Large loft area cooling I believe the dimensions of the room are about  36' x 12'.  It is the upstairs room, and has a loft looking out to the front room.  In the summer it is almost impossible to cool down, the air vents are in the floor.  Does anyone have any recommendations on cooling this room off?  I do own the condo, and there is a small window at one end of the room.  We have two ceiling fans in the room, but they don't seem to do much to help.

You need to raise the returns to near the ceiling and possibly add more supplies and returns. A picture of the return and supply registers would help determine just how hard it will be to raise the  returns. Also, can this room be isolated from the lower level or is just an open stairway. In some of the condos near where I live it is not possible to maintain a comfortable temperature in these upper rooms without a 2nd dedicated unit due to the homes construction.


What is this kind bracket called? I am looking for a bracket that will attach a 2x2 support to the underside of a bed. The support needs to be attached to the headboard and footboard with this bracket at each end. What is this called and where can I find one?

The closest you're going to get is joist hanger brackets.

There are some short versions that may be adaptable.

All kidding aside, there are stainless steel hanger brackets for 2x2 made for Macaw and Parrot cages similar to your item shown. Probably a little expensive.

The item shown is an OEM bracket made specifically for the furniture manufacturer.

Maybe try Short Run Pro?
 They have custom brackets that may work for what you're looking for. You can also submit a drawing design to them as well.


If I want to add an additional receptacle, which wires do I tap from an existing receptacle? I have an existing receptacle that used to have both the top and bottom outlet controlled by a switch.  I made the entire receptacle permanently hot by disconnecting the switch and connecting all the wires that went into the switch.

I would like to add an additional receptacle by tapping into this existing receptacle.  Which wires should I tap to create the new receptacle?  Thanks!

This is the existing receptacle, in a 2.5" deep single gang box, on a 14AWG (15A) circuit:

Unfortunately, the box for that receptacle is already full to the brim with wires -- 6 14AWGs is the maximum for a 2.5" deep single gang box such as the one you have here, and with the double allowance that is made for the receptacle, you already have too many wires in it as-is.  Going to a deeper box won't quite get you enough space to tap here, either -- a 3.5" deep single gang has room for only 9 14AWGs without a device or 7 with one, and you need 8 14AWG wires (2 existing blacks, 2 existing whites, 1 existing red, 1 EGC allowance, 1 new black, and 1 new white) + a double allowance for the receptacle device.

So, you'll have to replace this box with a bigger box if you wish to tap the circuit here -- a 2 gang box is the simplest replacement option, with the other gang blanked out to make room for all those wires.  Once you've done that, you can connect the new cable's black to either the existing blacks or the existing red, and the new cable's white to the existing whites -- you'll have to pull them out of the backstab and make a white pigtail to the outlet neutral, though.  You'll want to put a ground pigtail on the existing receptacle and connect it to the existing grounds, in addition to tying the new cable's ground in, too.

The other option would be to remove the switch entirely from the the box that housed the switch that used to control this outlet (if you haven't done that already, that is), and then you can run the cable for your new outlet to the former switch location -- that box, sans switch, will have enough room to house the 6 14AWGs (existing black, existing red, existing white, EGCs, new black, and new white) provided it is the same depth as this one, and box replacement is an easier option in this case as you can go up to a 2.5" deep single gang if the existing box is too shallow.

It appears as though you already had hot wires in the box (the two black wires) and didn't need to discontinue the switch.

The red wire is the switched leg from the discontinued switch but the two black wires should be constant hot wires.

Since you discontinued the switch and made the red wire constant hot you could tap off of the red and the white for your new receptacle.

You should replace this receptacle with a self-grounding receptacle or run a jumper from the ground wire to the grounding screw on the receptacle. Right now the receptacle has limited ground capability through the yoke.

Happy Day!


How to plumb a washing machine 30 ft from the waste stack? I would like to install a washing machine in my basement, about 30 feet from the main waste stack. The stack is fully accessible and already has a capped 2" port about 8" above the concrete floor.

Can this be done? How do I look up the diameter and slope requirements? Where do I put a vent?

1/4" per foot of slope is generally considered the minimum slope, so as long as you have a bit over 7" to work with vertically, you should be able to slope the drain over 30' just fine. You'd set up your discharge p-trap, and then vent immediately after that...tying that back to the main vent stack. So you'll end up with two 30' feet runs of pipe (drain + vent).

Obviously, check with local plumbing codes for specifics.

This all assumes you have water hookups in that location. If not, then you'll have to get those over there as well.

here is how you would do it in southern Ontario.  The discharge line on a washing machine requirement is 1.5" pipe.  The required slope is 1" drop in 8ft, but do yourself a favour and make it 1" in 4ft so you should be able to start at your existing 2" hub and go up 7" total for your run over the 30ft.  Your connection should go something like this:

Connection nipple for discharge line from washer, best to be vertical (up), but can be horizontal if need be
Trap assembly and a cleanout port
T-straight (not t-y) fitting with drain horizontal out and vent vertical up
Drain line on downhill slope over to stack and into t-y (with the t-y) in the correct orientation (the water wants to always flow down, not up).  you can tie this into your existing hub with a reducing coupling.
Vent line on uphill slope over to stack to a new t-straight.  you have to cut the stack t have enough removed from it so that you can insert the new t-straight with a couple of nipples attached. usually around 12" with 3" ABS DWV.  then you slide a fernco (rubber coupling) or MJ style (mechanical/rubber) over the bottom of the original stack pipe and one over the top of the original (use dish soap to lube it up).  then assemble all.  tip - fit it all first, then glue it second.
Support all pipes every 4 ft with grapple bar connected to whatever is behind it. if need be, run a 2x4 from floor to ceiling to attach the grapple.


Make a wide power connector fit in a narrow slot This seems like a bad idea but I wanted to know for sure. I am trying to extend the reach of my Christmas lights this year into a garden that is about 6 feet from my fence. I don't want to have lights on the ground as my kids would try to play with them. Same logic if I tried to brace them in the air from the fence into the garden.

Light connectors, all of the ones I purchase anyway, have the two narrow power connectors. All the groundless extension cords I find have the narrow and wide connectors which means I cannot use it to extend the lights.

What I could do is use wire cutters or a dremel to trim the wide connector down to size. Again I could see that being a bad idea if I was to try and use that cable for anything else.

What are my options here assuming I cannot find the right extension cable?

I might get some flack for this answer, but if you are only connecting a set of mini Christmas lights to another set, this should be fine.  I had to do it as well...

For those that don't know, mini light sets have a male plug on one end and a female plug on the other so you can string several strands of lights together.  Unlike every other extension cord sold, a light set has two narrow blades on the male end and two narrow slots on the female end.  This means that polarity doesn't matter at all, and has the bonus effect of making sure you only plug another polarity-doesn't-matter strand into the end.

All cheap extension cords that I could find have one wide blade and one narrow, so if you need a "gap" between strands of lights, you're out of luck.  Unless you have a Dremel or wire cutters or even a decent file to make one of the blades narrow.

That said, I only use my modified cord with mini light sets, and I labeled it as "Christmas lights" so I don't use it for anything else.

Disclaimer: Modifying electrical components such as extension cords is in general, a bad idea.  They are made a certain way for a reason, and if you think you need to modify it, you're probably trying to do something dangerous, and there's a detail or a special part that you don't know about. In this case, the modified cord could allow a device requiring a polarized connection to be plugged in the wrong way, which is dangerous (the mini lights, as discussed, are not polarized).

Update:  I did find this one company that sells (not sold in stores!) a non-polarized plug for around $12 each.  They only sell this one product...

If you want to force an improper plug/receptacle mismatch and I recommend you don't because of reasons I will explain later in this post. Make sure the same wire to wire connection is not reversed when you reconnect. The wire will have a ribbed insulation pattern on one side and the other will usually be smooth. Make sure the ribbed side is reconnected to the ribbed side on the other connected side. This will maintain the proper polarity just as the wider plug blade would have. The ribbed pattern may be hard to see but in bright light possibly with the aid of a magnifier you should be able to see it.

Now for the rest of the story.

Do not! Repeat, do not clip or in any other way "modify" your electrical connections unless you hire a licensed electrician to do the work to code. There is a reason plugs and receptacles have developed from simple 2 blades of the same size and shapes from years ago to a safer "polarized" 2 non-symmetrical prongs or three pronged plugs and receptacles. The newer polarized system prevents electrical currents from flowing along improper paths that could result in injury or death.

By making improper modifications to any electrical device you not only expose yourself and your loved ones to electrical hazards but you have violated the law. Your insurance company may refuse to cover any accident caused by your actions leaving you exposed to lawsuits and damages incurred because of your actions as well as possible negligent murder charges if someone should die as a result of your actions. If the plugs don't fit spend a few bucks to buy new extension cords or plugs that do fit properly. Anything you buy should have the approval of at least one of the accepted accredited testing and licensing bodies that allow electrical products to be sold in the US. And remember just because it lights up when you are done with your new "mod" DOES NOT mean that you won't!


What does it mean when one wire goes into load, and one goes into line I am replacing my kitchen outlets with GFCI.  The inspector told me I just needed to install one at the first outlet in the circuit.  I looked at the outlets on either side of my kitchen; at one end both black and white were connected to the LOAD nodes (and no wires connected to LINE), and the outlet at the other end of the kitchen had one wire connected to LINE, and one connected to LOAD, but neither LINE nor LOAD had both a black and white connected.

What does this mean?  Which side is the first in the circuit?  Was this even wired properly?  How should I connect my new outlets?

Line is the side of the device where the wires from the panel (or other equipment feeding the device) are connected.  Load is where any devices that are to be protected by the GFCI device are connected.

Most "newer" GFCI devices will not reset if they are not connected probably.

GFCI devices use a current transformer (CT), to detect any current differences between the "hot" and "neutral" conductors. The LINE terminals are on one side of the CT, while the LOAD terminals (and the receptacles on the device) are on the other.

I Think Line means the side FROM which power is coming as opposed to LOAD being the terminal on the power receiving side. You have a power Line coming out of wall junction. You have a load terminal on whatever device being wired. Basically means opposite ends of same circuit.  Is th


What is the best way to clean your clothes dryer exhaust? My dryer exhaust goes out of my laundry room, into my attic, and runs for about 15 feet before it gets outside. Over time the lent has built up quite a bit. What is the best way to clean this? The sections in the attic are connected via duct tape.

If this isn't an easy task, what type of local places would do this service. Would heating and air conditioning places have this type of service?

You can probably do it yourself cheaper than hiring it out. You could try something like this vent cleaning system. It seems to have fairly good reviews on Amazon, and for $25 it's worth a shot. It claims to have a 12' reach and the ability to navigate turns in the vent, so you may have to go at the last 3' from the other end.

Note: You'll need a drill to attach it to. A shopvac would also be helpful, but if you don't have one, the kit includes an attachment to use with your dryer.

If the duct is extremely clogged, you will need a professional.  The tools for consumers do not have the strength to push through clogs.  If the brush gets stuck which is very possible because of joints that are not flush or screws that are not permitted, you will need to hire someone to do an extra job.


Why does hot water only last a couple minutes? She has an electric water heather. There IS hot water in the tank. When we open a faucet it acts normal, gradually getting hot, but that only lasts for a couple of minutes, then it gets cold. A friend thinks there is a crossed pipe, but I can't get my head around that. Any ideas?

The tank is new, and she had the same problem with the old tank. I replaced the elements and thermostats on the old one before I replaced it, same result.

Regarding the crossed pipe, I think that your friend meant the hot pipe is connected to the cold port (and cold to hot) on the water heater. As Madura commented above, this question sounds similar to, "Why is my hot water running out quickly regardless of other household water usage?"
Essentially, if the cold and hot are reversed at the tank, or if the dip tube has been lost, that could explain things. I'm not actually suggesting that this is your problem (it sounds like you know better than to connect the pipes backward); I just think that this could be what your friend meant.

In light of your game changing information. Then, I'd have to say the primary suspect would be the circuit & maybe wires. Check & tighten any loose connections at both ends. Use a cheap Multi-meter to read if you're getting 110 to 120 out of each hot wire & then also at the Double Circuit Breaker.

If not, then replace the Wire Cable with the suggested size or bigger &/or Double Breaker & even relocate the breaker if there's any Bus Bars or Circuit Breaker damage or corrosion. Do not try to clean, sand or file anything off & leave the Bus Bars to worsen as they may have been contaminated or un-pure during their manufacturing.


Can I install a Subpanel (in a seperate building) using a 3 wire connection (2 hots and 1 grounded neutral)? Can I use a 3 wire connection (2 hots and 1 grounded neutral) to install a sub panel in a separate structure if I install a separate ground rod to the grounding bus in sub panel?

I have 8/3 w/o ground running from the main panel for an existing 240 connection in a separate shed. I plan on replacing the existing 30 amp double breaker in the main panel with a 50 amp double breaker and I want install a sub panel that would allow me to have a 240 and a 120 outlet running off a 30 amp double breaker and a 20 amp breaker in the sub panel.

If possible and appropriate, I would like to use the existing 3 wire connection (8/3 w/o ground) to make the connection from the main to the a sub panel using the grounded neutral wire to connect to the neutral bus.  I would install a grounding rod and connect the grounding rod to a separate grounding bus in the sub panel.  I anticipate keeping the neutral bus and the grounding bus separate in the sub panel and do not anticipate bonding these two buses.

Will this work or do I need to replace the 3 wire connection (8/3 w/o ground) with a 4 wire connection (8/3 w/ground)?

You can use a 3 wire feeder to supply a separate building, if...

The installation was in compliance with a previous edition of National Electrical Code (existing premises wiring).
An equipment grounding conductor is not run with the supply to the structure.
There are no continuous metallic paths bonded to the grounding system in each structure (bonded water, or gas piping, other conduit, etc.).
Ground-fault protection of equipment has not been installed on the supply side of the feeders.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Article 250 Grounding and Bonding

  II. System Grounding

  250.32 Buildings or Structures Supplied by a Feeder(s)
  or Branch Circuit(s).

  (B) Grounded Systems.

  (1) Supplied by a Feeder or Branch Circuit. An equipment
  grounding conductor as described in 250.118 shall be
  run with the supply conductors and be connected to the
  building or structure disconnecting means and to the
  grounding electrode(s). The equipment grounding conductor
  shall be used for grounding or bonding of equipment,
  structures, or frames required to be grounded or bonded.
  The equipment grounding conductor shall be sized in accordance
  with 250.122. Any installed grounded conductor
  shall not be connected to the equipment grounding conductor
  or to the grounding electrode(s).

  Exception No 1: For installations made in compliance
  with previous editions of this Code that permitted such connection,
  the grounded conductor run with the supply to the
  building or structure shall be permitted to serve as the
  ground-fault return path if all of the following requirements
  continue to be met:

  (1) An equipment grounding conductor is not run with the
  supply to the building or structure.

  (2) There are no continuous metallic paths bonded to the
  grounding system in each building or structure involved.

  (3) Ground-fault protection of equipment has not been installed
  on the supply side of the feeder(s).

  If the grounded conductor is used for grounding in accordance
  with the provision of this exception, the size of the
  grounded conductor shall not be smaller than the larger of
  either of the following:

  (1) That required by 220.61

  (2) That required by 250.122

Changing from a 30A breaker to a 50A breaker can only be done, if you also change the wires to 6 AWG. In which case you'll have to follow current codes, and install 6/3 with ground. Breakers (and fuses) are always sized to protect the wire connected to them, so you can't change the breaker size without also changing the wire size (unless you're going down e.g. 50A to 30A).

However, depending on what you're doing, you may not have to change the breaker at all.  If the planned circuits in the structure are not going to be fully loaded, you may well be able to supply the subpanel with a 30A breaker. Just because the subpanel has 50 amperes worth of overcurrent protection, does not mean the supply breaker has to be 50A.  Whether or not you actually need a 50A breaker on the supply, depends entirely on what the subpanel will be powering.

You can use 8awg on 50amps. Refer to NEC 310.15 (B) (16)) Personally I use 6awg, but it can be done


Electrical: Can a neutral wire just be capped? In redoing my main level I have misplaced my electrical diagram showing what was there before I started (so annoying!). Now I am unsure if my new solution is safe or not. I have seen diagrams which confirm, but would greatly appreciate an expert helping me out. So here's what was there before (see my horrible diagram attached):
- power to the fixture
- three wire to a switch (not a two way or three way switch)
- power continues to an outlet
I want to remove the outlet part. But this makes the three wire neutral "stranded". I have tested the wire and there is nothing there (perhaps that is obvious to most!). The second picture attached shows the current setup. So the question is: Is this safe?

Yes. If you're getting rid of the receptacle, you should cap off the grounded (neutral) conductor in the switch box.

Just make sure there's no exposed wire sticking out of the connector, and you use a twist-on wire connector rated for a single wire.

If the neutral was for an outlet that you're removing from the system, then so long as other outlets in the circuit have a properly grounded neutral wire, everything should be all set.  Be sure to cap off the stranded neutral wire.

Keep in mind that wiring isn't always what you expect, so verify that each wire is indeed hot or neutral as expected.  Code in the US dictates that black is hot, white is neutral and bare copper is ground.

  Neutral: The white wire is called the neutral wire. It provides the return path for the current provided by the hot wire. The neutral wire is connected to an earth ground.

See this guide for more info
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/alternating-current-in-electronics-


Repairing a notched rafter in a truss roof I had a guy install a whirlybird-type vent in my roof.. those non-powered turbine types.  Upon cutting the hole to install the vent, he accidentally cut a notch in the rafter:

).

There are two notches in the rafter (one on each side of the circle he cut, 15 inches apart).  I'm looking for advice on how to reinforce it.  I'm thinking of putting a nail plate like this, spanning each notch:

)

Should I put nail plates on both sides of the 2x4 (sandwich the 2x4 between two nail plates.. meaning 4 nail plates in total.. two for each notch)?  Or would you recommend a different approach entirely?

Edit:

If you're interested in more detail. The 2x4 is the er.. 'top chord' as defined in the attached pic.  I've circled the region that was notched.  It doesn't support anything other than the roof.. single story house.. about 32 foot span (i.e., the 'clear span' in the pic is 32 foot).  Sounds like a nail plate is a dumb idea, I'll scrap it.  I'll either sister a board to it or just leave it alone.  If the added detail changes anyone's thinking on either of those tacts, please let me know.

.

Roof trusses tend to be highly engineered and not designed to be altered, and I don't consider myself knowledgeable enough to know exactly how dangerous this is. My suspicion is that you've reduced the possible load your roof can support which would be an issue in strong windows for heavy snow.

The typical solution is to sister another board onto this one. To transfer the load, you'd want it fairly long, several feet to each side, the longer the better. Put some construction adhesive on the current rafter, clamp the sistered board on tight, and screw it with a bunch of 2.5" screws (I'd probably put one every 8" with 2 on each end). That's likely over engineered, but you're better off overdoing the solution than underdoing it and having it fail later.

What does that 2x4 contribute to the structure of your house? Is it holding anything up? Does it just form the base of a roof joist triangle?

A horizontal 2x4 usually carries only a tension load with no bending. Really, it's unlikely to snap because it's 2x3 instead. Leave it alone.

EDIT: Now that I've seen its position in the truss, I have to agree with everyone else: sister it with a long 2x4 using glue and screws.


How do I rewire LED security light to bypass motion detector - without burning out solid state board I purchased a deluxe motion activated light for my porch.  I assumed that there would be an override feature to bypass the motion sensor for manual operation; after a few days and nights of various trials with switching on-off patterns, I resorted the manufacturer's help line. Unfortunately, the answer was, "If it is not in the instruction manual, then it is not an available feature." And I was further advised not to attempt to bypass the motion detector, or I would burn out the circuitry.
Please, is there something I can do/modify to set this into a manual mode? I do want the photocell to continue to control dusk-to-dawn, just constant on throughout the night, unless I choose to return to motion detector operation (not a necessary option). I do want to keep this on a switched circuit (single fixture control). I can remove the motion sensor entirely if that is the most appropriate means.
I have not seen this simpler feature available in the deluxe, ultra bright twin light system (yet, anyway) otherwise I would have simply purchased a new light. I do have smaller, single outdoor LED lamps, but not the double lamp with it's broad illumination.
Thank you for any help.

All motion detectors have an override mode. Typically this is done by either flipping the wall switch off/on in a certain pattern, or by a switch on the motion head.
Thing is, when you put it in override mode every one I have seen reverts back to motion after the next night/day cycle. I have NEVER seen a motion detector that has a permanent manual override mode.

When there's a TEST switch position in a typical motion light, putting the switch to TEST turns the light on. Then just turn off the switch in the house. Whether this would work in a dusk-to-dawn light, I don't know. Hope this helps.


Why does my toilet randomly start running? Sometimes my toilet starts running for a few seconds at a time, like it's just finishing filling up the tank.

Usually this happens when the bathtub is being drained, or when I turn on the facets in the sink, but I think it also happens sometimes when no water is being used anywhere else.

As far as I can tell the flapper in the tank is working fine, and I don't see any leaks anywhere.

The typical toilet tank will have a flapper which seals the water in the tank. When you flush the toilet, the flapper is lifted and water is allowed to move from the tank into the bowl. Once a set amount of water has exited the tank, the flapper falls back down and re-seals the tank.

The most common issue with toilets randomly flushing is that the flapper has become brittle or sediment has formed on the flapper/tank which prevents the flapper making a complete seal. This will allow water to slowly drip from the tank into the bowl. If enough water is permitted to leak out of the tank, the filling mechanism will be triggered and the tank will refill. If enough water enters the toilet bowl, the self-siphonage will be triggered and the bowl will drain into the sewage system.

Here's a picture of a typical assembly:

I have seen this happen when there are no vent pipes. The water flowing down the pipe can create a vacuum and draw water out of your p-traps and toilets. If that happens you will usually know because you will get odours coming from your sinks and bath tub drains. If you have no way to vent them there are vents they make that you can install under your sinks. They can draw are in but will not flow back so water won't back flow through them and sewer gas cannot come up through them.


What can I use to lubricate screws? I am re assembling a swing set made of pretty hard wood. My electric drill won't drive the screws in all the way and I have to try to use plain screwdriver.  I don't want to strip the heads though. Is there a good lubricant to use?  Is spit the best?

A good lube is beeswax. It lubes the screw, but does not retain moisture. I have also been known to use a stick type of teflon, used for lubing drawer guides. Or a chunk of paraffin is fine too.

You don't want to add water, so spit is a poor idea. Why encourage the screw to rust???? This is the same reason why soap works poorly. Soap is hydrophilic. Soap actually draws moisture to the screw, causing it to rust away prematurely, so a BAAAADDDDDD idea.

Drilling a pilot hole is often a help, but don't make the hole too fat, or the threads won't bite. I'll often go considerably smaller than the root diameter of the screw. Just a small pilot hole is often adequate in wood, unless one is working in a very hard wood.

Finally, if a screwdriver fails, I often resort to a brace, a hand held drill from the antique bins. Just check a hex bit into the drill and off you go. Even better, I keep my brace fitted with a quick connect for 1/4 inch hex bits always at hand.

I keep one of these tools always on the wall of my shop. It will drive a screw quickly into wood, with enough force to twist the head off most screws if I overdo it. But you also have perfect control over the torque. And the nice thing is, the battery never dies, it needs no extension cord.

The best screw lubricant is Akempucky! However it's hard to find.


Is it acceptable to retrofit a new-work plastic electrical box by screwing through it into a stud? It is mechanically possible to install a standard new-work box in an existing wall by:

Cutting hole in drywall adjacent to a stud

Placing plastic box in the hole up against the stud

Screwing through the plastic into the stud. The screws would need to be somewhat angled and as much as possible positioned to penetrate the meat of the stud.

However, is this acceptable practice? To be clear, I'm asking about using a box that was not specifically designed to be mounted in this way.
Once concern I have is just that the screw heads could be slightly in the way, maybe a small risk of nicking wire insulation. But this is probably avoidable and there are plenty of other similar circumstances where that has to be taken into consideration.
Second concern would be if this violates electrical code for some reason? (USA)

Note - there are a few reasons you might prefer to use a new-work box instead of an old-work box (which would not require this procedure):

Positioning
You don't have one on hand
Much more secure to attach to stud than to drywall, like for a large 240V plug

Yes, as redlude97 mentions, they make boxes designed to mount this way.  They're often sold as old/new work boxes since they can be used just as easily either way.
Here's a picture of a typical example.  This one is made by Arlington and sold by Platt, (though this is not an endorsement of either of those companies; it just happened to be the first google result):

Edit in response to your question edit:
Since you're asking specifically about using a new work box not designed for this purpose, that would most likely not be allowable unless the manufacturer specifically allows it in their instructions.  One of the primary jobs of electrical boxes is keeping contained any fires that may try to start inside of them, and UL (or other testing labs) make sure they do -- provided they're unmodified.  Once you start adding holes in them that the manufacturer didn't put there, then they can no longer guarantee their fire performance, and their UL listing is technically no longer valid.  Now, an inspector might not notice, and just assumed you used one of the ones designed to be mounted this way, but it would still be a code violation.  This falls under Sec. 110.3(B) of the electrical code -- you must follow manufacturers instructions when installing listed equiptment.

Making a hole in a box for a screw to mount it is acceptable.  If you look at this box from Carlon for example
https://new.abb.com/low-voltage/products/wire-cable-management/electrical-boxes/carlon-deep-blue
it can be used for both old work (cutting a hole and installing in an existing finished wall) or for new work (installing in the studs before the drywall or other wall finish is applied).
For new work, you'd be snapping off the flange used for new work - it's perforated so it will snap off easily.  Then you'd drill screws from inside the box into the stud.  As mentioned in the question, you would have to make sure you don't make a sharp burr inside the box - you wouldn't use a drywall screw or other flathead screw made to use in wood.
There is a practical limitation to consider thought.  Unless you have a right-angle adapter for your drill / driver

driving screws inside the box is going to be a pain.  I'd recommend a screw with a pan head that will let you use a square or star drive - phillips would be less than ideal, and slotted would be an exercise in frustration.  I'd also recommend using a washer, so it's less likely to rip out of the plastic, and don't overtighten it.
The "smartbox" type boxes with the built-in angled screws inside

are more expensive, and have just a little less room inside for your wires and devices, but really easy to use, do not require a right-angle adapter, and easy to adjust the depth.  They still have way more room inside than the metal old-work style boxes, which are tiny - barely big enough to fit dimmers, smart switches, and GFCI devices.


Is a duplex outlet's max amperage rating for each socket or the whole unit? If you have a duplex outlet thats rated for lets say 20 amps, is the whole unit rated for 20 amps, or is each socket rated for 20 amps?

Edit: So if I had a circuit that had a 40A breaker on it, could I have 2 devices that both draw a max of 20A on the same duplex outlet?

Each socket can supply up to 20 amps.

However, the total draw of everything on the circuit can also not exceed 20 amps.

Therefore, if you only have one device on the circuit, it can draw up to 20A from any one outlet.
However, if you have a 15A device on the circuit, the remaining devices can only draw up to 5A.

Basically, the sum of the current draws for every device on the circuit has to be less then 20A.

The other thing to consider is that residential setups are designed under the assumption that you will never max it out to capacity.  For example, you might have 100amp service, yet if you add up the amperage of all the circuit breakers in your house, you'd likely find that the sum exceeds 200amps (100amps per phase, with split phase power in residential = 200amps).  Similarily, each 15amp circuit will have multiple outlets capable of drawing 15amps each, even though the circuit is not capable of delivering 15amps to each outlet.

This differs from commercial/industrial where the systems are designed for total loads closer to the breakers' individual ratings, because the electrical systems are designed around the needs of equipment that will usually run all at the same time.


Should I use self leveling concrete to repair settlement cracked concrete slabs? I have a concrete slab in the breezeway of my house that has several settlement cracks in it.

Can I use self-leveling concrete to repair this?

You should check the label/product literature for the cement products you intend to use. From what I remember self leveling cement is not recommended for filling cracks deeper than 1/2". If you want to use it then you should patch any deep cracks first. Self leveling cement is also about 10x the cost of a bag of regular cement mix.

If the ground is still settling underneath it's best to just break up the section, compact the ground underneath and then pour in that new section. That's going to be your longest strongest fix.

If you're not sure if it's done settling I would just fill in the cracks and see if they patches crack again.

A lot is going to depend on the size of the cracks as far as the best product to use but for most cracks I like to use a fast setting concrete patching mix. Can fill large gaps and can also be feathered out at the edges. It sets up in less than an hour which I like for walkways. You can also use a regular cement with an acrylic fortifier added to it if you can keep people off the repair for 2-3 days as it will be much cheaper.

With the fast set you need to clean out any loose chunks, wet the concrete, make a thin mix of the cement that you paint on the crack to aid in bonding, then mix the regular thickness mix, trowel in the crack, trowel it smooth then use the paint brush to smooth out the edges. I like to build up the level a little higher and then scrape it off with the trowel after a few minutes.

All the concrete repair products I've seen are polymer modified but not to the same extent that self-leveling cement is. Adding an acrylic fortifier to the mix will give you a stronger bond.

Heavens no. The cracks will just go right through the new concrete.


Does a homeowner need a permit for electrical work in Massachusetts? Does a homeowner need to obtain a permit from the town in order to do electrical work on his own house in Massachusetts?  The unofficial answers I can find online (e.g., this forum and the websites of various towns) are all over the place, and apparently the answers one gets when calling town wiring inspectors also varies, so I am looking for an authorative source.  There are examples of towns saying that only licensed electricians can do wiring work (e.g., Stoneham and Wayland), but also many towns that say the opposite and issue permits to homeowners (e.g., Greenfield, Carlisle, and Marion), so I don't consider town web pages authorative.

M.G.L. ch. 143 §3L says that “No person shall install for hire any electrical wiring or fixtures subject to this section without … giving notice to the inspector of wires … by mailing or delivering a permit application form …”.  This seems to indicate that electrical work that is not for hire does not need a permit, but I don't know if it's the whole story.

The final paragraph of the same section of the law says that “Any person installing for hire electrical wiring or fixtures subject to this section shall notify the inspector of wires in writing upon the completion of the work. The inspector of wires shall, within five days of such notification, give written notice of his approval or disapproval of said work.”  Again limited to work for hire.

(In order to avoid localizing this question further, let's ignore the fact that individual towns may have stricter rules.  And it's obviously dangerous for a homeowner to do electrical work he is not qualified for, so many of us should hire an electrician for everything except the simplest work.)

The best (and possibly only) way to know if you need a permit, is to contact your local building department. Most folks at the building department are happy to answer such questions for homeowners, and are often willing to provide details and documents to help homeowners complete home improvement projects safely.

I think people have a very bad misconception of what an inspector is. Let me just say that the permit and inspection process is a very good thing. I know the permit price is a lot more than it should be and is mostly just a means of producing extra revenue for the city or town and that stinks. But what a permit and proper inspection does is totally for YOU the home owner.

Number 1, the inspector works FOR YOU. He's your best friend. He is there to PROTECT you against fraudulent work being done on and in your home when you don't know any better. He's checking up to make sure that everything that you paid to have done by a professional was in fact done properly and to code. Trust me, that's a very good thing.

Number 2, the permit documents that the work you had done was in fact done properly as marked by the inspector. Think of it like this, if you were buying a new home, wouldn't you be a lot more at peace inside knowing that the previous home owner pulled all the proper permits and had all the remodeling work he did on the home you're going to buy properly done and inspected per the building code? Believe me, it may cost some extra money, but the benefits more than pay for themselves in the long run.

To bolster my point, I want to tell you what happened to my "Jack of all trades, master of none" uncle. My uncle is a super smart guy with a lot of tradesman knowledge and common sense. Well, back in the early 90's when he did some new and re-wiring in an investment property he had just bought, he lost almost everything he owned. How you ask? Well, when the house (a 3 family in Quincy) caught fire and burnt down, it was shown to be the fault of the wiring in the new electrical panel HE installed. Well, can you guess what happened when the city inspectors found that no permits were on file for the work that was done and then found out my uncle was the on who did all the work? Well, the insurance company paid him NOTHING! That was a TOTAL loss. Then, he got sued from his tenants, of which 3 were seriously injured including a child who almost died. A firefighter was also seriously injured battling the blaze. As I said, my uncle lost that house, and had to sell off 2 other investment properties as well as his own home in order to pay off all the damages. And I am making an incredibly long and terrible story extremely short here just to give you the crux of what happened.

So trust me when I say that even though it flat out sucks to have to pay the permit fees, they are a small price to pay for the safety and peace of mind they provide to all of us as home owners. Remember, the inspector works for YOU. He is on YOUR side so that you don't get screwed and are safe. The permit simply documents the fact that the work was done properly and your home is in fact safe. So please, do yourself a huge favor, suck it up, pay the permit fees and get the work in your home inspected and done right. The risk to your family is not worth the money saved.

Good luck to all.


How should grounding be handled for multiple RV pad feeds? Trailer pads were wired at my deer camp over 15 years ago.  The main power pole has meter with 200 amp disconnect.  From the meter a 3 wire service was run overhead to each pad.  At the first breaker box it is grounded with ground rod.  All the other breaker boxes just have the 3 wire service to them.  All breaker boxes past the first one only have 1 ground neutral bar in them.  The ground and neutral wires are all bonded to this single bar. I need add a new breaker box so I can add an RV 50 amp 4 wire plug in.

Should I separate the ground neutral wires in the new box and do I need to put in a ground rod?

NEC 551.76.C (RV and RV parks) Grounded conductor not to be used as equipment ground.
To me that says you need to isolate the ground and neutral and will need a rod at your site.

if you are using the existing feeder u might be able to add to it. around here they will grandfather it in.  but if it's new or in different location and not tied into old one you definitely have to run 4 wire to it/no ground rod required at outlet. but if it's to a panel on a pole, then yes, ground rod or two depending. ask your AHJ


tankless electric hot water heater I had a rheem retex-13 (13kw) electric hot water heater installed and it requires 60-A breaker and it was put on a 2 pole double 30-A can I switch that with a 2 pole double 60-A?

That would be paralleling. You can't do that.
Certainly, 120/240V split-phase can be confusing to the novice.  But when an amperage is stated, such as 60A, that always means exactly what it says -- you never halve or double it because of the split-phase.
Being a 240V breaker/circuit merely means it has 2 poles instead of 1.
"120V per pole" is actually how you think of it, but again, never multiply/divide.
So for instance it would have been acceptable to use two 120V 60A breakers and handle-tie them... (of course 60A 120V breakers are not made, but if they were; yes).
The only possible way to make two 2-pole 30A breakers work would be a cobbled-together version of paralleling... the paralleling rules are quite narrow and don't allow anything like that, for a variety of reasons.  Paralleling equipment is really special.


Can I have a "hollow" basement bathroom floor? I'm going to jackhammer my basement's concrete floor to install plumbing for a new bathroom.

Normally, after the plumbing is done, we should pour concrete to it again.

What will happen if I just "cover" it with something (plywood? with tiles on top) so I don't have to jackhammer the floor again in the future, should I need access to the plumbing?

Will I get weird condensation / water problems?

A good practice is to pour a solid concrete slab over the sewer pipes. Any exposed wood would eventually rot, especially if all you have under it is a dirt floor.

These installations are tricky. Common problems are that the pipes are not vented properly, they aren't pitched correctly, or the type and/or size of the pipes is incorrect. You should also make sure that there is at least one drain cleanout installed. This will allow access to the pipes if they become clogged.

Here is a guide which will show you the basic steps involved: http://www.familyhandyman.com/bathroom/remodeling/how-to-plumb-a-basement-bathroom/view-all

There should be no issues as long as you reinforce the floor with some joists, preferably connected to existing floor joists or the foundation.
It would be no different than a basement under your bathroom.


How do I properly prepare newly-finished drywall for priming? What is the minimum amount of dust that can be left on a wall before it adversely affects primer application?  If it has to be completely free of dust, how do you get it all?  Taking a damp rag over the wall seems to be the way to do this based on my own research, but then you have to rinse it wring it out.  This dirties up the water which just means more particulates would end up back on the wall as dust after the water evaporates.  Plus, going over all walls and ceiling of a 250 sq ft room with a damp rag just seems like a PIA.  Is there a better way?

You didnt have to use a mop, for next time all you have to do is take a broom to it and sweep the dust off, put some primer on, wait for it to dry and then take a pole sander to it, and dust clumps left on the wall is forever gone.


What can I use as a bowl for a DIY fire bowl/pit? I'm looking at creating my own fire bowl, as I would find it more fun and satisfying instead of just buying one and plonking it down. I haven't decided if I want it standing or sunk, but that doesn't really matter just yet.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I could use for the actual bowl? I don't have the facilities to shape or weld metal, so something already "bowl shaped" is preferable.

Is there anything metal I could pick up as scrap that would work as a fire bowl? I don't mind the looks as I could possibly alter that

I have played with various fire pit options in my backyard for 15 years.  I have tons and tons of trees and yard waste and try to burn most or turn it into compost.  I have grabbed the saucers from trash piles and used those - can't put much on there and wind blows stuff off easy.  I have had an enclosed mini-chimney pit I built from stones.  This worked great but was harder to clean and I had to break down the wood into pretty small pieces.

So I have happily moved on to an in ground pit.  I dug my pit down about three feet into the ground about four feet long by two feet wide.   There is one row of stones below ground level and two rows above ground.  It was made from neighbors throw away stones - and the neighbors throw their wood in the pit.  It is safe, looks good, and I just shovel it out every 3 months.

The example above is pretty close to what I have done except:

Mine is longer going left to right
I have one brick removed on the right so that I can get in and out or prop something up without knocking over bricks.  So it is more of a horse shoe.
My pit goes about a foot above ground.  This is so that ashes don't hit grass directly and so that someone can't just walk into it (we are picky about which limbs we burn).

Easiest is probably scrounging a used truck rim.
You might want to keep it above ground this lets you regulate the air with vents for a good burn. A sunk pit won't draw air as well or radiate heat. OTOH it might use less wood.

If you don't use fire rated lining burn a small fire to dry out the cinder blocks then your regular fire the next night. Less likely to break up from the gas pressure. So i'm told, don't know if I believe it LOL. I like the dead BBQ idea.


Transfer switch vs DPDT relay for a standby generator? I want to wire an 8 kw standby generator to power my home furnace (120 v, 20 amp) automatically in case of a power outage.

The generator can be purchased with and without a transfer switch.

Is there important circuitry in the transfer switch (e.g., that starts the generator every week so)?  Or, can I just wire the furnace to a double pole double throw relay, for $20 or so?

(I plan to run a few extension cords to power lights, refrig, etc. but I will hook those up manually.)

The input to the house should be an "INLET" not an Outlet.. The power cord from the generator has a connector (MALE Plug) to connect to the generator, and a FEMALE to connect to the house mounted inlet. The inlet should be connected to a DEDICATED receptacle inside the house to allow use of an extension cord to power individual loads OR to a manual double pole double (SPDT) throw transfer switch if feeding the main service panel. Properly installed and listed SPDT transfer switch prevents connection of the generator to the utility. Alternates using UL listed circuit breaker interlocks are also available. Reliance makes a 6 circuit panel that includes an inlet, and six interlocked pairs of circuit breakers that facilitate power transfer. Do it correctly, use a licensed electrician.

Keep a flashlight in a handy spot and check the batteries regularly.
Find space in the breaker box for a 240VAC two pole 60Amp breaker or higher. Run appropriate wiring that matches the breaker and more than the generator output to the outside and terminate into an appropriate 240VAC 60Amp outlet or bigger. Connect the output of the generator to the 60+Amp external outlet. Turn off the main circuit breaker from the utility feed to the distribution box. Turn off all the circuit breakers except one that has a running load. Start the generator. One at a time turn on the circuit breakers making sure they are loaded up before you go to the next circuit breaker. This should give you an idea as to how much of your house load the generator can handle. Before going back on utility power Unplug the generator. NEVER leave the generator plugged in for stand-by, and always turn off the 60+Amp circuit breaker when not in use.  Unless you have an automatic transfer switch, the generator and the main breaker that interrupts the utility power supply must NEVER be connected to the load at the same time. If you want an automatic test start weekly you will need an automatic transfer switch. Also, if the generator is started by battery, you may also want to run a 120VAC outlet for a battery trickle charger to keep the battery charged for emergency and programmed test starts.


Is the PF error on my microwave caused by the home or electric company? I'm asking this about my rental property. We've had several lightening storms in the past week and 1/2...one this morning that caused the electric to go out in the area of the rental property.

Last Thursday, the renters heard a loud screeching noise come from the oven when it was in use. It seemed to turn off and then oven read "4400" degrees and then changed to FOEO. It is a gas range and the burners were working fine, just not the oven. They reset the breaker and the display changed but it was still not correct. The next day, when they came home from work, the microwave and oven had a "PF" on the display. Both are working fine today. The appliances are original from 2009.

The Sunday before, their TV stopped working. It was an older TV so they aren't sure if it stopped working because of a power surge or if it was old. The cable company came out today and said the cable setup looked fine.

The electric company come out to check the outside of the house and they said all looked fine. They will be going out next week to check the grid.

Wondering if I should have an electrician come out to check the house. Could the problem be the breaker or wiring inside the house?

Also, any suggestions on how to protect the house and appliances from power surges? Can a surge protector be used on a microwave & oven?

If your appliances are regularly malfunctioning when there are lightning strikes it would be wise to consider installing breaker panel surge suppressor. Or a lightning rod. Or additional grounding bars.

If you have a PF message or a F3 it means becareful cause F3 means it can become on fire dump it and buy another one, safety first.


What is the grey wire dangling from my ceiling? We recently moved into a new apartment in Berlin. We are the first occupants and thus there are no existing lighting fixtures. In the living room there are 4 light switches (1 & 2 on the left of the room, 3 & 4 on the right) and 5 cables dangling from the ceiling:

Green/Yellow: Earth
Blue: Neutral
Brown: Live when switches 1 or 3 are on
Black: Live when switches 2 or 4 are on
Grey: Gets a "small" current when switches 2/4 are on.

By small current I mean - the only tool I have is a simple test light. When the Brown/Black wires are active the test light glows very brightly, but when the Grey wire is active the test light is very dim.

I get that there are two sets of three way switches here, but what is the Grey wire for then?

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_wiring#Colour_code Black, Grey, Brown are colour codes for 3 phase, but I don't know what that means as far as installing a ceiling light goes here.

Any help much appreciated!

You need a multimeter, in voltage measuring mode.

And please post pictures of the overhead and two wall junction boxes.

Without further information, most likely Brown is hot for fan, Black is hot for lighting, and Grey is wired through some dimmer you haven't yet discovered, or neglected to mention you had.

Ceiling fan wiring? Here is a discussion with the same color wires. https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/advice/t-348809.html


Combining a Multiwire Branch Circuit on a single breaker I have a Multiwire Branch Circuit connected to two 15A Breakers (Handle tied together). Each circuit only has 2 duplex receptacles on it that are seldomly  used. Is it acceptable to combine both the HOTs together and pigtail to only 1 of the 15A breakers? I would than remove the Handle Tie and use the renamed 15A Breaker for a new circuit.

Since

the two hot conductors do not rejoin at any point (we know this because you'd have a 240V short on your hands otherwise), making it so that the rules about wires in parallel don't apply
the two hot conductors are being protected by the same breaker in the new configuration (i.e. two 14AWG hots on the same 15A breaker, returning via a 14AWG neutral), eliminating the possibility of an overloaded neutral, and
this is all on one breaker, making it all part of one branch circuit and avoiding a violation of 200.4(A) regarding shared neutrals

you can go ahead and do this safely by wirenutting both hots to a pigtail from the chosen breaker in the panel.  (312.8 allows splicing in the panel provided you aren't overflowing the gutter space.)

I would put a tag on the wires in the cable saying "Same Leg" at the various boxes this feeds though to avoid confusion between this (admittedly somewhat odd) configuration and an actual multi-wire branch circuit.

Short answer: No, not like that.

You have to remove one of the wires in the panel and cap it off.

Then go to each receptacle that was on that wire and rewire it to the remaining hot wire instead of the disconnected one. Cap off the disconnected wire at each receptacle.

Then you are good.

Good luck and stay safe!


Alumium Wiring in Charlotte, NC My son just bought a house in Charlotte, NC which was built in the 1960's. Is Aluminum Wiring and Pig tailing acceptable to Code in Charlotte, NC?

Aluminum is no longer used in house wiring anywhere in the USA where the NFPA Electrical Codes are accepted that I know of, it had been used many years ago and is as far as I know against code (some one might have a guide to the NFPA NEC that states this). Your home might have been built before the new codes were adopted - so it exists as is.

Of course that really depends on state and county and when they adopted the codes; you should talk to the building code department of your state and county to verify when the change took place and when your house was built. Further take note of ANY electrical upgrades that were done, any building modifications or renovations - the reason being is that there are legal remedies you might have against the seller to get the wiring replaced. It might be considered a material issue (as in facts) that is required for disclosure ..for this you would need to consult a real estate attorney in your area.

The problem with aluminum was a thing called Galvanic Corrosion - it created a very high potential for electrical fires corrosion would occur and the connection would break loose and then you would get sparks etc and create flames, which is why it was removed from use, although I think in some cases they allowed it to continue to be used for ground wire - but DON'T quote me on that.

Now on to your questions:
Pig Tailing seems to be allowed and is one method to fix the issue with Aluminum wiring with out replacing all of the wiring in the home .

See this link for more details: Charlotte NC Aluminum Wiring Repair


Paint-stripping purgatory - stuck in the middle - what should we do? My wife was prepping our kitchen to be painted this weekend in our 1920's era condominium. Presumably lead paint is present but we do wear masks when working.

There's an old door and door frame, and an old wooden window frame in one corner of the kitchen. Both of them had paint that was thick, bubbling and cracking in places and looked like it had many layers of paint. We were concerned that it wasn't a good enough surface for painting. My wife decided to apply chemical stripper to strip the surfaces before we move ahead with painting.

It appears at this point to have been a huge mistake. So far we've done one round on the door and two rounds on the window frame. The first layer of paint is coming up (sort of) but there appear to be at least 3-5 more layers of paint underneath that and they're all super stubborn and seem resistant to the chemical stripper. Each round has been followed by hours and hours of elbow grease with little benefit. At this point it seems as though the chemical stripping approach will never work and the surface seems further away then ever from being ready for new paint.

I'd love to just paint over this but now the surface is completely wrecked and I have no idea how we'll ever get a surface smooth enough for painting. What should we do next? Should we keep going with rounds and rounds of chemical stripping which might never work? Is there some way to cut our losses and make this surface paintable? We are also considering giving up and calling in the pros but would really prefer not to as I don't want to let a stranger into our home during the pandemic and we've taken a few pandemic-related financial blows lately as well. I'm not even sure a pro would consider this job in its current state anyway.

Edit / Update:

Ok I'm back! I'm happy to report that this was fairly well resolved. Here are the final, painted photos: https://imgur.com/SlkIEvQ https://imgur.com/H16z2OT What we ended up doing was:
1.one more round of chemical based stripping with a ton of elbow grease, wiping down the surface with water to clean it up
2. using a primer specifically for containing lead based paint (Eco Bond)
3. filling with "MH Ready Patch" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQURN8/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_G5ASEbZG89JFM ) in order to smooth out some of the imperfections, followed by hand sanding. We had to do two rounds of this.
4. primed again with Eco Bond
5. primed with a normal paint primer
6. painted with our chosen paint for the door and window.

It looks pretty good, if you look closely you can still see some of the scars but it looks better than before where there were so many layers of thick paint that were cracking and the features of the door were starting to get soft. It looks much sharper than when we started now. Thanks to this community for so many helpful thoughts!

Given the high likelihood of lead based paint, I would not under your current circumstances attack this with a grinder or a sander. You'll create lead-contaminated dust which will haunt you for a long time. Doubly so if any children come into contact with your house. EPA pamphlet here: EPA RRP

So, it would seem that you can either remove and replace the painted wood with new, or continue stripping safely.

New casing and baseboard is pretty easy. Windowsills less so. Door jambs way less so, though that would also get rid of the pesky issue of stripping the door.

Stripping-wise, you might need to let the stripper work longer, or change to a more noxious product. (I'd still go for the noxious stripper over the lead dust any day of the week.)

(edit: forgot to mention heat guns... If you can find a heat gun with a regulated output and know for a fact that it isn't over 1100 degrees F, a heat gun might help.)

Good luck! And by the way, there's no shame in starting a project and discovering surprising obstacles.

I'm just going to throw out there that hand sanding with coarse and then fine sandpaper can do wonders. You never escape sanding in a paint job anyway, especially with stripper -- even when it works perfectly, you MUST sand afterwards if you want a smooth finish.

My usual sequence is 120, 200, 300 or 400. If there's a heavy layer to get off and the woood is not too soft (not pine, fir, etc.) then I might start with 60 or 80 and finish with 200 for painting. For stain/polyurathane, the final 300-400 sanding really makes a beautiful finish.


How can I trip a breaker from the outlet One time at my job we had some electrical work that needed done.  The electrician had a small homemade switch box with a 120v mains plug running out of it and a switch on the front.  The device basically threw whatever breaker that plug was attached to so he new which one needed work on and made the circuit safe.  Where can I get one of those boxes, or a way I can trip the breaker from the outlet?

That box should have been a warning that the guy was incompetent; it's a very bad idea. If the breaker malfunctions, it can start a house fire.

There are cheap devices available in most home centers and hardware stores which can put a signal onto the wire and pick that up at the breaker to identify which breaker controls that outlet. There's a better version that a pro should have which can do a few other things.

Or there is the traditional homeowner solution: plug a radio into the outlet, turn up the volume so you can hear it from the basement, and try breakers until you find the one which silences the radio.

Let's assume the guy with the box was not incompetent or insane and that he had actually devised a reasonably safe means to do this.  What would it take?  Below, I present a design that should work.  I want to emphasize that I have not built this or tested it - this is purely theoretical.  If you want to try it, do so at your own risk.  I understand the fact that commercially available devices are out there that can identify circuits.  Nonetheless, I have often wanted something similar to what was requested here, and the interest in this post tells me I am not alone.  So here are my thoughts.
First of all, a couple of electronic principles.  Ohms law states that Voltage (V) is the product of Current (I) and Resistance (R), V = I x R.  A typical home circuit is supposed to be 120V.  The standard circuit breaker is rated for 15 Amps.  Using Ohms law, we can rearrange the equation as follows:  R = V / I.  So, 8 = 120 / 15.  This means that an 8 Ohm load would draw 15 amps at 120 Volts.  Resistance less that 8 Ohms would draw more than 15 Amps, and should trip the breaker.
Now, don't go out and buy an 8 Ohm resistor from radio shack and hook it up just yet.  The other factor we need to consider is power dissipation.  Power (Watts) is the product of voltage (Volts) and current (Amperes), Watts = Volts x Amperes.  So, at full load, a 120 V, 15 Amp circuit provides up to 1800 Watts of power.  This means that, with 8 Ohms of resistance and 120 Volts, the box would need to be capable is dissipating 1800 Watts. The resistors you see on circuit boards are typically something like 0.25 Watts.  That won't work.
What we need now is a resistive element capable of dissipating the power.  A simple method would be to create a box that has multiple screw-based light bulbs, and to get some high wattage bulbs, and have enough of them connected to exceed 1800 Watts.  You could add toggle switches for each bulb, and then switch on one at a time until the current draw was too high and the breaker tripped.  The advantage here is that you would be dealing with components normally designed to be powered by 120V, and all the wiring and switching would be standard stuff.  The problem is that such a box would be bulky and it is getting harder to find high wattage bulbs.  Plus, light bulbs break.
An alternative would be to use wire-wound power resistors.  For about $18 each, you can buy power resistors capable of dissipating 300 Watts each.  Power is additive, so if we have at least 6 resistors, we could handle 1800 Watts.  That being said, it is not a good idea to run things at their limit.  So I would design a circuit with at least 8 such resistors, so it could handle 2400 Watts, a reasonable safety factor.  Home voltage is often as high as 125 Volts, and the breaker might allow more than 15 Amps to flow before tripping; 2400 Watts gives a safety factor of 33%, so we should be OK.
These resistors come in various values.  A 16 Ohm, 300 Watt power resistor would be my choice.  Back to basic electronics. In a series circuit, Resistance of the Total circuit (RT) is the sum of each individual resistance: RT = R1 + R2 + ... + Rn.  In a parallel circuit, Resistance of the Total circuit (RT) with multiple resistors in parallel (R1, R2, etc.) is calculated by the following equation:  1 / RT = (1 / R1) + (1 / R2) + ... + (1 / Rn).  Putting two 16 Ohm resistors in series makes a 32 Ohm resistor.  Placing four 32 Ohm resistances in parallel makes a total resistance of 8 Ohms.   That should draw 15 Amps and may or may not trip the circuit. Adding a fifth 32 Ohm pathway in parallel makes a total resistance of 6.4 Ohms, which would draw over 18 Amps and should trip the circuit.
So the idea would be to make a box, with a switch for each pathway, that has at least 5 32-Ohm pathways, each capable of dissipating 600 Watts.  Switching on the first 4 would draw about 15 Amps from 120 V, switching on the fifth would go over 18 Amps and should trip the breaker.  If you wanted to add a sixth, you could also potentially trip a 20 Amp circuit.
Here is a diagram with five pathways.
The resistors would cost you something like $120.  The light switches could be standard stuff.  You would need to make sure to wire it with wire capable of carrying enough current.  Each 32 Ohm pathway would carry 3.75 Amps.  Heavy gauge lamp cord would do the trick.


Transformers Wiring To outlet cord Can I wire a transformer to an outlet cord rather than hard wiring into hvac system. Adding a GPS to air handler and it requires its own transforme. Any suggestions??

No problem, only question is how good you want it to look

Doorbell transformer, made to order has connector to go into an electrical junction box.

Head to home depot, or lowes - find an electrical box you like, plastic, weatherproof, metal and a cover plate for it

Add a doorbell transformer

A small pack of romex connectors (nmb might be the name on them)

a couple of wire nuts, yellow

A round extension cord that appeals to you.

Cut off the female end of the cord, and assemble as it appeals


Temperature in Condo hotter than thermostat setting- Gas Furnace I recently bought my first place (a condo) and I have a gas furnace. The thermostat is set for 72 and most of the time it seems to be following this alright but periodically even though the thermostat is still set at 72 the furnace comes on and the temperature in the condo goes up to around 77-87. There isn't a day/time setting on the thermostat (though the thermostat is digital). Any advice as to why this might be happening?

I ended up having to call the furnace repairman. It turned out that the gas valve was stuck in the open position, leading to the overheating issue.


Using a 4 wire 240v 30A circuit to power a 2 wire 240v device I have a 240v 30a circuit with a 4 prong 14-30 receptacle installed in my garage.  I'd like to connect a 240v baseboard heater that requires L1 (hot) and a neutral and a ground.  Since the circuit consists of 2 120v leads (red and black) is there a way to safely connect both to the single lead on the baseboard heater?

NEMA 14 is the universal donor

Your NEMA 14-30 connector is the type you want.  It has

neutral (white or gray, 120V to L1 or L2),
Safety Ground (green, green/ehite or bare, near 0V to neutral, near 120V to a hot)
both hots (any color yet unnamed, same color ok, black and red commonly, L1 and L2, 240V across them)

What voltage is this thing?

You need to look at the machine's nameplate and see what it actually is. What's more, get the manufacturer's instructions for the unit and see what it says.  It is illegal to connect it contrary to the manufacturer instructions, and that makes it illegal to fail to read them.

US-market large heaters (2000W and up) are made for 240 volts, needing to connect to L1 and L2.  They do not use neutral.   Many smaller heaters made for permanent installation are also 240V.

US-market small heaters are often 120V.  If they are 120V, they have a hot (either L1 or L2, never both) and neutral.

European and rest-of-world heaters are all 230/240V, because everything there is 230/240V.  Most will tolerate 240V because they're built to be compatible with the UK and some Asian nations which are 240V rather than 230V. Unlike us, they have 240V between hot and neutral.  They use brown for hot, and blue for neutral.  First, you must check the instructions or with the manufacturer as to whether they allow North American style hot-hot connections. If they do, connect brown to L1 and blue to L2, or vice versa.

You also connect a ground wire, always.  Doing it bare 2-wire is not allowed, unless the heater is listed as double-insulated, which it will say rather directly if it does, because they had to pay a lot of money to have it certified as such.  Don't assume this.

Cord-and-plug connected, or hard-wired

You can only go cord-and-plug if it makes sense for the thing to be portable. But then, you can fab it yourself.  You need to visit a real electrical supply house and obtain proper cordage, which is special electrical cable made to be a cord. The size of the required wire depends on the rating of the heater.  Then you need proper strain relief on the appliance end, and a good fitting plug on the wall end.  Getting right stuff that matches is the reason to go to a proper electrical supply; they can do it; big-box can't.

If it's hard-wired, you will need to go to your town and pull a permit, then have it inspected when you're done.  If you're not super good at this (and you aren't yet), the second one may be the way to go, because a set of smart eyes will look it over for you.  On the other hand, if you're doing something you should not, he can shut the whole thing down.  Also in most jurisdictions you must hire an electrician for units you are renting out, or if you have been banned for being really bad at it.

If you hardwire it, you need to run 10 AWG wire, since your circuit breaker is 30A.

You NEED 4 wires not 3, you simply have a 110 service on that receptacle.  Get an electrician to upgrade this receptacle.  Check to see if your heater needs 4 wires to work or is it a 110 heater that only needs 3 wire.  Make sure you've got 12 gauge wire...really get an electrician to do this...unless your regulations say 'Anyone can do electrical with inspection and approval'...I've never heard of homeowners getting away with doing their own electrical work or their friends and having their homeowners insurance good with that kind of work.  What are the rules/regulations from your city's buildings and code?


Heat pump blower motor cycles on/off after running 140 seconds Standard Trane split heat pump, condenser outside blower inside.
Usually the system will run normally but after 2 min 20 seconds the blower motor will cycle on and off randomly for 20 seconds. Then run perfectly for the rest of the heating cycle.
One time the problem occurred at 3 min 20 seconds.
Expert checked system and said needed new motor.
Now has new motor but still same problem.
Anybody have any ideas.

Your system is trying to pull air it cannot supply. You have a dirty air filter; clean or replace it.


Tub surrond caulking question My contractor just completed replacing the tub surround. the walls are tiled from the tub to the ceiling.

A few things I'm not too sure about, and would like to get some opinions.

The contractor did not silicon caulk the edge between the upper tile wall and ceiling. Just grout it. Granted, due to some shifting walls, the ceiling needs to be repainted in spring and you can't paint on silicon caulking. Just wondering if the lack of caulking would cause issues.
The silicone caulking was applied to the tub edges while the grout was not fully dry (he did it about an hour or so after he finished grouting). It has been about 8 hours now, While all the other grouts have dried and lightened, the ones under the clear caulking is still dark. Would the calking interfere with the grout curing process?

Thanks.

Number 1

It could cause a problem, however it it unlikely. Use the shower a few times, and see what kind of condensation settles on the wall above the tiles. If you can see visible droplets of water beading on the wall, you will have a problem over time. As your house settles, and expands/contracts over time the grout will develop fine cracks. These droplets will over time go behind your tiles, and weaken the structure of your wall. If it was cement board it probably wont even matter, and we are talking decades before damage here, but why take the chance for a $5 tube of caulk? There are several brands of caulking meant for the bathroom that can be painted.

Tip - when you apply caulk and run your finger over the caulk to get a smooth surface, make sure your finger is wet first. Makes a huge improvement to how the caulk spreads and looks.

Number 2

The silicone will affect the drying of the grout, and you will probably find it takes well over a week to match the color of other grout. Depending on how good the seal is (i.e. is the grout exposed to air or a porous surface underneath), it could take a very long time. I wouldn't worry about it other than for cosmetic reasons.

No problems. Though I would suggest a putting a sealer on all that grout.


Efficient way to determine line and load My townhouse was built in the early 1980's, and since it was built, the state laws around which outlets are on a GFCI line have changed. The wiring itself is fine, just the receptacles need to be changed. I'm going to be placing in GFCI outlets where needed to bring it back up to code. This would require installing about half a dozen GFCI receptacles.

Unlike conventional outlets, GFCI outlets care about which wires are line (where power feeds from) and load (outlets that get power from the GFCI). Determining which is which can be tedious. My typical methodology for this has been to turn off the breaker, disconnect a NM wire, put caps on the wires that I disconnected, put the outlet back in place, and flip the breaker back on. If the outlet has power, I know that what is connected is "line", and if the outlet doesn't have power, I've found "load".

Is there an easier but still safe way to do this?

Your method is safe, albeit tedious. Stick with it if the following doesn't match your comfort level.

But if you're willing to boost your risk level a bit, leave the outlet hanging on its wires outside the box and have a radio or light plugged in that indicates current without you having to touch anything. Be careful of course that the two connected wires aren't touching anything other than the outlet. For maximum safety, don't touch the outlet when it's hanging out of the box and the breaker is on. Don't do this if there are people or pets around that don't follow instructions.

If you don't have one already, a non-contact voltage detector is a good thing to have. It'll tell you quickly if a wire is hot. I like my Fluke http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O but there are cheaper ones at the big box stores. (Cheaper might also mean less reliable... I haven't tested that theory.) The only bad thing about these is that you'll occasionally get false positives and have to dig out your multimeter to know for sure what's going on.


Stove and oven on same circuit? Does an induction stove and an electric oven need to be on separate circuits? If they can be on one, what amperage circuit breaker do they need?

My house has a different circuit for each one, 50 amp for oven, 40 amp for stove. They are on opposite walls, and I'm redesigning my kitchen and would like to place them next to each other. So, if I could use the same circuit it would be much, much easier than having someone come out to relocate the second outlet, since I think relocating that outlet is beyond my comfort zone.

I'm looking at the amps required for a induction stove/oven combo, and they mostly say 40 amps, but when I look at just an induction stovetop by itself, it says 40 amps, and the wall oven I'm looking at says 20 amps. Little confused why it totals to much more when they are separate appliances.

See table 220.55 in the NEC, as well as footnote 4 to that table:

  Branch-Circuit Load. It shall be permissible to calculate the branch-circuit load for one range in accordance with Table 220.55. The branch-
  circuit load for one wall-mounted oven or one counter-mounted cooking unit shall be the nameplate rating of the appliance. The branch-circuit load
  for a counter-mounted cooking unit and not more than two wall-mounted ovens. all supplied from a single branch circuit and located in the same
  room, shall be calculated by adding the nameplate rating of the individual appliances and treating this total as equivalent to one range.

Absolutely not.

You cannot just stick two or more appliances together and call it a combo and think it will be okay.

Edit unless you follow the NEC 220.55 code calculations.  If the manufacturer calls for a dedicated circuit then the above exception may not apply.

As a final note, circuits should be brought up to current electrical standards if need be.


Can cement backer board be used to support bluestone or slate outdoor raised patio? We are designing a multi-level stone patio.  To exit the kitchen directly onto the stone patio, the highest part of that patio would be 12 inches above the foundation. The next level would be flush with foundation, supported by a poured concrete slab (elevated with cinderblock, reinforced with rebar, filled with crushed gravel and another layer, etc.).

What is the best way to elevate the upper patio to meet the level of the exterior door?

One idea was to pour a slab to the level of the current foundation, create the necessary elevation from there, (16" center joists?), install cement board over joists, then lay stone or outdoor tile directly onto cement board. The area is not covered so the manufacturer warranty is less than when using for an indoor application.  Any better ideas?

Has anyone used cement board outside on a floor (not wall) and had it hold up 10 years? 15 years?

(There was a question about this with an outdoor bbq about 4 years ago, but no update on final solution and results of that project.)

I don't know how to link to another question, but it was from Ronnie, titled
What cement board do I use for an outdoor bbq?

I would say the poured step, with proper expansion gap, however, PT lumber with the proper sub-floor/underlayment then backer board.

If you just use backer board, then tile/stone/etc, you will have the "floor" flex every time you walk on it. Crumble, crack, crumble, snap and you fall through. Water and backer board are not a good mix either. It is not concrete, but cement so it has no structural component. Backer board is the rough surface that allows the grout to adhere.

In other words, if you build a box step, use the same technic you would for an interior floor. Then seal it with a sealer to protect from water as best you can.


LED's emitting high pitched noise I have some LED lights hooked up to a trophy cabinet and for some reason it's emitting a fairly loud high pitched noise, does anyone know what this could be?

It's impossible for an LED*  to emit noise (more than once).

This is a problem with the power supply or driver circuit.

If these are 120V screw-in LEDs, then the built-in driver is the problem and replacing the whole unit is hte only option.

If this is a "plug-n-play" LED conversion of a fluorescent tube, then the old fluorescent ballast is still in play, and that is surely the source of the noise.  It should be replaced with a ballast-bypass aka direct-wire LED, which will remove the ballast from the circuit altogether.

* If you think I mean the consumer products sold at Ikea and Walmart that replace incandescent bulbs, no. I make that clear later in my answer.  I mean LED components. Which is very relevant to trophy cabinets, because they are typically LED "strips" comprised of actual LEDs, and separate power supplies.


Why do my new door hinges prevent my door from shutting completely? I have installed some new standard 3" door hinges with a small corner radius on a 32" door.  The doors are solid-core oak doors.  The hinges appear to look fine and fit perfectly flush in the existing grooves in both the frame and door.  But now when I close the door, the door hits the opposite side of the door frame (handle side), and overlaps about 1/16" - 1/8" so it will not shut.  The top of the door is fine.  It appears to be pretty evenly overlapping, so it's not like the top of the adjacent side is ok and the bottom overlaps.

I assume this is because the hinges must be slightly thicker, or in the closed position they are a bit wider.  How do I go about fixing this?  I guess I could take them off again, and chisel away a little on the door grooves or in the frame, but how would I keep that consistent?  I have 5 more doors to do after this one; I sure hope they are not all this way.

How do I go about fixing this? I guess I could take them off again, and chisel away a little on the door grooves or in the frame,

That's pretty much the only way - but take a good look and work out which side (door or frame) needs to move and in which direction. I've done this in the past and gone the wrong way at first which isn't good.

In some cases I've even had to resort to shaving a bit from the edge of the frame:

This shows the hinge side, but the same applies if the problem is occurring on the handle side. You only need to shave that part of the frame where the door and frame interfere. This might be the only solution if the door is warped or twisted at all as moving the entire door by repositioning the hinges would leave gaps between the door and the frame.

For anyone out there who finds this and needs help. The best way to fix this problem is to bend the hinges a bit. Using a crescent wrench, place it on each hinge and bend TOWARD the handle. This will bend the hinge a bit and allow the door to close without catching. I've been doing this for years at many of my job sites. It only takes about 30 seconds and your door is fixed. If the top of the door rubs a bit just bend the lowest one and maybe a little on the middle. Be sure to tighten the screws again when you're done. Good luck all.


I need to switch between two 240V 30A loads I've got a situation where I have a 240V 30A dryer line, and I want to power something else from the same circuit, but NEVER at the same time as the dryer. I'm looking for a switch to use, like a DPDT ON-ON break-before-make switch. There are tons of DPDT switches I've found, and most seem to be ON-OFF. Hardly any show their wiring diagrams, so if they don't give more details, I don't know if they'll work. Note: the second circuit will not use more than 15A, maybe just 12A.

I'm hoping someone can recommend specific switches that will do what I want. Manufacturer and exact part# is what I'm looking for.

Personally, I don't care if it's a knife switch, something that looks like a standard light switch, two buttons, has relays, I don't care. The breaker box is full, it's a long and difficult wire run, and I do not need a separate circuit because I'll NEVER need to run both devices at once.

I could resort to just using one plug and unplugging one then plugging the other one in, but I don't see the point of constantly exposing live wires (the plugs) where something could inadvertently fall on them or water could be sprayed, instead of keeping things all sealed in the wall with a safe, simple switch between two plugs.

You need the right switch.

Poles are the number of independent channels the switch has - single-pole, double-pole, triple-pole, or n-pole.  You need double-pole but triple would be nice as I consider it elegant to also switch neutral, it being a conductor.

Throw is the number of output options.  "Single-throw" means it can only connect Common to output 1, or not. "Double" means it connects Common to outputs 1 or 2. You need double-throw.

The 3032-2x and MS302-DS are double-pole single-throw (DPST) switches.
The 1286 is SPDT, i.e. a common 3-way switch.
The MS303 is 3PST since it's for 3-phase power.
The 1288 is DPDT.  Bingo!

The different prices reflect different ratings (MS=Motor Start, tungesten, ballast etc.) or the varying difficulty of cramming all that into the small 1-gang form-factor.  The 1288 works pretty hard, hence the price.

If you don't like paying $60 for a switch that crams this functionality into a 1-gang yoke, then visit your local electrical supply house and ask them for other options which may trade form-factor for price. A big-box store is not an electrical supply house.

Better, a subpanel with a "generator interlock"

If you spend time around here, you'll hear us preach a lot about getting panels with lots of extra spaces.  That's because a full panel is intolerable.  It cripples you and forces you into bad or expensive compromises.   So with an eye toward that and future expansion...

... fit a subpanel somewhere appropriate.  Feed it normally, from the current 30A dryer circuit.  Then "mis"use a generator interlock kit (such as this sensibly priced Siemens one for Siemens panels) to interlock your dryer's and other load's breaker so they can't be on at once.  Voila.  (Normally with these interlocks, you backfeed the panel with one of two power sources. In this case you're normal-feeding two loads, and interlocking the loads.)

At some later happy day, you retrofit larger cable and turn this panel into a more useful subpanel.

Automatic knock-off

Ironically this may break out as the cheapest option.  The idea is to power both receptacles all the time unless the dryer is drawing power, then shut off the other one with a normally-closed relay.   You'll need a large steel box to put this in (a 5" square deep box is not excessive), and then a listed relay+transformer combo device, in which a transformer makes just enough 24V to operate the integral relay. That way you will be using low voltage with oddball parts, and Code is greatly relaxed.

The relay needs to be DPST-NC (normally closed) (meaning 2-pole, normally on). Typically these mount in a 1/2" knockout hole.  It will provide 2 low-voltage wires, and when they are shunted (shorted), the relay operates.  This means it'll have at least 8 wires: 4 for the DPST contacts, 2 to supply lineside power to the transformer, and 2 for the aforementioned 24V wires.

The two 24V wires go to both sides of a magnetic reed switch.  These typically throw at 10 ampere-turns. Since a dryer draws 23 amperes on full, that's plenty. It's simply a matter of finding the right geometry that the reed switch likes.   Generally, in wiring, it is mandatory to lay all hots and neutrals tightly parallel to each other so their EMF fields cancel each other out.  In this case we do the exact opposite on purpose.  Experiment with laying the reed switch crossing at 90 degrees, or parallel to the wire.  All of this must happen inside the steel box.

On a dryer, 80% of current flow will be on the two "hots".  The neutral can be kept out of it.  Also feel free to calibrate it so the dryer doesn't trip on "fluff/no-heat".

Retrofit grounds

The only thing that scares me about this advice is a lot of dryer circuits have 3-wire (ungrounded) service.  This is a Very Bad Idea, because the switching/interlocking scheme creates so many new and unimagined ways for "the NEMA 10 problem" to emerge -- in which all grounded surfaces of your appliances are energized at 120V.

The safe answer here is to retrofit a ground. I know, I know, long and difficult wire run -- fortunately the ground can be retrofitted as a separate #10 wire, and it can follow a separate route, and it only needs to reach any grounded location that has #10 wire back to the same panel, or anywhere on the grounding electrode system.

I don't think you need this kind of switch: main breaker is there to allow only the power flow the wiring can safely hold, so just daisy chain the new 220V outlet. If (by mistake) you'll leave both appliances on, the breaker will do it's job.


How to detect whether there is a signal on TV cable I'm not receiving TV in my room and the cable guy has determined that there is no signal on my coax outlet in the wall. There is a signal in other rooms, so there must be a broken or disconnected cable somewhere in the house.

Now the owner and I are going to go around the house and try to find it, but how can we measure whether there is a signal / potential on a cable without connecting a TV to it?

I've read that you need a spectrum analyzer to measure signal strength, but I don't need that, I just need to know if there's any signal at all.
I've also read that you can check cables with a multimeter, but you need both ends for that, and they are impossible to bring close together in our case (the cables are in walls etc.)

(This is in the Netherlands, in case they have different standards there than e.g. the US)

You do not need to know if there is a 'signal' you just need to know if there is a connection.

A basic tool that can tell you evetrything and costs a few bucks/quid at local hardware store. Multimeter

Never in my life did i have to use a tone generator, a oscilloscope to test if my CCTV, Satellite or TV connection is giving me good enough signal.. LOL

You use that type of equipment for digital/analogue testing where you control several if not hundred outcomes, synchronization and high speed data transfer.

You just need to use a few simple free (brainpower) tricks.

Point A being nearest to your TV and Point B being the other end of the cable.

Disconnect all TVs
Short point B (so connect the signal and shield with a wire)
Test point A with a multimeter set at Ohm

Results

~0Ohm or very close to - Woohoo you have a nice connection from a to b!

  0Ohm More than dead short - You have a bad connection somewhere

No reading - Cable form Point A to Point B has no connection

There is no need to analyse the signal or test for a signal because you know you have a signal in the other TVs (assuming the coax is connected to the same place)

Alternatives

If you know the coax for all the TVs is the same cable you, you can leave Point B terminated - which is most likely closest to the antenna or after the junction. Test Point C,D...Z respectively to make sure there is a good connection.

Take your TV and connect it to a working plug to make sure the TV is not broke - or as pointed out use TV that works and plug it into your outlet - same difference I think? (but does not eliminate double jeopardy - your TV might still be knackered as well as the signal be broke :) )

Alternative 2

Also requires for all plugs to be disconnected from all TVs. Connect a 9 volt battery to one end and test all the ends for a voltage. If you get ~9 volts then the route is good. If you get a <9V then you have an issue on the route (micro short?) if you have 0V then there's no connection

Good Luck

Multimeter F.A.Q

And a photo to make it look pretty.

u can use a multimeter set on rf (hz).
if there is no signal u will pick up an ambient air frequency (will vary and probably be higher if u are touching a lead.) and it will be somewhere in the thousands. However, if there is a signal, you will get a steady reading, 60hz here in the states, i think 50hz there.


URD 1/0 wire for 100amp subpanel 60' away from main box Can I use URD aluminum 1/0, 1/0, 1/0, 4 wire to run a 100 amp subpanel approx. 60' away from my main box?  I plan I running it through my attic which in Arizona can get very hot in summer time if there are temperature concerns with this type of wire.
Thanks!

Here's the wire:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748B57B3/?coliid=I1882CE450GCTE&colid=1CFF7GENXIV3T&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Here is the UL standard summary for that type of cable:

https://standardscatalog.ul.com/standards/en/standard_854_12

It says:

  1.2 These cables have insulation of solid, extruded dielectric material(s) that are for use in wet locations at 75°C (167°F) and
  lower temperatures. Cables that are marked with a conductor type that
  includes the letters "HH" have insulation that is for use in dry
  locations at temperatures as high as 90°C (194°F) as well as in wet
  locations at 75°C (167°F) and lower temperatures. Cables that are
  marked with a conductor type that includes "-2" have insulation that
  is for use in wet or dry locations at temperatures as high as 90°C
  (194°F).

So unless you attic is getting above 90C (which is REALLY hot!) you should be good.

Are you sure you need 1/0 here?  That's a huge gauge for 100A.  But yes, that will work.


What is purpose of the slot at the base of my drill's handle? The photo below shows a drill I own; there is a slot at the base of the handle.  Is this simply to hang things from, or does it serve another purpose?

Drill is a DeWalt model DWD210G.

I think Tyler Durden is correct. Have a look at the D25013K model; there are 4 similar holes on either side, with a separate lanyard attachment point. For what reason other than air circulation would you add such holes? Seeing that they also let contaminants in, there must be a good reason beyond good looks for placing them there (maybe the trigger switch units heat up?).


Is it safe to mount a surge protector strip behind a wall-mounted television? To make my television mount look clean I ran a new extension cord, the tv plug and the cable wire through a wire management system that sticks on the wall. The extension cord is plugged into a 2 foot surge protector which is taped to the back of the tv as is the cable box ( it's very small). The only thing plugged into the surge is the cable box.

Is this safe? Nothing is run through the wall.

Technically, this is not okay. Wiremold® and other similar products are not typically listed for use with power-supply cords, cordsets, or other similar cables.  They're designed to contain data, communications, and audio video cables. See this answer for more details.

Check the manufacturer's documentation, to determine exactly what types of cables are allowed in the specific product you're using.

As for plugging the surge strip into the extension cord, that's definitely not allowed. There should be a label on the strip, or in the documentation included with the strip that says not to plug it into another strip of extension cord.

  UL White Book 2013

  Relocatable Power Taps (XBYS)

  ...Relocatable power taps are intended to be directly connected to a permanently installed branch circuit receptacle. Relocatable power taps are not intended to be series connected (daisy chained) to other relocatable power taps or to extension cords.

The common solution to this problem, is to use a kit designed for this, like the one described in this answer. Though with a system like this, you'll have to cut holes in the wall.

If the wire management channel is a listed raceway, then you shouldn't be running power and communications cables through it together. Unless the raceway is divided for the entire length.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Chapter 8 Communications Systems

  Article 800 Communications Circuits

  800.133 Installation of Communications Wires, Cables,
  and Equipment.

  (A) Separation from Other Conductors.

  (1) In Raceways, Cable Trays, Boxes, Cables, Enclosures and Cable Routing Assemblies.

  (d) Electric Light, Power, Class 1, Non–Power-Limited
  Fire Alarm, and Medium-Power Network-Powered Broadband
  Communications Circuits in Raceways, Compartments,
  and Boxes. Communications conductors shall not be placed in
  any raceway, compartment, outlet box, junction box, or similar
  fitting with conductors of electric light, power, Class 1, non–
  power-limited fire alarm, or medium-power network-powered
  broadband communications circuits.

  Exception No. 1: Where all of the conductors of electric
  light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, and
  medium-power network-powered broadband communications
  circuits are separated from all of the conductors of communications
  circuits by a permanent barrier or listed divider.

Yep, no problem at all. The setup should be under 250 watts (TV plugged into cable box). If the extension cord ever gets warm to the touch, then you'll want to go to a thicker wired extension cord.