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I think this will be an easy question, maybe not an easy solution. My wife and I decided to turn our dining room into my office at the house. We never have people over for dinner parties and the breakfast area seats 6 and there are only three of us so we just never use it. My office was originally in a spare bedroom and I got evicted when the baby came and it was converted to his bedroom. The dining room, like most if not all, has a chandelier hanging in it. I constantly hit my head on this while getting up from my desk so I installed a ceiling fan in its place. The light switch for the outlet is a dimmer switch, which is fine when turned to full current, but comically slows the fan and dims the lights if you blink at it. I'm sure it is also getting hot inside my wall so I went and bought a switch that has a light and fan speed control. How does this wire up to control both the fan and the light separately? Also, I stopped using the fan since I have no idea if the current switch will set my house on fire.
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Oct 8, 2013 13:27
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Aflicted posted:I think this will be an easy question, maybe not an easy solution. Basically to control both separately you would need the cable (Romex) from the box to the fan to be four wire. More than likely, since you had only a light fixture there before, you only have three wire Romex. Your dimmers, neither the old or the new, are desgigned to work that way. I do zero residential work so maybe someone else will pipe in but I don't know of any way to do what you want short of replacing the Romex.
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Oct 8, 2013 15:43
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ncumbered_by_idgits posted:Basically to control both separately you would need the cable (Romex) from the box to the fan to be four wire. More than likely, since you had only a light fixture there before, you only have three wire Romex. Your dimmers, neither the old or the new, are desgigned to work that way. I do zero residential work so maybe someone else will pipe in but I don't know of any way to do what you want short of replacing the Romex. Some dimmer modules are mounted in/above fixtures and communicate with wireless eliminating the need to run more than a single supply.
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Oct 8, 2013 17:23
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Some dimmer modules are mounted in/above fixtures and communicate with wireless eliminating the need to run more than a single supply. I used one of these to solve the same problem. There are plenty of others. The receiver mounted up under the existing fan perfectly. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Ceiling-Fan-Wall-Control-9050H/202801200#.UlRBbzK9KSM
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Oct 8, 2013 18:33
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I have a coworker who is looking to convert a riding mower with a blown engine to all electric. Problem is neither of us know a drat thing about DC motors. Getting everything working mechanically will not be a problem. We have a few questions though. 1. how do you size a DC motor? For example the mower has a 25 HP that needs to be replaced. 2. What type of batteries/battery packs will be needed? Will car batteries do or will he need deep cycle? 3. I assume he will need some sort of controller to control the motor. How do you match controllers to motors? 4. Any other considerations that I may be over looking? This isn't exactly wiring related but I know you guys are knowledgeable in this stuff. If there is a better thread to ask in or if there are any decent online resources that you know of, please let me know.
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Oct 9, 2013 16:36
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Farside posted:I have a coworker who is looking to convert a riding mower with a blown engine to all electric. Problem is neither of us know a drat thing about DC motors. Getting everything working mechanically will not be a problem. We have a few questions though. This project will start around 1000USD. Youtube has some examples as does a simple google search. EvilMayo fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Oct 9, 2013 |
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Oct 9, 2013 16:42
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Farside posted:I have a coworker who is looking to convert a riding mower with a blown engine to all electric. Problem is neither of us know a drat thing about DC motors. Getting everything working mechanically will not be a problem. We have a few questions though. There was a long thread here in DIY a couple years ago about a goon converting his tractor to electric. You might want to look into that.
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Oct 9, 2013 17:45
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:This project will start around 1000USD. Youtube has some examples as does a simple google search. We found those examples but it doesn't give a step by step as to how to piece these things together. Most basically say here is my 1KV mower with a 3hp permanent magnet motor using lead acid/deep cycle marine/lithium ion batteries with out going into details about why that stuff was chosen. Most don't even give specifics as to motor, controller or battery makes and models. kid sinister posted:There was a long thread here in DIY a couple years ago about a goon converting his tractor to electric. You might want to look into that. Sweet. Thats way overkill for what he wants to do but a great starting point. Thank you.
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Oct 9, 2013 18:17
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Here's a question for you guys. Last night, the power went out in half of our apartment. Basically we lost it in the kitchen, living room, and one bedroom, while it stayed on in the bathroom, second bedroom, and study. (Also there was one outlet in the kitchen and one in the bedroom that stayed on). I went and checked the breakers, everything seemed ok, no idea what is happening. About 45 minutes later, power goes out in the rest of the house, and then everything comes back on about 15 minutes later. Obviously I called my landlord about this because it seemed weird as hell. Today he got in touch with me and said that his electrician had checked with NSTAR, and apparently the building is hooked up to two different poles. Last night there was some sort of issue that took out one pole, and they had to turn off more stuff (including the second pole) while making repairs. Is that possible? It seems totally bizarre that one unit with a single box can be getting power from multiple poles into different circuits. How terrified should I be about the wiring in here? I talked to NSTAR myself, and there were definitely outages in our area last night, so I don't think it's a crazy cover story he's making up (he's also been a really good landlord so I am inclined to believe him)
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Oct 9, 2013 19:55
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Farside posted:We found those examples but it doesn't give a step by step as to how to piece these things together. You are unlikely to find anything like that. Ashcans posted:Here's a question for you guys. Last night, the power went out in half of our apartment. Basically we lost it in the kitchen, living room, and one bedroom, while it stayed on in the bathroom, second bedroom, and study. (Also there was one outlet in the kitchen and one in the bedroom that stayed on). I went and checked the breakers, everything seemed ok, no idea what is happening. About 45 minutes later, power goes out in the rest of the house, and then everything comes back on about 15 minutes later. Sounds like you lost one phase. This should't have anything to do with "being fed from two different poles."
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Oct 9, 2013 21:11
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Probably a mistranslation somewhere along the line of "something something polarity something something."
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Oct 9, 2013 21:28
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The explanation I have is basically third hand (The electrician/NSTAR talked to my landlord, who called my wife, who emailed me at work) so it's very likely there was a mistranslation or terminology drop somewhere. If we lost a phase, is it something we should be concerned about and is there anything we should ask the landlord to do? He seems content that Nstar solved the issue with whatever work they were doing. I tried to google this a little but I am way out of my depth. I just want to make sure I'm not ignoring an electrical hazard, that's all.
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Oct 9, 2013 21:43
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Ashcans posted:The explanation I have is basically third hand (The electrician/NSTAR talked to my landlord, who called my wife, who emailed me at work) so it's very likely there was a mistranslation or terminology drop somewhere. If we lost a phase, is it something we should be concerned about and is there anything we should ask the landlord to do? He seems content that Nstar solved the issue with whatever work they were doing. Nah, if everything is working again you're fine. The way power works in the US is you get two hots and a neutral. If you connect to one hot and the neutral you get 120v. Connect to both hots and you get 240v. One side of your breaker panel has the one hot leg and the other side has the opposite hot leg. 240v breakers grab both, 120v stays on it's own side (some panels are different, but operate on the same principle). This is GROSSLY oversimplified, but should explain how you can lose only half of your circuits.
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Oct 9, 2013 23:22
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I'm working with a ~4k sqft floor of a building built around 1900. Its down town so there are six windows in the front and six in the back. Cans were placed throughout. I want to go LED. Should I go with LED floods or LED can fixtures?
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Oct 10, 2013 01:55
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This is probably another stupid question, but I wanted to ask what is the best way to flush mount an exterior light box in a stucco wall. I have a box like this one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Greenfie...-N#.UlYH6BDNl8E From what I can tell I drill/chisel away a rough 4" circular hole from the stucco and use a hole saw to cut through the sheathing. But then I'm not exactly sure how to mount the light box at the appropriate depth so its flush with the stucco or what exactly to anchor it to? Do I put in a cross block across the stud bay and screw the box to that? What about weather proofing the box? Is it enough to stucco patch around the edge of the box or is there some way I should flash the box? I have access to both sides of the wall if that matters.
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Oct 10, 2013 03:38
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Thaumaturgic posted:This is probably another stupid question, but I wanted to ask what is the best way to flush mount an exterior light box in a stucco wall. That's a surface mount exterior box. If you want a light box to be flush mounted, then you will need to get an old work box. Sealing exterior electrical boxes is weird. They only come weather sealed if they protrude from the surface. If they're flush mounted, then they assume the surface is watertight and they rely on their covers/fixtures to do the weather sealing.
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Oct 10, 2013 20:47
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Wiring up some LED can lights. Lights have ground leads but the cans don't. Do I just leave the grounds unconnected? I'm using 14ga NM cable. Thanks.
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Oct 12, 2013 23:58
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socketwrencher posted:Wiring up some LED can lights. Lights have ground leads but the cans don't. Do I just leave the grounds unconnected? I'm using 14ga NM cable. Thanks. The metal chassis of the can should be ground. There's really not any (green) screw on the can chassis to attach a ground to?
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Oct 13, 2013 00:21
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Motronic posted:The metal chassis of the can should be ground. There's really not any (green) screw on the can chassis to attach a ground to? Don't see a ground screw. These are H750RICAT Halo cans. Hot and neutral leads going to a plastic connector. Thanks Motronic.
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Oct 13, 2013 00:57
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Also, the bedrooms of this place are on a 20amp circuit whose 12ga cables feed outlets and light switches. From the switches to the lights, it's 14ga. Is this allowable?
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Oct 13, 2013 01:03
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socketwrencher posted:Also, the bedrooms of this place are on a 20amp circuit whose 12ga cables feed outlets and light switches. From the switches to the lights, it's 14ga. Is this allowable? Nope. Not allowable. 240.4(D)(3). 14AWG 15A max OCPD.
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Oct 13, 2013 02:47
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Nope. Not allowable. 240.4(D)(3). 14AWG 15A max OCPD. Thanks- that's what I thought too but wanted to doublecheck.
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Oct 13, 2013 03:18
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socketwrencher posted:Thanks- that's what I thought too but wanted to doublecheck. To fix that, you would need to either swap out that 14ga for 12ga, or swap the breaker out for a 15A.
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Oct 13, 2013 18:34
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kid sinister posted:To fix that, you would need to either swap out that 14ga for 12ga, or swap the breaker out for a 15A. Thanks kid s. Went with the 12ga. And as someone mentioned before, those push-in connectors that come with the Halo cans are a lifesaver. Also, is it just me but are the clips on the cans brutally hard to push into place? I know that's why they come with the foam cushioning, and of course the tension is necessay, but wow, that's the hardest thing about installing these cans by far.
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Oct 13, 2013 20:34
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Anybody know what's at the bottom of this can? Power from the attached j-box comes into can. Hot lead goes into a mystery box at the top of the inside of the can, then another hot cable comes out. What's the box for? 
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Oct 14, 2013 01:11
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Thermal protection switch. It'll cut the power if the can gets too hot.
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Oct 14, 2013 01:44
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grover posted:Thermal protection switch. It'll cut the power if the can gets too hot. Interesting- thanks. Makes sense now because the can in the pic is a shorty can so less air volume inside.
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Oct 14, 2013 03:43
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Replacing several breakers: if I don't care about the NEC, should I still be using AFCI breakers (the current breakers are not AFCI)?
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Oct 17, 2013 20:12
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rekamso posted:Replacing several breakers: if I don't care about the NEC, should I still be using AFCI breakers (the current breakers are not AFCI)? That depends on what those breaker are for........
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Oct 17, 2013 20:27
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Motronic posted:That depends on what those breaker are for........ One bedroom outlet (replacement) and a new outlet in the living room. I'm aware the NEC requires those to be AFCI, I'm not sure how significant the safety boost is for AFCI breakers over the old style. Googling seems to suggest AFCI breakers may be buggy as well, but it also seems that may be old info.
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Oct 18, 2013 00:01
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rekamso posted:One bedroom outlet (replacement) and a new outlet in the living room. They are significantly safer. In fact, replacing existing breakers with AFCIs and CAFCIs will show you just how bad your existing wiring may be. We all did fine for many years with standard breakers, and before that glass fuses that often had coins jammed underneath them to keep them from blowing. If you don't care about code then you need to decide how much a one-time cost is worth it to you to prevent a fire.
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Oct 18, 2013 01:02
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Got a 3-way switch circuit on a 20 amp breaker where the can light j-boxes are marked "4 12ga conductors max." Since this is a 3-way setup with multiple lights, and since the previous owner ran 12g everywhere, there are 6 12ga conductors in each box. They are neatly tucked in and the cover closes easily but it's obviously cramped. This was permitted and signed off work 8 years ago but we all know that that doesn't mean anything. To re-run it with 14ga is problematic because of crawlspace inaccessibility and a desire not to tear apart finished surfaces. How dangerous is this? Is this a no-brainer where you can't leave it as is? Thanks. If it matters, there are a total of 6 regular can light fixtures on this circuit. We are switching to LED which (amazingly) only use 9w each. socketwrencher fucked around with this message at 18:02 on Oct 20, 2013 |
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Oct 20, 2013 17:57
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i would say, if it's neatly wired and all of the connections are tight, in the scheme of things it's not a very big deal. especially if you're converting to LED which significantly reduces the heat.
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Oct 20, 2013 20:51
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crocodile posted:i would say, if it's neatly wired and all of the connections are tight, in the scheme of things it's not a very big deal. especially if you're converting to LED which significantly reduces the heat. Thanks for the feedback crocodile. My sister talked with her friend's friend, who is the contractor we got the LEDs from, who said the 4 conductor max is mostly a manufacturer's recommendation to safeguard against homeowners cramming in wires that may pop loose.
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Oct 20, 2013 23:11
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If its been there 8 years and the cover closes ok then Id say leave it be.
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Oct 21, 2013 14:06
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Hopefully I'm in the right thread for this question. I have a dimmable floor lamp with a separate reading light. The lamp has a single plug, that runs to a box that houses both the dimmer switch for the upright lamp and the on/off switch for the reading light. Recently, the dimmer has been failing/malfunctioning, and I'm looking for a product to replace the box - i.e., a box with a single plug with one dimmer output, and one on/off output. Can anyone recommend such a product, or let me know what other specs are needed to recommend something? My only alternative is to either take the existing box to someone who can repair it, or to use two separate plugs and wire one on/off switch to the reading light, and a second dimmer switch to the upright lamp - neither of which is particularly attractive. If I haven't sufficiently articulated anything, please let me know. I can check the specs for the lamp tonight, if necessary. Thanks!
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Oct 21, 2013 17:40
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ADHDan posted:Hopefully I'm in the right thread for this question. Pictures of the dimmer/box inside and out would probably suffice to point you in the direction of matching part(s) for replacement.
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Oct 21, 2013 17:45
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Motronic posted:Pictures of the dimmer/box inside and out would probably suffice to point you in the direction of matching part(s) for replacement. That makes sense. I'll take photos when I get home tonight. Thanks.
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Oct 21, 2013 17:56
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I've got one of those Federal Pacific Stablock Circuit Destroy-Everything-You-Own boxes. It's a 200 AMP, 40 circuit, 40 slot boxes. I'm looking at replacing it sooner, rather than later, as I don't want my wife to die while I'm at work. My question is: What should I replace it with, and what should it cost to get it changed out? I like Cutler-Hammer breakers because they're exclusively what we sell at work to coal , but my handyman is recommending Square D homeline. He's also quoting 3 grand if he supplies materials and 2 grand if I do. I just want to note that I do not, under any circumstance, intend to try to do any of the work on my own.
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Oct 21, 2013 19:56
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Square D Homeline is fine... Square D Homeline QO is cool too but expect $texas breaker prices. I have a Homeline subpanel and a QO main. If I did it again I'd buy two Homelines. No opinion on C-H, never used their products.
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Oct 21, 2013 20:02
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