Questions tagged [electrical]
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. Posting photographs of wiring junctions or drawing a wiring diagram and posting it is also highly recommended.
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3 way switch confusion
I've got a couple of sets of 3 way switches in my house that aren't functioning properly. Basically, one switch has to be in the "up" position for the other switch to control the light. In the set ...
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0answers
15 views
220V Well house
My well house is 300 plus feet away from our house. The pump is 220 and when we built the house the electrician ran a 3-wire from the main panel to the well house. This is the only power source in the ...
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3answers
393 views
GFCI vs. 40v 5ah battery for water safety
My wife has recently taken to running a cord out near our pool to watch TV. She's very careful, but I was thinking of doing what I can to make it safer, since the outlet in question is NOT a GFCI ...
2
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1answer
51 views
Do metal outlet boxes act as grounds?
Here’s a photo of the inside of a switch I’m replacing. As you can see it has no ground wire, plus it’s got a blue wire instead of the normal black. All the new 3 prong outlets I installed in this ...
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1answer
228 views
Repeated loss power to lights but not receptacles without breaker tripping
I'm having an issue with two recessed LED lights that are wired in-line. The power comes from a junction box (nothing else on this breaker has lost power, see below) down to a wall switch, back up to ...
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1answer
76 views
Single phase utility power connected to 3 phase system
Someone has connected a single phase utility temp power panel to a 3 phase system by using one of the phases twice. Is this ok
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1answer
34 views
Do outbuildings require 4 wire service to a sub-panel
I've been helping my son rebuild a house (tear down, new construction) and I'm doing most of the electrical. He also has a pole barn that had it's own 200 amp service (believe it or not) with it's own ...
3
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4answers
1k views
GFCI Problem with Three-Way Switch WAS Two Switches Neutrals Only, Switched Hots Not Used
I replaced an old two-prong receptable with a three-prong GFCI (no ground) yesterday. It won't reset. I found out that "downstream" there is a light on the next level down that is controlled by two ...
2
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2answers
37 views
Converting Main Panel to Subpanel
Okay, I have a main panel that is a 1978 2-wire system with combined neutral/ground bar and a 100amp main disconnect breaker. I'm Replacing it with new 200-amp service and all load wiring has been ...
0
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2answers
153 views
Fan light won't turn on
I have a fan with a light. It's controlled by a single pole dimmer. Recently the light stopped working. The bulb is fine (works in a lamp), and the pull chain is fine (just replaced it recently). What'...
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vote
1answer
25 views
Safety practices for 5-volt 150-watt power supply for dot-programmable RGB LED light ribbons
The electrical device in question:
For my owned premises, I self-installed RGB-programmable accent lighting: NeoPixels-compatible LED light ribbon (5 meter 300 LED individual-addressible, the WS2812 /...
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2answers
51 views
Appliance upgrade
I'm upgrading my stove and cooktop to electric units. Currently the house has a 50amp 220V circuit, run using 6AWG Al wire. New oven is rated at 20amp and cooktop is at 40amp. Can I replace the ...
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2answers
52 views
HOT prongs on 30A 240V electric dryer socket (10-30R Socket)
I have an electric dryer (Samsung DV42H5000EW) and it is connected to a 30A (I believe it dual 30A as there are 2 arms that are connected to each other both saying 30A) 240V breaker. The wall socket ...
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2answers
71 views
Why am I getting hum and lights dimming with a new electric tankless water heater?
So, I just installed an electric water heater and I'm getting a light hum from the water heater and the breaker panel. It's also dimming some lights.. unevenly. It seems to be more noticeable when the ...
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vote
1answer
32 views
House (old around 1965) wiring and line voltage differences
I have a problem with my Comcast cable connecting to the house. It is melting and partially burned out. The burn is on the pole side coming to the house and not the house side. There is an earthing ...
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1answer
49 views
Reading codes on smart meter
I have flickering lights intermittently for a week or so. A flickering episode can last an hour. My DVM measures a fluctuating 92, to 100, 112. When flickering stops it reads 119 +-1 volt. I've called ...
2
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1answer
128 views
Are my circuits properly grounded?
I have a Cutler Hammer CH30e panel. On the right side on the panel there is a neutral buss with the a #6 cu ground and a 1/0 Al THW neutral. The buss is also connected to the panel
What I find very ...
3
votes
3answers
509 views
Does “inverter generator” mean it is a “pure sine wave” generator?
I know that an inverter alone can be a "modified sine wave" or "pure sine wave", but the price difference is huge. Does this apply to "inverter generators"?
When these companies market it as "...
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5answers
149 views
Power cable loose on roof OK?
I would like to mount a floodlight on my chimney. I'm not keen on cutting into the roof there to make an entrance for the wire. Every hole in the roof is an opportunity for water intrusion and it's ...
0
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2answers
49 views
How to correctly wire a bathroom heater switch
I have an old Honeywell thermostat-type switch that controls the heater in the bathroom. Teenagers frequently forget to turn it off and so it runs for hours. I want to replace it with a push-button ...
2
votes
2answers
935 views
3 way connection without 3 way switch
I have a 3 way configuration between 2 switches in my house.
Switch 1 has:
Neutral, Ground, one red [traveler], one black
Switch 2 has:
Neutral, Ground, one red [traveler], one black
Neither of ...
0
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0answers
31 views
15A tandem Square D TYPE TIPO HOM breaker
My breaker panel is full and I want to add a sub panel (50ft on the opposite side of the basement). I need to consolidate some 15A breakers to tandem breakers. I cannot find the breaker I need (15A ...
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1answer
2k views
Unsure why GFCI outlet is showing orange indicator
I replaced an old outlet with a new GFCI. Well upon replacing it, it now has an orange light when the one directly below it has something plugged in; also neither outlets are working. I tried to reset ...
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1answer
207 views
Why does a breaker buzz when you turn it on?
I've had an issue recently where turning on the light in one room occasionally turns off the power in that breaker. The breaker doesn't actually appear to be tripped, but resetting the breaker will ...
0
votes
1answer
140 views
Different light fixture quit working after changing switch
Upstairs: I just replaced some halogen track lights with LEDs. The switches were double pole and are illuminated when the lights are off. This caused the LEDs to have a dim light even when they were ...
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vote
1answer
49 views
12/2 connected to 8/3 wire with extra wires taped off. Is this legal?
We just got into a house and I believe the electrical is a mess. House is approximately 40 years old. We found a 8/3 buried wire that runs to a detached shop/shed and about 10 feet from the shed it ...
7
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4answers
78k views
Australia: Which wire is hot / active and which is neutral?
Here's a photo of wires coming out of my ceiling (grey, yellow/green and black) and the wires going into a ceiling lamp (brown and blue).
So in Australia the general colouring codes go like this:
...
0
votes
1answer
54 views
Shed subpanel wiring
I have a portable building about 50 ft away the house. I had an electrician come run a feeder to a subpanel in the shed. Looks like he tapped off of my Generac Transfer switch. When I opened up the ...
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2answers
56 views
What size wire for 180' run to shed?
My 100A main breaker panel is full. I was planning to have it ran off of the meter with 60A I have #6 thhn wire to run in conduit 180' to shed. I only need a 20 amp circuit and 15 amp circuit in shed.
3
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1answer
108 views
Why does this house have 240V outlets in all rooms?
A friend's house, in the USA, has 240V ("dryer") outlets in almost every room... even in the hallway. They have no idea why one of the previous owners would do that.
I have never heard of this before,...
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2answers
31 views
Installing Steam Sauna heater
I am installing a Steam Sauna with a 3 wire 240v curcuit (L1, L2 & ground). Can i install a three wire "Disconnect" at the location of the Sauna because it is over 100 feet away from the main ...
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0answers
38 views
My head hurts - 2 separate lights & 2 separate switches affecting each other
I have a situation in my dining room. It’s long so one side is the dining room light and the other end has a ceiling fan. Both have their own single switches. If the ceiling fan is turned on and ...
2
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1answer
516 views
Two switches, one turns both lights on, the other just one of them
I have two separate lights in a room. And two separate switches (actually one switch and one motion sensor). I want one switch to turn both lights on, and one switch to turn just one of the lights on.
...
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2answers
29 views
3 way switch receptacle to recessed light
My current room has a 3 way switch that controls the bottom plug of the receptacle (bottom plug is controlled by switch, top is always ON). I want to do recessed lights in that room with no previous ...
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2answers
168 views
Custom lamp project for a non-engineer - Help needed
I'm trying to build custom 3 bulb lamp.
About me: Biochemistry major so very far from electrical but I've built RC plane models before so I know soldering and stuff. Nothing really about electrical ...
2
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2answers
81 views
Why am I getting 24 volts in kitchen outlets, unless TWO breakers are on?
I have 6 power outlets in my kitchen. Two 20amp breakers in my panel supply power to them.
I wanted to update my GFCI outlets, with new ones (old ones were installed when the house was built, 1994). ...
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1answer
77 views
Use a 50 amp / 240 volt outlet for car charger and snow melting system?
We have a 50 amp / 240 volt outlet in our garage for an electric car charger. We would like to use this power for snow melting our driveway in Massachusetts so as to avoid needing more power to be ...
manassehkatz-Reinstate Monica
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1answer
71 views
Recessed lights quit working
All 4 of my kitchen recessed lights quit working yesterday. I tried installing a switch but I have a black and white active nutted together.
I have two black wires one active one not and an active ...
0
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1answer
57 views
Changing light fixture
So I’m doing my first household electrical repair and am having a time doing it. So I had a flush mount light fixture stop working (2 socket). So I replaced the bulb sockets because they were all ...
0
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2answers
2k views
Doorbell constantly rings even after replacing switch
This is a newer home in the US (fewer than 10 years old). The doorbell started ringing all the time. Disconnected button and it stopped. Replaced the button with a new button, and it stayed on all ...
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1answer
154 views
EU single back box screws and spacing
I'm designing something that has to screw mount into a standard European round single gang electrical back box, so I need to know what the distance between the screw holes as well as the screw ...
2
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3answers
235 views
Outdoor Outlet Non-GFCI Downstream of GFCI
Can I run a non-gfci outlet outside if it is downstream from a GFCI outlet on the same circuit?
manassehkatz-Reinstate Monica
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0
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1answer
90 views
Light bulb suddenly only turns on for a moment, tried multiple bulbs
So when it happened, I tried to turn on the light (that worked fine before) and it lit up only to go off shortly after. subsequent tries were met with failure. So I changed the bulb for a new one.
No ...
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2answers
49 views
Is my 2-gang switch box over-full with 5 cables?
I am installing a dimmer, and I thought there were a lot of wires in this box. It looks like there are 5 cables into a 2-gang box.
I tried to draw a little diagram and attach a photo to make it ...
6
votes
1answer
241 views
GFCI receptacle will not reset
My GFCI tripped and would not reset. I jumpered out the outlet and all power returned to normal. I assumed it was a defective GFCI so I replaced it. Same problem. Power is available at the line side, ...
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0answers
31 views
Bosch Induction Hob Keeps Restarting
I just purchased and wired a bosch PXY675DW4E and it keeps restarting.
https://youtu.be/F9wrC7jOavI
https://youtu.be/7aZgkkcT6w4
Also restarting randomly from time to time.
I wired it according to ...
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2answers
33 views
Trying to replace a garage light switch with old wiring
Trying to replace a light switch in the garage with a new one but the wiring doesn’t match.
Old switch has white (currently matched to red/black) and black (currently matched to black) coming out of ...
0
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1answer
35 views
Replace FS5/FS2 starter with S10?
for a jukebox restoration project (changing T12 lamps to T8 by replacing lamp + ballast, the juke uses one ballast and starter per lamp), I am looking for the correct starter of the TL lamp.
The juke ...
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1answer
33 views
Installing a Meter Socket and Safety Switch
I’m in installing a meter socket and 30 amp fused safety switch where I’m only using one leg of service. I got 3- wire 120/240 service entrance which connect to my meter socket black and red to there ...
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1answer
164 views
Counting Smoke Detector Wires In Junction Box
I want to connect a wire to get power for for a ceiling fan to an existing junction box in the attic that is used right now only for a smoke detector. Box currently has a 12-3 wire coming in, and the ...
