30
votes
Accepted
What is this electrical box next to the switchboard?
That is a telephone wire.
From roughly 1880 to 2010 people who were not in the same place and wanted to speak, did so mostly using telephones connected by pairs of copper wires.
The black wire ...
- 17.3k
16
votes
What is this electrical box next to the switchboard?
Landline Telephone. The black wire is the drop wire from the pole or outside interface.
The cover could be screwed back on.
It's not connected to the electricity supply at all, other than there might ...
- 134k
8
votes
Accepted
Alternatives to running a single Neutral wire?
My plan: I can get 10' of 14/3 (it's the cheapest thing by the foot that I can find available at my hardware store... I could get 12/3 for a little more
Hold on there, you need to go find your ...
6
votes
How tight is too tight for wire staples?
For many years inspectors did not look at staples at all, including spacing. In some places “Ropers” would go through and pull and staple. Many times damaged cable was a problem. This is why to even ...
- 95.8k
4
votes
My light in bedroom isn’t working
It sounds like you've done a pretty good job diagnosing the problem - neutral broken.
A regular (as opposed to "smart") switch only gets hot, which is why it looks just fine. Lights/switches ...
4
votes
Could this have been the cause of power issues I was having?
Could this lug touching the panel box have caused my flickering and surge issues?
No chance. This is a main panel, and neutral and ground are bonded here, so they are at the same voltage by ...
4
votes
Accepted
Any downside to using fan box as wall sconce box?
I've run into this a number of times where the boxes had holes NE and SW instead of N-S and E-W. Sometimes the fixture had a weird hole pattern. You can pick up a universal bracket that will solve ...
- 53.8k
3
votes
Alternatives to running a single Neutral wire?
To use the 14/3 the circuit must be on a 15 amp breaker, for a light circuit it is possible, most circuits with outlets are usually on 20 amp breakers now and require 12/2 or 12/3 cables.
14 gauge ...
- 5,771
3
votes
Is this ceiling fan wiring code legal?
Yes, once cables part, they can never merge again. Because then you'd either be paralleling, or have imbalanced current on each cable, violating 300.3.
(except for grounds; those are always tied ...
3
votes
Accepted
Is this ceiling fan wiring code legal?
If there were two (separated) neutrals at the fan/light (there generally are not) it would be acceptable.
Since there (very likely) is only one neutral, it's not.
The problem is that as wired, you ...
- 134k
3
votes
drilling thru wood at a distance and right angle?
Lay some planks or plywood across the ceiling joists (well, trusses) and wriggle in there with a right angle adapter chucked up to your drill. A spade bit would be ideal, and if it has a 1/4" hex ...
- 15.7k
3
votes
Electrical Socket Doesn't Work for One Particular Appliance
There is nothing wrong with your receptacle.
You just need to switch on the garbage disposal switch whenever you want the receptacle to have power.
Yes, this is how the garbage disposal is controlled. ...
2
votes
Accepted
(Up to) 35 Amp Load on 10 Gauge Wire?
ST is cordage. It's only good for a cord.
ST means "Service Grade" and "Thermoplastic".
What this means is, it's allowed for a flexible cord going from the appliance to the plug (...
2
votes
Accepted
Power to Electrical Panel in Shed
The cables entering the box need to be clamped. You probably need a filler plug for the big hole the cable on the left is coming in through, and to re-route it through a smaller knockout that a clamp ...
- 134k
1
vote
Accepted
Light fixture connected to 3-way switch without neutral
This seems to be an attempt to install "three-way" switches to control two lights simultaneously. You do not have enough conductors installed to wire this circuit properly.
You have several ...
- 12.8k
1
vote
Why is my vanity bathroom light not working?
This sounds like a simple case of mixing up the hot’s
You probably have at least or more black wires, one is a hot one goes to the bedroom one goes to the vanity. Some one mixed them up the hot and ...
- 95.8k
1
vote
breaker box in old camper
There is a 30 amp 120v RV plug that is common in the US.
the black is hot White neutral and green ground.
As you only have 1 leg power the feeder black ties to both buss bars or black on both.
The ...
- 95.8k
1
vote
Are NEC wire gauge requirements valid for lower-voltage DC?
All good correct comments so far. Would like to clarify some bits.
Given the distance you note is no more than 15 feet voltage drop will not be an issue even with DC.
If you are running 12V to the ...
- 19
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