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1 vote

How should I connect a light fixture with UK wire colors to US wiring?

In European locales brown = hot and blue = neutral. It may very well be that the manufacturer makes this device for multiple markets, and didn't bother to 'internationalize' it for North American ...
hacktastical's user avatar
7 votes

What's the safest way to improve upon an existing network cable running next to AC power in underground PVC conduit?

Split the current Cat5e connection 100 Mbit Ethernet only uses 2 pairs out of the 4 available in the Cat5e cable. You can get two independent 100 Mbit connections through the currently installed cable....
jpa's user avatar
  • 2,156
8 votes

What's the safest way to improve upon an existing network cable running next to AC power in underground PVC conduit?

Fiber is the obvious answer, both from future-proof perspective and the voltage isolation. It also protects the equipment from induced voltages from lightning strikes, which can be an issue in long ...
jpa's user avatar
  • 2,156
-1 votes

How should I connect a light fixture with UK wire colors to US wiring?

the red wire is the socket's center post (hot contact), the blue is the socket's collar (neutral) It is the rule to connect the hot to the center and the neural to the outside of the bulb socket to ...
DIY75's user avatar
  • 19.2k
12 votes

How should I connect a light fixture with UK wire colors to US wiring?

Wrong Colors That indicates either designed for the UK or some other place outside US/Canada or cheap junk from a very large Asian country. Designed for UK is actually OK if designed and manufactured ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
16 votes

What's the safest way to improve upon an existing network cable running next to AC power in underground PVC conduit?

Fiber is the only code compliant solution. You are not allowed to put SELV wires (like network cables) in a power conduit, but because fiber is electrically non-conductive it is allowed. Alternatives ...
Jasen's user avatar
  • 24.6k
6 votes

What's the safest way to improve upon an existing network cable running next to AC power in underground PVC conduit?

Option 7, is powerline, or ethernet-over-power. Personally I hate them and have a low success rate, though other people tell me my results are a-typical. To improve the chance of success given you ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 11.8k
11 votes

What's the safest way to improve upon an existing network cable running next to AC power in underground PVC conduit?

Before you start planning a pull through that old conduit you will need to check if it can still be pulled through, root intrusion might have clogged it. There's a few more options you might not have ...
ratchet freak's user avatar
1 vote

Replacing outlet with six wires

You want to buy "LEVITON – Back and Slide Wire Outlet" from homedepot. This outlet lets you install 6 wires (3 hot, 3 netural)... no need for pigtail mess, just slide in wires and tight nut ...
Dan's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote

Can I replace a 3-way light switch with single-pole switch with motion sensor?

You have 3 switches. Two of those are 3-way and one is 4-way. The good news is that most likely you can put this in place of any of the three switches, because the Lutron Maestro Motion Sensor, or at ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
0 votes

Is it ok to support a 10.1lb ceiling exhaust fan using a 2x4 on top of drywall rather than the provided metal brackets?

Many vent fans are made to basically lay on top of the ceiling drywall, using bend-out tabs in the metal box to clamp the box to the drywall. I wouldn't worry about the weight.
Huesmann's user avatar
  • 5,098
1 vote
Accepted

Install 240v Mysa thermostat, but gangbox has 6 wires all colored the same

Based on the picture of the King thermostat above, the King is double pole, switching both L1 and L2 sides of the 240V split phase electric supply. Based on the third picture showing one black wire ...
Triplefault's user avatar
  • 12.1k
2 votes

Sub Panel to a Shop

The first thing to do is to figure out the total power needs for your shop. This is officially called a Load Calculation. There is a complex way of doing this for an entire building. For a shop it may ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
0 votes

What order/arrangement for these lights and switch?

As I mentioned in my comment, there isn't a need to run a separate circuit from the main unless the switched circuit is at capacity or if you need a neutral in the switch box for a smart switch. If ...
HoneyDo's user avatar
  • 9,235
0 votes

Light fixture changed and now hallway lights not working

You need to have 4 terminals as per the old image. You have missed a connection and that terminal block is too small or you need to sort the wires so there are 2 or 3 into each side.
Solar Mike's user avatar
  • 28.7k
1 vote

GFCI Outlet Blew and Sparked

It looks like the screw on that GFCI made contact with a ground wire or the side of the junction box, if metal, and shorted out when you hit the test/reset button.
JACK's user avatar
  • 86.2k
3 votes

Is it ok to support a 10.1lb ceiling exhaust fan using a 2x4 on top of drywall rather than the provided metal brackets?

The metal bracket is to be used if fastening to a framing member (Joist or truss) is not possible. The way your fan is mounted, ( assuming it indeed is attached to a truss) is preferred. You are fine.
RMDman's user avatar
  • 42.7k
2 votes

Is it ok to support a 10.1lb ceiling exhaust fan using a 2x4 on top of drywall rather than the provided metal brackets?

The only thing I would be worried about is it getting a vibration but other than that you should be ok.
kenny25271's user avatar
3 votes

Seeking good method to locate short on buried AC power cable

I know this post is 7 years old, but maybe it will help someone else... 2/0AL has a resistance of around .16 ohm per 1000ft or .16 milliohm per foot. So take a milliohm reading between the wires that ...
Timothy Brooks's user avatar
1 vote
Accepted

No ground to connect to for light/fan switch

If your outlets are grounded, run a ground wire from one of them to your bathroom GFCI and the switch box you show, so you can at least ground those switches and your vanity light. Using a metal box ...
kreemoweet's user avatar
  • 4,014
2 votes

Updating Electric Service to a 100yr+ old house

Out of sequence Unfortunately, your proposal, while not a violation of the NEC, will not pass inspection nonetheless. Why? Well, since we're dealing with metering here, the utility gets a say as well ...
ThreePhaseEel's user avatar
0 votes

Where does the common wire for my humidifier connect to my furnace board?

The C wire connects to the screw label C on the board ebay.com
DIY75's user avatar
  • 19.2k
3 votes
Accepted

Conduit Termination Required in Crawlspace?

The correct fitting for a conduit that just ends is a conduit end-bell which provides a molded rounded edge to protect the cables leaving the conduit. We use them a lot for low voltage network cabling....
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 226k
2 votes

Updating Electric Service to a 100yr+ old house

I have 120V/30A service in my winter cottage. It's surprisingly usable... Are you sure it needs "correcting"? Although EV charging isn't going to happen beyond level 1, and that can be a ...
Harper - Reinstate Monica's user avatar
3 votes

Can I use crimp connectors intended for #14 wire on #18 wire?

Your crimp connector has a specified approved wire size range. Using oversized connectors can result in poor conductivity and loose connections. Look up the specs for your part. If it's 12-16, for ...
isherwood's user avatar
  • 149k
0 votes

New bookcases cover receptacles

I think the best way forward is to create j-box access panels in the backs (1/2 thick) of the bookcases. I’ll run romex down the inside of the wall and out through my 6” high bases to the 6” high ...
user345853's user avatar
1 vote

Required Circuits for Waterfurnace Geothermal Unit and Aux Heater

You gave a link to the manual... A typical 60 Ampere circuit whose run is less that 200 feet requires a 6 Gauge conductor (plus ground) COPPER wire. (Aluminum can only handle 50A). Page 43 of the ...
Paul's user avatar
  • 998
2 votes

Should my HVAC contractor be anchoring wiring by screwing anchors into my insulated ductwork?

No, you're not right. Much. Maybe a tiny bit, but it's negligible. It's common to see conduit and cable stays screwed to ductwork. Of course, the ductwork mounts are often screwed directly to the ...
isherwood's user avatar
  • 149k
0 votes

New bookcases cover receptacles

The whole problem seems to boil down to the NEC's interpretation of "exposed". Running wire into a bookshelf is nothing like burying it inside a wall. A bookcase is not guaranteed to any ...
AdamO's user avatar
  • 1,142
2 votes

New bookcases cover receptacles

With some very rare exceptions (there is a type of splice approved for repairs, not always easy to find and I don't know if deliberate extension, as opposed to repairing damage in existing wires, ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
3 votes

How should I connect an outlet to these six wires?

Backstab connections are bad. It's good you're fixing it. Why? Backstabs have less contact area than screw terminals or wire nuts, so they have more IR drop. Under high load they tend to heat up which ...
hacktastical's user avatar
2 votes

Can only one wall switch control a ceiling fan/light with remote?

If the remote has only one black and white input, then the answer is No. Both answers give you lots of good information. This old stack exchange is answering your question indirectly if the receiver ...
ChucktheDuck's user avatar
1 vote

Can only one wall switch control a ceiling fan/light with remote?

Most fan/light combinations nowadays come in one of two, very different, designs: Traditional/Wired Fan and light each have a separate power wire. Assuming each is wired to a separate switch, they can ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
0 votes

Can only one wall switch control a ceiling fan/light with remote?

You can't have it both ways. You have 2 switches one for fan one for light. However You have a remote that will accept only one input for power. The remote then operates the fan and its speeds as ...
RMDman's user avatar
  • 42.7k
10 votes

How should I connect an outlet to these six wires?

Pigtail the three blacks together plus adding a six inch black wire to connect to the receptacle hot screw. Repeat for the white neutrals, with the short white to the receptacle neutral screw. Can use ...
crip659's user avatar
  • 30.3k
10 votes

How should I connect an outlet to these six wires?

You have a combo of backstabs and terminal connections. I assume you're replacing the outlet. There are two ways you can go about this: Tie blacks together, whites together, and any grounds together,...
Huesmann's user avatar
  • 5,098
1 vote

How should I wire this TACO 501 to my old oil boiler?

Briefly: If your goal is to power a smart thermostat, find a way to do that without touching the safety-critical circuits controlling the boiler. Do not replace the controller for no reason when you ...
jay613's user avatar
  • 45.4k
1 vote

Power surge turns off entire house

It sounds like you had a short circuit at the light being replaced caused by some bare wires in the wiring in the wall. The short circuit caused either the main breaker or many other circuit breakers ...
K. A. Buhr's user avatar
3 votes

miele calima vacuum cleaner made for US but want to use in france

This is not a good idea for several reasons: Frequency A vacuum cleaner generally has a large motor designed for a particular voltage range (e.g., 110V - 125V or 200V - 250V) and frequency. While a ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
5 votes

miele calima vacuum cleaner made for US but want to use in france

Just sell it and buy one made for EU. Much safer, as the vacuum on max is about double that transformer that you have. This has been asked before for many items and the answer is always the same.
Solar Mike's user avatar
  • 28.7k
2 votes

one of two garage lights always on

There are two possibilities that come to mind: Missing Switch There is another switch somewhere in the garage for the 2nd light. Either that switch is hidden, e.g., behind a cabinet or something, or ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
3 votes

Wall switch for motorized skylight

There appears to be a ground wire in the junction box. Turn the power on and check the three switch wires separately to ground with your multi meter. The wire with 120V +- will be your always hot and ...
JACK's user avatar
  • 86.2k
1 vote

Generator breaker trips when hooked up for backfeed

Original answer deleted - it was based on my erroneous assumption that this was all 14-50. It turns out the house connection (inlet and one of the cord) is SS2-50 while the generator is 14-50. Not ...
manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact's user avatar
16 votes
Accepted

Generator breaker trips when hooked up for backfeed

That the breaker on the generator trips as soon as you turn it on, while the 50 amp backfeed breaker is off, means that you have a short in the wires leading from the generator to the backfeed breaker....
Triplefault's user avatar
  • 12.1k
3 votes

What kind of range hood do I need?

The best solution would be to give up enough space in the upper cabinet to allow a vented range hood to connect to the hole the fan is in now. Basically cutting a big enough hole in the top and bottom ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 226k
5 votes

What kind of range hood do I need?

The hood size is driven by the range size, based on the instruction manual coming with the range. The hood most often must be the same width as the range or wider. It is usual to have the hood same ...
Triplefault's user avatar
  • 12.1k
1 vote

Does this look like a quality built multi-swtich power supply unit?

Based on what I can find in the manufacturers' websites, theses are non-certified use-at-your-own-risk parts from China. The Furman unit, despite its $300 price tag and "power conditioner" ...
Robert Chapin's user avatar
-1 votes

Does this look like a quality built multi-swtich power supply unit?

I see nothing obviously wrong. Furman is a respectable brand, assuming this isn't counterfeit. Being a respectable brand, it should carry one or more of the certifying labels that crip659 mentioned, ...
keshlam's user avatar
  • 33.2k
1 vote

How do I connect the three sets of wires in this switch box

I'm going to take a guess that you want continuous power to the outlet and you have a load (like a light) that you want the switch to operate. That would be wired like this: I am not an electrician, ...
Mainguy's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote

How to wire a relay 5v one side 24v other side?

Yes, a relay is the right thing to use here. You need a relay that accepts 24V AC on its coil (the same type of power that standard video doorbells require) and has set of "normally open" ...
nobody's user avatar
  • 7,116

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