|
Yeah, I don't need a tornado running constantly, the lowest speed is probably fine. It never occurred to me this might be a 220v motor, any way to tell without disassembling everything to get at the label? I have another blower that would be simpler to hook up and already has a lamp cord attached. The benefit is the motor is outside the fan so that I don't have to filter dust to protect the motor but the downside is it's awkward to mount anywhere and the fan runs very fast making the motor hot. I attached a piece of peg board to the side to slow the fan which helps a lot though. 
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2012 22:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 15:17 |
|
|
Could you wire in a dimmer or ceiling fan speed control switch to control the speed of the other fan?
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2012 22:58
|
|
|
So if I want to mount a plasma on a wall, that's 6ft up from a an outlet do I Need to secure the wire to the stud? Or can I jut branch off of it? can I just fish some 3 wire down to the basement and leave it loose in the wall? (based on what I've read here that answer is probably no) This is an exterior wall so may need to cut the wall anyway to get through the insulation.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2012 00:53
|
|
|
jackyl posted:Could you wire in a dimmer or ceiling fan speed control switch to control the speed of the other fan? I could, not sure if you can use them with electric motors.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2012 00:57
|
|
|
So if I want to mount a plasma on a wall, that's 6ft up from a an outlet do I Need to secure the wire to the stud? Or can I jut branch off of it? can I just fish some 3 wire down to the basement and leave it loose in the wall? (based on what I've read here that answer is probably no) This is an exterior wall so may need to cut the wall anyway to get through the insulation.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2012 01:12
|
|
|
You can fish cabling through walls for renovation without stapling (it's permitted by code), but everything else needs to be properly done, and it does need to be stapled if it's accessible to do so. You can cut a 2x4 hole by your TV, fish some #12/2 NM down, splice off the lower outlet, and install a new box w/receptacle where you want it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2012 01:36
|
|
|
grover posted:You can fish cabling through walls for renovation without stapling (it's permitted by code), but everything else needs to be properly done, and it does need to be stapled if it's accessible to do so. You can cut a 2x4 hole by your TV, fish some #12/2 NM down, splice off the lower outlet, and install a new box w/receptacle where you want it. This is for my MIL and I hope we'll have the drywall open. She's looking at getting rid of the 5 wall mirrors (1 or 2 full 8" panels, and then a bunch of 1/2 over the fireplace). I'm not sure if she plans on trying to sand down the metric poo poo-ton of glue holding them fuckers up, or replacing the drywall. if she's replacing the drywall then I'd imagine that I'll be in business it'll be easy to fish / staple etc if I have access. After reading up I saw that in finished applications unstapled/ suported is okay. I'd rather use some wire-staples to secure it for the next owner of the house, and it would be nice to have the wall open for wiring due to the fact that it's an insulated external wall but we'll see what she wants to do. My guess is she'll want to try and sand the glue down, because she's cheap and somewhat lazy. (I expect her to be ready for me to wire it up in no less than 10 months even though we talked about it today. tater_salad fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Feb 5, 2012 |
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2012 05:54
|
|
|
wormil posted:I could, not sure if you can use them with electric motors. You can't. AC motors derive their speed from the frequency of the sine wave, not the voltage. By reducing the voltage with a dimmer switch you'll just cause it to draw a higher amperage until eventually you end up with a pile of molten slag and/or a thrown breaker.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2012 00:21
|
|
|
thelightguy posted:You can't. AC motors derive their speed from the frequency of the sine wave, not the voltage. By reducing the voltage with a dimmer switch you'll just cause it to draw a higher amperage until eventually you end up with a pile of molten slag and/or a thrown breaker. I don't think that's quite right. I bought a roof-mounted fan. The manufacturer sold me a variable triac to control its speed. Triacs alter the RMS power of the sine wave but don't change its frequency. It was this fan: http://www.amazon.com/Fantech-RE8XL-Roof-Mount-Centrifugal/dp/B003GU0E98
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2012 00:27
|
|
|
Granted, I've only used SCR dimmers, but the typical result when someone accidentally dims an AC motor with one of those is a very hot cable and eventually a thrown breaker on the dimmer pack, with the motor moving at roughly the same speed the entire time. DC motors, on the other hand, derive their speed directly from the input voltage.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2012 00:56
|
|
|
I thought you guys might enjoy this: http://ludens.cl/paradise/turbine/turbine.html this guy makes me feel like a lazy piece of crap.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2012 21:03
|
|
|
That is so drat awesome.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2012 21:23
|
|
|
That is boss.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2012 21:23
|
|
|
I ran into this a year or so ago. Guy wound his own transformer. Truly badass.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2012 23:15
|
|
|
Can I measure voltage on a high-current circuit without no issues, or do I have to expect my multimeter to blow up? I'm wanting to measure two really low voltage high current electrodes (something below 12V up to 100A).
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2012 05:23
|
|
|
Yes, you can do that without hurting the meter. Very little current flows into the voltmeter.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2012 05:39
|
|
|
Cool, thanks. So, the deal was, there's a gauge measurement device that uses an IR glow wire, and its current pins were exposed. I grew concerned and brought my measurement stuff to work. The thing only measures 2V, but 110amps, and that on AC. Some quick googling suggests that in the case of AC, amps matter and that it's loving dangerous that they're not insulated. That correct? Do I have to kick the rear end of the work security officer?
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2012 07:03
|
|
|
At two volts you would have to be very stupid to get hurt. A car battery for instance can easily deliver 100 amps for a short period but you can grab both terminals safely with bare hands. OSHA doesn't require devices that operate at 50 volts or less to be de-energized while you work on them. Amps are part of the equation that can kill you but without enough voltage to break through your skins resistance you won't get hurt.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2012 21:51
|
|
|
Here's a fun question: How do I figure out what the hell is occasionally making my equipment buzz? Maybe once a month, I'll wake up and both a surge strip (!) on one circuit and the microwave on a completely different circuit will be buzzing. It's at about the right frequency for 120Hz hum. Often my electronically-controlled tower fan (on yet another circuit) will also be in some state of immense confusion, operating normally despite the controls indicating multiple speeds with multiple sleep timers set. Wiring testers indicate no issues, everything else works apparently normally, and my UPSes sit idly by. I'm guessing it's the local utility's problem, but I have no idea how to prove that or what they'd do about it. It occurs on a relatively predictable schedule; while I haven't nailed down days, it without fail starts between 8 and 9 and resolves itself by 11 or noon.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2012 00:46
|
|
|
ljw1004 posted:I don't think that's quite right. I bought a roof-mounted fan. The manufacturer sold me a variable triac to control its speed. Triacs alter the RMS power of the sine wave but don't change its frequency. I work for a pump company and have some experience with this. Triac speed controls will work on motors with a good power factor, generally very small fractional horsepower motors. As motors get larger and the power factor worse, the current waveform begins to lead the voltage waveform. You need to get close to zero current before you can switch the triac off to limit the total power, and as the zero current crossing moves further ahead of the voltage waveform, the range of variance is so limited as to be useless. In a highly inductive load, the triac will simply never turn off. Higher power motors use the more complicated and expensive variable frequency drives, which have a much higher range of adjustability and don't have the same limitations as the triac controls.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2012 01:15
|
|
|
taqueso posted:Yes, you can do that without hurting the meter. Very little current flows into the voltmeter. Correct--think about it like this: You're measuring a voltage drop, but you need to do it in such a way as not to effect what you're trying to measure it. If any significant amount of current were to go through the voltmeter, it would be at the expense of current going across that voltage drop--meaning your measurement is not accurate. The voltmeter effectively has an infinite resistance, meaning 0 (or very very close to 0) current. Conversely, an ammeter works in the exact opposite way. Any resistance is going to cause a voltage drop, which changes everything downstream, so it effectively has zero resistance.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2012 01:38
|
|
|
I have a dilemma about electric wires. There are three black wires sticking out of my wall (i.e. no color coding), my multimeter identified one of them as Live. Voltage is 230V 50Hz European mains, wires being installed in 1979. The non-live wires both test to continuity with the water pipe. I have no idea which one of them is the ground wire and which one is neutral. Also, when I connect a lightbulb to the live wire and any of the two unknown wires, the lightbulb works like a charm. I'd hate to connect them the wrong way around when I install a bathroom cabinet. I have a multimeter, so how can I find out which wire is neutral and which is ground? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Only the phase (live) wire is connected to a breaker.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2012 12:01
|
|
|
Poknok posted:I have a dilemma about electric wires. There are three black wires sticking out of my wall (i.e. no color coding), my multimeter identified one of them as Live. Voltage is 230V 50Hz European mains, wires being installed in 1979. If the neutral and ground both show continuity with the water pipes, then that means that your pipes are all metal, your breaker box is grounded to the water pipes, and that your neutral and ground are bonded together at the breaker box like they should be. There is a test to figure out which cable is which:
Also, disconnecting the ground instead of the neutral instead in the above instructions would work too, but grounds are much more lax in where they are allowed to connect to each other on separate circuits. Doing it with the neutral will usually get it done right on the first try.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2012 21:16
|
|
|
What's the point of flat, non-insulating pot light plates with new construction hangers if they just have you shove a remodel housing up through a hole in the drywall afterwards anyways? see such: http://www.easy-lite.com/products/browse.cfm?productID=f4cbc482-3048-8bc6-c34e-210c3eea9223 I get it for the big boxes that deal with insulation, but what exactly do these flat plates do for you? Any different from just having it on the drywall or what?
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 19:36
|
|
|
resistentialism posted:What's the point of flat, non-insulating pot light plates with new construction hangers if they just have you shove a remodel housing up through a hole in the drywall afterwards anyways? So you install and wire all your fixtures before the drywall guys show up. You can have power applied and everything, waiting for the rock, then just slam the trim up. Also, the rockers can cut the holes in the right spots...
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 20:11
|
|
|
How does the drywall get up there if I already have these remodel housings in the way? Maybe I need different housings to match? I dunno some of these kits sell what look like remodel housings. resistentialism fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Feb 23, 2012 |
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 20:18
|
|
|
resistentialism posted:How does the drywall get up there if I already have these remodel housings in the way? Those aren't remodel housings. They're new-construction plates, then after your house is painted and whatever, you just put the trim kit on. Basically, it's the remodel housing bolted to a plate, so you can have everything in place before final finish. What you see in that picture is what goes into the ceiling. Both this and a remodel housing still need a trim kit before light shines out of them. The housing is everything except the lamp, reflector, and bezel (with lens). In other words, the stuff construction people can manhandle without affecting final finish. When the house is roughed in, the housings you linked are nailed to the joists, then whomever is installing drywall cuts the appropriate hole before screwing the drywall to the ceiling, in exactly the same way they cut a hole in the drywall for all your installed outlet and switch boxes. The plate is above the joist, with the trim ring down 1/2" or 5/8" or whatever your sheetrock thickness is, so your bezel will sit smooth with the ceiling. If you're looking at a sheetrock ceiling right now, you need remodel housings. If you're looking at joists and studs, you need new-work housings. Both still need trim and lamps.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 20:30
|
|
|
Ok that's making a little more sense. I should have found a better picture for exactly what I was looking at, which are these: http://www.homedepot.ca/product/new-construction-frame/942126 these flat little frames are still a little confusing
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 20:44
|
|
|
resistentialism posted:Ok that's making a little more sense. I should have found a better picture for exactly what I was looking at, which are these: http://www.homedepot.ca/product/new-construction-frame/942126 I'm trying to figure out what's confusing about them. When there's no rock in the ceiling, what are you supposed to attach your can to? You don't want to let it dangle, and they guys installing the rock don't know where to cut holes. I guess if you want to just remodel all your cans in after all the rock and paint and whatever is up, you don't need the frames, but most people rough in all the electrical as soon as the roof is on. The frames you're seeing are a way for manufacturers to cheap out and just offer remodel-style cans, but allow contractors/installers to install those in new construction. I'm not at all surprised to see Home Depot offering them.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 20:56
|
|
|
babyeatingpsychopath posted:The frames you're seeing are a way for manufacturers to cheap out and just offer remodel-style cans, but allow contractors/installers to install those in new construction. I'm not at all surprised to see Home Depot offering them. Ya, this is what I was expecting. I guess I'm not that confused.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2012 20:58
|
|
|
Hey, I'm looking for a 277V 20A twist-lock connector at a slightly less than ruinous price. Where would i look for something like that? Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2012 01:44
|
|
|
Mill Town posted:Hey, I'm looking for a 277V 20A twist-lock connector at a slightly less than ruinous price. Where would i look for something like that? Thanks. I assume you are using the correct terminology when you say "connector". $41 from Grainger. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/LEVITON-Locking-Connector-5HYP2 Google search of "L7-20P" will get you some cheaper options but I'd stick with a nationally known brand like PS & L, Leviton or Hubbell. ncumbered_by_idgits fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Mar 1, 2012 |
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2012 02:06
|
|
|
Yeah, that's just how much they cost. If you're trying to get a price much lower than that, it won't be new.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2012 02:16
|
|
|
ncumbered_by_idgits posted:I assume you are using the correct terminology when you say "connector". $41 from Grainger. Perfect, just what I was looking for. Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2012 17:46
|
|
|
tworavens posted:I thought you guys might enjoy this: Wow. This is inspiring and awesome.
|
|
#
?
Mar 3, 2012 20:20
|
|
|
Girlfriend and I just moved into our house. The living room has a ceiling fan that is controlled by two separate switches, one for the light the other for the fan. I bought a slider for the light so we can dim it rather than be On or Off. Here's the problem. I installed it, secured it in the wall box and turned the breaker on. The light was on at the lowest position in the slider, when I slid up, it would flicker at about 25% up the slide, when I hit the top it's on its brightest. So about half of what I wanted to accomplish was fine. Sliding down again, the light was very low but it was still on, and it flickered reliably at the same point in the slide. I shut the breaker off and disconnected the switch, replacing the original light switch and cover. It's a plain light switch, with a red going in the top, black in the bottom and a looped wire on the bottom screw. The looped wire also connects to the right light switch which controls the fan. Am I going to be unable to install a slider here? Can I get a switch that has a very small slider immediately to the right of it, effectively giving it and on / off, but also controlled brightness? I thought this would be a really easy swap, but admittedly I'm not very knowledgeable with electrical work.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2012 16:08
|
|
|
nickhimself posted:Girlfriend and I just moved into our house. The living room has a ceiling fan that is controlled by two separate switches, one for the light the other for the fan. But your answer is yes, you can get a switch with a slider in all sorts of different styles, including what you're describing (uses a standard light switch cover vs decora). grover fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Mar 4, 2012 |
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2012 16:14
|
|
|
Alright. Thanks!
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2012 16:39
|
|
|
nickhimself posted:Am I going to be unable to install a slider here? Can I get a switch that has a very small slider immediately to the right of it, effectively giving it and on / off, but also controlled brightness? Grover's dead on about the CFLs not working with dimmers. One thing you might want to try is to swap those CFLs for ones that specifically say that they are dimmable.
|
|
#
?
Mar 4, 2012 18:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 15:17 |
|
|
Dimmable CFLs don't work with all dimmers  The older dimmer in our living room works perfectly with a set of dimmables, but the same set on a newer dimmer in the bedroom made the bulbs' ballast squeal. Both dimmers are solid state.
|
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2012 00:25
|
|