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Boris Galerkin posted:I’m trying to push a nylon cable through the conduit where my coax cable is running and the fish is getting stuck somewhere. The metal end of it is hitting something hard (can’t tell if it’s wood, metal, or plastic though) and the sound sounds like it’s coming from somewhere relatively close to the outlet I’m starting at, but that could just be acoustics. There aren't a ton of rules around low voltage wiring, so weird things like conduit suddenly ending are entirely possible. USB inspection cameras are pretty cheap, and might give you a batter idea of what you're actually dealing with there. Even if you ended up leaving the conduit, I'd expect your fish tape to just follow the wall or stud it ended up hitting.
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Jan 8, 2018 14:44
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Boris Galerkin posted:I’m trying to push a nylon cable through the conduit where my coax cable is running and the fish is getting stuck somewhere. The metal end of it is hitting something hard (can’t tell if it’s wood, metal, or plastic though) and the sound sounds like it’s coming from somewhere relatively close to the outlet I’m starting at, but that could just be acoustics. Devicenull is right, the rules for low voltage are much more relaxed. Do you know where the other end of that coax is? Do you know if it's conduit all the way? You said "flexible plastic conduit". Is that ENT, also known as "smurf tube" since it's almost always blue? You might be able to tape your cat5e to your RG6 and pull it through, put a loop of tape over the cat5e at the other end, then pull the cat5e through even more until that tape loop comes out. Now you know where to attach that coax back to the cat5e so that when you pull the coax back the other way, it will leave a length of cat5e just as long. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Jan 8, 2018 |
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Jan 8, 2018 18:37
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Boris Galerkin posted:e2: Is it safe to coil/wind up the extra lengths on my power cables (for the TV, laptop, media box, etc) while the devices are being used? I would imagine that this might create some kind of electric field but I’m not sure. Yes this is fine. Grab some cheap velcro straps off amazon.
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Jan 8, 2018 18:43
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So my neighbors house burned down last week... part of that process involved their service drop catching fire, arcing, and falling to the ground. The next day, we had two electric blankets go into a weird error state, and my UPS briefly switched into battery mode. That was a few days ago, today my UPS logs say we had two brief outages (a few seconds each). Is this anything I should be calling the power company about? The neighbors house was not really near any electrical infrastructure (everything's on the other side of the street). Is one service arcing and falling to the ground enough to damage other things? We got a weird call from the power company today asking if the outage we were having was resolved.. I suspect that was because they were dispatched to my address during the fire to pull the meter/deal with the downed line. My multimeter is being really flaky right now, but my UPS is showing 125V from the wall.
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Jan 10, 2018 03:43
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What do you mean by the multimeter is being flaky?
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Jan 10, 2018 04:06
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devicenull posted:So my neighbors house burned down last week... part of that process involved their service drop catching fire, arcing, and falling to the ground. Your house and your neighbor's house were probably on the same transformer. When the power company disconnected the burned wires, you may have momentarily lost a neutral or a phase or something, causing your blankets and UPS to think something was odd.
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Jan 10, 2018 04:19
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angryrobots posted:What do you mean by the multimeter is being flaky? One lead in the outlet, one lead in the air: 2V babyeatingpsychopath posted:Your house and your neighbor's house were probably on the same transformer. When the power company disconnected the burned wires, you may have momentarily lost a neutral or a phase or something, causing your blankets and UPS to think something was odd. Maybe, but apparently we lost power a couple times last night, which is 5 days later.
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Jan 10, 2018 04:45
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Depending on how yours and your former neighbors services were connected, it's not impossible that the fault when the wire burnt down caused a connector upline to overheat and fail, and it's now causing an intermittent problem for you. It could also be unrelated. Give it another day, and if it blinks again, I'd go ahead and call them. Explain the situation, and ask if they could check out your service and if possible put a load tester on it.
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Jan 10, 2018 05:16
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devicenull posted:One lead in the outlet, one lead in the air: 2V sounds like free power to me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyfXvFicp8M
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Jan 10, 2018 15:13
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angryrobots posted:Yeah and that's the other thing - the available fault current in that gang box is absolutely incredible. I'm not gonna speculate on the level, but in this case with a ~200kva xfmr and I think 500mcm conductor feeding it, you're definitely in the range where arc flash protection would be required. Yeah... i'm in a 12 unit building. I'm not sure how many buildings are on the transformer (it's a pad mount somewhere nearby), but every unit here has 100 amp service. This is a rare case in which I'm glad there's a 100 amp breaker at the meter (main disconnect, instead of having it inside my panel), so I guess technically that makes my inside panel a sub-panel. When they attempted suicide via arc flash, the main breaker popped pretty quick (amazing for a FPE breaker). That guy doesn't work here anymore.
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Jan 11, 2018 07:17
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcWIKZtCPwA
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Jan 14, 2018 14:35
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Are those DIN rail MCBs legal to use for residential in the states? I run into gobs of them in euro-built machines at work and love love love the standard compliance and brand interchangability. E: well guess it's a moot question with the near universal AFCI mandate now
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Jan 14, 2018 18:10
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I want to replace a light fixture. The wiring is ~70 years old, but the light is a basic IKEA 3-wire, so it seemed doable. I removed the old fixture and removed some wire that had used to extend the original wiring (with electrical tape and solder, but then they bent the exposed copper wire back over the solder?). I peer inside the outlet and see this (I added the caps):  A black wire and a white wire come out of the tube on the left and two white wires come out of the tube on the right. The black wire has various bits of electrical tape, I assume covering where the cloth covering has worn. The three white wires are joined together using a large amount of electrical tape and there's just one white wire going forward. Is that okay? Joining three into one with electrical tape feels...worrying.
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Jan 16, 2018 01:54
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Brennanite posted:I want to replace a light fixture. The wiring is ~70 years old, but the light is a basic IKEA 3-wire, so it seemed doable. I removed the old fixture and removed some wire that had used to extend the original wiring (with electrical tape and solder, but then they bent the exposed copper wire back over the solder?). I peer inside the outlet and see this (I added the caps): Your picture isn't working for me, but NO, electrical tape is not an acceptable way of joining wires. Kill power to the circuit, verify with a non-contact voltage detector or meter that it's actually dead, and replace the tape with a wire nut.
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Jan 16, 2018 04:42
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Brennanite posted:I want to replace a light fixture. The wiring is ~70 years old, but the light is a basic IKEA 3-wire, so it seemed doable. I removed the old fixture and removed some wire that had used to extend the original wiring (with electrical tape and solder, but then they bent the exposed copper wire back over the solder?). I peer inside the outlet and see this (I added the caps): If this is knob and tube wiring, soldered and taped splices are ok. 394.56 in the NEC
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Jan 16, 2018 18:59
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devicenull posted:So my neighbors house burned down last week... part of that process involved their service drop catching fire, arcing, and falling to the ground. So, the power company came out and did something... and we haven't had problems since (only been 4 days though). They sent me a text saying it was fixed though.
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Jan 17, 2018 02:50
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devicenull posted:So, the power company came out and did something... and we haven't had problems since (only been 4 days though). They sent me a text saying it was fixed though. Good deal... They probably found something but you'd have to catch the guy who fixed it go for an explanation. Speaking of service calls...had a call this morning for a line on the ground and burning, fire dept on site. Get there, it's a triplex (3 conductor overhead cable, standard service wire you see everywhere) and it appeared that a garbage truck that caught it mid-span, cause the dumpster was right under the bad part. Fix that, get everything back on and the consumer says everything is running and OK inside. Just for being thorough, I decide to check voltage before I leave... And it's a bit low in the meter base at 115/117v. So I check amps.... And we're sitting at 200A on one leg and 210A on the other. That's, um, double it's capacity per our specs.  We fuse at 150% on the primary side (this covers cold load, it's ok and expected to go over 100% for short periods), but frankly I'm surprised the fuse was holding, their big shop air compressor and welders weren't even running yet...
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Jan 17, 2018 03:10
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My basement has a 240v dryer outlet, and my attic has a 120v. Can these be reversed at the breaker/outlets while using the same wiring runs? I'd imagine 240v at the same amps can use the same wire gauge, but maybe it requires more insulation to not arc, or something.
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Jan 18, 2018 02:29
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Absolutely not, you'd have 120v on a white looks-like-a-neutral conductor if you did that. Gauge and insulation don't even matter in this question, hot conductors MUST be black or red. shame on an IGA fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Jan 18, 2018 |
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Jan 18, 2018 02:37
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shame on an IGA posted:Absolutely not, you'd have 120v on a white looks-like-a-neutral conductor if you did that. In my jurisdiction at least, you can mark the ends (and anywhere accessible along the way) of the wires to "turn" a white wire black or use a colored wire as a ground by marking it green, etc. What matters here is having the right wires for ground and neutral as required by code.
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Jan 18, 2018 03:01
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shame on an IGA posted:Absolutely not, you'd have 120v on a white looks-like-a-neutral conductor if you did that. That's not the case, wire color other than green/bare is arbitrary. Also gauge is absolutely important to his question. Zero VGS posted:My basement has a 240v dryer outlet, and my attic has a 120v. Can these be reversed at the breaker/outlets while using the same wiring runs? I'd imagine 240v at the same amps can use the same wire gauge, but maybe it requires more insulation to not arc, or something. What exactly are you trying to do here? If it's "move the washer and dryer to the attic", it's not gonna happen without running bigger wire all the way up there to hold the dryer load.
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Jan 18, 2018 03:33
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Blackbeer posted:If this is knob and tube wiring, soldered and taped splices are ok. 394.56 in the NEC He didn't mention solder on the 3 whites, just tape. That's not acceptable, correct?
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Jan 18, 2018 06:25
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Idk if this is the right thread. I have a small bathroom that gets pretty cold during the winter. It's an old building in a temperate area, so there's no heater or vents of any kind. I had the idea of getting a baseboard heater for under the toilet, plugged into an extension cord that would have to track the length of the bathtub. I'm no scientist, but this seems like it might be a code violation or 10. Does anyone have any ideas for how I might DYI heat up a cold, drafty bathroom?
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Jan 18, 2018 06:41
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angryrobots posted:That's not the case, wire color other than green/bare is arbitrary. Also gauge is absolutely important to his question. Yeah, that, I wanna move the laundry to the attic. That makes sense if the distance requires a higher gauge I guess, but if the wire was already sized for max amps on 120v, shouldn't that work as well? I'm asking the actual electrician later this week but I was pretty curious so I asked here too.
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Jan 18, 2018 09:07
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Kobayashi posted:Idk if this is the right thread. I have a small bathroom that gets pretty cold during the winter. It's an old building in a temperate area, so there's no heater or vents of any kind. I had the idea of getting a baseboard heater for under the toilet, plugged into an extension cord that would have to track the length of the bathtub. I'm no scientist, but this seems like it might be a code violation or 10. Does anyone have any ideas for how I might DYI heat up a cold, drafty bathroom? Always fix the drafts before trying to brute-force the heat. You can get a "kick" heater that fits under the bathroom vanity, or an in-wall electric heater that is pretty much flush with the wall, we wound up doing that because it was nice and cheap, and you really don't need much to heat such a small room that you're almost never in. You don't need heat in the room for a shower or taking a leak, pretty much just for pooping. Maybe just a heated toilet seat would be a more precise method?
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Jan 18, 2018 09:11
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Zero VGS posted:Yeah, that, I wanna move the laundry to the attic. That makes sense if the distance requires a higher gauge I guess, but if the wire was already sized for max amps on 120v, shouldn't that work as well? I'm asking the actual electrician later this week but I was pretty curious so I asked here too. Most dryers are on a 30 amp circuit, so you'd need 10 awg wire minimum, possibly a size bigger if it's a really long run. Your existing 120v circuit up there is either a 15 or 20 amp circuit, 14 or 12 awg wire.
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Jan 18, 2018 13:33
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I just moved into an older house - built around 1910. I put a space heater where the decommissioned fireplace is. I've noticed the lights in that room dim when the heater is on. Checking the voltage, I can see it dropping from around 120-122V -> 112-114V when the space heater is in use. Is it dangerous for me to be running this space heater? My house used to be knob and tube wiring, but has been updated at some point since 1910. e: Also, can I realistically DIY adding electrical boxes? I'd like to add one to the front porch and one to the bathroom (bidet + heated towel rack). I'm a new homeowner and my knowledge of residential wiring is basically 0. I have an unfinished basement to run the wires through. extravadanza fucked around with this message at 15:20 on Jan 18, 2018 |
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Jan 18, 2018 15:16
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sharkytm posted:He didn't mention solder on the 3 whites, just tape. That's not acceptable, correct? He didn't mention removing the tape. Since this is most likely K&T, I'd bet it's soldered.
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Jan 18, 2018 15:37
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extravadanza posted:I just moved into an older house - built around 1910. I put a space heater where the decommissioned fireplace is. I've noticed the lights in that room dim when the heater is on. Checking the voltage, I can see it dropping from around 120-122V -> 112-114V when the space heater is in use. Is it dangerous for me to be running this space heater? My house used to be knob and tube wiring, but has been updated at some point since 1910. Check the breaker the heater is on. If it's 15 or 20A, then you're as safe as you can be. And yes, any monkey with a steak knife can install electrical boxes, as millions of homeowners have proven. If you ask questions in this thread, we'll even make sure that (unlike those millions) yours will be code-legal, safe, and wired correctly.
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Jan 18, 2018 15:49
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Not really fixed wiring, but I still don't want to burn my house down: Is it cool to put a microwave and a keurig on a short extension cord/splitter (Something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751YR3JS). I'm not using the other plug on the outlet, but I also wouldn't mind having it free to use at some point. The alternative would be to use two of these https://www.amazon.com/Extension-Cord-Flat-Rotating-Plug/dp/B008I5SHKE to flatten the plugs. Related question, why the hell do appliances not come with 90° plugs anyway?
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Jan 21, 2018 19:42
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Drape Culture posted:Not really fixed wiring, but I still don't want to burn my house down: Is it cool to put a microwave and a keurig on a short extension cord/splitter (Something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751YR3JS). I'm not using the other plug on the outlet, but I also wouldn't mind having it free to use at some point. The alternative would be to use two of these https://www.amazon.com/Extension-Cord-Flat-Rotating-Plug/dp/B008I5SHKE to flatten the plugs. Sure. It's UL Listed, and you're not doing it permanently. Don't exceed that 13A rating on the cord. Check the ratings on that keurig and microwave to see if you can use them at the same time (it'll probably be close). You can put flat plugs on appliances, the other style are super super super super super cheap, since they can basically be molded directly onto the end of the wire in a continuous run.
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Jan 21, 2018 20:15
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Drape Culture posted:Not really fixed wiring, but I still don't want to burn my house down: Is it cool to put a microwave and a keurig on a short extension cord/splitter (Something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751YR3JS). I'm not using the other plug on the outlet, but I also wouldn't mind having it free to use at some point. The alternative would be to use two of these https://www.amazon.com/Extension-Cord-Flat-Rotating-Plug/dp/B008I5SHKE to flatten the plugs. Those 360 degree rotating plugs can be unsafe if abused: https://hackaday.com/2017/10/27/this-power-strip-is-a-fire-starter/ The other thing is that you probably don't want to use an extension cord rated for 13 amps on two high draw devices like that. Your outlet is probably fused at 15 or 20A at the circuit breaker, which means there would be nothing stopping you from drawing too much current through that cord. It could overheat. It would be safer to use a 15 amp power strip (https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-6-Outlet-5-Foot-Right-Angled-F9P609-05R-DP/dp/B0002AG0IO) because they have a built in circuit breaker. I don't have the information in front of me but I think in the US power strip with >3 outlet are required to have overcurrent protection in them, whereas those taps with just 3 outlets are not.
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Jan 21, 2018 20:25
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Naffer posted:Those 360 degree rotating plugs can be unsafe if abused: https://hackaday.com/2017/10/27/this-power-strip-is-a-fire-starter/ Are the non-rotating 90 degree plugs safe in general and if not, is there one that is? I want to do something with the outlet behind my extremely upright-backed couch, but I probably (certainly) won't be pulling the couch out to check if it's hot to the touch.
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Jan 21, 2018 20:38
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Naffer posted:Those 360 degree rotating plugs can be unsafe if abused: https://hackaday.com/2017/10/27/this-power-strip-is-a-fire-starter/ The rotating isn't what I'm interested in, but that's good to know. Naffer posted:It would be safer to use a 15 amp power strip (https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-6-Outlet-5-Foot-Right-Angled-F9P609-05R-DP/dp/B0002AG0IO) because they have a built in circuit breaker. It's going to be tight to fit that in the space below the back of the microwave, maybe a cross section of about 4 sq in. I have some strips lying around I can see if it'll work. What about using one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQLVMWO ? They don't indicate a UL rating, but it's hot pink so you know it's quality. No matter what, I think that if both the keurig and the microwave are on at the same time, it'll exceed the rating of the outlet. On the plus side, the entire house is wired with 12 ga so I'm about 80% sure the 15A breaker will pop before the wires melt. e: I have a Kill-a-Watt, so I could check the actual current draw on both, but I'm spitballing grand total somewhere around 2500 watts. double e: ~ 1420 watts for the keurig and 1789 for the microwave (I guess the power rating only refers to the magnetron output not the power consumption?) Drape Culture fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Jan 21, 2018 |
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Jan 21, 2018 21:00
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Drape Culture posted:What about using one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQLVMWO ? They don't indicate a UL rating, but it's hot pink so you know it's quality. If you try to run both, and the breaker doesn't trip, you probably should get it checked out. Unfortunately as you see, microwaves are very power hungry. I'd be fine with the hug a plug, especially in hot pink. Their website says it's made in the US, and UL listed. Just don't try to run your kettle and the radiation machine at the same time.
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Jan 22, 2018 03:52
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I had to replace some mains socket fronts the other day and couldn't find my plug in socket tester afterwards, so I bought myself a new one. The new one also does a loop impedance test. Using this I have found that while the L,N and E on all my sockets is fine everything in my house fails the loop impedance test. This includes things spread across different circuits on different RCD's. Does this indicate that there is likely a fault on the main earth connection for my house? or could it be something on one circuit causing this? There is at least one wire fault present somewhere in the house as I have one room where the only socket is on a mystery radial/spur circuit and has no working neutral (I plan on chasing the wire this weekend - i suspect it is damaged as it runs loose behind some dodgy framing)
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Jan 24, 2018 14:30
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In my garage, the opener has a single screw in bulb that lights up when the door is opened. This does almost nothing to light up the garage. I also have three LED overhead fixtures installed, which do a wonderful job of lighting up the garage. Is there a code legal way to have the opener also activate my existing overhead lights? They're currently on a normal light switch. The junction box where they all get their power is literally a foot from the opener.
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Jan 24, 2018 16:09
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Put the overhead fixtures on a motion sensor switch. It's a drop in replacement for the existing switch, will take five minutes to install, and the garage door opening (or anyone moving around out there) will trigger it.
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Jan 24, 2018 16:29
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Bad Munki posted:Put the overhead fixtures on a motion sensor switch. It's a drop in replacement for the existing switch, will take five minutes to install, and the garage door opening (or anyone moving around out there) will trigger it. I literally thought of this as soon as I posted, haha. Much simpler.
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Jan 24, 2018 16:33
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It's a great solution, I've done it in multiple garages and it's one of those things that you only realize is weirdly awesome once you've done it.
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Jan 24, 2018 16:42
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