Questions tagged [ground]

For questions about stuff physically in or on the ground. Questions about electrical grounding and/or bonding should use [grounding] instead.

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33 votes
4 answers
15k views

Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? [duplicate]

So, weird stuff is afoot and even my electrician is lost. All my HDMIs are hot, as well as my COAX coming from the cable company. Details of what is going on. Internet & cable went out, called ...
user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

If I plug the ground with neutral on top of the power switch,

If I plug the ground with neutral on top of the power switch, it will affect output when I plug this into the pump hole, where the local loop is "zeroed." The Earth is taken through the coil ...
0 votes
1 answer
40 views

Can you ground outlets to the "water line to breaker box grounding wire"? [duplicate]

My g/f's 1940's/50's house has a grounding clamp attached to her 3/4" cold water line. There's a bare copper wire that runs the length of the basement from it (via grounding clamp) to the 200A ...
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2 votes
1 answer
164 views

Why would each leg suddenly read 240 volts power drop in part of my house every 5-10 minutes?

Problem started when I woke up with no power in my bedroom. I checked the box and no breakers were tripped, so I tried to turn on a tv that I have hooked to my security system. The tv went up in ...
1 vote
1 answer
44 views

Problem changing to a new timer with self-installed ground wire in old NYC building

I am trying to change my Lutron timer to a new timer (which needs to be grounded). My home is a NYC condo built in 1950s - so I guess I have AC cables. I did not see any ground wire inside the metal ...
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0 votes
1 answer
62 views

Chandelier Wiring (Potential Mislabel)

I unboxed a chandelier today and found the pre capped and labeled wiring that in this picture (if you look carefully one on the left has a small white thread on it, one on the right a small green ...
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1 vote
3 answers
81 views

Does ground faucet need to be covered in winter?

My house has two exterior faucets that come out of the ground rather than out of the side of the house. I live in North Texas. When temperatures get significantly below freezing, should these be ...
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0 votes
0 answers
47 views

junction box with no voltage between conductors but 120 V between conductors and ground

Two 12 gauge cables meet at a junction box. The black wires are connected. The red wires are connected. One red wire has a black electrical tape tag. There is no voltage between the red and black ...
-1 votes
1 answer
52 views

Wiring connections for lights in commercial building producing strange results [closed]

I am having a rough time. Exit sign black and white connect to exit sign . It doesn't come on. But when the ground wire is connected to to the neutral wire the lights come on. Other end pole that has ...
2 votes
1 answer
83 views

Wilo Star S 21 FX pump for outside wood burner using only a 2 wire power supply (hot and neutral)

I have a Wilo Star S 21 FX pump (water circulation) on an outside wood burner that needs to be installed. The wire that fed the original pump (an off brand) has a black and a white wire. The 2 wire ...
1 vote
1 answer
157 views

How to attach multiple grounds for smart switches in crowded 3-gang switch box

I’ve recently upgraded a three-gang light switch box with three Kasa smart lights (a dimmer, three way light, and single pole switch). I’ve been able to successfully install all three and they’re ...
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0 votes
1 answer
50 views

How to ground a fixture on a conduit?

I am replacing a line-voltage path light that screws onto the top of a 1/2" metal conduit. I am pulling new wire through the conduit. Since the conduit is metal, I expect to use it as a ground ...
4 votes
2 answers
683 views

Why is my outlet failing shortly after being rewired? [closed]

I was working in the gas station and had a scorched outlet. I removed the outlet. The white wire was jumped over to the bare copper wire. I have never seen this before, so I called an electrician. He ...
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0 votes
2 answers
130 views

How to make posts level across the top, with precut posts max length

I see other people asking similar questions, but it seems most have some wood to cut off the top of the post - I didn't plan for that when I cut it, so I want to get it level on the tops, and bottom ...
1 vote
2 answers
637 views

why does a ground rod wire have to be continuous?

my main panel (installed in 1976) has the grounding wire connected to a ¾" water pipe that runs at least 30' underground - no ground rod... I would like to add a ground rod to bring it up to code ...
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0 votes
3 answers
156 views

240v only subpanel, no ground?

I'm running a subpanel (new) back to my main area (main is full) so running it off another subpanel that was already there (old). I really only need this to feed my welder which is 240v only (plug is ...
  • 49
2 votes
1 answer
82 views

How to retrofit this circuit to be able to run a bare ground splice to another appliance?

I'm adding a #8AWG bare ground in order to retrofit a 3-wire range socket into a 4-wire one. I will be splicing into an existing water heater circuit to get the "at least #10" ground that is ...
  • 103
0 votes
2 answers
235 views

How many posts do I need for flat ground level deck

I want to build a flat ground level deck approx 25x26ft. I have very limited space between the ground and the door, so it needs to be streamlined. I plan to use 3 26’ 2x10 as primary frame supports ...
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3 votes
2 answers
2k views

How to I add new light switch with ground wire/screw if old switch had no ground screw?

I have an old light switch that I want to upgrade. The old switch does not have a ground screw (see second image) so the bare copper ground wire is just tied to the metal box with a screw (see "B&...
  • 33
0 votes
1 answer
4k views

Outlet reads open ground even with the ground connected

I bought a house built in 1986. The entire kitchen was open ground. I’ve never messed with electric outlets, and it took some time but I got them all grounded and installed GFCI outlets for my kitchen ...
0 votes
1 answer
71 views

How to ground circuits when using a receptacle as a junction box for another circuit

I'm renovating my basement. Part of the renovation requires rerouting some wires. I have en electrical box that is going to act as: a duplex outlet for circuit 1 a junction box for circuit 2 Circuit ...
  • 3
0 votes
4 answers
445 views

Eliminate Neutral To Ground Fault Indicator With Resistor For Inverter

I bought a brand new tiny house last year (RVIA certified) and I've been slowly getting a solar inverter and battery system installed. In the process my drill caught some household electrical wiring ...
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Plastic shed base - How to level soil?

I am going to get a new shed but first I need the base. I have purchased a plastic grid base system, I have measured out the area and have cleared the turf on top. Now, I am coming a bit stuck on the ...
0 votes
4 answers
729 views

How Can I Properly Ground this Light, What's the Risk if Ungrounded?

I'm installing a wall lamp purchased recently that has a ground wire that should be connected. It has two modes of installation, 1) either wired directly into the wall to a switch, i guess, or 2) by ...
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0 votes
1 answer
821 views

Can removing one outlet in a room affect the power in the whole room?

I'm in the process of replacing a few of the 2 prong outlets in my home with GCFI outlets. My house is old and does not have a ground wire through it so from what I've read it is unsafe to install ...
0 votes
3 answers
1k views

My 5 years old Samsung Washer Keeps Tripping my gfci (Reason is Ground Fault)

I moved into a new house several months ago, and this house uses Eaton 20A GFCI breaker. My 5 years old Samsung Washer keeps tripping the breaker, and this breaker's diagnosis says that it's because ...
1 vote
1 answer
309 views

can I run a new water line above ground to where it connect by my hot water heater

I my have a water leak in the line below the concrete in my garage near my water heater. Is it possible to run a new water line above ground from the shut off value over to the line near my water ...
0 votes
1 answer
158 views

Is this the correct action to fix a "smart" switch whose neutral and ground wires are tied together?

I went to replace a GE 15086 Timer switch with a Leviton DH15S. The box it's going into contains 2 of the 15086 switches and one mechanical single pole switch. When I opened it up, I saw only black (...
  • 103
0 votes
3 answers
296 views

Voltage between neutral line and soil?

I am feeling unpleasant electric shock when I touch metal water pipes or faucets. This happens also when the main breaker is off (L1, L2 and L3). This rules out my appliances (hot water boiler and etc....
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0 votes
0 answers
39 views

3-way dimmer switch conundrum

I just one replaced a Leviton 3-way switch w a 3-way dimmer. Now, however, the light only goes in when both switches are "up". I experimented w swapping the 2 traveller wires at their ...
0 votes
1 answer
46 views

How to properly ground new three way switches being installed?

I am replacing two existing 3 way switches. The existing ones did not have a ground attached. The electrical box is plastic. There are ground wires in the back of box that are twisted and crimped ...
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6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Using 10/2 and/or 8/2 for a 240 only 3-prong

I have 2 dedicated circuits: 40 amp water heater 30 amp electric range Both have 2 hots and a neutral grounded at the panel. One runs through a junction box where the wires are connected and ...
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2 votes
1 answer
245 views

How to ground solar transfer switch

I am installing an off-grid solar system to power some external buildings, but I want an automatic transfer switch so that outlets will be grid powered when the solar batteries are low. Can I run a ...
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How should I replace door chime transformer at breaker panel?

I'm replacing a door chime transformer with a new 16v 30va transformer to accommodate a new Ring doorbell. The existing transformer is attached in our circuit breaker panel through a knock out at the ...
2 votes
1 answer
968 views

Is THWN wire appropriate for an underground vehicle charging circuit?

We recently purchased a Tesla Model 3 and are planning on adding a 240V NEMA 14-50 outlet in our detached garage to improve charging speeds. Tesla's documentation specifies 6 AWG copper wire with 4 ...
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0 votes
0 answers
282 views

Replacing a bathroom fan - two ground wires?

I've purchased a Broan NuTone fan to replace the old one in my bathroom. The fan itself has a white wire, a black wire and a green wire. The wiring in my house consists of a black wire, a white wire, ...
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
386 views

I need "silver" colored wire to run through chain for hanging lamp to connect to ground where it mounts to ceiling

I bought a "Brushed Nickel" ceiling fixture to hang over my dining table, but it did not come with a long enough chain or wire. I found the chain & two strand "lamp" wire in &...
  • 1
0 votes
1 answer
408 views

Replaced 4-way electrical switch with new one with ground. Will it work without the ground?

I noticed that one of the three switches used to control our kitchen lights was acting funny. By funny, I mean that when I flipped that switch to turn the lights on there was a delay of about 1 second....
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

What is the correct wiring (including Ground) for two main load centers plus transfer switch?

I will be building a new house and plan to have 400A electric utility service split into two 200A main load centers. One of those load centers will be tied to a whole house generator via an automatic ...
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1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Must the ground wire be continuous from the panel box, through the meter to the grounding rod?

Splitting service to a new power meter. I just cut the wires coming out of the meter box and now the grounding cable is 2' short of the grounding rod. Must the ground wire be continuous from the ...
  • 11
2 votes
1 answer
168 views

Is this metal box grounded already?

I live in Chicago. I try to replace my single pole light switch to a dimmer light switch. When I open the current light switch , I can't find the ground wire. How should I connect my new dimmer switch'...
1 vote
2 answers
365 views

Smart dimmer: neutral, ground and copper wire capped together

I called an electrician today to help me install These smart dimmers (Amazon link) in my home. For one of the dimmers, he tied up the neutral and ground wires from the dimmer to the copper ground ...
  • 11
0 votes
2 answers
833 views

Studio apartment only has 2 prong outlets, I need to plug my PC into a 3 prong one

I recently built my PC, and it is plugged into a 2 prong outlet through a surge protector using a cheater plug, but I get slight shocks when touching the case. While I can remedy that just by not ...
1 vote
3 answers
21k views

Is there an alternative to buying a tamper to compact the ground?

I plan to build a brick wall, so I need to compact the ground first. The hardware store sells a tool called a tamper, that sells for $60 and only weighs 15 lbs, so it seems inefficient. How is that ...
  • 947
0 votes
2 answers
890 views

What is a ground loop in an electrical service?

I can't figure out what a ground loop is in an electrical service (residential, commercial, industrial). All I can figure out is that it has something to do with different potentials in the system, ...
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

22kw generator mounting pad on slope

I need to build a pad for a 22kW generator I am installing for my house. The image shows the situation. This generator is quite heavy. I plan to pour a rebar reinforced 6" pad for it. My ...
  • 1,221
2 votes
1 answer
590 views

3 wire conductor to an electrical subpanel - Can I add a separate conductor for neutral in same conduit?

I'm installing a subpanel to bring power to a garage. Answers to similar questions make it clear that a subpanel must isolate ground from neutral, so the bonding screw will be removed at the subpanel....
  • 603
0 votes
2 answers
132 views

How to find underground cavities below properry?

I purchased land in an area that was near a former mine. From geological maps, I see the official location of the mine is several blocks away from my property, however, locals told me there were ...
  • 947
1 vote
3 answers
95 views

How can I cut slots in the ground to install insulation panels?

To build a geothermal greenhouse, I need to insulate a thermal mass -- basically the ground directly the greenhouse. The insulation will be for the underground "walls" only, no floor, and 5 ...
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2 votes
0 answers
423 views

Can i connect my solar system to the ground wire of a grid outlet?

I have solar panels on the roof (ungrounded) and an ATS to switch between solar (ungrounded) and grid power. (grounded) EDIT : Sorry, my question wasn't clear enough, I'm talking about AC. My ...