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FogHelmut posted:I have 2 GFCI outlets on the same breaker, but in separate bathrooms. If one is on, the other is off. These were here when I moved in. What could be causing this issue? I took everything apart and put it back together in the same way and everything works now magically.
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Jun 23, 2010 15:22
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 10:42 |
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FogHelmut posted:I took everything apart and put it back together in the same way and everything works now magically.
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Jun 23, 2010 22:00
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Does anyone know where I can get a cheap kWh meter (like what you would have on the outside of your house)? I'm building a solar array and want to put one between the output of my inverter and my main panel so I can keep track of my production.
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Jun 24, 2010 15:44
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Hillridge posted:Does anyone know where I can get a cheap kWh meter (like what you would have on the outside of your house)? I'm building a solar array and want to put one between the output of my inverter and my main panel so I can keep track of my production. http://www.hialeahmeter.com/ They're utility grade.
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Jun 25, 2010 14:44
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Another solar related question: Can an AC disconnect be used with a DC system? In particular I want to use a GE THN3361R (30A/600V) to disconnect my panel voltage from my inverter.
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Jun 27, 2010 03:57
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Hillridge posted:Another solar related question: Only if you wire two poles in series can you get the 600VDC rating. Otherwise, each pole is only listed for 250VDC.
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Jun 27, 2010 14:51
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Hillridge posted:Another solar related question: In general, yes, but the ratings are different. Check the nameplate. I found the nameplate for the disconnect you want, and it's listed at 5HP, 250VDC, so you should be OK. It also says "suitable for use as service equipment" which is what you're really looking for, as this will technically be a service disconnect.
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Jun 27, 2010 14:58
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Thanks for the ongoing help. I think I'll keep looking for one rated to 600VDC. My strings of panels could get to near 500V in extreme cold. I have another question related to this project. I need to connect the exposed USE-2 cables from the panels to 4x #10 THWN-2 wires and run them in conduit across the asphalt roof, and down the side of the house to the disconnect. I also need to run a #6 ground wire along the same path. What type of conduit should I use, and how should I secure it to the roof (20° slope, asphalt shingle)? Can I use flexible conduit or must it be rigid? Also, does the ground wire need to be run inside or outside of the conduit, and should it be solid or stranded, insulated or bare?
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Jun 28, 2010 15:07
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Hillridge posted:Thanks for the ongoing help. Your ground must be in the same raceway as your current-carrying conductors. It can be solid or stranded, insulated or bare. If insulated, it must be green. That said, parallel 10s? Two strings? #6 ground? Sounds very odd to me. I'd run it in EMT with raintight fittings, using one-hole or two-hole straps to secure it to the roof. For a little more and much more secure, screw unistrut to the roof, then use strut straps for the EMT. Depends on how far you have to go. I'd recommend against a flexible conduit for anything over 15', because it'd be a cast-iron bitch to get wire in it.
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Jun 28, 2010 19:31
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Your ground must be in the same raceway as your current-carrying conductors. It can be solid or stranded, insulated or bare. If insulated, it must be green. I'm still working on the details, but here is the plan so far: I have 26 panels arranged as two strings of 13 each. The conduit will carry 4 runs of #10 THWN-2 (+ and - for each string), along with a beefy #6 ground. The panels are grounded together and to the racks with bare #6, which is connected to stranded #6 for use in the conduit. This conduit goes across the roof and down the side of the house to a DC disconnect (most likely a HU361RB). The ground will tie to the chassis of the disconnect, then continue out to a ground rod driven into the earth near the disconnect. The two positive lines will go to the line side of the disconnect, then continue into the house to the inverter. The two negatives (unbroken) and a #10 ground also pass through to the inverter. The inverter ground is tied to the production meter and my main panel with #10 as well. I'm familiar with using EMT indoors, and with the watertight PVC based conduit, but I haven't used EMT with raintight fittings before. Are these a special part, or would most electrical supply stores carry them?
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Jun 28, 2010 20:41
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Hillridge posted:I'm still working on the details, but here is the plan so far: Sounds pretty good. If your - lines have the ability to be energized,then they must be disconnected as well. How big is your inverter? To what does it feed? Raintight fittings should be commonly available. Every once in a while, we get a box of raintight fittings when we order normal compression fittings.
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Jun 29, 2010 02:13
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I'm using a Xantrex GT5, which is good for 5kW. I plan to backfeed a 30A breaker (with a meter in between the two) with it using #10. I should have posted this a bit ago, but here's my one line drawing: http://hillridge.net/SA/images/wiring.png
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Jun 29, 2010 03:05
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Your ground must be in the same raceway as your current-carrying conductors. It can be solid or stranded, insulated or bare. If insulated, it must be green. The conduit has to be elevated a bit from the roof, or you'll create a dam.
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Jun 29, 2010 16:06
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grover posted:CFLs, most likely- they really don't play nice with cheap timers, dimmers, motion sensors, etc. Could be simple elderly component failure internally, too. Well I found a problem at the pole outside. Dont know just yet if it fixed the melted switch issue, but the light pole at the street at an outlet at the bottom. Said outlet was a cheap interior model that was completely pulled away from the pole from a lovely housing and corroded as gently caress. Might have had an internal short. Also had some nice ants living in there too.
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Jun 29, 2010 16:24
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dietcokefiend posted:Well I found a problem at the pole outside. Dont know just yet if it fixed the melted switch issue, but the light pole at the street at an outlet at the bottom. Said outlet was a cheap interior model that was completely pulled away from the pole from a lovely housing and corroded as gently caress. Might have had an internal short. Also had some nice ants living in there too.
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Jun 30, 2010 01:57
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grover posted:Was that outlet on the same circuit as the switches that blew up? If it's on a different circuit, it's probably unrelated. It was in a series with the pole outside. House > Switch > outlet > light. We used it since it could control Christmas lights and stuff. In other news I am now terrified about the wiring in my parents house. Lots of cloth covered silver stuff. Not exactly sure what it is but it looks like tinned metal. I was thinking aluminum at first but it was too shiny for its age and at the ends of bare wire under screw caps you could see a copper core. EDIT:  oh god it looks like my parents have one of these feeding the house:http://www.inspectapedia.com/fpe/fpe.htm Some of you might remember this post I made a few months ago: quote:How many of you guys remember that scene from Christmas Vacation where the cat bites the christmas lights and sparks underneath that chair? dietcokefiend fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Jun 30, 2010 |
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Jun 30, 2010 03:55
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dietcokefiend posted:EDIT: Glad your found your problem; hopefully you won't be blowing up any more light switches. That combination of lovely panel with old wiring is dangerous, though.
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Jun 30, 2010 10:57
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While tearing apart and rebuilding my kitchen, I found the electric was grounded to a copper pipe that no longer used. Putting things back together I regrounded the wire to another copper pipe, cleaned the clamp, the copper and the wire and hooked it all up. Should I assume though that the copper itself is grounded somewhere? It doesn't ever actually touch the ground and I'm don't remember seeing a grounding rod.
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Jul 2, 2010 05:50
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Grounding to cold water pipes is one way to ground electricity, or at least it was more common in the past. The idea with grounding to cold water pipes is that they're made of copper, are full of water and extend through the earth beyond your service entrance. Nowadays it's no longer code to ground to cold water pipes just anywhere, it has to be clamped within 5 feet of the service entrance. The reason for this is that copper is no longer the only option for water pipes anymore now that there's nonconducting alternatives like CPVC. Clamping within those few feet prevents the possibility of having a section in between replaced by nonconducting pipe in the future. You've got 2 real options for grounding that circuit: 1. run a ground wire to the service entrance and put a clamp there, 2. run a ground wire to your fusebox and attach it to the grounding busbar inside.
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Jul 2, 2010 06:50
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Moving it to fresh new pipe was absolutely the right thing to do and is electrically safe. However, when the old pipe was cut, the grandfather clause ceased to apply to this ground, and it is legally required to be brought up to the latest code. To clarify, that's <5' from the water service entrance, not the electrical service entrance. You can always use supplementary ground rods, as well. The ground wire can't be spliced between the box and the ground, it has to be continuous. (There are a few really special types of splices you can do, but you probably don't have access to them as a DIY.) There are actually quite a few ways to properly ground an electrical system- the important thing is a solid electrical connection between your house and the earth- 8' of ground rod driven into moist ground is usually sufficient, but not necessarily for all soil types. Copper pipes are one way as they're conductive and go very long ways underground and offer a terrific low-impedance path to ground. Underground galvanized conduit is another, as is properly bonded foundation rebar, or buried loops of copper wire. NEC gives a whole list of options. In most cases, it's not even optional- if it's metal, it must be grounded. Obviously things like nails and hurricane straps don't apply, but many others do. grover fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Jul 2, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 17:08
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Thanks. It sounds like I failed in bringing this up to code but it seems that it should be safe. Point taken about non-conductive pipe though. When this is over I'll crawl down there and drive a grounding rod into the dirt and connect the ground, that's probably not code either but it should be safe (I hope because I'm not tearing the wall back apart).
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Jul 4, 2010 06:29
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wormil posted:Thanks. It sounds like I failed in bringing this up to code but it seems that it should be safe. Point taken about non-conductive pipe though. When this is over I'll crawl down there and drive a grounding rod into the dirt and connect the ground, that's probably not code either but it should be safe (I hope because I'm not tearing the wall back apart). Drive the ground rod by your panel, connect a ground wire thereto, and then another wire from your panel to any nearby copper pipe. That's MUCH closer to code, and looks like you've actually tried to follow it, as opposed to a ground rod on the other side of the house, which is dreadfully against code.
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Jul 4, 2010 17:31
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Drive the ground rod by your panel, connect a ground wire thereto, and then another wire from your panel to any nearby copper pipe. That's MUCH closer to code, and looks like you've actually tried to follow it, as opposed to a ground rod on the other side of the house, which is dreadfully against code. Well the panel is in a room with a slab and no copper so I guess I could go through the attic and down through an interior wall to the pipes, that should work.
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Jul 4, 2010 20:40
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I started a thread for my solar project in case anyone is interested: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3324488 Please let me know if I'm doing anything dumb with the wiring.
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Jul 7, 2010 14:35
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Now that the old 120V rework in my new house is nearing an end, I'm thinking about structured cabling for computers and TVs and such. I'd like to run the new cabling in conduit, fishing it in walls and through my basement. I've got 2 real problems though: 1. I'm having a hard time finding old work low voltage boxes with knockouts for conduit fittings. I did find some stuff from Smart Box and some more from Arlington, but I'm open to more. Or should I just go to steel boxes with plaster ears and those bendable ear thingies? I'm kind of limited by depth in the exterior walls since they're just masonry with furring strips. I only got 2 3/8" depth in those walls. The interior walls are all 2x4s. 2. What conduit to use? I'm trying to avoid using FMC as I've had nothing but problems pulling wires through it before.
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Jul 8, 2010 20:59
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What are the black connectors on the front of this box called? Click here for the full 1280x960 image.
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Jul 8, 2010 21:14
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Hillridge posted:What are the black connectors on the front of this box called? Those look like strain reliefs, not connectors.
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Jul 8, 2010 21:29
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Sorry, I should have worded that better. They are strain reliefs with wires passing through them, but they don't come with that box. I was wondering what to look for so I could buy them.
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Jul 8, 2010 21:39
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http://www.electronicplus.com/content/ProductPage.asp?maincat=WA&subcat=WST In the section labeled *********WATERTIGHT CHASSIS MOUNT CORD STRAIN RELIEFS********** there's a whole selection of them with photos. You should be able to find them at Home Depot or Lowes without too much trouble.
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Jul 8, 2010 22:32
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Hillridge posted:What are the black connectors on the front of this box called? I have a whole bunch of those in a bag somewhere. Lemme see if I can find a better nomenclature than "those waterproof SO cord connectors."
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Jul 9, 2010 13:05
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I have a whole bunch of those in a bag somewhere. Lemme see if I can find a better nomenclature than "those waterproof SO cord connectors." They're strain reliefs.
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Jul 9, 2010 14:57
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GreenTrench posted:They're strain reliefs. Indeed they are. T&B 2671 "Black Beauty" liquidtight cord connectors with integral strain relief. These are 3/8 nominal, but they get pretty big.
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Jul 9, 2010 18:44
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Anybody got any answers for my box and conduit questions?
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Jul 11, 2010 02:17
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kid sinister posted:Anybody got any answers for my box and conduit questions?
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Jul 11, 2010 02:25
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kid sinister posted:Anybody got any answers for my box and conduit questions? Have you thought of FNC aka Smurf Tube? It's made by Carlon and there's a wide array of fittings for it. I think I saw some Old Work 1 5/8" boxes with integral fittings at Home Depot last time I was there.
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Jul 11, 2010 16:56
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grover posted:Just fish romex, it will work well for your application here. Also, you can always run the cable through the cavities in the masonry in the exterior walls if unable to fish through the furring strip cavity. You don't need to staple or leave 1.25" for retrofit work. No romex here, just low voltage stuff: RG6, CAT5, speaker, etc. babyeatingpsychopath posted:Have you thought of FNC aka Smurf Tube? It's made by Carlon and there's a wide array of fittings for it. I think I saw some Old Work 1 5/8" boxes with integral fittings at Home Depot last time I was there. Do you mean ENT? And would I actually need the yellow colored tubing and not the blue for low voltage instead? And I looked through Carlon's entire catalog. They have nothing with knockouts in old work, just their new work boxes.
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Jul 11, 2010 20:58
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kid sinister posted:No romex here, just low voltage stuff: RG6, CAT5, speaker, etc. ENT, sure. Color doesn't matter in any way. You could use red, I guess. If you're already doing drywall repair, and painting, why not just cut some (bigger) holes and use new work boxes?
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Jul 11, 2010 21:09
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kid sinister posted:No romex here, just low voltage stuff: RG6, CAT5, speaker, etc. If it's all low voltage, you don't need knockouts; you don't even really need a box. You can get a backless box or cut a giant hole in a box, and feed everything into that. So long as the end of the ENT is close to the box, shouldn't be an issue pulling in new stuff. If you had problems pulling through FMC, ENT won't be any better.
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Jul 11, 2010 21:10
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I don't know to post this in AI:Tools or here but I figured advice is advice. I am looking at getting one of those Harbor Freight small generators, the 800/900 watter. I know its shortcomings, noisy, dirty power, and 800 watts. The question is, I would like to use it when I am out in remote areas (parents land) and it would be nice to have power tools instead of sweating with hand tools. Any one have experince with these? The reviews have been pretty good as long as you know the short comings. I am also worried about damage it could pose on any long term use on sawzalls/power drills/etc.
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Jul 16, 2010 03:03
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Ok, I have a question. My mother in laws microwave took a dump. This is one of them over the range microwave. So i bought a new one for her but then i ran into a problem when i was about to take the old one out. I see this ... wtf picture 1 :  wtf another view :  Now, I'm not expert and that looks like a 12 gauge wire? Anyway, I guess i can always do the exact same thing with the new one but can't i just install this :  I really dont want ot drill a new hole and create an outlet per se and this would be just a whole bunch easier. What are your suggestions? Thanks b0g fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Jul 17, 2010 |
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Jul 17, 2010 05:44
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