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Elder Postsman posted:I got this closet under my stairs that doesn't have a light. I've also got about 6 feet of 14awg romex leftover from another project, which would be more than enough to tap off a nearby outlet and put a switch and a light in that closet, but the circuit is on a 20A breaker. If I'm just doing a single bulb fixture and a switch, is it ok to use 14awg here, or should I really just wait until I have some 12awg to do this? You need 12 gauge. The breaker protects the wire, and a 20 amp breaker is not sufficient protection for 14 gauge wire.
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Jul 29, 2022 19:10
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Yeah I had a feeling that was going to be the answer, but I was still hoping for maybe some exception for low-draw receptacles or whatever. Thanks!
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Jul 29, 2022 21:32
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Elder Postsman posted:Yeah I had a feeling that was going to be the answer, but I was still hoping for maybe some exception for low-draw receptacles or whatever. Thanks! The problem isn't your usage, it's future usage. When someone slaps a 20A space heater on that bad boy and burns down your house.
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Jul 29, 2022 23:55
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H110Hawk posted:The problem isn't your usage, it's future usage. When someone slaps a 20A space heater on that bad boy and burns down your house. And yes, they will use an edison bulb socket to 2 pin electrical socket adapter on the light fixture you install to do that, so it doesn't even matter that it's just a light fixture. Code is written in blood.
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Jul 30, 2022 00:06
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Motronic posted:And yes, they will use an edison bulb socket to 2 pin electrical socket adapter on the light fixture you install to do that, so it doesn't even matter that it's just a light fixture. Lol I thought this and got too lazy to type it.
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Jul 30, 2022 00:17
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Well the electrician came out, installed a 3-way switch and that fixed my fan problem. Of course I found my black and decker wiring book the next day and read all about travelers which would have helped me make more sense of it all. But I got some outlets installed in the basement while they were here and an upgraded outlet by my coffee bar and bathroom so it was worth it.
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Jul 30, 2022 00:45
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nwin posted:Of course I found my black and decker wiring book the next day and read all about travelers which would have helped me make more sense of it all. But I got some outlets installed in the basement while they were here and an upgraded outlet by my coffee bar and bathroom so it was worth it. My father-in-law recommend I purchase the Black & Decker books. That recommendation was probably the best new homeowner gift he could have given me.
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Jul 30, 2022 02:31
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I have some wired smoke detectors. When we test them, only the tested unit goes off. So we gave them a little sniff of some bacon. Still, only the subjected unit would go off. The others weren't picking it up. Isn't this wrong? I thought a three-wire smoke detector circuit should trigger everything on the circuit--assuming you don't have too many detectors on it. I think we have four so we should be fine.
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Aug 4, 2022 04:00
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Gotta get the easy questions out of the way first: Are they all from the same manufacturer? Is there actually a 3rd wire in the walls?
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Aug 4, 2022 11:58
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Well, there's a third wire coming out of the wall, but I can't tell you if it's just for kicks or whatever. They say it's a 9V signal on the red one so I was pondering trying to use a 9V battery to make the signal. Manufacturer-wise, I think so--just from sitting here, but I guess that's fair to double check. We had to replace some of them and get adapters for only a subset of them, so I think there was a problem with that before.
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Aug 4, 2022 18:28
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Update on the smoke detectors: I had three First Alert (BRK brand) detectors and two Kiddes. I replaced the Kiddes with two BRK brand wired detectors. So everything is BRK brand using First Alert, with all units being wired ionization except for one being wired photoelectric. Testing one doesn't set off the others. Does that only happen when they trigger from a real stimulus? The house was originally wired for Kidde and we used harnesses to convert them to First Alert. I didn't bother rewiring at the outlets. The default next thing for me to check is if those wires are actually doing anything.
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Aug 5, 2022 04:05
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:Update on the smoke detectors: I had three First Alert (BRK brand) detectors and two Kiddes. I replaced the Kiddes with two BRK brand wired detectors. So everything is BRK brand using First Alert, with all units being wired ionization except for one being wired photoelectric. Testing one doesn't set off the others. Does that only happen when they trigger from a real stimulus? The Kiddie hardwired ones I have will set off all the detectors when I test one. Whatever wireless interconnect ones my parents have are the same way.
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Aug 6, 2022 15:36
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What would be a 'normal' breaker amperage in a new home? My 1999 built concrete condo has 15A breakers on the normal outlets/ceiling light circuits. I suspect it's not worth the $ to upgrade them but it would be cool to be able to not have to run an extension cord across my bedroom so that the AC unit is on a different circuit from the ones in the other areas of the house. How much would you estimate I'd be looking at to have say 2-3 circuits replaced with higher gauge wiring so I could have a 20 or 25A breaker on those? Is this even a thing? I'm expecting to be told either that you don't replace certain circuits, you do them all if you're going to do it, or that it's like $15k to have 2 circuits done I guess. But I thought it was worth asking.
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Aug 8, 2022 17:35
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Do you have any spare breaker slots? Maybe price out adding an extra 20a run to where you want to plug in your AC units instead of trying to replace a bunch of wiring that's otherwise fine. My house has a couple of 20amp breakers (and one honking 240volt breakers) with dedicated outlets that probably predate the central cooling and were for running window units. Edit: Oh maybe the "concrete"part means new runs are hard.
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Aug 8, 2022 17:50
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VelociBacon posted:What would be a 'normal' breaker amperage in a new home? My 1999 built concrete condo has 15A breakers on the normal outlets/ceiling light circuits. I suspect it's not worth the $ to upgrade them but it would be cool to be able to not have to run an extension cord across my bedroom so that the AC unit is on a different circuit from the ones in the other areas of the house. How much would you estimate I'd be looking at to have say 2-3 circuits replaced with higher gauge wiring so I could have a 20 or 25A breaker on those? Is this even a thing? There is no "normal". Certain outlets in certain jurisdictions are now required to be 20 A in new builds. Most outlets and lighting runs are 15A. There are no other choices for 120v outlets that I'm aware of, certainly not 25A as no 25A 120v outlets exist. Breakers protect the downstream wiring and fixtures. You can't just replace a 15A breaker with a 20A breaker because the wiring used for that circuit is almost certainly not rated for 20 amps. You should absolutely NOT be running a window/portable AC unit on an extension cord. You should have a dedicated 20A outlet installed in the correct location. No one can estimate the cost of this without seeing your home, as 90% of what it will cost is related to actually running the wire from the panel to where you need the outlet.
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Aug 8, 2022 18:00
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VelociBacon posted:What would be a 'normal' breaker amperage in a new home? My 1999 built concrete condo has 15A breakers on the normal outlets/ceiling light circuits. I suspect it's not worth the $ to upgrade them but it would be cool to be able to not have to run an extension cord across my bedroom so that the AC unit is on a different circuit from the ones in the other areas of the house. How much would you estimate I'd be looking at to have say 2-3 circuits replaced with higher gauge wiring so I could have a 20 or 25A breaker on those? Is this even a thing? 15A or 20A depending on what the breaker is servicing. My house is 4 years old, and was built to the latest code at the time. I have 31 breakers on my interior panel and 12 of them are 20 amp, and the rest are 15 amp. The 20 amp circuits are generally for appliances (fridge, disposal, dishwasher, clothes washer) and the kitchen and bathroom GFCI's, plus a couple for the furnace, and a dedicated garage 20 amp circuit I had put in. The runs to the bedrooms/living areas are all 15 amp for the most part. Upgrade costs - "it depends". All my 15 amp runs are using 14/2 which won't carry a 20 amp load, so if I would have to replace the wiring with 12 gauge wiring. No idea how much that would cost to do in your Condo, a lot of variables there. I'm not an electrician so I'll end my post there.
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Aug 8, 2022 18:05
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Motronic posted:There is no "normal". Certain outlets in certain jurisdictions are now required to be 20 A in new builds. Most outlets and lighting runs are 15A. There are no other choices for 120v outlets that I'm aware of, certainly not 25A as no 25A 120v outlets exist. The extension cord thing was a goon approved move to a 12ga cord, it's rated properly etc and yeah I had similar reservations about an extension cord like that but it's been fine. I thought I specified it in my OP but maybe I wasn't clear - was never going to just put higher amp breakers on an existing lower amp circuit. Thank you for the feedback and it makes sense that people can't give an educated guess without seeing the place. skipdogg posted:15A or 20A depending on what the breaker is servicing. My house is 4 years old, and was built to the latest code at the time. I have 31 breakers on my interior panel and 12 of them are 20 amp, and the rest are 15 amp. The 20 amp circuits are generally for appliances (fridge, disposal, dishwasher, clothes washer) and the kitchen and bathroom GFCI's, plus a couple for the furnace, and a dedicated garage 20 amp circuit I had put in. The runs to the bedrooms/living areas are all 15 amp for the most part. If 15A is the modern standard I'm not super interested in 'upgrading' the 15A ones in my place to unusual higher amp circuits. I can work around the limitations for now. Thanks!
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Aug 8, 2022 18:10
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VelociBacon posted:The extension cord thing was a goon approved move to a 12ga cord, it's rated properly etc and yeah I had similar reservations about an extension cord like that but it's been fine. Extension cords are for temporary use. It doesn't sound like this is temporary. Extension cords are fine until they aren't fine. They are more likely to remain fine when properly rated, so it's good that you have something that is. It's still for temporary use only. Among the reasons for this is that large sections of exposed wiring like that has a tendency to get damaged over time. Cable protected behind your walls does not.
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Aug 8, 2022 18:14
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Motronic posted:Extension cords are for temporary use. It doesn't sound like this is temporary. Yeah this is (like any 12ga extension cord probably) a 'contractor grade' super insulated/armored cable about as big around as my thumb that just crosses my bedroom for 2-3 weeks of the year so I'm not super concerned about it or damaging it.
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Aug 8, 2022 18:18
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VelociBacon posted:If 15A is the modern standard I'm not super interested in 'upgrading' the 15A ones in my place to unusual higher amp circuits. I can work around the limitations for now. Thanks! 15 amp circuits are the modern standard for areas like a bedroom where you might have a couple lamps, a radio, and a TV or something. 20 amp circuits are definitely better for anything that uses a ton of current like a hair dryer, or a motor, which is why bathrooms and kitchens generally have 20 amp circuits these days. No one wants to reset a breaker every time you make toast, or blow-dry their hair. If the AC unit is going to be a regular thing you use, I would at least explore getting a dedicated 20 amp circuit ran for the unit. It might cost 1000 bucks, but its way better than dealing with a house fire.
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Aug 8, 2022 18:21
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I was expecting it to be 10x that cost so that's not too bad.
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Aug 8, 2022 18:23
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VelociBacon posted:I was expecting it to be 10x that cost so that's not too bad. As I understand it, cost depends a lot on the construction of your home. If there's access to a crawl space overhead or underfloor and/or you have wooden studs + drywall and you have space on your breaker panel it shouldn't be that outrageous. 250 feet of 10/2 romex is ~ 325, a 20 amp dual-function breaker is ~$60. So to have a 10k install on the run you would need to have some incredible labor requirements.
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Aug 8, 2022 21:00
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This caught me off guard at my parents place but I think i know what’s going on, but want a double check. I was expecting to find a simple single location switch controlling a single overhead fluorescent fixture in my parents’ laundry room… and instead I found this:  There’s no second switch location… was not expecting this. Is this running LV / something to do with a ballast for the light? It’s a 2005 construction house. Not aware of any outlets connected to this either. What’s going on, goon mind? I was hoping to put this in there, as I put a couple in their bathrooms and this room would be perfect for it: 
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Aug 12, 2022 01:12
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movax posted:This caught me off guard at my parents place but I think i know what’s going on, but want a double check. there may not be a second switch location visible...but somewhere in the walls is the wiring for a second 3-way switch. you have there a 3 conductor cable with the white on the common terminal so it's either the switch leg or the hot; the red and black are travelers. in the missing switch box (or the light's box) there is the feed, switch leg from the fixture and the other end of that three conductor cable. there is no neutral, the manual for that model lutron switch says it's not required but I can't tell if that last wire is white for neutral or green for ground... so as long as there truly isn't another switch, you can use two of those wires and make it work. one will be the white (which you should mark with black tape) and one of those travelers. either use a meter or (with power off, of course) remove black or red from that switch. if the switch still works the light, that's the one! if it doesn't work, use the other. i'd recommend using a meter anyway, it's always possible this is wired stupid and is a switch loop for the neutral coming from the light's box. your maestro switch would not work in that case.
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Aug 12, 2022 11:12
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My lights just dimmed when the neighbor's AC kicked on. From searching it looks like I should call the utility and have them look at something. Sound about right? E: The utilities in this town are lackadaisical, incompetent assholes in my experience. Is there anything I can or should say to get them to do something instead of consigning my request to the circular file? Vim Fuego fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Aug 16, 2022 |
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Aug 16, 2022 05:48
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That could indicate a bad connection on their equipment. If you call dispatch and tell them what's happening, they will likely send a technician out asap.
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Aug 16, 2022 08:07
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Vim Fuego posted:My lights just dimmed when the neighbor's AC kicked on. From searching it looks like I should call the utility and have them look at something. Sound about right? It can be a sign of an underpowered transformer. If you live in an old neighborhood and people have upgraded their services over the years, the demand on the transformer is way more than originally planned and can result in it being susceptible to voltage fluctuations when high loads are placed on it. I have the same issue as you and the utility so far hasn't given a gently caress. I'm hoping the transformer dies sooner rather than later and we get a better one. E: it is also entirely possible my neighbors AC is somehow installed or running incorrectly and the cause of the issue for it as well. SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 14:57 on Aug 16, 2022 |
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Aug 16, 2022 14:53
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How do I find a good electrician? And how do I know if I'm being charged typical rates, or if I'm being over charged? Multiple bids, like I did with my roof, or with replacing my AC?
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Aug 16, 2022 17:38
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The Bananana posted:How do I find a good electrician? Yeah, multiple bids. And finding a good anything just comes down to asking folks you know who they've used.
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Aug 16, 2022 18:21
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Vim Fuego posted:My lights just dimmed when the neighbor's AC kicked on. From searching it looks like I should call the utility and have them look at something. Sound about right?
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Aug 16, 2022 23:14
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The Bananana posted:How do I find a good electrician? Depends on the size of the job, but yeah multiple bids and asking around. But for small jobs you're going to get a pretty big trip charge just like any other trade. You can also ask here with specifics and a location to get gut checks, but if it's say under $500 the variation is going to be hard to quantify. A lot of things are going to wind up being along the lines of: Replace one outlet: $200. Replace 5 outlets: $300. I just made this up to illustrate how much it costs to get them to drive out to your house and not to someone else's house. Assuming no complications come up an electrician can swap an outlet faster than you can strip and bend the wires so it simply doesn't take them much longer to do a dozen than to do one on the scale of it took them 24 minutes to drive to your house from their last job/home base.
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Aug 16, 2022 23:44
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Gotcha. So, the issue at hand: Several months ago, a thunderstorm came and one bolt of lightning hit very close. No indication it was a direct strike, but most of the devices in the bedroom behaved like there had been a breaker tripped (Playstation said it had been turn off without warning, digital click blinking, etc). Had to replace the router, as it was toast. And the ceiling fan and light was dead. Since then a wall outlet has been dead, on and off, and the breaker for that room has been tripped a few times too. So, I finally got the $ together to call an electrician, and have a professional look it over. But to be honest, I have no idea or concept even of what they'd be looking for.
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Aug 16, 2022 23:51
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Foxfire_ posted:What kind of lights and was it dim-then-come-back or dim-and-stay-dimmed? Tolerances for service voltage are pretty wide, the "We'll try not to do this very often or very long" is +5%/-12%. Normal tolerance is +/-5%. Those are big enough to be visible as brightness changes on incandescents It was dim and then come back on. The nearest light was an incandescent. It's good to hear that this is plausibly within acceptable tolerances.
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Aug 16, 2022 23:59
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The Bananana posted:Gotcha. Have you filed a claim with your utility company? I don't know if that's a thing everywhere, but it's definitely a thing here. It doesn't always result in success but it's better than the alternative of definitely paying for everything yourself.
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Aug 16, 2022 23:59
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The Bananana posted:Gotcha. I’m not a lightningologist but I’d think the sparky is gonna be looking for some toasty wires when they take down the fan or look behind the outlets. Although, the toasty bits could be in the interiors of those devices that they won’t look at, they’ll just replace.
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Aug 17, 2022 17:25
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Vim Fuego posted:It was dim and then come back on. The nearest light was an incandescent. It's good to hear that this is plausibly within acceptable tolerances. I was having this happen when my AC kicked on a few years back. Called at 7PM on a Sunday, and a utility worker was there by 8PM. Turns out it was a crimp connection at the transformer that had worked itself loose over time. Voltage at my meter on one leg was fluctuating between 100-120v with no major loads switching on or off.
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Aug 17, 2022 19:38
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n0tqu1tesane posted:I was having this happen when my AC kicked on a few years back. Called at 7PM on a Sunday, and a utility worker was there by 8PM. Turns out it was a crimp connection at the transformer that had worked itself loose over time. Voltage at my meter on one leg was fluctuating between 100-120v with no major loads switching on or off. Yep this is what I've run into in the past.
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Aug 17, 2022 19:49
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n0tqu1tesane posted:I was having this happen when my AC kicked on a few years back. Called at 7PM on a Sunday, and a utility worker was there by 8PM. Turns out it was a crimp connection at the transformer that had worked itself loose over time. Voltage at my meter on one leg was fluctuating between 100-120v with no major loads switching on or off. Yup. For actual problems the utility is generally going to be very fast to respond as it can have dire consequences. Now I'm sure some utilities are run by idiots or they don't have a crew or both but loosey goosey connections is how they wind up burning down houses or killing people. We will for the moment ignore all the wildfires started by utility poles in California that the utility "didn't know they had" but "certifies they inspected annually."
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Aug 17, 2022 19:56
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tfw you add a second switch to control the fan and light separately and it all works perfectly as soon as you turn the breaker on  now to do the other bedroom that needs it. Also go to hell PO, you didn’t put in a fan box/bracket when you installed the fan seven years ago.
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Aug 17, 2022 23:32
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devmd01 posted:tfw you add a second switch to control the fan and light separately and it all works perfectly as soon as you turn the breaker on Congratulations! Don't forget your grounds.
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Aug 18, 2022 00:56
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