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DaveSauce posted:Stupid cable pulling question: Is the coax coming off the spool with a twist in it? If it kinked because of that, you might be able to fix it by giving it some slack inside the wall so the kink goes back to being a loop, and rotate it to get the twist out before pulling again.
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Jul 29, 2019 21:06
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Blackbeer posted:No, this won't work like you want it to. You'd need a fourth insulated wire switch to switch to feed back the load off the second switch to the first light , because as is your three wires from switch to switch would be a neutral for the second light and two travelers. The only way to make a second light work is to come off of the existing light or the 3-way switch box where the existing light feed comes from. Would this change if I could get an extra neutral to the far switch and then use the previous neutral between switches as an extra traveler? Like, uhh, this masterpiece: 
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Jul 29, 2019 22:43
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DaveSauce posted:Stupid cable pulling question: Back them up. The harder you pull, the tighter the link gets. At best, you'll wreck the cable. At worst, you get it jammed.
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Jul 29, 2019 23:21
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Bad Munki posted:Would this change if I could get an extra neutral to the far switch and then use the previous neutral between switches as an extra traveler? Like, uhh, this masterpiece: Is there a reason that running a cable between the lights isn't an option?
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Jul 29, 2019 23:45
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It’s for lights on the stairs, the topology is extremely adverse to running a new wire either between the lights or between the switches without a poo poo ton of wall work. I even suggested poking a series of holes in the wall along the stairs to put in downlights and run a new wire at the same time, I thought that was a pretty solid solution given that the crux of the issue here is “old people on dark stairs” but that didn’t get much love. Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Jul 30, 2019 |
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Jul 29, 2019 23:53
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Nevets posted:Is the coax coming off the spool with a twist in it? If it kinked because of that, you might be able to fix it by giving it some slack inside the wall so the kink goes back to being a loop, and rotate it to get the twist out before pulling again. If I had spools I probably wouldn't have had this problem to start with, but all I have to work with is loose wire. I'm running from the crawl space up 2 floors to the attic... solo. So I would push a few feet of the bundle through the bottom floor from the crawl space, then run up and pull from the attic, then back down... an so on. Ironically, I was doing this to avoid kinks, but I pressed my luck by pushing too much up at once. sharkytm posted:Back them up. The harder you pull, the tighter the link gets. At best, you'll wreck the cable. At worst, you get it jammed. Yeah... it was probably too late when I first encountered it, but I was just trying to get it done so I backed off and yanked it a few times thinking MAYBE I'd overpower it (edit: this is why I don't do this professionally). Backed it out and eventually found it, further away than I hoped. It's definitely ruined at that point, it was folded over itself tight. It's about 12' from the end, but it's a 100' run and I should only need about 75' at most, so hopefully this doesn't cause any issues. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Jul 30, 2019 |
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Jul 30, 2019 00:29
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I don’t want to keep harping on this but I think I have a solution that’ll work for my 3 way issue and is compatible with acceptable practice: Running anything between the two switches isn’t gonna happen, same goes for running from one light to the other. But if my head is cooperating, this works, and only requires an extra neutral in the far box, which we can run up from the basement. The switched leg would now be at the far switch, and I’d feed it back to the first switch by way of one of the 3 conductors previously used for the 3 way action. Throw some black tape on the old neutral, make sure everything is grounded, and we should be good, yeah? Does this violate anything aside from being a little annoying to sort out for a future owner?
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Jul 30, 2019 06:30
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Bad Munki posted:this works, and only requires an extra neutral in the far box, which we can run up from the basement Just be sure to leave a little note in the j-box for the next owner who'll be cursing you as a Joe Bob DIYer.
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Jul 30, 2019 13:17
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Bad Munki posted:requires an extra neutral in the far box, which we can run up from the basement That would work, can't think of any code violations off the top of my head with running a new neutral like that.
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Jul 30, 2019 13:45
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Bad Munki posted:and only requires an extra neutral in the far box, which we can run up from the basement. ???  Edit: I missed a few posts....
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Jul 30, 2019 13:51
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DaveSauce posted:Backed it out and eventually found it, further away than I hoped. It's definitely ruined at that point, it was folded over itself tight. It's about 12' from the end, but it's a 100' run and I should only need about 75' at most, so hopefully this doesn't cause any issues. Haha gently caress me. I was trying to untangle stuff last night and in the process of pushing it in and out of one of the holes I ripped up the outer jacket of one of the Ethernet cables. It's shielded so it's pretty much hosed. It's only a few feet further from the end than the coax. I'll have to re-measure some stuff to see if I'll have enough spare length... don't really want to cut another 100' run, but I REALLY don't want to pull everything and end up short. I suppose worst case I'll have an 80' length to make patch cables from.
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Jul 30, 2019 14:40
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DaveSauce posted:It's only a few feet further from the end than the coax. I'll have to re-measure some stuff to see if I'll have enough spare length... don't really want to cut another 100' run, but I REALLY don't want to pull everything and end up short. I suppose worst case I'll have an 80' length to make patch cables from. Although not ideal it is possible to join ethernet cables, even shielded ones. There are lil junction boxes you can buy.
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Jul 30, 2019 14:43
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Bad Munki posted:I don’t want to keep harping on this but I think I have a solution that’ll work for my 3 way issue and is compatible with acceptable practice: I think the only problem with this would be if you have a GFCI outlet or breaker on this circuit and the new neutral doesn't return through it.
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Jul 30, 2019 15:12
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B-Nasty posted:Just be sure to leave a little note in the j-box for the next owner who'll be cursing you as a Joe Bob DIYer.
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Jul 30, 2019 18:05
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Encountered this today in a sub panel: "Can you add an [2p 20amp] air-conditioner circuit or do you have to put in a bigger panel?" Ferrule fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Jul 31, 2019 |
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Jul 31, 2019 00:47
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Just checking: an oven in the UK that's wired into a 3-pin plug in a normal socket, that blows oven bulbs immediately is bad, yes?
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Aug 6, 2019 18:45
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Could be a real awesome oven that heats up so quickly, the bulb can't keep up. Here are my lovely guesses: Wrong bulb. Some stuff ran into the electronics, making a short. If the bulb has a lower voltage rating than the connection, the converter is done. Your 3-pin-socket is wired with three-phase, your oven expects phase/neutral/ground.
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Aug 6, 2019 23:07
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RabbitWizard posted:Your 3-pin-socket is wired with three-phase, your oven expects phase/neutral/ground. This last one seems vanishingly unlikely.
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Aug 7, 2019 00:00
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RabbitWizard posted:Could be a real awesome oven that heats up so quickly, the bulb can't keep up. My money is on this. Are you sure you got the 220V ones instead of 110V? I doubt any stores in the UK carry 110V bulbs, but if you got them online it's really easy to buy the US 110V ones by mistake.
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Aug 7, 2019 01:22
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I installed a surgical light at work today, and it occurs to me that I don't know how to test it for ground. The whole place is in metal conduit, and the outlet/box the light is fed off of is grounded per one of those little outlet testers. I screwed down the light's ground wire to that grounded box, but I'd sleep better if I confirmed 100% it was grounded. Testing at the point where the ground is wired into the box seems pointless, because I know the box is grounded, and I'm more concerned with, like, is someone gonna catch a shock flipping the switch on the light itself. So, multimeter from the hot wire to the switch? To the body of the light? None of the above?
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Aug 7, 2019 03:24
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Use a multimeter set to AC volts or a 2 probe circuit tester. Put the probes from hot to the metal ground. If it says 120V or the bulb lights up, then it's grounded.
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Aug 7, 2019 03:53
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Slugworth posted:I installed a surgical light at work today, and it occurs to me that I don't know how to test it for ground. The whole place is in metal conduit, and the outlet/box the light is fed off of is grounded per one of those little outlet testers. I screwed down the light's ground wire to that grounded box, but I'd sleep better if I confirmed 100% it was grounded. Testing at the point where the ground is wired into the box seems pointless, because I know the box is grounded, and I'm more concerned with, like, is someone gonna catch a shock flipping the switch on the light itself. So, multimeter from the hot wire to the switch? To the body of the light? None of the above? Can you test the impedance between the Neutral and the metal body? If it's properly grounded then it should be low but non-zero (if it's zero then you have a ground-neutral short somewhere). If it's higher than a few Ohms then you've got a bad ground connection (or, I suppose, a loose neutral somewhere).
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Aug 7, 2019 16:59
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Nevets posted:My money is on this. Are you sure you got the 220V ones instead of 110V? I doubt any stores in the UK carry 110V bulbs, but if you got them online it's really easy to buy the US 110V ones by mistake. I bought this one: https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-1-pack-small-screw-e14ses-80-lumens15w-incandescent-oven-bulb/p/0434670 I thought that legally ovens had to be on a different circuit, with their own fuse switch on the wall. I was gearing myself up for some expensive electrician work. I will try find a 220v one somewhere and try again. Cheers!
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Aug 7, 2019 21:25
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That doesn't look like it's 110V (in one of the review pictures you can see the 220V stamp on the casing), but based on the reviews they have some serious quality control issues which is probably what you are experiencing.
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Aug 7, 2019 21:44
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Yeah I would be amazed if you could find a 110V bulb in the UK by accident while looking for an oven bulb, the internet just isn't set up that way these days. Definitely not in wilko's.
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Aug 8, 2019 16:00
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Thank you all! Given that the first oven shorted itself, and this is the replacement and popped its original bulb quickly, and the replacement one immediately, I was terrified my house is wired wonky (cowboy flippers). Found a 220v one in Sainsbury's last night, it's in and didn't pop when we turned it on. Cross fingers!
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Aug 9, 2019 20:42
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Jaded Burnout posted:This last one seems vanishingly unlikely. Yes but it would have been the most awesome diagnosis if true. Too bad it was apparently just the bulb. Edit: Mofette posted:I bought this one: https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-1-pack-small-screw-e14ses-80-lumens15w-incandescent-oven-bulb/p/0434670 RabbitWizard fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Aug 9, 2019 |
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Aug 9, 2019 20:59
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RabbitWizard posted:Yes but it would have been the most awesome diagnosis if true. Too bad it was apparently just the bulb. Some House M.D. thinkin right here
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Aug 9, 2019 21:34
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Jaded Burnout posted:Some House M.D. thinkin right here I was thinking about House when I wrote that 
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Aug 9, 2019 21:42
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Jaded Burnout posted:Some House M.D. thinkin right here Don't burn your House, M.D. down
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Aug 10, 2019 05:11
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Maybe his fuse box has lupus
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Aug 10, 2019 14:04
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So I have a nema 6-30 (250v 30a) plug in my bedroom that is 125v on each prong and uses the ground pin as neutral. I have literally never seen an appliance use this plug but it's apparently a thing. Anyway, my question is this: would there be any danger or issue if I make a power strip/box assembly that splits each 125v line into separate 125v standard outlets that share the neutral? I don't see why it wouldn't work but I would prefer not to burn my house down.
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Aug 11, 2019 06:46
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That outlet is probably for an old window AC unit. What you're proposing is A Bad Idea; partly because there's likely not a ground wire, mostly because you're gonna be throwing 15 amp (maybe 20 amp) outlets on a 30 amp circuit But first.. find the breaker, shut it off, verify no power at the outlet, and pull it off the wall. You may find a ground inside the box. If there IS a ground, you can get away with swapping the outlet for a 5-15 outlet, disconnecting and capping one of the hots at both ends, and putting a single pole 15 amp breaker on that circuit. If there's not a ground, you can do the same, but you'll need to use a GFCI outlet with a "no equipment ground" sticker on it. I'd say just relabel one of the wires as a ground at both ends (obviously putting it on the ground bar in the panel), but I'm pretty sure that hasn't met code in a long time. Since it's in a bedroom, you'll probably have to do GFCI/AFCI at the panel. I'm not up to date on code tho. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Aug 11, 2019 |
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Aug 11, 2019 13:08
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STR posted:That outlet is probably for an old window AC unit.
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Aug 11, 2019 14:31
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That's different than what STR was replying to. 15A outlets are OK on 20A circuits.
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Aug 11, 2019 14:39
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5-15R on 20 is pretty much the only time an outlet / breaker mismatch is allowed.
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Aug 11, 2019 15:10
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Not being argumentative, what's the difference? No device that he will plug in will pull more than 15amps, which the outlet, wires, and breaker can handle. Is it that the breaker won't trip when it should because it is oversized?
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Aug 11, 2019 15:22
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Slugworth posted:Not being argumentative, what's the difference? No device that he will plug in will pull more than 15amps, which the outlet, wires, and breaker can handle. Is it that the breaker won't trip when it should because it is oversized? You're right, it'd prob never be a problem; a 30a breaker will close on a hard short just fine. It's for the worst case scenario where steady overcurrent because of a faulty appliance burns up the outlet (thinking space heater here) without tripping the breaker. The outlet could melt before the breaker tripped in a hard short situation maybe, but I'd be more worried about overcurrent.
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Aug 11, 2019 16:13
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SpartanIvy posted:So I have a nema 6-30 (250v 30a) plug in my bedroom that is 125v on each prong and uses the ground pin as neutral. I have literally never seen an appliance use this plug but it's apparently a thing. You'd be much better off converting the three wires to 120V hot/neutral/ground and overcurrent protecting it with a 20a single pole breaker. Edit: changed the post around. You could have two ungrounded circuits with a shared neutral and then GFI protect it, but if you absolutely don't need two circuits I'd do the above. Blackbeer fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Aug 11, 2019 |
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Aug 11, 2019 16:17
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Slugworth posted:Not being argumentative, what's the difference? No device that he will plug in will pull more than 15amps, which the outlet, wires, and breaker can handle. Is it that the breaker won't trip when it should because it is oversized? 5-15r are rated and listed for use on a 20A circuit.
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Aug 11, 2019 16:27
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