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I had a service call yesterday with a guy who was planning to install a 120A whole house electric water heater. Wanted advisement on his service, and if we needed to upgrade our side. I had our engineer look at historical data and size the xfmr and service (going from 25 to 50kva and 1/0 to 2/0 overhead wire, and per engineer it still may dim theirs and the neighbors lights), and informed the guy that he would have to upgrade his service from 200A to 325A. Also informed him that we were in the process of swapping to meters that have time-of-use billing capability, which could make running this thing pretty un-economical if we ever go to TOU metering (all utilities are moving to it). By the end of our conversation, he had decided to can the instant electric and get an instant gas model. "I always wanted a gas stovetop anyway." To be fair, he has a legitimate problem, in that a new tank heater with the new insulation requirements won't fit into the small water heater closet.
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Nov 12, 2017 21:03
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kid sinister posted:Is there a good alternative for appliances yet? I'm talking like oven lights, fridge lights, etc. Stick a CFL in a fridge and it won't be very bright for the 5-10 seconds the door is open. As for the oven, what's out there that can take 450F? I feel like for things like oven lights it's just not worth the engineering time to reduce the energy footprint of a bulb that is (generally) on for minutes per month. Especially when improved insulation on the oven would recapture those energy losses trivially. While I'm generally not of the camp "it's pointless to make small incremental improvements if you can't change the big picture problem" in this case I think the % gain is so miniscule. In theory you could do LED + light tube kinda thing to allow the LED to not be exposed to 500F+ of heat. Fridges there is more of a benefit to be had in that the door is open longer, and the heat output is directly reducing the efficiency of your fridge, but again it's not like just closing the door faster won't recoup more than that energy in a shorter period of time. I would love it if they went to led strips that helped light up the back of my fridge (and add one in the freezer.) I know they make freezers with lights in them, I have never owned one.
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Nov 13, 2017 00:44
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Don't most new fridges have LED lights?
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Nov 13, 2017 02:59
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pidan posted:Re: LEDs, we have them everywhere but in the dimmable lamp it looks really weird so we switched it for a halogen bulb. One of our LED lights whistles when it's on, is that something that can happen? We'll return it whatever the reason may be, but I'm curious.
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Nov 13, 2017 05:40
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My fridge used a filament bulb that was burned out so I put a 40w ceiling LED in there and it has been working fine, they don't always fit but it did in this case. And yeah new fridges will use LED because it is cheaper than the filament bulbs at this point. Same way all monitors went from fluorescent backlights to LED.
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Nov 13, 2017 09:03
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I hav a couple of three way switches in our new house that are wired incorrectly. Basically if it’s off at one switch the other switch does not work. Would the best thing to do here be to post a picture of how the switches are wired so someone can tell me what’s wrong? One of these I caused myself today trying to install a Wink Relay smart home controller. Which is a separate question. It is a touchscreen controller that takes the place of a light switch. The Relay can’t work as a three way switch. In our living room a light is four way switched (three different switches work the same light). I’d like to take one of those switches out of the loop altogether and just use the power source for the Wink Relay. Is that as simple as wire nutting the traveling wires together at that switch? Basically changing a four way switch in to a three way switch if that makes sense.
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Nov 14, 2017 02:00
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Rubiks Pubes posted:I hav a couple of three way switches in our new house that are wired incorrectly. Basically if it’s off at one switch the other switch does not work. Would the best thing to do here be to post a picture of how the switches are wired so someone can tell me what’s wrong? Please do, but i will warn you now that there are a handful of methods to wire 3 way switches, not all of which are legal anymore now that every switch box must have a neutral. How many different 3 way setups are you talking about? If your controller can't function as a 3 way switch, then it can't be used in that 4 way setup. 4 way setups are a little different than 3 way setups. 4 ways actually have a 3 way on either end, then 4 ways for each switch in the middle.
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Nov 14, 2017 04:45
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There are two different three way setups that are acting funky. I’ll post pictures tonight when i go back to the house. Sounds like my idea for changing the four way setup to a three way won’t work. Thanks for your help!
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Nov 14, 2017 13:43
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I want to add an outlet above an existing outlet in my living room for a wall mounted TV. My house has aluminum wiring (death trap, tinder box house, etc) with proper CO-ALR outlets and #63 marette connections with Noalox. It's as safe as it *can be*, however safe that is - even from electricians that ranges from "just as safe as copper" to "GET OUT NOW". My entire street was built by the same builder at the same time (1979, probably the last year they ever used aluminum wiring). Nobody has ever had an electrical fire - even the neighbors that I have noticed have installed DECORA "Cu only" switches and outlets on their aluminum branches... Oh god. If an outlet is at the end of a branch (having an unused hot/neutral connection on the outlet), can I connect a COPPER connection to this outlet in tandem with the aluminum connection? I know the CO-ALR outlets are approved for copper and aluminum, but I cannot for the life of me find anything that specifically says it is safe to use both at the *same time* - and if so - if there are any special precautions (such as use of Noalox, etc).
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Nov 15, 2017 20:49
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Spagghentleman posted:I want to add an outlet above an existing outlet in my living room for a wall mounted TV. My house has aluminum wiring (death trap, tinder box house, etc) with proper CO-ALR outlets and #63 marette connections with Noalox. It's as safe as it *can be*, however safe that is - even from electricians that ranges from "just as safe as copper" to "GET OUT NOW". My entire street was built by the same builder at the same time (1979, probably the last year they ever used aluminum wiring). Nobody has ever had an electrical fire - even the neighbors that I have noticed have installed DECORA "Cu only" switches and outlets on their aluminum branches... Oh god. If you're using the screw terminals, I don't see an issue.
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Nov 15, 2017 21:32
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Spagghentleman posted:I want to add an outlet above an existing outlet in my living room for a wall mounted TV. My house has aluminum wiring (death trap, tinder box house, etc) with proper CO-ALR outlets and #63 marette connections with Noalox. It's as safe as it *can be*, however safe that is - even from electricians that ranges from "just as safe as copper" to "GET OUT NOW". My entire street was built by the same builder at the same time (1979, probably the last year they ever used aluminum wiring). Nobody has ever had an electrical fire - even the neighbors that I have noticed have installed DECORA "Cu only" switches and outlets on their aluminum branches... Oh god. Pigtail the outlet with CU wire and connect to the AL with THESE. You don't really need the torque screwdriver to use these, just snug them up so the screw starts to bite into the wire. AlumiConns are code compliant and won't cause your outlet to burn up at some point down the road. I had an aluminum wire loosen the set screw on the side of an outlet and start hissing and smoking. Fortunately I was home at the time and got that poo poo fixed - pronto.
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Nov 17, 2017 14:55
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I don't think the Alumiconns are approved for use in Canada yet.
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Nov 17, 2017 17:45
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Spagghentleman posted:I want to add an outlet above an existing outlet in my living room for a wall mounted TV. My house has aluminum wiring (death trap, tinder box house, etc) with proper CO-ALR outlets and #63 marette connections with Noalox. It's as safe as it *can be*, however safe that is - even from electricians that ranges from "just as safe as copper" to "GET OUT NOW". My entire street was built by the same builder at the same time (1979, probably the last year they ever used aluminum wiring). Nobody has ever had an electrical fire - even the neighbors that I have noticed have installed DECORA "Cu only" switches and outlets on their aluminum branches... Oh god. How about something like this, instead of messing with your wiring? https://www.amazon.com/Datacomm-50-3323-WH-KIT-Panel-Organizer-Solution/dp/B001PB7UVA/
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Nov 17, 2017 23:24
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kid sinister posted:Is there a good alternative for appliances yet? I'm talking like oven lights, fridge lights, etc. Stick a CFL in a fridge and it won't be very bright for the 5-10 seconds the door is open. As for the oven, what's out there that can take 450F? FWIW, I've tried both LED and CFL in a fridge. LED was instantly bright, but died quickly both times. CFL was very dim due to the temps; CFLs don't handle cold temps very well unless you give them time to warm up, nor do they handle short "on" periods decently either. Fluorescent bulbs really need to be left on for a decent amount of time to keep them from burning out quickly. This has been in oldschool top/bottom fridges though, with the bulb right next to the fan vent - so it's likely the LEDs died from the condensation forming every time the door was opened. My fridge bulb sees maybe 3 minutes of use a day if I'm cooking a big meal, I'm pretty sure the 20 year old builder-grade fridge pulls far more power than the light could ever dream of. e: I rent, fridge/stove/dishwasher are included. The stove is almost as old as I am though (I'm pushing 40, for reference). Only major appliances I provided were washer/dryer. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 13:46 on Nov 18, 2017 |
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Nov 18, 2017 13:44
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n0tqu1tesane posted:How about something like this, instead of messing with your wiring? This is 100% code legal, safe and the correct solution.
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Nov 19, 2017 05:27
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So the very standard-looking extension cord in that kit is allowed to run inside a wall?
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Nov 19, 2017 06:03
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angryrobots posted:So the very standard-looking extension cord in that kit is allowed to run inside a wall? No it looks like there is a roll of 14/2 that is used between boxes. The extention cord connects is yo connect the new lower box to an existing outlet nearby.
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Nov 19, 2017 06:22
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I see, I didn't look at it closely enough.
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Nov 19, 2017 13:56
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angryrobots posted:I see, I didn't look at it closely enough. I can see why you thought that, there are those "kits" that are just holes with white plastic fibers that you run all of your cabling through.
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Nov 19, 2017 20:04
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Let's say I got something like this: https://www.amazon.com/GLW-Waterproof-Outdoor-Halogen-Equivalent/dp/B008XZAQDU How would I go about mounting/wiring to an outdoor box? I had assumed I'd need a round weatherproof box, but I don't know what kind of cover would work.
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Nov 20, 2017 02:36
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That is a 12v fixture, so you would need a low voltage transformer. Looking at the item, it does not appear to have an option to mount into a weatherproof box, instead you would just mount that rear arm to the wall. You probably would be better off buying something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N3Q7OFH And mounting it to a weatherproof round box, it should screw right into the front cover. Note that the one I linked is 120v.
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Nov 20, 2017 08:11
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The Gardenator posted:That is a 12v fixture, so you would need a low voltage transformer. Looking at the item, it does not appear to have an option to mount into a weatherproof box, instead you would just mount that rear arm to the wall. Yea I noticed after posting that, although the description says AC or DC, it still is only 12v. I'm having a hell of a time so far finding something that isn't high wattage and soft white. But now that I used the search term 'knuckle mount' everything is popping up. Thanks! Doctor Butts fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Nov 20, 2017 |
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Nov 20, 2017 14:56
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Spagghentleman posted:I don't think the Alumiconns are approved for use in Canada yet. Sorry, didn't realize we were dealing with Canukistan.
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Nov 21, 2017 23:28
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Hey guys, in my utility closet I have a coaxial cable that comes from a splitter and is piped into a pvc/plastic conduit labeled "living room" so I assume that this is the coaxial cable that terminates near the TV area. Thing is I don't have cable so this cable is kind of useless, so I was thinking about replacing it with a CAT6 cable so that I can hardwire the TV/Roku/etc. So what I was thinking of doing is disconnecting the coaxial cable from the splitter in the closet, taping one end of a CAT6 cable to it, and then in the living room I'd take off the face plate and just pull on the coaxial cable until it comes out with my Ethernet cable. On that end I'd just change the face plates or whatever to have a female end to plug things into, and in the closet it would connect directly to my switch. Is this a terrible idea and if so why? Is this something that's safe to do? This seems like a really easy way to hardwire my apartment and should be easy to put back to normal when I move out.
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Nov 26, 2017 21:20
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Boris Galerkin posted:Hey guys, in my utility closet I have a coaxial cable that comes from a splitter and is piped into a pvc/plastic conduit labeled "living room" so I assume that this is the coaxial cable that terminates near the TV area. Thing is I don't have cable so this cable is kind of useless, so I was thinking about replacing it with a CAT6 cable so that I can hardwire the TV/Roku/etc. If the pipe has room in it, I'd just run CAT5e along side it (you have zero reason to use CAT6 here, it's completely unnecessary). Easiest way to do this is to tie a plastic bag to a string, shove it into the pipe. Go the other end and put a vaccuum cleaner on it. You should end up with the bag pulled through very quickly (assuming it's conduit the whole way). Then just attach your new wire to the string, and pull it through. They also make ethernet over coax adapters.
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Nov 26, 2017 21:38
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Yeah, using an old cable to pull a new cable is common, safe, and normal but I'd keep the coax if you can. If the bag trick doesn't work but there is still room for both I'd try using the coax to pull both the new network cable and some strings through, then use one of the strings to pull the coax back. I always try to leave an extra string when I'm doing any kind of pulls through blind areas like that so it's easier next time.
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Nov 26, 2017 22:15
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devicenull posted:Easiest way to do this is to tie a plastic bag to a string, shove it into the pipe. Go the other end and put a vaccuum cleaner on it. You should end up with the bag pulled through very quickly (assuming it's conduit the whole way). I never thought of using the conduit like a vacuum tube like that. Hopefully that works out for me cause it’ll let me measure how much cabling I’d need too (cat5e it is).
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Nov 26, 2017 23:02
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Boris Galerkin posted:I never thought of using the conduit like a vacuum tube like that. Hopefully that works out for me cause it’ll let me measure how much cabling I’d need too (cat5e it is). You should go for cat6a or cat7 if you can, there's no reason to use a standard that's been superseded and at it's limit technically.
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Nov 26, 2017 23:26
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ElCondemn posted:You should go for cat6a or cat7 if you can, there's no reason to use a standard that's been superseded and at it's limit technically. Cat7 is pointless. It's not part of any ethernet specs, 10G works fine on Cat6A and 25/40G jumped right to Cat8 for patch cables, leaving permanent installations unspecified and basically saying "use fiber"
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Nov 26, 2017 23:31
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ElCondemn posted:You should go for cat6a or cat7 if you can, there's no reason to use a standard that's been superseded and at it's limit technically. Except it's an apartment so this isn't going to be there forever.. 5e is easier to work with, and there is no consumer level gear that does anything above 1gbit right now. Anything better then 5e is pointless expense.
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Nov 26, 2017 23:46
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Use whatever is cheapest, it's a loving rental. Don't sperge out over cat whatever unless you have a specific need for it. Stranded will be easier to pull. Get it preterminated off monoprice. Or grab a "moca bridge". How house burn downy are these? Never seen them where they rotate. 2 pack - 6 Inch Black Extension Cord with Flat Rotating Plug https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CXJJSUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MK0gAb5XF6KDQ
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Nov 27, 2017 00:16
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devicenull posted:Except it's an apartment so this isn't going to be there forever.. 5e is easier to work with, and there is no consumer level gear that does anything above 1gbit right now. Anything better then 5e is pointless expense. A number of higher-end consumer/prosumer motherboards have had 10G for a year or two now. Apple is about to put it in an iMac. NBaseT has moved >1G even further down the lineup as well, Aquantia just had a sale on Black Friday that put their 10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100m card at $69 with the 5G/2.5G/1G/100m one at $59. Switches are still more expensive than they should be, but we're getting there. That said if it's not too long of a run and especially if it's easy to pull, who cares? That's the nice thing about a well done conduit setup, if you need to re-cable it's not that hard.
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Nov 27, 2017 00:17
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H110Hawk posted:How house burn downy are these? Never seen them where they rotate. They say listed for 15A, don't exceed 12. They heat up pretty bad and, if they're under any tension when that happens, they melt and don't rotate. Instead of rotating, they break apart and you're left with live prongs hanging out of the wall. Other than that, great product. Good for hiding things behind couches.
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Nov 27, 2017 01:20
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:They say listed for 15A, don't exceed 12. They heat up pretty bad and, if they're under any tension when that happens, they melt and don't rotate. Instead of rotating, they break apart and you're left with live prongs hanging out of the wall. Neato, thanks. That is just what I was thinking about. 80% of rated for continuous load is about 80% higher than it will see.
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Nov 27, 2017 04:46
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H110Hawk posted:Use whatever is cheapest, it's a loving rental. Don't sperge out over cat whatever unless you have a specific need for it. Stranded will be easier to pull. Get it preterminated off monoprice. Or grab a "moca bridge". They might be a tiny bit house burn downy. Here's a teardown of a similar design with a discussion of their problems. https://hackaday.com/2017/10/27/this-power-strip-is-a-fire-starter/
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Nov 30, 2017 01:35
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H110Hawk posted:Use whatever is cheapest, it's a loving rental. Don't sperge out over cat whatever unless you have a specific need for it. Stranded will be easier to pull. Get it preterminated off monoprice. Or grab a "moca bridge". Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use, so they're a little "burn downy".
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Nov 30, 2017 03:32
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kid sinister posted:Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use, so they're a little "burn downy". It's not permanent. Naffer posted:They might be a tiny bit house burn downy. Ok, this is what I was wondering about : How do they both go 360 degrees and not be terrible spring connections. In theory my shiny year old AFCI breakers should solve any problems, but I'm just going to continue to live in the dark ages with a lo-pro fixed angle plug.
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Nov 30, 2017 21:27
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kid sinister posted:Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use, so they're a little "burn downy". Why is that, out of curiosity? Is it that people can't be trusted to choose the proper gauge?
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Nov 30, 2017 21:29
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Went into my workshop after a storm a few days ago, and the lights weren't working; the GFCI breaker for the lights had tripped (but the other circuits in the workshop were fine). I reset it and the lights worked again, and I haven't noticed any other issues with the circuits, but is there anything in particular I should look out for? Possible causes for the trip? There's a motion-activated light on that circuit, mounted on an exterior box, so I guess water could maybe get in that way, but it's close to the soffits and pretty thoroughly caulked down, so I don't see how water could get in except maybe as vapor.
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Nov 30, 2017 21:40
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Was there any possibility of lightning?
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Nov 30, 2017 23:15
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