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Hey wiring thread denizens. Motronic has been helping out and calling me dumb when I propose dumb poo poo in the home threads, in your opinion is wiring one of these 3 way switches ok for an amateur to do if I read up on all this beforehand and feel confident enough to attempt it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5cucTA6ioE Related, I am pretty sure my electrical boxes are all grounded since there are no grounding wires in any of them. However I don't own a multimeter. Any way to check if I am OK not to use a ground screw / pigtail on my boxes without one or do I need to buy a multimeter? None of my currently installed light switches use their ground screw (just moved into my place). Sample of one of my boxes in case that helps, this is a fan box not a light switch one: 
Inner Light fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jul 19, 2021 |
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Jul 19, 2021 02:51
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shame on an IGA posted:To check a box for grounding, get a multimeter, turn the breaker to that box off and test for continuity between the box and the neutral wire. That looks like you've got conduit, if it's metal conduit and there are no gaps you *should* be fully grounded. Do you live in the Chicago metroplex by chance? Yes I do, and from googling it sounds like Chicago is the odd duckling with this stuff. Unfortunately I don't have a multimeter but might have to get one. I assume if the box is grounded, I do not need to connect the ground screw to anything, since the regular mounting screws should provide continuity to the box? That is how everything in my place is wired. VVVV that's right! Pretty dumb but I realized immediately what mistake I made. I thought a house wire was the ground but it was blue.... and blue can't be ground. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Jul 19, 2021 |
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Jul 19, 2021 03:10
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Speaking of, my detector is probably 15 years old now, I'm guessing I should replace it? It always bothered me the 'test' button doesn't really test the smoke detecting part. Been eyeing the Nest Protect but it's pricey.
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Jul 20, 2021 14:47
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Wiring baby question. I have a duplex outlet, one side has no current on hot per my non contact tester, and does not function. I want to replace the outlet to fix it, not sure of the root cause. I have tested all the toggle switches in and around the room, it doesn't appear to be switched (or the switching is screwed up somehow). Think this is a straightforward "go to LowesDepot, pick up replacement, wire it in", or is the current wiring non-standard somehow? Of course, the current wiring is different than all the tutorials I've watched, so it's a little confusing. Wanted to get goon thoughts. Also, if this is the level of 'drop it and get a pro', this is probably covered under my 'home warranty' for a $100 service call.   As an aside, I don't know why the original installers to everything in my place had such an aversion to using black wire for hot. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Jul 24, 2021 |
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Jul 24, 2021 22:23
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One outlet of the two-outlet duplex does not function, that's what I meant. So I'm guessing the switched fin is broken off correctly, but the rest of the bits needed to make that work (connection to a switch somewhere) is not working due to some PO fuckery. I'll work up the confidence to fully unwrap things... need to take more photos and know how to put the wires and nuts back together the way they are now. e: once I put this back do I need to re-apply electrical tape, or is it unnecessary? :-/ Inner Light fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Jul 24, 2021 |
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Jul 24, 2021 23:22
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  Ok, here we go. Electrical tape off, nuts pulled out. Check it out, there’s a bit of flared conductor that’s almost causing a short circuit right? Unrelated issue but still. With my non contact tester, seems like red is hot, orange is not hot, grey has to be neutral of course. I was super confused because I thought there were like 6+ wires on this thing, but with only the 3 normal ones I think I can figure out the install of a replacement. I will simply not snip the fin since I don’t care about it being switched. Good to go with that, right? Theoretically I should improve the grounding situation….. but every receptacle and fixture in my condo is grounded through the mounting screws only. No ground wire in the boxes. Yes I could add them while I’m in there, but if the devices are already grounded I figure it should be OK. Let me know if I'm being an unforgivable moron with that decision. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Jul 25, 2021 |
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Jul 24, 2021 23:58
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Also, when I re wire a replacement can I get away with not cutting and re-stripping my wires or is it always best practice to cut and re strip?
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Jul 25, 2021 00:24
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Thanks guys! Getting the hang of this basic crap for the first time so I appreciate it. Now, do you know why the electrician / code inspector circa 2003 didn't care about dedicated ground like we're talking about? Was it not code at that time for metal boxes? Could be region specific since Chicago was real unique for a while from what I've heard.
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Jul 25, 2021 00:39
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If I don't wire nut the orange wire, and connect it the same way it is today only with an unbroken fin, is that a safety issue? If it is I'll go pick up a few wire nuts, I happen not to have any at the moment. If the orange wire became hot at some point it seems like it is an issue, since it would be 2 hots being connected to both sides at the same time. What happens to the circuit / outlet in that case? e: I think i figured out the answer from further reading, you can confirm. Basically the danger in that case is I could be supplying more than 15A from the 2 hot wires. Each hot wire may not be supplying more than 15A alone, but the two together would. And, since the single neutral wire has no protection, I would have no adequate overcurrent protection in that case. Correct understanding? But it seems it would not fit the definition of a 'short circuit'. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Jul 25, 2021 |
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Jul 25, 2021 17:47
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Red wire is your interconnect wire. It’s supposed to be spliced and connected to the red wire on all the other units. Though — some units today have wireless interconnect. It’s possible that’s why the red wire wasn’t used. You’ll have to ask the electrician how they set it up. You can test interconnect using the test button. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 13:49 on Jul 26, 2021 |
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Jul 26, 2021 13:30
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This all reinforces the fact my condo is woefully out of date with best practices. I think code here is still 15 feet from all bedrooms, like yeah my 1 sole detector is within 15 feet of the doorway to those areas... but if a fire started in one of the bedrooms, the smoke would have to make its way out of the doorway before alarming. If I ever have kids here I'll probably have an electrician install a couple more.
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Jul 26, 2021 16:38
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FISHMANPET posted:I think that's an indicator of how much of the cover you should strip off the wire to connect them to that switch. Indeed, that is called a strip gauge.
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Jul 27, 2021 17:30
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Ok, confused and need some help. https://ledt8bulb.com/pdf/lutron-dvcl-153p-install-guide.pdf The instructions for 5B (replacing a 3-way switch) tell you to connect the tagged wire from the box to the BLACK wire on the dimmer. However, it seems the picture relating to 5B, diagram B2, show the tagged wire from the box connecting to the RED wire on the dimmer. Am I missing something obvious here, what gives? I assume the diagram is not contradicting itself and I am missing something, but I can't figure out what. e: I'm also cognizant that these instructions, though appearing legit, are not hosted on Lutron's site (and may not match my exact model)... Lutron's site lists a more modern looking install document that said black is correct. I completed the install and it's working properly 
Inner Light fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Jul 28, 2021 |
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Jul 28, 2021 18:56
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Gonna steal referring to wire nuts as twisty hats from now on
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Aug 3, 2021 20:51
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Little something different for the thread. I remember this dude from years ago when he made a video after he acquired a 20,000 watt light bulb, and lit it up. He's still making vids and this one is making the rounds, he broke a fuse now. 5000 Amps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mGhhdPgXG8
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Aug 7, 2021 02:57
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This thread has been a goldmine just for seeing the exclamations and swears by the experts in the thread when goons post what lies in their walls. e: Is the little black square the screw goes through important? Sometimes those fall off when I'm messing with stuff in boxes and I don't bother putting them back.
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Aug 10, 2021 18:34
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PageMaster posted:Edit: went ahead and wired it in and everything works now. Only issues were that one of the two white wires wasn't actually stripped so I did that before connecting. Second is my wire nuts were not long enough to cover the entire length of exposed wire so I ended up throwing back on the old ones to test it out which I'm assuming is not recommended. Off to home Depot to get some bigger ones and finally close this out tomorrow. You're assuming it's not recommended to re-use wire nuts after re-splicing? I don't think there's a problem with that unless I'm misunderstanding. As long as the spring thing still works and it's properly sized for the number / gauge of the new # of wires. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Aug 15, 2021 |
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Aug 15, 2021 04:12
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I reset a tripped breaker and suddenly my entire panel, entire condo unit’s electricity is down. No other tripped breakers. I turned them all off then on and no dice, still dead. Staying with family tonight because of this WTF did I do.
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Aug 19, 2021 05:32
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Inner Light posted:Update: that's exactly what happened. It's a new panel, 2002 build. I texted a HOA board guy (whose number I happened to have) last night and asked him if there was any room outside my unit equipped with breakers, at the time he said no. Out of curiosity here ... in a condo building, what is the electrical difference between the big main breaker at the top of my panel (100A), and the 1 breaker for my unit in the electrical room (also 100A)? I believe this screwed up AC tripped the 100A in the electrical room, but not in my panel, which was confusing. I had no power til we could get someone in with a key to the room 
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Aug 19, 2021 17:05
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Rufio posted:230.72(C) says each occupant shall have access to the occupants service disconnecting means So I suspect my building doesn't 100% comply with modern code, since these overcurrent devices are located in a locked electrical room and we do not have 24 hour personnel on site. It sucks only the board members get access to the key, but I'm not going to be a Karen and push the issue, just hope that 100A breaker doesn't trip again. Some pretty beefy equipment in that room since it is a midrise with lots of units.
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Aug 19, 2021 20:01
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Motronic posted:Which mean you need a main breaker in your unit, which you have......... No, I know. The issue I was mentioning is there are 2 100A breakers, one in my panel and one in the utility room. If the utility room one trips, my panel one does no good and I won't have power. The possible 'something wrong' was that I, the occupant, do not have 'ready access' to the utility room breaker.
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Aug 19, 2021 20:04
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Motronic posted:That is not an electrical code issue because you have a main breaker in your unit. Oh ok, I may have been misinterpreting the post above then. It said "240.24(B) also states that each occupant shall have ready access to all overcurrent devices protecting conductors supplying that occupancy"  you may be right, I was just curious if it's compliant with that one part FISHMANPET posted:Ready access is not for you to turn it on, but to turn it off. You have ready access to turn off your power. Building maintenance also has ready access to turn off the power. Oh interesting, that answers it then. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Aug 19, 2021 |
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Aug 19, 2021 20:09
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Thought this might be an interesting anecdote for the thread, the guitar buzz reminded me of it. I have a MacBook Pro, and while it is plugged in and I rub my fingers across the aluminum areas adjacent to the trackpad, I feel a tingling sensation. No tingling when rubbing fingers over the trackpad, which is glass. Found this: https://appuals.com/stop-tingling-electrical-feeling-macbook-pro/ In my case the plug for the laptop is 2-prong, so ungrounded. I think this is mostly a quirk and not harmful? Assuming it is some sort of voltage leak from the DC charger. Just going to live with it. The tingling happens in a lot of situations but it's fun to notice when I'm on a couch with my feet on a carpet. When I pick both of my feet up, the tingling in my hands stops. Also of course stops when I disconnect the charger. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Sep 2, 2021 |
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Sep 2, 2021 20:51
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Motronic posted:Double post! I think Hue strips are the go-to standard for something like this, but there are probably better options I'm not aware of. Also I think you have..... a certain valid ideology around IoT which may prevent using it at your place.
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Sep 3, 2021 16:29
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If neutral was wired to ground, wouldn't that trip a properly-working circuit breaker also? I imagine in a properly wired home you can't just screw up a fixture install and end up energizing the metal chassis of every grounded fixture on a circuit but maybe you can. e: Also more content and question for the thread. I have an AFCI breaker for bedroom receptacles with a blue test button on the breaker itself. Circuit is working and energized. Pressing the test button does nothing. Time to call home warranty company and get an electrician out? Yet another easy thing my inspector did not do before closing. Bad photo of the panel for reference, AFCI bottom right: https://i.imgur.com/R7O7J6z.png Inner Light fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Sep 9, 2021 |
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Sep 9, 2021 04:24
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Blackbeer posted:e: FWIW, swapping out breakers isn't hard if you want to do it yourself. Your panel isn't overcrowded which will make it easier, and you can kill the main breaker for a few minutes if you're not comfortable working on a live panel (most DIY'ers shouldn't be). Thanks, I am considering fiddling with it myself. But, the AFCI is $40+tax from LowesDepot (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Siemens-20-Amp-1-in-Single-Pole-Combination-AFCI-Circuit-Breaker-US2-QA120AFCP/205089995) and the warranty deductible is $100 flat, so if they send someone actually licensed I figure why not. Hope the arc gods don't burn up my bedroom in the meantime. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Sep 9, 2021 |
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Sep 9, 2021 04:54
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Is this the same guy doing commercial work without a license, isn't that literally illegal (not to mention could void your liability insurance)? Come on man this doesn't sound like it's going to end well. I say this as someone who has already screwed up an electrical job where I live.
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Sep 9, 2021 22:33
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What's the biggest reason normal 12/14 ga wire sucks to work with compared to a lighter wire like 20/22? I know nothing about wiring. Just less flexible and more frustrating to splice/terminate are the main disadvantages I am guessing?
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Dec 20, 2021 00:04
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Motronic posted:Ugh....that a CF G24q2? base. It's a dead end of bulbs. Those fixtures only existed for a small amount of time. I too had an uncommon fixture / bulb setup that looked sort of similar, or at least had a similar connector. It was a Circline. I got rid of that as soon as I could TBH.
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Jan 4, 2022 06:07
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I know nothing but am I supposed to boo the electrical tape on the twisty wire hats?
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Jan 6, 2022 07:16
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Would Walmart be factory seconds sometimes? I thought it was just as legit. We have Target here instead of Walmart but same thing.
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Jan 30, 2022 18:25
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Just remembered this so not sure where to buy it, but isn't this vid exactly what you're describing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chHEgbf0baw
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Feb 6, 2022 05:54
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BonerGhost posted:I thought North American goons might like this Do you live in a condo? Same thing happened to me, there was a hidden main breaker in a locked electrical room which feeds my panel box, and it was tripped.
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Mar 22, 2022 14:34
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No it was just my unit. There is a single breaker (100A I think) for every unit separately in the electrical room. There was a very specific issue with my AC that caused the trip, workers left a live wire in the outside unit unsecured which ended up touching the metal case. But yeah there are several possible issues which can cause it to pull too much current, typically easily diagnosed by a competent HVAC tech. To state the obvious, it's also not a situation where you want to keep resetting the breaker, it's a lot of current where it shouldn't be and could cause an unsafe condition. Inner Light fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Mar 23, 2022 |
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Mar 23, 2022 00:36
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Barenaked Ladies fan eh?
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May 19, 2022 03:19
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Yup, hence big name retailer selling this product with Fan Box in the name, this would fit the bill
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Jul 10, 2022 17:18
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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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Hi thread, Extreme newbie here wiring up a timer switch for a bathroom fan in lieu of normal switch. This is Chicago hence the grounded metal box. Do I need to find some extra wire in the box, and take out the other switches temporarily to do so? Looks like in the box, hot is the red wire and orange is neutral. Basically, I was expecting to hook up two wires from the switch to two wires in the box, like the former switch. However, the new switch is giving me three wires to hook up. Black, Red, and White. I think White from new switch should go to Orange in box, Black from new switch to Red in box. What about Red wire from switch? Where the heck do I connect this or do I nut it off?  This is a Leviton timer switch LTB60, https://www.leviton.com/en/docs/Instruction_Sheet.pdf , please let me know if I am missing something obvious or misinterpreting something. Or if I should stop and call a sparky. This is a single pole installation, not 3-way. e: I think I got it a little wrong. The orange wire is probably LOAD and not NEUTRAL. So, am I correct this switch is going to need to use the white neutral wires stuffed behind whereas the old switch did not? Inner Light fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Sep 9, 2022 |
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Sep 9, 2022 20:26
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Here is another pic with the dimmer removed, showing the bundle of white wires and bundle of red wires behind.... still confused though.
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Sep 9, 2022 20:47
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I think I figured it out, I just wire nutted the white switch wire to the other 4 white wires with the red wire nut in back. They are for sure neutral though I do not have a multimeter to test, I just know from other wiring I've done here (yes to do it professionally and correctly you should be testing in case of any uncertainty). They are a little tight, it's 4 12-ga (I think) white wires and then the switch wire is 14-ga (I think). But there is no wiggling on the nut, it's very tight. Will get the project finished and hopefully it all works fine! One of the device screws was very stripped, or maybe I stripped it trying to save time undoing it with a screwdriver, so that was fun getting it out and I bought a few screws at Ace. In Chicago the box is grounded, unfortunately I've never seen a device manual that says the mounting screws are OK to use as bonding, so to be technically correct I should be wiring up the ground wire to the box properly. The electrician who built the place seems to have done things improperly and did not use ground screws, and I am pretty sure none of the manuals for those original devices say that can be done (I think that is called self-grounded when the manual says you can use the mounting screws as ground). e: Okay done, it looks like garbage because I can't get them perfectly centered like a pro (used my pliers and hosed with the mounting ribs best I could) and I scuffed the face plate, will replace next time I'm at Lowes Depot. Guess I'm an electrician now! Thanks for the guidance. Fun fact, I now cannot run the fan 24/7 with this model switch. Best I can do is a 24 hour run before it turns off automatically. 
Inner Light fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Sep 9, 2022 |
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Sep 9, 2022 21:47
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