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GWBBQ posted:Don't assume that, I'm getting around to tracking where in the chain the loose neutral is for my rear upstairs circuit (1950s house, we have 2 for the whole upstairs and a bunch of random stuff downstairs on one of those too) and I suspect I'm going to find it near where hot and neutral are reversed. Oh absolutely, never assume anything with electrical. I just meant that if the original poster was gonna use a multimeter to figure out what's what, the ground-wireless box could still possibly be his ground depending on construction/locale.
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Nov 14, 2016 05:48
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crocodile posted:i had some lady who wanted to keep all the unchipped "tubes" of porcelain we pulled out of her house. she made a bunch of weird, yuppie jewelry for her friends and to show off on her blog. *shrug* people are weird. poo poo, I hope you cleaned all the electricity out of them first
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Nov 15, 2016 20:36
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Wait, so code doesn't allow you to use a regular receptacle the same way as a GFCI? Is the second set of screws intended to only be used as a secondary line (separate circuit and/or switched)? Because I've opened a lot of boxes in my time as an amateur, and outlets are *always* wired with the second set of screws acting as load, feeding another receptacle down the line. (To clarify - I'm not using my anecdotal evidence to suggest anyone's wrong, I'm just surprised at how common this possibly against code practice is in my area) Slugworth fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Feb 5, 2017 |
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Feb 5, 2017 16:34
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kid sinister posted:Regular receptacles don't have a "load". If you want to further a branch from that box, you can use both screws or a wire nut. Both are fine, it's your choice. Of course if there are more wires that need to be joined together than screws in that box, a wire nut will need to be a part of that. However, you'd never see an electrician use both the screws and a nut. It's too... messy, plus it can make it more difficult to cram wires back in the box. I'm afraid I'm confused then. You're saying if I have a hot/neutral pair coming from the panel to my first outlet, I *can* then use the second set of screws to feed the next outlet in line, right? That's how I've always seen it done. But that seems to be contraindicated by the bit of code being referenced a few posts up - Or am I misreading the code? By removing the first outlet, I would be breaking the continuity of the second outlet's grounded conductor (neutral).
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Feb 5, 2017 20:45
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Ohhhhhh, duh, that makes sense then. Thanks!
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Feb 5, 2017 23:14
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The second one is better, but if you have access to the attic anyways, you may find you can simply reinforce the existing box with some blocking, or simply throwing a couple more screws in the box or its flanges.
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Mar 4, 2017 14:42
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Here's an odd question -- how much weight can RMC support? I have some 1" conduit (about 1 3/8" outer diameter) left over from my workshop build, and I'd like to use a ~30"-long section of it as a pivot to support the top of a flip-top work cart. Flip-top carts have one power tool bolted to the top of the cart and another bolted on the underside of the top, so you can spin them around to change which tool is in use. I'd put my router table and thickness planer on there. The router table's not all that heavy, but the thickness planer probably weighs around 50 pounds. Whatever transfers the load from the cart top to the rest of the cart has to support all that weight at least while you're flipping the cart around. A buddy of mine uses a length of it as a pullup bar, so at least 150 (he's a skinny guy).
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May 6, 2017 16:16
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Bad Munki posted:In any event, aren't you free to address or not address whatever the heck you want as a result of your inspection? Like if the inspector says "No outlets in the house are grounded," you can either use that to adjust the offer, or walk away, or say "I don't care" Some areas use a house sale as time to come in and do code compliance inspections before they will allow the sale to proceed. It is the worst goddamn thing. Fortunately on my house, all I had to do was replace an outlet in my garage with a GFCI before I could sell.
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May 19, 2017 05:22
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My overweight inspector did not go in the attic. In his defense, the access was in a closet above a shelf, and truly difficult to get into (They're not allowed to move personal belongings in an occupied house). I wiggled my way up there and took a ton of photos with his camera.
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Jun 2, 2017 05:32
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 Am I angering the code gods if I feed another circuit through this box, essentially using it as a junction box? As in, feed wire through existing conduit from new breaker on panel, run new conduit to a new outlet?
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Aug 6, 2017 22:30
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kid sinister posted:There's calculations regarding conduit fill. And it sounds like your new cables would just be passing though, so technically it wouldn't be a junction. That's actually a point regarding box fill. Then again, that box is huge.
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Aug 7, 2017 01:49
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It's funny, my area (Chicago/Suburbs) is all emt and solid wire. Not sure if the solid is code or what, but the first time I saw stranded (outside of the factory pigtails on light fixtures) was a few months ago. I actually assumed stranded was cheaper/worse because I'd only seen it on fixtures, but apparently it's more expensive and better at conducting?? And yeah, solid is waaaaaaaaaaay easier to terminate. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to screw down the stranded, had to google it. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Aug 21, 2017 |
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Aug 21, 2017 02:00
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:There is (or should be, anyway) a vapor barrier on the other side of the siding. As I understand it, if you put a vapor barrier on both sides of something, then any moisture that does get in (and moisture will always get in to some extent) won't be able to get back out, which makes moisture damage worse. Edit: possible that my info is outdated, as this is an area that's changing a lot recently Slugworth fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Aug 24, 2017 |
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Aug 24, 2017 17:26
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Pulled a light fixture down this weekend to replace it, and found that the box in the ceiling appears to be too small for the new fixture. The holes for the mounting screws are 3" apart, while the new fixture needs them to be 3.25". I've replaced a lot of lights, in older homes than this, and never had this issue. Ideas?
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Oct 9, 2017 15:48
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H110Hawk posted:Always on appliance outlet, 20A circuit, 12AWG wire, and a 15A outlet. This drives my microwave, exhaust hood, and over stove light. My idea is to R&R the outlet with a 20A TR, plug in a 120vac->12vdc transformer and run a single ~18" strip of lights off it. Looks like there are USB options as well - maybe I will just slap a USB wall wart in there and be done with it. Everything up there gets greasy, such to the extent that we only store things up there we use extremely rarely as it will always need to be washed before use.
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Dec 10, 2017 03:12
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Anyone aware of a recessed outlet & hdmi box that would meet Chicago area code (ie: compatible with a metal junction box)? I'm not finding anything on Google, but it must exist.
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Feb 5, 2018 04:31
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More specifically, a recessed outlet and HDMI plate that would fit into that. Unless I'm dense, they all seem to be standalone fixtures where the connection is made on the back of the plate, without the use of a junction box at all.
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Feb 5, 2018 14:08
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Probably not a lot of actual mining operations setting up in residential areas either.
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Mar 18, 2018 14:24
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Objection overruled
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Mar 18, 2018 14:27
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SpartanIvy posted:GFCIs work by tripping if there is a variance in the neutral and hot wires. If the variance is 0.05 amps or more (IIRC) it will trip. This why you can use them in outlets without a ground. If the current isnt going where it's supposed to it will stop it. This does not completely protect you from being electrocuted though. If you are completing the circuit between the neutral and hot wires it'll still fry you. It only protects you from electrocuting yourself from the hot wire and some other ground. So... how dangerous is it that my pool pump is currently running to an outlet via an extension cord with no ground prong on it? I've been guessing "kind of dangerous" and turning it off before I go on.
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Aug 1, 2018 19:44
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Oh, I'm an idiot and failed to mention the pump has a built in gfci. My question was more would that gfci work plugged into an extension cord without a ground plug. Regardless, I'm definitely replacing the cord, just one of those things you keep forgetting to do when you actually have time to do it.
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Aug 2, 2018 02:50
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Medullah posted:I am going to replace the fixture because it's ugly as sin anyway, but am wondering - if it still doesn't work, what's the chain of troubleshooting steps to determine where the problem is?
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Sep 22, 2018 04:43
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I'm setting up a bunch of Halloween decorations and lights, and I've run into a couple spots where I'm having some plug incompatibilities, and wanna make sure I'm not doing anything dangerous. I have two light up skulls which have polarized plugs, and thus won't plug into the nearby non-polarized light strings. So, I grabbed a 3-way grounded (but non-polarized on the male end) splitter, broke off the ground tab, and used that as an adapter. Since none of the lights involved have a ground wire anyway, there shouldn't be any issue with that, right? Why do xmas lights use non-polarized plugs anyways? And is there any particular reason these skulls, which are literally just a single small light bulb in a plastic skull, would use polarized plugs instead?
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Oct 28, 2018 03:37
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B-Nasty posted:Generally, the theory with single light bulbs and polarized plugs is to ensure that the socket has the neutral line connected to the threaded socket part and the hot is on the little tab on the bottom. This is meant to help prevent you from touching the hot, because you would literally have to stick your finger in the light socket to do so. The outside metal socket is far more likely to have accidental contact if the bulb doesn't block it completely, or if you were changing it or mucking around.
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Oct 28, 2018 14:32
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I needed to make room in a panel for a 240v breaker. So, I combined two lightly loaded 15 amp breakers by removing one and pigtailing it to the other within the junction box. My understanding is this is largely allowed by code, correct? Aside from nuisance tripping, anything I should be concerned about?
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Nov 25, 2018 03:08
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Well hell, I was not aware such a device existed. That would probably have been smarter. Until I can replace it however, anyone have any thoughts as to the pigtailing solution currently in place?
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Nov 25, 2018 03:18
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Motronic posted:If it was done inside the panel and properly (correctly sized run off the pigtail, properly sized wire nut or wago) it at worst used to meet code in my area as recently as I've not been a code inspector (5 or so years).
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Nov 25, 2018 04:14
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I helped a co worker run a new circuit for a heated floor he was installing. He wasn't sure if he was gonna end up needing a 15 or 20 amp breaker, so I ran 12g wire and threw in a 20 amp breaker. Turns out it's more than he needed, and a 15 amp breaker would have been fine. There's no harm in it being over-sized though, right?
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Dec 11, 2018 20:42
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kid sinister posted:There's one more piece of advice regarding conduit. If you have any turns, use individual wires and use stranded cable instead of solid. Pulling solid wire around a turn is not fun.
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Dec 18, 2018 02:44
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Probably a dumb question, but I'm super confused. What, uh, does the neutral in a switch box do? Is this just future proofing for smart switches or something?
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Mar 23, 2019 13:33
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Nevets posted:Does Chicago code dictate how many / far apart outlets have to be? I'm imagining alot of builders / renovators using the minimum outlets per room to save labor and money, and then the owner / renter using a forest of chained, undergrounded 16 gauge extension cords snaking along the walls and under the furniture. I actually really like emt, and will miss it when I move from the area. You'd be surprised how often having conduit throughout the house makes some new project much easier. I get why everyone else uses romex, but it will always feel odd and half-assed to me (I know it's not - don't yell at me).
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Apr 8, 2019 22:42
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GWBBQ posted:Used to be that you even needed conduit for low voltage.
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Apr 18, 2019 04:13
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Got a strange one. I plugged a space heater in at work, and the power light briefly turned on, then faded out, and the unit never kicked on. Tried a different outlet, same thing. Plugged it into a nearby gfci that *might* be feeding those other two outlets, and it worked perfectly fine. It has definitely worked on those other outlets in recent history. The gfci never tripped, and the unit seemed to get at least some measure of power every time it was plugged in, just not enough to turn on??? Is that a thing? Can a gfci in some state of failure feed a diminished voltage to an outlet? I'll try to remember to bring my voltmeter in to work tomorrow if that will help diagnose the issue.
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May 10, 2019 00:57
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I'm probably getting ahead of myself, but let's see. I don't say it to discourage you, because you're right, it's a simple process, just don't go touching poo poo in there all willy-nilly just because you flipped the main.
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May 31, 2019 19:34
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raej posted:I'm in the process of replacing all the switches in our house. I came across a 4-wire switch and all of my new switches are 3 post. Do I need to find a 4 post switch, or is there some way around this? The new switches are Bestten
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Jun 11, 2019 19:13
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Rhyno posted:So I have hallway lights controlled by three switches and I might have hosed up when I replaced the switches. They seem to counter each other when I flip any of the three. I installed the same 4-way in each spot and I think I was supposed to use one 4 way and two 3-way? Or, do what I'd probably do in your place, and just swap wires around randomly until it works the way it should. But, you know, don't burn your house down. And hey, on the plus side, you get to return two of those idiotically expensive 4 way switches. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Jun 14, 2019 |
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Jun 14, 2019 19:41
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Blindeye posted:Hello sparkies, I have been utterly baffled by something and I figured you might be able to help out: The brown is your hot, the lone black is the switch leg for your old light, and the white/black combo are both the leg for your new light. Why they are both connected is beyond me, but disconnecting that light and seeing how they are connected to it might shed some light. None of them should be a neutral though, and if one is, it shouldn't be hooked up to your switch. My fix: It sounds like you've already disconnected the tab between the two hot posts on your switch? If so, split your hot (brown) with a pigtail, and hook it up to both of your hot posts. Then hook the lone black up to one leg post, the other black wire to the other leg post, and then cap the white wire, as it kind of shouldn't be needed unless I'm wildly misinterpreting something. A lot of these guesses could be confirmed with a multimeter or voltage detector. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Jul 1, 2019 |
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Jul 1, 2019 01:13
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Blindeye posted:So that was my thinking, but it doesn't explain why brown-new light's white NM wire with nothing else connected turns on the new light with both black's disconnected. It also doesn't explain that when I created the pigtail split of the brown, it meant either switch could turn on both lights.
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Jul 1, 2019 01:39
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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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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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