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tomapot posted:Thanks for the advice, I have a Grainger in town the sells the Arlington Anybody I'll take a look at that. Uhh, no, go get a masonry saw and cut yourself a new brick. You have no idea how much work you're in for.
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Aug 13, 2013 18:56
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Worked like a charm, thanks folks. I was afraid of breaking the switch if I forced it, but a bit of extra pressure and it finally flipped to Off. Don't know why I couldn't get it to go this morning. I waited 30 seconds or so and put it back to On and it was fine.
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Aug 13, 2013 22:44
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New Leaf posted:Worked like a charm, thanks folks. I was afraid of breaking the switch if I forced it, but a bit of extra pressure and it finally flipped to Off. Don't know why I couldn't get it to go this morning. I waited 30 seconds or so and put it back to On and it was fine. There should be a label on the panel somewhere that's equivalent to "Tripped indication is handle in center. To reset, turn to OFF then ON." Another label should be "TEST MONTHLY" for the AFCI/GFCIs in that panel. You should definitely do that. The breaker handles are spring-loaded; you've got to reset the spring with your off motion.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:45
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I'm trying to hook up an appliance via Zwave but all of the replacement outlets and switchgear I can find is for "lighting" and says it doesn't support more than 600W on the controlled outlet. Are there any receptacles / inline switches that speak Zwave and can support a load of more than 600W? I would want to pull the full 15-20A of a home outlet. edit: I finally found some Leviton gear (it's Z-wave but under their "Vizia RF" trademark) that will work but it has a Leviton price to match. Hed fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Aug 15, 2013 |
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Aug 15, 2013 01:56
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Hed posted:I'm trying to hook up an appliance via Zwave but all of the replacement outlets and switchgear I can find is for "lighting" and says it doesn't support more than 600W on the controlled outlet. Relays?
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Aug 15, 2013 06:05
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Hed posted:I'm trying to hook up an appliance via Zwave but all of the replacement outlets and switchgear I can find is for "lighting" and says it doesn't support more than 600W on the controlled outlet. I found some stuff with the search "zwave contactor." A contactor is generally what a big relay is called in the electrical industry, when switching power loads.
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Aug 15, 2013 12:38
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kid sinister posted:Nah, I'm talking 4 switches in a single breaker. Maybe I imagined it? You can get molded-case circuit breakers, industrial/commercial ones, that are four pole. Not the type that install in a panelboard. That is for oddball systems where you'd need to disconnect the neutral or DC applications where you need multiple breaking points in series to safely extinguish the arc.
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Aug 16, 2013 22:43
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Three-Phase posted:You can get molded-case circuit breakers, industrial/commercial ones, that are four pole. Not the type that install in a panelboard. That is for oddball systems where you'd need to disconnect the neutral or DC applications where you need multiple breaking points in series to safely extinguish the arc. You piqued my interest. Do you got a pic or link?
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Aug 17, 2013 00:12
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kid sinister posted:You piqued my interest. Do you got a pic or link? Sure. Eaton's Molded Case Breakers - No pictures unfortunately but you can order them in 2, 3, or 4 pole configuration. I don't want to derail and these breakers are a little larger than what you might see in a typical house (especially the R-frame breaker with 2500A.)
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Aug 17, 2013 03:57
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Three-Phase posted:Sure. grover fucked around with this message at 10:54 on Aug 17, 2013 |
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Aug 17, 2013 10:50
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Anyone have experience using low voltage rope lights, like these (amazon.com)? I'm considering using these on my deck railings for soft lighting. They'd be under the balusters, sandwiched between 2 2x4 boards. Should make them mostly invisible, splashing some light downwards around the perimeter and also up along the sides of the balusters. But, I'm wondering about that 3'3" minimum length. Any reason it wouldn't be possible to cut the thing anywhere, connect the wires, and silicone the end shut? Also, all of the CBconcept brand rope lights have pretty mixed reviews, but they are the only ones I see making a warm white option. Think I might buy one of the smaller lengths to try this out, especially since my transformer outputs AC and I don't know if flicker will bother me.
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Aug 21, 2013 13:07
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Raised by Hamsters posted:Anyone have experience using low voltage rope lights, like these (amazon.com)? These lights are often smd leds on a flexible circuit board which precludes cutting wherever you want. When done right this looks awesome. A neighbor has a picket fence around porch with a rope running with a slat about 6in off ground. Result is diffuse light for walkway and accent on fence with no visible lights.
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Aug 21, 2013 13:37
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A lot of the flex board lights can be cut, you just have to cut on a line they give you every ~4-6 inches or some of the lights at the end of the strip will go dead. You can use the cutoff part as well in some cases, you just need to scrape the plastic coating back and solder new feed wires to the little pads just like they do. Just take a look at how it's put together first and duplicate whatever they did to attach the power wiring to the thing.
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Aug 21, 2013 14:18
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Thanks for the info. Found another set that does indicate cuts every 3 inches. Is there any major risk of failure - or fire, I guess - by running it off of AC power? Can't make a link on my phone but if you search amazon for "hitlights weatherproof warm white flexible ribbon led" the one I'm looking at should be the first hit.
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Aug 21, 2013 22:32
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Raised by Hamsters posted:Thanks for the info. Found another set that does indicate cuts every 3 inches. Is there any major risk of failure - or fire, I guess - by running it off of AC power? Can't make a link on my phone but if you search amazon for "hitlights weatherproof warm white flexible ribbon led" the one I'm looking at should be the first hit. You will need a transformer, something like this would be waterproof and power that one strip: http://www.amazon.com/Ledwholesalers-Power-Suppply-Driver-Transformer/dp/B0034GUEY4/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_z If you want more than 5 meters, this is a 100W version: http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Driver-Transformer-Supply-double/dp/B006IJE0X0/ref=pd_sim_hi_6 based on the spec sheet for that reel of lights you were looking at you could power 5 reels with that 100W supply. They sell waterproof wirenuts if you wanted to run wire to it, or you could mount it near a junction box and do the AC connections in that.
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Aug 21, 2013 23:20
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Sorry, to be clear, I know I need a transformer. This is part of a new outdoor lighting project and I was hoping to keep my options open for more lighting options in other areas, which seem to mostly run on 12v AC. On some of these outdoor rope light kits, I've seen people saying they're running them on 12v AC power instead of DC - giving a possibly perceptible flicker and reduced light output, but otherwise fine functionality. Or I suppose I could stop being cheap and just buy a DC transformer for this rope light part.
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Aug 22, 2013 00:32
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Raised by Hamsters posted:Sorry, to be clear, I know I need a transformer. This is part of a new outdoor lighting project and I was hoping to keep my options open for more lighting options in other areas, which seem to mostly run on 12v AC. On some of these outdoor rope light kits, I've seen people saying they're running them on 12v AC power instead of DC - giving a possibly perceptible flicker and reduced light output, but otherwise fine functionality. Or I suppose I could stop being cheap and just buy a DC transformer for this rope light part. What "lighting options" are you finding in 12v AC? Landscape lights are largely going to 12 VDC which makes it very easy to swap in LEDs and have them at full brightness (incans dont' care either way). The extra cost of a bridge rectifier in the transformer is well worth it.
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Aug 22, 2013 01:25
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I did not know that was a thing... Thanks! I don't have a huge amount of experience with electronics and I've never dealt with transformers before. However I'm having a hell of a time googling up any company's transformers that mention actually having that. This is the transformer I had been planning to buy as their stuff seems to be pretty well reviewed and I thought it was a higher end one. Also liked the multiple voltage taps as I might end up doing a somewhat longer run for a future instalation. But on the other hand, you find nice little disclaimers like this on their site: ** All VOLT® LED fixtures and retrofit bulbs must be used with magnetic transformers such as our VOLT® transformers (they are not compatible with electronic transformers). They must be used with AC (they are not compatible with DC voltage). Failure to comply with any of these factors so will destroy the fixture or lamp and void the warranty. Lots of places that seem to specialize in this kind of lighting seem very non specific on the AC/DC issue. Even if you go into spec sheets on a lot of LED bulbs from these places, it tends to say something like "Voltage = 12" - Is there something simple I'm just overlooking here?
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Aug 22, 2013 03:26
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Raised by Hamsters posted:I did not know that was a thing... Thanks! I don't have a huge amount of experience with electronics and I've never dealt with transformers before. I dont' know what lights/fixtures you're looking at, but all the common ones (at least in my experience on the east coast) are DC. Here's a solid no-name 300w transformer that costs half of that one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/300-WATT-12V-LOW-VOLTAGE-LANDSCAPE-LIGHTING-TRANSFORMER-/151092725227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item232dd405eb I have one of those on my house and several others at other people's houses. They work great. Then go buy knock off lights in cast aluminum housings for $25-45 a piece, or shell out 3 times that much for Kichler or Malibu. This stuff isn't complicated and doesn't need to be expensive for high quality parts that last. You just won't find those kinds of parts at big box stores, and if you go for the "big name" commercial ones you will be raked over the coals on price because you aren't a contractor/wholesaler. What specifically are you trying to re-use or what have you found that your'e concerned with here? It seems like you have one or more fixtures in mind besides the rope lighting.
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Aug 22, 2013 04:04
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Motronic posted:Then go buy knock off lights in cast aluminum housings for $25-45 a piece, or shell out 3 times that much for Kichler or Malibu. Kichler or Malibu at the big box stores are all knock-off quality anyway. Unless you want to step up to something like Nightscaping, go hog wild on aliexpress or whatever chinese bulk site suits your fancy.
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Aug 22, 2013 04:09
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Qwijib0 posted:Kichler or Malibu at the big box stores are all knock-off quality anyway. Unless you want to step up to something like Nightscaping, go hog wild on aliexpress or whatever chinese bulk site suits your fancy. Yeah, I wasn't clear on that. If your big box store has something other than plastic lights, they are subpar quality low end models or knock offs. They are not the same ones you'd get if you hired a proper professional to do the install.
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Aug 22, 2013 04:30
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The deck is the first part of this project, and I would need around 5 strands of the rope lights indicated above to finish it off. But, there is a patio adjacent to the deck, and beyond that I might want to do some path lighting out to the fire pit area in the back yard. Neither of those are a high priority but I was hoping to leave some headroom. Anyway I really didn't expect this to be complicated but apparently I'm easily confused - On the transformer you linked, what are you seeing that tells you it is outputting in DC? Or is that assumed unless it says otherwise? Also since you have experience with that one, do you get much buzzing off of it? This will be located fairly close to the main seating area.
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Aug 22, 2013 13:02
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Raised by Hamsters posted:Anyway I really didn't expect this to be complicated but apparently I'm easily confused - On the transformer you linked, what are you seeing that tells you it is outputting in DC? Or is that assumed unless it says otherwise? Also since you have experience with that one, do you get much buzzing off of it? This will be located fairly close to the main seating area. I don't see anything in that particular auction to say what it is, but I know it is because I've got a few of those exact units. It buzzes some, but it's not very loud. I don't have it set up near a seating area, so I can't say how annoying it might be. My setup is to have that transformer set to turn on dusk to dark (using the photo eye), and then I have it on an outdoor outlet controlled by a timer. That way I can turn it "on" at like 4 PM and off at 11:30. Regardless of the time of year, my lights turn on as dusk and off at 11:30. While the rope lighting is nice, you may also want to look into things like these. They are inexpensive, cast aluminum, the seals/o rings they come with are very good and you don't need too many to cover an area. While they aren't as nice as some of the high end lights I used to install they are really quite nice and excellent for the price. I'm also using several of these as up-lighting on trees. The "trick" with those is to mount them so they are on the side of trees in the area you want to light up, like around your deck. Then you get a nice reflected light off of the canopy and it fills in the shadows. It makes it feel like you're in a nice lit oasis in the dark. But that's all up to what you like. It was always a popular way to go with customers. We used to keep a few of them around to quickly spike in front of trees and just run the cables over the ground and leave it for an evening. We'd typically get a call just after dark or the next morning with a "YES, DO IT."
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Aug 22, 2013 17:41
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Is there an easy way to get coax from the attic of a 2-story house down to the basement? We got lucky in our current place in that it was already done, but we're moving to a new house and I'd like to replicate the same antenna-in-the-attic setup.
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Aug 23, 2013 19:45
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Yeah: you run the cable on the outside of the house.
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Aug 23, 2013 19:50
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Sleepstupid posted:Is there an easy way to get coax from the attic of a 2-story house down to the basement? We got lucky in our current place in that it was already done, but we're moving to a new house and I'd like to replicate the same antenna-in-the-attic setup. Totally depends on the house. If you have closets in the same place on the first and second floor you can drill through them and tack the cable up on the back where you won't see it. Some places even have cable chases going from the attic to the basement, but nobody is ever really that lucky.......
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Aug 23, 2013 20:10
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Sleepstupid posted:Is there an easy way to get coax from the attic of a 2-story house down to the basement? We got lucky in our current place in that it was already done, but we're moving to a new house and I'd like to replicate the same antenna-in-the-attic setup. I managed to run cat5 from the basement to the second story of my parents' house by running it up the corner of the clothes chute...
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Aug 24, 2013 00:19
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Sleepstupid posted:Is there an easy way to get coax from the attic of a 2-story house down to the basement? We got lucky in our current place in that it was already done, but we're moving to a new house and I'd like to replicate the same antenna-in-the-attic setup. Do you have a chimney? If you do and it's not exposed usually it is framed in so they look like normal walls. There is usually enough room if you pop off some of the molding to be able to fish wire between the floors. I just did this with my current house. I was also able to do it with my last house except instead of following the chimney I was able to follow a space in my walls that followed my main vent stack.
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Aug 24, 2013 04:03
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I use some fishing weights and line to lower down from attics to floors. You can feel when you get stuck and bounce your way down. Great for tiny spaces like the aforementioned chimney.
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Aug 24, 2013 04:45
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Saw an electrician wiring up some standard 110v outlets today. For outlets in the middle of a run, he pigtailed the wires so that only 1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground was connected to the outlet, presumably so that if that outlet went wonky, downstream outlets would still work. Is this generally considered the best way to wire up a mid-run outlet? Thanks.
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Aug 24, 2013 07:21
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socketwrencher posted:Is this generally considered the best way to wire up a mid-run outlet? Thanks. That depends on the person you talk to. If you set up all your pigtails before you get to the job site it can make it go a little faster (when I was doing grunt work for a master electrician he had me make up pigtails on rainy days for bigger jobs). It can make the junction boxes a little tight at times as you are adding those extra wire nuts, but it's just a matter of preference.
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Aug 24, 2013 14:00
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Religious Man posted:That depends on the person you talk to. If you set up all your pigtails before you get to the job site it can make it go a little faster (when I was doing grunt work for a master electrician he had me make up pigtails on rainy days for bigger jobs). It can make the junction boxes a little tight at times as you are adding those extra wire nuts, but it's just a matter of preference. Thanks for the feedback Religious Man. I can see where the pigtails would speed things up if someone was coming behind you. So many things in the construction world seem to be a matter of preference and/or there's a lack of consensus on the "best" practice. For example, push-in connectors. Anyone have any thoughts/experience with them?
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Aug 24, 2013 17:17
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socketwrencher posted:Saw an electrician wiring up some standard 110v outlets today. For outlets in the middle of a run, he pigtailed the wires so that only 1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground was connected to the outlet, presumably so that if that outlet went wonky, downstream outlets would still work. You have to make pigtails like that anyway for ground wires. Outlets have 2 screw terminals for both hot and neutral, but only a single screw for ground. Plus if the box is metal, then you have to ground the box too. Sometimes that means 2 pigtails, but it can also be accomplished by making an extra long ground pigtail, bend a hairpin loop in it, attach that loop to the grounding screw in the box and then attaching the pigtail end to the outlet. But Religious Man is right, if the box has 2 cables on 1 circuit, making pigtails ahead of time isn't necessary but can save time later. For outlet boxes with 2 or more cables on 1 circuit enter the box, then you will definitely end up having to make pigtails. socketwrencher posted:For example, push-in connectors. Anyone have any thoughts/experience with them? A lot of inspectors view them as fires waiting to happen (see backstab outlets). They're only useful with solid wire and only when you're joining multiple wires of the same gauge. If you strip too much insulation off your wires and then push them into that connector, it's a pain in the butt to get the wire out again to clip it shorter, unlike a wire nut. They also can't be reused like wire nuts can. However, they are useful for attaching an extension onto single wires that were cut way too short in the box. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Aug 24, 2013 |
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Aug 24, 2013 17:36
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kid sinister posted:You have to make pigtails like that anyway for ground wires. Outlets have 2 screw terminals for both hot and neutral, but only a single screw for ground. Plus if the box is metal, then you have to ground the box too. Sometimes that means 2 pigtails, but it can also be accomplished by making an extra long ground pigtail, bend a hairpin loop in it, attach that loop to the grounding screw in the box and then attaching the pigtail end to the outlet. But Religious Man is right, if the box has 2 cables on 1 circuit, making pigtails ahead of time isn't necessary but can save time later. For outlet boxes with 2 or more cables on 1 circuit enter the box, then you will definitely end up having to make pigtails. I see what you're saying, thanks. Usually with 2 cables on 1 circuit mid-run I see the hot and neutral of both cables connected to the screws, no pigtailing except the grounds as you mentioned. I like the idea of pigtailing because it seems to isolate each outlet in case one goes wonky without shutting down the rest of the circuit. kid sinister posted:A lot of inspectors view them as fires waiting to happen (see backstab outlets). They're only useful with solid wire and only when you're joining multiple wires of the same gauge. If you strip too much insulation off your wires and then push them into that connector, it's a pain in the butt to get the wire out again to clip it shorter, unlike a wire nut. They also can't be reused like wire nuts can. However, they are useful for attaching an extension onto single wires that were cut way too short in the box. Didn't think of the extension usage- that could come in handy. I haven't seen these connectors used except with light fixtures but I've come across a couple of electricians using them recently. Hard to imagine that they're better than the twist-and-nut method but it's interesting to see how the field changes over time.
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Aug 24, 2013 18:05
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kid sinister posted:They also can't be reused like wire nuts can. However, they are useful for attaching an extension onto single wires that were cut way too short in the box. yeah, we mostly use them when doing old home knob and tube inspections and re-plugs. it's pretty rare to find k&t longer than about 2 or 3" in a box so they come in handy. plus if the old sheathing is brittle those connectors are less strenuous on the wire than the twisting you do with a wirenut.
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Aug 24, 2013 19:24
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That's the only thing I would use them for, I don't trust them. I generally pigtail outlets because I know I'll be the poor SOB replacing them and I'd rather unscrew and rescrew 2 wires than 4. And I got the deepest boxes I could fit in my walls, so I've got no problems with space available for the extra wire and wire nuts.
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Aug 26, 2013 15:23
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Edit: way to post a response in the wrong thread!
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Aug 26, 2013 16:25
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I have an odd problem. Over the weekend I pulled an outlet and a ceiling light out and left the wires in a box with wire nuts on the hot lines. The outlet and the ceiling light were on two different circuits, the outlet on a 20amp circuit and the light on a 15 amp circuit. The light circuit powers the lights in the laundry room (where I removed the outlets and the ceiling light) and the lights and some of the outlets in the master bedroom upstairs, directly above the laundry room. Once I removed the ceiling light and outlet, I turned the breaks on.  Key: 1 - the outlet I removed 2 - outlet that is still there. It is on the same circuit as outlet 1. 3- The ceiling light I removed. 4 - Another outlet, on the same circuit as light 3. 5 - is a ceiling light, directly below where the hot tile resides. 6 - a light in the master bedroom that is on the same circuit as 3 and 4. Last night I noticed one of the tiles in my bathroom was warm (the star location on the picture). The hot tile is directly above the light labeled 5; the bathroom is above the hallway light 5 resides. I turned off the breakers for the two circuits I worked on the previous day and the tile cooled off. Through a process of elimination, it appears the 15 amp circuit is causing the problems, but for the life of me I can't figure out why the tile is warm. I checked the voltage with the breakers on and off and the voltage in the house outlets is 122v and is stable (when I checked it this morning, with both breakers off, it was also 122v) Could I be inadvertently grounding something in the 15 amp circuit which is heating up the lines and in turn this one isolated tile?
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Aug 27, 2013 18:49
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Is light #5 a can light? Some of those can get really hot. Turn the circuit back on but leave light #5 off say overnight and see if that tile is still warm in the morning. Wait, this outlet still had voltage with the breakers off??? kid sinister fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Aug 27, 2013 |
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Aug 27, 2013 21:28
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I discovered this last night and the can light had been on all day. I left the light and the breaker off last night and today so I will try just the breaker when I get home. The can light is on a separate circuit.
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Aug 27, 2013 21:48
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