it (which you don't) is ground. I'm pretty sure he was trying to draw the fan's internal wiring. Not the wiring from fan to ceiling.
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May 5, 2011 03:08
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The Casualty posted:So based on the picture, what should go where? Should all the hot wires go to the blue wire (#3), and all the neutral wires go to the #1 white wire? As far as I know, all the hot wires from the lights go to blue, the hot from fan goes to black (it looks to already be there in the pic), and all of the whites go to white. And I have no clue what port number 2 on your switch is doing.
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May 5, 2011 03:10
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artificialj posted:As far as I know, all the hot wires from the lights go to blue, the hot from fan goes to black (it looks to already be there in the pic), and all of the whites go to white. Nothing, at the moment. IIRC it wasn't hooked up to anything (though obviously my memory is poo poo so I'm probably wrong). The lights typically operate as 3 positions though. The lower light turns on, then on the next pull the side lights, and then on the third pull they all turn on. Hope that helps.
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May 5, 2011 03:26
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The Casualty posted:Nothing, at the moment. IIRC it wasn't hooked up to anything (though obviously my memory is poo poo so I'm probably wrong). The lights typically operate as 3 positions though. The lower light turns on, then on the next pull the side lights, and then on the third pull they all turn on. Hope that helps. Not sure it helps, but it certainly changes things. Hopefully someone smarter than me will chime in on how to wire it for that... edit: so are you sure nothing was in position 2 on the switch? Was just looking at the drawing, and seems like all the whites go to white on motor lead, black from motor stays connected to "L," hot on first light to go on go to "1," second set go to "3." edit: edited my edit. artificialj fucked around with this message at 03:38 on May 5, 2011 |
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May 5, 2011 03:28
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artificialj posted:Not sure it helps, but it certainly changes things. Hopefully someone smarter than me will chime in on how to wire it for that... I'm not sure that nothing was hooked up to #2, but it would make sense that something was. This is what I get for not taking pictures of poo poo before I work on it. I know better than that.
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May 5, 2011 04:13
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quadpus posted:You'd love this then That's pretty drat bad.
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May 6, 2011 00:55
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My shower booth is in a corner, and the nearest light is 12 feet away. If I wanted to mount a can light in the ceiling, what kind of sealant am I looking at to protect against the vapor? Just plain caulk around the edge of the light fixture?
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May 6, 2011 02:20
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GD_American posted:My shower booth is in a corner, and the nearest light is 12 feet away. If I wanted to mount a can light in the ceiling, what kind of sealant am I looking at to protect against the vapor? Just plain caulk around the edge of the light fixture? If the light is going to be very close to the shower, you're going to need to use a special light fixture that's rated for showers, and it's going to have its own instructions.
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May 6, 2011 02:26
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grover posted:If you're 12' away, code doesn't require anything special at all. The existing one is 12' away, and although I plan on replacing it with a 4-light bar (and splitting them between aiming at the tub and the shower), I wanted to install a new one directly over the shower. I wasn't worried so much about the light, as the mount- I wanted to make sure no vapor gets into the sheetrock.
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May 6, 2011 02:47
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GD_American posted:I wasn't worried so much about the light, as the mount- I wanted to make sure no vapor gets into the sheetrock. The fixture itself needs to be able to keep the moisture out, too, lest it corrode.
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May 6, 2011 03:14
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I'm sure it wont hurt you to run some caulk around the fixture if you're particularly worried about sealing. The fixture's instructions for installation are primarily for safety and code compliance (and should be very carefully followed, paying special attention to grounding it exactly as indicated). Most bathroom mold issues come from the fact that drywall will actually absorb moisture right through your paint or wallpaper all over its surface if left in a highly humid environment for a prolonged period of time. This is why building codes in most areas require either a properly installed electric venting fan or an adequately sized window in bathrooms. A popular and affordable way to ensure the fan is not left off or turned off before the room has been adequately cleared of humidity is to get one that is triggered by humidity. I'd think this would have a way bigger effect on the condition of your drywall than some extra caulk around a properly installed fixture..but if its directly above the shower (as in like, practically inside it) you probably wont go wrong to both ensure proper venting and a good seal. Edit: Simulpost with grover! He beat me with the sealing stuff, but do ensure you're well ventilated if you're at all concerned about your drywall. chedemefedeme fucked around with this message at 03:19 on May 6, 2011 |
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May 6, 2011 03:17
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Yeah we do have a really large (though irregularly shaped) bathroom with two nice-sized windows and a vent. But I didn't know there were humidity-activated ones, which intrigues me. I'll have to look into that.
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May 6, 2011 04:19
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Quick question, After my patio and driveway got pressure washed the other day I no longer have power to several GFI sockets, two on the outside and one in the Bathroom. My assumption was that one of them got water in it during the pressure washing and it just need to be reset. Unfortunately this didn't do anything. The second step I tried was resetting the breakers. The labeling in our breaker box is terrible at best (only half labeled and done at least ten years ago since it refers to a garage that no longer exists), but I reset everything just to make sure. Tried to reset the GFI switches again with no luck. A quick search of the internet indicates that I may need to pull each outlet from the walls to make sure something hasn't short circuited, but before I go through the pain of doing so I wanted to see if there was anything simple I could be missing?
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May 7, 2011 22:24
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BeastOfExmoor posted:Quick question, What's the reaction when you try to reset the GFCI(s)?
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May 7, 2011 23:11
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