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DaveSauce posted:guys when I turn on the light in my garage everything else in my neighborhood dims, is this a problem?? The “wiring” is horrifying, but I admire the end goal. You can never have too much light in a garage.
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Apr 7, 2023 14:56
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MrYenko posted:The “wiring” is horrifying, but I admire the end goal. You can never have too much light in a garage. This. I have four 10,000-lumen shop lights in mine. After I installed them my daughter said she felt like she was being interrogated.
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Apr 7, 2023 17:27
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"I didn't notice but the first dryer I bought didn't have that L shape. It was really hard to plug in!" He said it didn't make a noise or smell lol. He proceeded to plug the new dryer in and try to run a few loads, but it wasn't getting 220v so it didn't get hot. Rufio fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Apr 7, 2023 |
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Apr 7, 2023 18:36
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DaveSauce posted:guys when I turn on the light in my garage everything else in my neighborhood dims, is this a problem?? Yes. There are too many empty sockets and all the electricity is leaking out. Fill all the sockets and plugs with fixtures to prevent brownouts.
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Apr 7, 2023 19:12
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Yes. There are too many empty sockets and all the electricity is leaking out. Fill all the sockets and plugs with fixtures to prevent brownouts. You can use a jumper on the plugs so any electricity that leaks out will just go right back in.
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Apr 7, 2023 19:37
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DaveSauce posted:guys when I turn on the light in my garage everything else in my neighborhood dims, is this a problem?? Not one but multiple suicide cords! Nice.
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Apr 8, 2023 16:59
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Oh hey this is a much better place to post my suicide attempt. Studfinder's AC detecting thing: code:code:
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Apr 8, 2023 20:19
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Splicer posted:Oh hey this is a much better place to post my suicide attempt. Definitely ghosts. Can you give us a problem statement and a picture of what you're talking about? Also country matters.
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Apr 8, 2023 22:00
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My greenlee non-contact has given up the ghost after 15 years of service. I'm inclined to just buy another one, but figured I'd ask if anyone has strong opinions on any non contacts in particular.
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Apr 8, 2023 22:57
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Slugworth posted:My greenlee non-contact has given up the ghost after 15 years of service. I'm inclined to just buy another one, but figured I'd ask if anyone has strong opinions on any non contacts in particular. Get the one with the little flashlight in the end. It's far more useful than I ever imagined. Also, get something that takes real batteries (AA or AAA) and not USB-rechargable.
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Apr 8, 2023 23:25
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H110Hawk posted:Definitely ghosts. Can you give us a problem statement and a picture of what you're talking about? Also country matters.
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Apr 9, 2023 00:50
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Splicer posted:That was an after action report. I was drilling two holes for a thing and my AC detector just completely lied about where the wires were and also the wires were insanely placed so I nearly burnt my house down with a cordless drill. Ahhh gotcha. Glad you didn't die. It's always so exciting when you find a live one. Also hilarious annotations now that I've more carefully studied it.
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Apr 9, 2023 00:56
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DaveSauce posted:guys when I turn on the light in my garage everything else in my neighborhood dims, is this a problem?? Pfft. Amateurs.
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Apr 9, 2023 01:43
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Get the one with the little flashlight in the end. It's far more useful than I ever imagined. Also, get something that takes real batteries (AA or AAA) and not USB-rechargable. the klein ones with the flashlight are garbage that break within months! they have redesigned them but ive seen half a dozen dead ones so far. i have the one with the laser pointer and that's worked out great for me
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Apr 9, 2023 05:45
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Extant Artiodactyl posted:the klein ones with the flashlight are garbage that break within months! they have redesigned them but ive seen half a dozen dead ones so far. i have the one with the laser pointer and that's worked out great for me Not Klein, the people who make them for Klein. I got one from somewhere (not amazon, not ebay, maybe the supply house) that has all identifying markings worn off. it's generic yellow plastic with a black end cap where the battery goes on and that's literally all I can tell you about it. When my Greenlee died after 15 years, I got this one and have used it enough to know it's probably gonna last around that long.
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Apr 9, 2023 15:43
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Great the built in microwave/oven combi now trips the RCD if you look in its general direction, loving marvelous. I hate this thing, it's an expensive piece of poo poo that the previous owner of the house somehow managed to rust on the inside which should be impossible . It might just be the bulb but I'm just going to replace the whole thing and throw it into a river or something. Never buy anything made by AEG it is complete and utter garbage.
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Apr 9, 2023 18:01
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That's got nothing to do with wiring but I'm furious about this and wanted to post it somewhere. Also if it prevents one person from buying anything made by AEG or any of their derivative companies it will have been worth it.
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Apr 9, 2023 18:03
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Great news they're all pure poo poo these days. Good rant, not great. 7/10. Needs more screed.
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Apr 9, 2023 18:11
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My smart electric meter display is blank, I assume this means I'm going to get no knock warranted for theft of service.
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Apr 9, 2023 18:12
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I've got a minor stupid problem that I'd like to fix. This is the recessed outlet fixture from my TV stand, with four sockets and two USB plugs.  Obviously this isn't ideal as my combination of bricks makes one of the sockets useless. I've read all my life that using extension cords permanently is bad. Does that include using ones like this?  That outlet is only for things like the HDMI switcher, sound bar, the TV itself, and a retro gaming upscaler that uses USB-C, so not heavy electrical stuff. Ideally I would just replace the outlet itself with one better suited but I can't seem to find any in my preference.   If they made these with a switch down by the USB slots or between that separated outlet and the USB that would be perfect. I'd prefer it with a switch too so I can turn it off without unplugging it.
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Apr 9, 2023 23:09
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Admiral Joeslop posted:This is the recessed outlet fixture from my TV stand, with four sockets and two USB plugs. I mean you're only going to temporarily use them right? I'm not sure they're to code but I definitely have exactly that same setup behind all my TV/computer cabling atrocities.
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Apr 9, 2023 23:25
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I’m not understanding the utility of a laser pointer / flashlight in a non-contact voltage tester. Is that just in case you cut the lights to the same room that has the box energized? I wear a headlamp for that  After using a Harbor Freight one for a few years, I bought a real Fluke one. There was some v1/v2 thing where it wouldn’t beep or you could turn off some blinking but the one I have is great.
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Apr 9, 2023 23:30
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H110Hawk posted:I mean you're only going to temporarily use them right? I'm not sure they're to code but I definitely have exactly that same setup behind all my TV/computer cabling atrocities. Oh certainly.   They're listed on the UL website as certified for Canada, which I don't live in. Dunno if that makes much of a difference.
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Apr 9, 2023 23:32
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Hed posted:I’m not understanding the utility of a laser pointer / flashlight in a non-contact voltage tester. Is that just in case you cut the lights to the same room that has the box energized? I wear a headlamp for that Poking around in a box so you don't have to maneuver your head around with your headlamp or try to get another flashlight or whatever in there. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Like i said before, it's more useful than you'd expect.
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Apr 10, 2023 01:09
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Poking around in a box so you don't have to maneuver your head around with your headlamp or try to get another flashlight or whatever in there. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Like i said before, it's more useful than you'd expect. Yeah I've got a headlamp AND a tester with a flashlight, they're both useful. Sometimes you might need two lights or a helper to hold another light, or something is low enough to the floor that it's hard to get a good light on it.
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Apr 10, 2023 01:49
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Admiral Joeslop posted:I've got a minor stupid problem that I'd like to fix. I've used a ton of those tiny extension cords just to get transformers to fit. Most transformers/DC power supplies don't use a lot of total power so it's unlikely to be a problem with them overloading anything on a little extension. The problem and fires tend to be when someone plugs a bunch of extension cords and power strips together and ends up pulling too much current through them.
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Apr 10, 2023 15:22
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Extension cords are of a smaller size wiring than the wall outlets so they aren't protected by the breaker if you give it full load. Appliance cords are limited to the draw of the appliance so there's no issue with them being smaller wire. That single outlet extension cord isn't an issue to me when you know the size of the load that's going onto it. Even using it to extend a hair dryer or microwave or space heater wouldn't be a concern since it's a one for one extension and short as hell. If it was a twin female side, then you can get into trouble.
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Apr 10, 2023 16:20
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StormDrain posted:Extension cords are of a smaller size wiring than the wall outlets so they aren't protected by the breaker if you give it full load. Appliance cords are limited to the draw of the appliance so there's no issue with them being smaller wire. That single outlet extension cord isn't an issue to me when you know the size of the load that's going onto it. Even using it to extend a hair dryer or microwave or space heater wouldn't be a concern since it's a one for one extension and short as hell. If it was a twin female side, then you can get into trouble. This is where you get into trouble - hair dryers and microwaves are often rated to the full ampacity of a 15a breaker at 100% duty cycle. For those purposes a 16awg stubby cable isn't something to suggest here. You should do something else, and it's not a power strip or generalized advice because it needs other considerations that are specific to the device and area of use.
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Apr 10, 2023 16:33
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Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, thanks for the advice.
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Apr 10, 2023 18:58
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H110Hawk posted:This is where you get into trouble - hair dryers and microwaves are often rated to the full ampacity of a 15a breaker at 100% duty cycle. For those purposes a 16awg stubby cable isn't something to suggest here. You should do something else, and it's not a power strip or generalized advice because it needs other considerations that are specific to the device and area of use. Do microwaves and hair dryers have larger than 16awg cords to begin with? Edit, you're right tho, don't get me wrong. Just curious. I feel like most hair dryers have small cords but I've never looked. StormDrain fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Apr 10, 2023 |
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Apr 10, 2023 19:10
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StormDrain posted:Do microwaves and hair dryers have larger than 16awg cords to begin with? I don't know, neither do you. Random power bricks are fundamentally different from a microwave. Google shows me a WB18X10200 which is a random GE microwave power cord has a 14AWG cord if I zoom way in on a picture of one.
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Apr 10, 2023 19:14
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H110Hawk posted:I don't know, neither do you. Random power bricks are fundamentally different from a microwave. Ya bud that's why I asked. I'm not trying to burn the guys house down I made a mistake.
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Apr 10, 2023 19:17
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StormDrain posted:Do microwaves and hair dryers have larger than 16awg cords to begin with? Microwaves: sometimes, very often. Hair dryers: increasingly have circuit protection at the plug. So the cord is no longer relying on the building circuit protection.
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Apr 10, 2023 20:50
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StormDrain posted:Ya bud that's why I asked. I'm not trying to burn the guys house down I made a mistake. Yup and now we both know. Yay! Generally speaking we try to be a bit more direct and inflexible on the high load nuance, which comes across as well, blunt.
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Apr 10, 2023 21:06
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Hi thread! I have some recessed ceiling lights that decided they didn't want to turn off any more. They're controlled by this awful dimmer switch which I realise now I really need to give a clean! The dimmer switch lights are reading as "I am turned off, if you turn me back on, I'll go to full brightness" yet the lights persist as very dimmly on. I'm pretty sure the problem is that it has a transformer designed for halogens. A year ago when I moved in I replaced the 4 halogens on this switch with LEDs. Which was working fine up until last night. I'm guessing the transformer is only passing along a low level of current that halogens wouldn't light up for, but LEDs are fine with and so running dimly. I'm guessing the transformer has aged a bit where "off" isn't really going as low as it used to? My main question is, how much of a ballache is it to try and find the transformer? Is there going to be one transformer or 4 or them? Is it going to be near the switch? Or somewhere in the ceiling? Beside a light or just randomly in there somewhere? How many holes am I going to have to make here?
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Apr 14, 2023 16:00
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What transformer are you talking about? You need to replace that dimmer with an LED compatible PWM dimmer.
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Apr 14, 2023 16:55
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There's no transformer, everything is built into the switch. As a temporary fix you can put one incandescent bulb back in, but like Motronic said, you need to replace the dimmer with an LED compatible one.
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Apr 14, 2023 19:38
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STR posted:There's no transformer, everything is built into the switch. As a temporary fix you can put one incandescent bulb back in, but like Motronic said, you need to replace the dimmer with an LED compatible one. Oh sweet, I thought these were like cabinet lights and had a separate transformer somewhere, which I dreaded trying to find! Guess I'll be looking for a new switch then, cheers!
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Apr 14, 2023 23:10
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Also just FYI not all "dimmable" LEDs get along with every "LED compatible" dimmer.
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Apr 14, 2023 23:39
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Shifty Pony posted:Also just FYI not all "dimmable" LEDs get along with every "LED compatible" dimmer. VERY true. Unfortunately, this will require experimenting on your part, OP.
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Apr 14, 2023 23:53
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