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kid sinister posted:If you do have to put a fridge on a GFCI outlet, they do make GFCIs with alarms so you at least have a chance at saving your food. I recommend them for deep freezers too. You have way more than this much worth of stuff in your deep freezer, so just buy one now: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/all-points-72-1151-supco-ta7-battery-powered-temperature-alarm/117721151.html This is the standard-around-here backup alarm for freezers and walk in boxes. Yes, it's expensive. It's because it's not a complete piece of garbage.
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Jan 2, 2024 01:43
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Calidus posted:Is Qmerit the complete ripoff it sounds like? I have never touched 240 before but it doesn’t sound different to install a circuit and plug. You just need to make sure things are tightened down correctly and do the calculations on if your panel can support an additional 40/50 amp circuit. I get all parts for less than $500, most of that being wire. I would get a permit and probably pay an electrician to double check my work before inspection. Are you asking if paying for a licensed electrician to come to your home to install a high amperage device is a "ripoff"? What "calculations" do you think you need to do to see if your panel can "support" this circuit?
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Jan 3, 2024 20:48
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FISHMANPET posted:I'm curious what kind of torque screwdrivers professional electricians would carry around. https://www.grainger.com/product/WERA-Torque-Screwdriver-1-4-in-6AAW8 as well as a standard 1/2" torque ratchet for service entrances is what I see around here. Substitute the Wera with a Wiha or whatever depending on who/tool color preference.
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Jan 8, 2024 21:04
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Note: I did not specify if they were used, just carried. I can't recall any of the commercial electricians around using a torque driver on anything smaller than 750 MCM and only the ones who aren't dealing with it all day long.
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Jan 8, 2024 21:23
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devicenull posted:Outdoor - I got out there today and the motion sensor was full of water. Outdoor motion sensors are a thing that has been solved since the 80s, but looking around based on your question led me to see that in the retail space this has been taken over with cheap garbage and iot gadgets. If you want a motion like that just works it starts with something like this motion detector from your local electrical supply house: https://www.denneyelectricsupply.co...lighting.sms500 If you've got a picture of the area you want to mount it and some requirement I can suggest some possibilities of fixtures where you can mount the motion detector and the socket. Probably things you can order form supplyhouse.com if you don't have a local place.
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Jan 10, 2024 15:47
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devicenull posted:I forgot that motion sensors are sold separately. This is what I have right now, so it looks like it would be pretty easy to just replace the sensor and keep the working lights. Oh yeah, that's exactly the kind of fixture I was going to suggest. Just get a decent motion sensor, not the $0.50 one that came with that setup and you should be back in business.
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Jan 10, 2024 17:05
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H110Hawk posted:What in the world - I had no idea they were sold separately like that in a way that would integrate into a off the shelf light. Makes sense but who googles that? Otherwise how would you trigger 50 100W flood lights and make it DAYTIME on your mansion any time a raccoon wanders by in the middle of the night? Lots of the nicer ones even have power fail sequences where you can tap out "stay on all the time" vs. "motion only at night" with your light switch feeding it. How do you know? Like with all the trade stuff the hardest part of a project where you know what you want to do but it's not in your experience/trade is knowing what is available and common and how the pieces fit together/what the hell their trade sizes are.
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Jan 10, 2024 17:55
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devicenull posted:I ended up going with this, which is 75% of what I paid for the light in the first place... but if I never have to get up on the ladder to replace it again it'll be worth it. There's a reason RAB is the kind at the supply house and why it cost almost as much as entire fixtures from the big box store, but it sounds like you already know that.
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Jan 11, 2024 15:36
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H110Hawk posted:What a loving joke. This is why I ostensibly want my system not to have internet access. "Oh, no, I don't have wifi at my house. Sorry." Is there literally no local troubleshooting they could walk you through? No displays/no meters but a couple cheap sensors and a $2 wifi SoC is way cheaper than doing things "the right way" for consumer goods.
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Jan 13, 2024 01:06
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kastein posted:Man, all they gotta do is this but put a status page on a basic webserver on the device so you can poke it with a cell phone browser if you don't have Wi-Fi available. If only they gave enough of a poo poo to do so. I'm confused. How do I turn my customers data into a revenue stream if they're not connected to my cloud servers?
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Jan 17, 2024 23:21
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Extant Artiodactyl posted:the issue with installing a cord for the furnace is that it runs up against code for flexible cords and of more immediate concern is when it's on the generator, it'd be bypassing the thermal cutoff and any emergency shutoffs. What what what? How or why would you be bypassing limit switches because you put a plug on your heater? Or plugged that plug into the outlet of a generator? And there are absolutely appropriate service cords for this usage that meet code. I'm not saying it's the best idea or even a good one, but none of those things makes any sense to me as reasons against it.
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Jan 19, 2024 23:51
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Extant Artiodactyl posted:
Where exactly do you live that this external device is a thing installed in front of a residential furnace? Where I live the furnace is required to have it's own safety systems.
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Jan 20, 2024 00:06
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i'm thinking about it like this, for oil or natural gas furnaces. you'd have to install the cord over by the panel to make sure the switch and the cutoff still work the way they're supposed to
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Extant Artiodactyl posted:new england, we use external cutoffs above the furnace that go at 165 degrees We do the emergency switches (Pennsylvania) but not the heat detector/cutoff. I kinda like that idea actually, especially for oil furnaces that can leak and then light up in interesting and terrible places. Guy Axlerod posted:The "light switch" is a thing in NJ at least. I'm not entirely sure of the purpose since it turns off the electric and not the gas. Power is required to open the gas valve. It fails closed when power is removed, so that covers most situations that would be a furnace malfunction of something even kinda sorta maintained. Motronic fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Jan 20, 2024 |
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Jan 20, 2024 00:16
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devicenull posted:My emergency switch is helpfully installed immediately above the furnace, so I'd have to reach past whatever emergency there is to get to it. I always assumed these were essentially service switches these days, and the "emergency" labelling is left over in code. That sounds like a service switch. We have to have them in places like at the top of the basement stairs if the furnace is in the basement. I also havew one right on the heater because yeah......service switch..... I like being able to see it from the heater I'm working on.
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Jan 20, 2024 00:58
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devicenull posted:It's got the fun red emergency cover on it! Who's code? That's always the question, isn't it? I'm not aware of anything specifically stopping you form doing that in the NEC or i-codes other than the catchalls the AHJs have to work with for weird situations. If somebody was trying to take the piss like that on a job site I was inspecting I'd just fail them as not being done in a workman like manner. Blackbeer posted:Is this separate from the "disconnecting means" or is it a labeling thing? I've never seen the red emergency cover but a switch to kill power on a gas furnace is standard here. Nah, it's just the disconnecting means that just has extra requirements of needing to be in a specific spot and labeled a specific way.
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Jan 20, 2024 01:16
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I love that your example picture is an illegally disabled safety shut off switch.
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Jan 20, 2024 01:28
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Blackbeer posted:I'm super curious to hear the investigation on this. To my limited knowledge, even if the hi-limit is bypassed (I think the previously mentioned emergency sensor is basically one as well) the gas valve (or relay if electric) won't activate. I guess a person could wire the gas valve so it was always on, but a secondary hi-limit wouldn't help. You can bypass the high limit, or leave it in a way that it's not receiving full heat. It depends on the board in the furnace, and this type of fuckery is a lot easier to do with the universal boards because you can often just configure them wrong (no high limit, ignoring/changing the sequence so it doesn't shut down with a cold high limit so you can just leave the switch out in the cabinet and it will keep running). In any case, it's obviously a really bad idea that should neve be done. Also, the second one being above the furnace is only going to trip on an already an uncontained situation. It's just an oh poo poo backup before the service cables burn off the furnace.
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Jan 20, 2024 15:09
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VictualSquid posted:You can also get a big GFCI at the panel input that turns off the whole house/apartment if it trigger. Cheaper and still safe. That is the default place for a GFCI in Germany these days. I think you're talking about an RCD. They aren't the same things as US GFCI breakers.
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Jan 30, 2024 18:54
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facialimpediment posted:Plan of attack: remove the GFCI receptacle and replace it with a regular-rear end receptacle (provided Gary didn't commit wiring crimes behind there too). Remove the regular-rear end switch and replace it with a dimmer switch rated for LEDs. Remove and replace the two potentially nuisance-tripping LED retrofits. Turn on power, check voltage and etc. If poo poo goes wrong after that, electrician call. I wouldn't replace a GFCI that's tripping with anything other than a new GFCI to make sure it's not false tripping. I get that long term it's probably a bad place for a GFCI, but now isn't the time to do that. You need to figure out what is wrong first.
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Jan 30, 2024 22:06
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shame on an IGA posted:I assume it's some scenario where the protected outlet is required to be a dedicated circuit? Otherwise why go to the trouble of installing that and not just have an outlet there too, never too many outlets When you need a protected machine outlet like for a refrigerator or garage door opener you can make a pretty logical decision that you don't want to share that protection with other outlets that could trip it and cause issues. It doesn't have to be an entire dedicated circuit. If I had only one circuit going to my countertop as well as something like a refreigerator that I was required to GFCI protect I'd absolutely want them seperately protected.
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Feb 9, 2024 00:22
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I feel like I'm missing something when "new ron from the switch" is even a consideration, but if that were my job to do I'd open the ceiling around the existing inproperly terminated romex and see what's there. If I can get it to where I need it I'd pull the trim and open the ceiling and install a fan box or other sturdy appropiate box for a hanging fixture and pull the romex to it then patch drywall. If the existing romex won't make it to the new location this is the perfect use case for a tyco splice.
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Feb 19, 2024 19:31
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:I did some googling and it sounds like this melts o-rings? What melts o rings? That exact product or silicone grease? Because silicone grease is what you're supposed to be using. I use super lube because it's available locally and food grade (for plumbing) but it also gets used for autmotive applications.
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Feb 20, 2024 22:52
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Dielectric grease is also fine. A connector style like that picture with an o-ring by definition doesn't need dielectric grease on the contacts. The point of putting it on contacts is to stop them from getting moisture/dirt/rusting/corroding. Since the connector is already sealed there is no need.
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Feb 20, 2024 23:11
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:I mean, would it add another layer of safety? The whole issue here is that there is water shooting all over this thing and eventually its gonna fail one way or another I forgot that was your issue/use case. If the contacts are spade type and therefore self-cleaning it's certainly not going to hurt. You could even try packing the connector with it. Also, on o rings......does this set have what you need in it? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QFVCNSN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 I have that and a few others just because it's an easy way to keep that stuff in stock. Ordering from mcmaster might end up costing you just as much for one or 2 o rings plus shipping as that whole box of them.
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Feb 20, 2024 23:20
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:It's actually a barrel connector. How would I go about using the stuff on it - should I shoot it inside each side of the barrel? Should I slather it on the outside of the tip? ohh yeeaaahh baby Yeah, no. Don't use it on that.
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Feb 21, 2024 17:17
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captkirk posted:So, I know exceedingly little about home wiring. I have a physics degree, so I understand things in a useless, vague way, but I know very little about the specifics of home electrical despite formerly owning a house for 3 years. Stop trying to solution things you don't understand and explain what problem you have and the outcome you would like.
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Apr 5, 2024 03:43
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Coolguye posted:Here's the kicker: I specifically want to AVOID using smart functionality controlled by apps if possible. So as a network engineer by training, this is me. I have rules for my "smart" devices: they do not touch the internet (everything on a seperate VLAN and wifi network), lights must be able to be manually controlled (read: real switches on the wall still), loss of the controller must result in nothing other than loss of automation/timers/data logging/alerting. I'm using Home Assistant for this. I do have one nic in a limited access vlan so it can get to the internet through pinholes to get things like the weather to disply on my kindle fire tablets that dispplay HA "panels" (which absolutely do not touch the internet). If something like that would work out for you Home Assistant could be a good controller and you can shop for zwave, zigbee, etc to control directly or do some sort of DIY ESP32 contoller being run by HA.
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Apr 7, 2024 21:26
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Gonna guess that's a switch loop. Do you have a multimeter?
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Apr 12, 2024 18:19
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SpeedFreek posted:I thought the idea was to use the existing telephone cable as a pull wire? Phone wiring is typically daisy chained around a house from jack to jack. Ethernet needs to be home runs. There's little that phone jacks are likely to "help" other than already having a hole in the wall - potentially with a low volt ring but even more likely with a full bax that's going to to be in the way.
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Apr 14, 2024 15:04
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SpartanIvy posted:This has already all been taken care of. My concern in the first picture is the like 15 ground wires all being shoved into one big lug. That's "fine". I don't know if it was to code and under what code, but it's very common. Spend $6 on a new ground bar and re-wire if it bothers you. I wouldn't unless I was doing extensive amounts of other work in the panel.
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Apr 15, 2024 17:11
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SpartanIvy posted:That was my thinking. Everything was nice and tight and it's obviously been fine for 50+ years so I didn't touch that at all. Just curious if that was code/common back in the day. It definitely was very common in the days of rag wire insulation and the little 18 or 20 gauge undersized ground conductors. After that too, because I've seen a lof of fuse panel to breaker panel replacements done that way.
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Apr 15, 2024 17:37
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SyNack Sassimov posted:Er, yes, but the GFCI part of the combo AFCI/GFCI sure does detect current going to ground. Point is I previously had breakers that were not detecting anything other than overcurrent (and given they were Federal Pacific, they probably weren't detecting that either FYI, what you're talking about are CAFCI breakers. AFCI breakers do arc fault. GFCI breakers do ground fault. CAFCI breaker do both.
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Apr 24, 2024 03:02
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), and moving to modern breakers helped expose bad wiring/devices as you mentioned.
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Elem7 posted:AFCI + GFCI is a dual function breaker. Modern AFCI alone is actually CAFCI because I guess the original AFCI back in the 00's didn't do as much? Yeah.......good point. These terms do vary depnding on whether it's in code or someone's product catalog. Yay? But in any case, there is a distinction and I guess we need to spell it out to make sure we're all talking about the same thing.
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Apr 24, 2024 04:08
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Vim Fuego posted:I would remove the 50 amp breaker and install a 20 amp breaker. I would then hook the Black wire from the 8ga wire to the 20 amp breaker. In the junction box in the laundry room I'd hook the 8 gauge wire to romex and run the romex to the 20amp outlets. Yes, but you need a 20A breaker that is rated for 8 gauge (not all are, whether you can find one or not depends on what flavor of breakers you need). The connection in the j-box needs to be appropriate as for the two different wire gauges involved (I'd probably default to split nuts there if there is sufficient space in that box).
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Apr 30, 2024 22:34
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devicenull posted:Couldn't you do split nuts at both ends? Yeah, that's a good point. Since the load center is an acceptable box you could absolutely split nut it down to 10 wire or whatever in there too.
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May 1, 2024 00:18
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Bone Crimes posted:mine has 240v breakers on the lower section behind the 'main' breaker, so I'm not sure what you mean by low voltage. You're calling something a "split box" that isn't. That's the confusion. You have a main lug load center. You appear to be confused as to why it's not a main breaker style load center. I have no idea why so many california homes have that arrangement - main lug panels are typically used as subpanles in my area.
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May 2, 2024 20:45
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