Distribution and use of electricity throughout the home. Electrical standards vary greatly worldwide, so providing your location in your question or your profile helps ensure you get answers that are relevant to you.
8
votes
2answers
617 views
What kind of electrical outlet is this, and how do I replace it?
I have an electrical outlet which hasn't been reliable (the bottom one doesn't always have power unless you jiggle the plug), so I want to change it. I've changed a few plain outlets, but I found ...
2
votes
2answers
490 views
Motion sensing light triggered by fan on the same circuit
I have an inexpensive motion sensing light on the outside of my house, which is on the same circuit as a 120V thermostatically controlled duct fan that pulls warm house air into the space (it's an ...
0
votes
1answer
100 views
Are there any issues with having a garage and a washer on the same circuit?
Background
My project this weekend is to get my garage repowered so my tenant
will be able to plug his car in during the winter months. When I
bought my house it was recently renovated by house ...
1
vote
3answers
206 views
Should I be worried about this gap in electrical conduit?
Background
My project this weekend is to get my garage repowered so my tenant will be able to plug his car in during the winter months. When I bought my house it was recently renovated by house ...
2
votes
2answers
232 views
Why does my dusk to dawn light go off when the furnace kicks in?
My dusk to dawn light goes off whenever my furnace kicks in throughout the night. It obviously comes back on right away, but it takes a minute or so to be fully restored.
What is the reason behind ...
1
vote
3answers
565 views
How can I determine why my lights are flickering?
I have a child at home who has learning difficulties. Sometimes she jumps up and down on the floor. Recently this has caused the downstairs living room light to flicker. Upstairs under the ...
3
votes
1answer
136 views
Two switches in same box, on different circuits
Is it acceptable by US NEC standards to have two switches in a double wall box that operate on entirely different circuits in a late 50's house?
5
votes
3answers
471 views
Is GFCI protection required for a dedicated exhaust fan circuit?
I'm considering installing an exhaust fan in my bathroom which includes light and heat, and requires a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Would this circuit need GFCI protection? The instructions for the unit ...
4
votes
2answers
718 views
How do I mount the new work electrical boxes with the nail-in flange?
I have to install several electrical boxes for outlets, switches, and fixtures before installing some drywall. The boxes I have look like this:
The distance between the front of the mounting ...
-2
votes
1answer
77 views
Current flowing in to a house [closed]
How can I find out the maximum current that can flow in to my house?
2
votes
2answers
194 views
What do I need for new home electrical service?
I am bring new power into a new building site. The power company requires that I install a meter pedestal with a disconnect. I can do this myself or hire an electrician.
Since there is no live ...
0
votes
0answers
93 views
I want to make a flashlight that I can control [closed]
I want to have a battery powered flashlight that I can control. It can be done in any way. But I need to be able to make it in about two weeks. Does anyone have any Ideas on how to go about this? ...
2
votes
2answers
254 views
Did I make a mistake with this fluorescent light installation?
I bought a fluorescent light fixture with 2 light bulbs. I wanted to test if the light bulbs where good before mounting the fixture to the ceiling. So I simply plugged the cable to a 120V outlet. I ...
2
votes
2answers
382 views
How did I mess up this wiring?
I had to take down a ceiling light to remove an old wire while renovating.
I eventually managed to wire everything up correctly, but I'm still puzzled by how I miswired it the first few times. I ...
0
votes
3answers
179 views
What could be wrong with this receptacle?
the power outlet where my tv was plugged in lost power all of a sudden. However, when I plug in a receptacle tester, the power goes back on but when I remove the receptacle tester, power goes off ...
1
vote
0answers
61 views
How to mount a flat screen TV above a fireplace? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How should I run wiring for my above-fireplace mounted TV?
I have a flat screen TV on a wall mount that I'd like to move to the brick above the fireplace (which is only ...
5
votes
1answer
151 views
Can a single metal electrical box use two ground clips?
Inside a metal electrical box, can I use multiple ground clips (one for each conductor), or is it required that all ground conductors be twisted together and pigtailed into the same clip?
13
votes
1answer
465 views
What are the disadvantages of having electrical conduit penetrate my foundation below-grade?
I'm having an electrician wire a lamppost in the backyard. His initial proposal was to do something like this picture shows:
(The diagram is from this article.) The conduit's rise from the ground ...
0
votes
0answers
160 views
Common power supply for low voltage devices [closed]
In my household I have a lot of electrical devices with low voltage power supply (router, telephone, LED-lamp, radio etc.). Each device brings its own power supply. This often looks like this:
...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
Why does my ceiling fan light turn off by itself?
I have a remote-controlled ceiling fan and light. I don't run the fan, but when I turn the light on sometimes it will stay on for a long time then just go off by itself. I have tried both kinds of ...
3
votes
1answer
244 views
Can I replace a 3A plug on a light fixture (that comes with 3A cable) with a 5A plug?
Can I replace a 3A plug on a light fixture (that comes with 3A cable) with a 5A plug?
The 1st problem I encountered is that the cable has 2 power lines rather than 3 which connect to the 5A plug.
...
1
vote
2answers
265 views
Will a 15A receptacle on a 20A circuit fail if I draw over 15A combined from each outlet?
OR: is the rating for the entire receptacle or each outlet individually?
A common 15A receptacle has two outlets. If such a receptacle is attached to a 20A circuit, an 8A draw from each outlet will ...
1
vote
1answer
494 views
3-way switch for light with fan controlled by switch built into fan. Odd wiring layout. Wiring assistance required
My electrician and I have parted ways. This has resulted in my having to finish off various projects. I have managed to get 2/3 lights operating the way they were intended. However, I am having ...
4
votes
5answers
859 views
How do I raise light switches so my kids can't keep toggling the light?
My flat at the moment has all the switches at about 1 meter off the floor. Naturally my growing kids are starting to toggle the lighting now that they are tall enough. Is it possible to raise the ...
0
votes
1answer
76 views
Are solar panel films for windows ready for the end users?
I read about a new solar-panel technology, based on a photo-sensible film, which may be applied directly on to glass.
This will definitely help in the versatility and in the ease of installation..
...
5
votes
4answers
996 views
What type of electric heating system is the most energy efficient?
I am about to buy a flat that hasn't got any central heating system.
There's no way to use gas heating.
The only way to produce heat is by converting Electricity.
The flat at the moment has some ...
2
votes
2answers
556 views
Can a receptacle be added to a lamppost?
I'm adding a post and a post-mounted light fixture in the backyard. Some posts have an outlet at the bottom, but they appear to always have a "decorative ladder rest" (with plastic golden balls!) that ...
0
votes
1answer
426 views
Why isn't the switch working to turn off my ceiling lamp after I replaced a fan w/light?
I have properly connected the new ceiling lamp. Once I turn the breaker on again, the lamp turns on immediately. There is a double switch on the wall. One used to turn on a standing lamp on the corner ...
2
votes
1answer
154 views
Can anyone identify this light switch brand?
We've got a bunch of light switches and covers in our house but in the process of removing them to paint around them, one got broken. Can anyone help me identify it? They were put in by the builder ...
6
votes
2answers
561 views
Light flashes on then turns off. What do I look for?
I just moved into my first home and the light fixture in the water closet broke. I replaced the fixture with a new one, but the light only flashes on, then turns off. I checked for loose ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
What could be causing AFCI breaker and GFCI receptacle nuisance tripping?
I have a very unusual set of electrical issues that have proven difficult to troubleshoot.
I live in a newly constructed house. Each bedroom has AFCI breakers.
In the past 3 years living there, the ...
4
votes
1answer
259 views
Bending wire versus cable
When running NM cable, you're supposed to not make any bends sharper than 5 times the cable radius.*
When dressing wires to go into a box, though, you often curve them any which way or shape them ...
2
votes
0answers
66 views
Change circuit breaker for dual purpose fitting
I have a power breaker fitted with a ducted outlet to exterior wiring. It is in white plastic, same size as twin socket, with push switches for on/off test/restart and neon light. I would like to ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Why do my LED lights flash on cold start?
Whenever I flip on my dimmer switch, all four dimmable LED lamps flash on in unison, blink off, and then come on at the selected dim level. This happens even with the dimmer slider maxed out, so it's ...
2
votes
1answer
192 views
How do I install electrical through “new work” stucco?
See also How do I install electrical through stucco which deals with the old work situation.
What are the best practice products and procedures for installing an exterior light, on a wall that will ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there any acceptable way to cover a junction box?
The outlet for my range hood was misplaced. It needs to be 4 inches to the side. I can make the junction and move the wiring to the new location but I really don't want to have the empty plate ...
3
votes
2answers
384 views
How can I fix chewed through wires?
I have two standard two prong wall plugs my puppy has chewed through completely, and he managed to sink his teeth into a laptop cord as well.
I'm thinking the wall plugs are history (a lamp and a ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
How much weight can an old work box hold?
I will be installing new light fixtures in two bathrooms that look like this:
Each fixture will be replacing a light box. Meaning it is a simple chrome plated box about 30" wide with a plastic ...
10
votes
1answer
6k views
What do I need to install LED strip lighting?
I've been looking to install LED strips, either RGB or white for lighting and ambiance. It wouldn't be the main lighting of the room, so no necessity for high power LEDs.
The perimeter of the room is ...
3
votes
2answers
721 views
Why don't my 3-way switches work like 3-way switches? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How should I rewire a miswired 3-way switch?
I just moved into a house and am trying to figure out all the switches. I have now determined there are two switches at ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views
Why is my 3-prong dryer outlet showing 240V between hot and neutral/ground 'L' prong?
I'm trying to tell what might be wired wrong with our dryer outlet. Using a Fluke 75 set to AC, I read 238V between the hot leads, 118V from one lead to ground, and 238V between the other lead to ...
9
votes
2answers
467 views
How do I tell if a light switch is live?
I have a light switch that I want to get rid of. I don't know if it is active or not. I want to wallpaper the wall. How do I tell if the circuit is "live" and if so how to turn it off so it is safe ...
3
votes
4answers
265 views
In this scenario is my electrician giving good advice?
So I asked Why does my ceiling lights require some other outlet in the room to be turned on and off again before it works? a while ago, and the consensus was that my electrics were arcing and that I ...
0
votes
2answers
542 views
How can I replace a light switch with strange wiring?
Here's what we have in the box:
(2) Black wires
(1) Yellow wire
(1) Capped cluster of white wires.
Here's how it was wired:
As stated above, the three white wires were capped. One black wire was ...
4
votes
1answer
339 views
Why is this ceiling light fixture wired this way?
I'm trying to replace the hanging light below and I've gotten a little confused. Shouldn't the brown wire on the left be connected to the live (red) wires rather than the neutral? I understand that ...
4
votes
3answers
516 views
How can I figure out what mystery wall switches might do?
I have a two-story house with blown-in insulation in the attic. There are at least four wall switches in my house (some on the ground floor, some upstairs) that seem to serve no discernible function. ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I convert Cat5e wired sockets to Ethernet?
I recently moved to a new home and I noticed that the phone jacks (RJ-11) were connected using Cat5e cable. I'm thinking I can replace the RJ-11 plugs with RJ-45 and use Ethernet over the existing ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I replace this dimmer switch to a conventional switch?
I want to replace the dimmer switch in my kitchen with a conventional light switch. However I could use a little guidance.
I understand the two black wires are the hot wires, and the green is ...
3
votes
2answers
144 views
How do I trade the lights that these two light switches control with each other?
I have two light switches in my bathroom. I'd like to swap the lights that they operate with each other.
I have no experience with this kind of thing, but I'm hoping the proximity of the two ...
3
votes
1answer
166 views
Can I wire a secondary 240V breaker box for lab equipment from Europe?
I have a dental lab in Europe and might want to move it to the USA. Some of the equipment rates as high as 4kW, and the the total maximum draw is 15kW for the whole lab. Can I wire a secondary breaker ...
