Hot answers tagged electrical
11
Do I just replace hot/neutral with hot/hot?
Absolutely not! You have a vital step to complete before you can do that.
Note that the bottom picture would have been a little better if you had pulled the cord up so we could see the numbers on the white plastic block.
In this motor, you are working with two sets of wires, the electrical cord and a pair ...
10
If this is a submersible pump in a fairly shallow well and it is running continuously and only putting out 20psi, you have several possible problems:
The impeller assembly is coming apart and there is excessive internal leakage in the pump.
There is a leak in the pipe leading from the pump to the well-head, either the pipe has split, or the barb fitting ...
7
OK, this is kind of a rambling question with a lot of details, but let me give you some leads on some of them:
Wall Plate
If you want to install a wall plate, you'll want to clean up the opening and then install a "low voltage mounting bracket", which is a square piece of plastic that frames the opening and provides a place to attach the plate:
(Wall ...
6
Workmanlike manner is a really subjective term. It is a catch all for neat, orderly and following the rules. A lot of inspectors fail an inspection using that term when actually specific violations are numerous. Common items such as not securing wires close enough to plastic boxes, crossbeaming, sagging cable, holes drilled too close to the edge of joists, ...
6
They look like a type of push-in connector. If so they are in place of twist-on wire connectors and are not "just for protection", they are connecting the wires in a safe way.
5
Since it's a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breaker, it's very likely that you have a ground fault.
GFCIs work by detecting an imbalance in current between the ungrounded (hot), and grounded (neutral) conductors. This is why you only see the trip when the circuit is under load. If there is 0 current flow, the current is balanced.
I'd start by ...
5
When the fridge turns on (some) and when (some) ovens start their capacitors pull a ton of voltage to start the motor/function needed.
If these are on the same circuit as your TV this is a pretty big issue and the fluctuations could cause damage to your TV circuit board over time.
Even if these aren't on the same circuit your TV is getting a voltage ...
4
I think you'll have to get one of these vapor barrier boxes, and fit it before installing your electrical box.
Seal up where the cable penetrates, then install your electrical box.
The other options would be to cut a larger hole and patch drywall, or seal it up from the back side (but that would require access to the other side of the wall/ceiling).
4
These are called Bullet connectors. They're used as a male/female pair, and allow for quick, repeated connection and disconnection of a circuit. They can be found at any automotive supply store, and some hardware stores.
If you won't need to disconnect and reconnect the wires, you can simply cut the connector off, strip the wire, and use whatever other ...
3
Of course it is impossible to tell for sure without looking at the circuit in more detail but it looks like a 120V AC to low voltage DC power supply.
A way to troubleshoot it would be the following:
look up the voltage rating on the lights. Using a multimeter, check if this voltage is present at the output of the board. If it is, the problem is with the ...
3
Yes, just replace the wires. Even if you reverse the connections, the light will work. For safety's sake, make every effort to connect the wires properly. The silver screw should be connected to the neutral house wiring, white in US and Canada and blue or black nearly everywhere else. Try to confirm the silver screw connects to the outer metal sheath of the ...
3
Though the NEC does not specifically state that you must use pigtails, it does say that you cannot rely on a device to provide continuity for a neutral. By using both terminals on an outlet, you are relying on the device to provide that continuity. The way around it is to simply use pigtails.
NEC 300.13 (B)
"Device Removal. In multiwire branch ...
3
Check the markings on different electrical boxes. According to the National Electrical Code (NEC) (which is not applicable in all areas, so check local codes), boxes that support ceiling fans should be listed for the purpose.
National Electrical Code 2008
ARTICLE 314 Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings; and Handhole ...
3
It sounds like you still have some rewiring left to do, the fan shouldn't stop while the compressor is on. If the fan isn't on, your air conditioner won't be able to dissipate all of the heat that is generated by the compressor, making the compressor less effective ( or not at all effective ).
3
A dual circuit (where you have one hot conductor on one outlet and another hot conductor on a second outlet and they share a neutral) may not be 'required' anywhere. This kind of circuit is called a 'multi wire branch circuit', if you're having trouble finding the right verbage to find out it's required in your locality.
It probably should be a GFCI outlet ...
3
I agree with DMoore that the flickering is almost certainly caused by a voltage dip when a large appliance turns on. A fridge can easily pull 1000+ watts momentarily as the compressor starts.
If you want to verify the voltage dip you can do so with a multimeter with a "MIN" function. Insert the multimeter probes into the outlet that's giving you trouble, ...
3
From the description of odd voltage readings, and the fact that you shorted the connection and still couldn't get the bell to ring, I'm guessing the transformer failed. It wouldn't be the door bell button or that wiring since you eliminated that with the shorting. And since you later tested with another power source and verified that the door bell chimes ...
3
It's fairly standard
In your case the red/white pair is probably from the switch, red probably live and white switched live (normally in my part of the world it would have red tape on it to indicate switched live). The other two twin+earth cables are mains supply and continuation to next light fitting. Your wires were connected directly to the light ...
3
Equipment grounding wires have been omitted for clarity. Don't forget to properly connect all equipment grounding wires.
Connect the white (grounded, neutral) wire from the feeder to the silver screw on the Line side of the GFCI receptacle.
Connect the black (ungrounded, hot) wire from the feeder to the brass screw on the Line side of the GFCI ...
2
You can measure voltage and frequency with either a good-quality multimeter (e.g. a second-hand Fluke 77 on eBay
or a plug-in "Kill-a-Watt" type of meter.
Cheap $5-$50 new no-name Chinese-made multimeters are usually not really safe for use on 230V
Personally, I doubt a 10% difference in voltage will be critical for any of those devices apart from the ...
2
Sewer pump should be hooked up to GFCI. So that is the first step - change out the outlet to a GFCI. The reason this will help you is first it is code in some places and second if the pump is the culprit then it will pop the GFCI outlet.
Also is this a 20 or 15 amp circuit. Some sewer pumps are rated for 20 amps and above. I actually have almost the ...
2
This can happen if there is a loose connection, a broken wire, broken insulation, etc.
The usual symptom of these types of faults is you can measure full voltage when there is no load, but devices that you plug in just don't work (or are slow or dim). This happens because the small gap in the conductor caused by the loose connection or the broken wire is ...
2
Is the fan safe to operate?
A burning smell from an electrical appliance (other than a toaster) is a sign that it is time to replace the item.
Sizzling sounds combined with burning smells are sometimes a precursor to burning the house down.
Melted electrical insulation reduces the electrical safety of the item and could lead to electric shocks (and ...
2
Yes. But you'll need to run new cable, and install a new switch (or second switch).
Run the cable
Depending on how the circuit is wired, you'll likely have either a 14/2 or 12/2 cable running between the switch box and the fan/light. That means the cable contains either 2 14 AWG wires (possibly with a bare grounding conductor), or 2 12 AWG wires (again ...
2
I would strongly encourage you to replace this unit (the Siemens component, not the entire AC) and replace the ends to those electrical wires. Simply put if the rust situation is that terrible I wouldn't be at all surprised if the integrity of the unit is already compromised, i.e. ready to fail you at any time. Your yellow wire is almost certainly why it's ...
2
I don't have HVAC experience but here's a few ideas you could investigate
Repair
For the wires, it might be best to cut off the corroded connectors strip a short part of insulation and crimp on new connectors.
For the spade terminals on the various devices you could use a wire brush to remove as much corrosion as possible.
Prevention
To prevent future ...
2
IMO that amount of rust is not normal. I live in Texas and it gets really humid sometimes. I've repaired both my last unit that was 8+ years old and my new unit that is 4+ years old and neither had any rust whatsoever inside the enclosure. Just ants and spiders for me.
I'd imagine that your relay is having trouble closing. After turning off the power you ...
2
DMoore is spot on about using the 3-way occupancy sensor, but off a bit about needing to replace both switches with occupancy sensors. The occupancy sensor installation instructions should show how to connect the device to a 3-way circuit, without replacing the other switch.
Here is an example wiring diagram from the Lutron Maestro Occupancy Sensing ...
2
You almost certainly already have a main disconnect. Code requires it be very close to where the wires come to your house. Look by the meter. If you don't have one, adding one is a job for an expert -- stop reading now. :-)
That said, you can add an additional main disconnect to the main panel, if you think that will be more convenient.
Know your limits. ...
2
Does it happen to be marked with TR (Tamper Resistant)? I find these outlets are more difficult to insert/remove plugs from. That being said, it should not take significant amounts of force to use.
Is it just a specific hair dryer that is difficult to remove? If so you should inspect the prongs for damage. If it is all plugs then the outlet is the ...
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