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chryst posted:These seem to trace from an outlet to the breaker. Is there something like this that'll trace the wires inside the walls, so I don't have to tear out drywall to figure out where each branch ends up going when I want to run a new 3-conductor wire? The Amprobe ECB50A appears to serve this function. It was on the Grainger website too, but the site I linked is cheaper and has links for the instruction manual and datasheet. Is it not really going to work, babyeatingpsychopath? I'm tempted to order it tonight, though I am suspect that it will work through AC/MC conduit as metal has a way of shielding low frequency signals.
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May 5, 2009 01:07
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Lucid Smog posted:The Amprobe ECB50A appears to serve this function. It was on the Grainger website too, but the site I linked is cheaper and has links for the instruction manual and datasheet. I'm not going to say it won't work, but I'm inclined to believe your suspicions that it won't work on that cable, which is probably BX. The tester like that (I think it was a Greenlee) didn't work if the cable passed through a metal stud. It would find the cable until it went through the stud, then locate the whole stud with nothing past that. The transmitter says 8-10kHz; it may sufficiently energize cable armor to work fine. For $70, you have a really good circuit tracer if nothing else.
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May 5, 2009 01:42
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I'm not going to say it won't work, but I'm inclined to believe your suspicions that it won't work on that cable, which is probably BX. The tester like that (I think it was a Greenlee) didn't work if the cable passed through a metal stud. It would find the cable until it went through the stud, then locate the whole stud with nothing past that. The transmitter says 8-10kHz; it may sufficiently energize cable armor to work fine. For $70, you have a really good circuit tracer if nothing else. I bought that Amprobe circuit tracer. I am still getting used to it, you're right about it being a bit tricky. It makes sounds like those cheap Halloween scary toy things. It does appear to work through the BX cable, and it does also appear to work through a plaster wall (and more BX cable). It also looks like it injects the signal through the ground lead (and possibly through the hot as well), because even circuits that are switched off (with a switch, not the breaker) still set it off. Also my ground wire from the breaker to the cold water pipes always sets it off too. I think it will have been a good investment, though I am still trying to get used to it.
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May 9, 2009 18:09
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I have a non-grounding outlet that I would like to replace with a grounding outlet. The outlet is fed by 12/2 NM without ground. Because of the location of the outlet in relation to the panel, coupled with the fact that the basement is partially finished, it would be somewhat difficult to run a new circuit. It would be very easy, however, to fish a grounding wire from the outlet down into an unfinished part of the basement and attach it to an accessible junction box with a grounding clip or screw. That junction box is part of a separate circuit and is fed via EMT back to the panel. There is not a separate grounding wire in the EMT - the conduit is used to provide grounding. From what I could gather through a bit of Googling, it used to be common practice to do something similar to this, but the ground wire would be run to a cold water pipe instead. I gather that it's no longer code to attach the grounding wire to a cold water pipe, but how about this situation? This seems to be the best information I can find on the subject: http://books.google.com/books?id=im1rgZnFlMIC&pg=PT70. This seems to suggest that it's code to run a separate grounding wire from an existing outlet, but I'm not entirely clear on the definition of "any point on the grounding electrode system." Anyone have any ideas whether doing this would be code or not?
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May 12, 2009 06:08
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skoobert posted:I have a non-grounding outlet that I would like to replace with a grounding outlet. The outlet is fed by 12/2 NM without ground. Because of the location of the outlet in relation to the panel, coupled with the fact that the basement is partially finished, it would be somewhat difficult to run a new circuit. It would be very easy, however, to fish a grounding wire from the outlet down into an unfinished part of the basement and attach it to an accessible junction box with a grounding clip or screw. That junction box is part of a separate circuit and is fed via EMT back to the panel. There is not a separate grounding wire in the EMT - the conduit is used to provide grounding. In Australia it's fairly common to use the same earthing cable for different circuits since earth cable are all connected at the Switchboard anyway. I'm guessing that the conduit is metal? Just make sure the resistance is low enough to conduct the fault current, that means really good connections. Using a multimeter on the ohms scale use a "trailing lead" (a roll of cable that has one end attached to the earthing in the switchboard, the other end on one probe of the meter. The remaining probe to be inserting into the earth terminal on the switch). Not sure on U.S. code but the reading should be less than 2 Ohms
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May 12, 2009 08:23
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skoobert posted:Anyone have any ideas whether doing this would be code or not?
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May 12, 2009 10:50
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Big Steveo posted:... Thanks for the reply, that all makes sense. grover posted:It's not legal in the US, sorry. What specifically would not be code? Would the grounding wire need to be a continuous run all the way to the panel? Something else? Just trying to get better understanding of things...
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May 12, 2009 16:46
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Per NEC, the conductors, grounded conductor and grounding conductor all have to be run in the same raceway. For NM, I've seen AHJs allow a bare wire to be run outside of, but parallel to, the existing cable. Usually, though, it means "in" the cable, since NM is its own raceway, which means replacing the cable. Keeping all the wires in parallel reduces the risk of the ground wire getting broken or disconnected and nobody realizing it.
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May 13, 2009 00:23
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grover posted:Per NEC, the conductors, grounded conductor and grounding conductor all have to be run in the same raceway. For NM, I've seen AHJs allow a bare wire to be run outside of, but parallel to, the existing cable. Usually, though, it means "in" the cable, since NM is its own raceway, which means replacing the cable. Thanks for the follow up. I did a little more research and found the section you're referring to... 303.3(B) posted:All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors shall be contained within the same raceway... That section also contains a few exceptions: 303.3(B)(2) posted:Equipment grounding conductors shall be permitted to be installed outside a raceway or cable assembly where in accordance with the provisions of 250.130(C) for certain existing installations... 250.130(C) is titled "Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions" and talks about where it is acceptable to connect the equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle when replacing a nongrounding receptacle, so I would think that the exception applies in my case. Any thoughts?
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May 13, 2009 19:42
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Good catch, I'd forgotten about that exception! (300.3, btw, not 303.3) Yes, I do believe you're good to go 
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May 15, 2009 00:20
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I'm not sure if this is exactly the right thread to ask about this. Apologies for the long story... I discovered recently that we can receive digital HD broadcasts over-the-air, as long as you have a digital tuner. I plugged a crappy FM wire antenna into the back of my TV and magically got 10 free high-definition channels. The problem is that it only works when the balcony door is open, and I can't receive any US stations, which I should be able to. (I'm in Toronto.) I'm 20 floors up in a condo that faces the UHF-broadcasting CN Tower, and Buffalo. I figured I could just stick a little outdoor antenna on my balcony. There's a little gap in the sliding doors I can use to run coax through. In my reading now I'm hearing all about "grounding" which I have absolutely zero knowledge of. There are tonnes of articles online about grounding antennas on rooftops and the like, but I can't find anything about mounting one on a balcony. Is it even possible to ground something like that from a condo balcony? Do I need to, or is it only important when the antenna is the highest point around during a storm...? teethgrinder fucked around with this message at 02:51 on May 16, 2009 |
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May 16, 2009 02:48
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teethgrinder posted:In my reading now I'm hearing all about "grounding" which I have absolutely zero knowledge of. There are tonnes of articles online about grounding antennas on rooftops and the like, but I can't find anything about mounting one on a balcony. If your antenna is just a piece of wire dangling from the balcony, there's no grounding possible, you can't ground a monopole antenna. You can ground other types of antennas, though. If you're using a commercial high-gain antenna with a metal body, you need to ground the metal body to a ground point. You should use a grounding block to ground the shield of the coax, too. Often, the easiest one is the ground prong in your electrical system, but to do it right, you'd run a grounding conductor directly to the structural steel of the building. If you have a metal balcony railing, that metal balcony railing should already be grounded- if you can verify that it's grounded, it'll make this was easier. grover fucked around with this message at 14:11 on May 16, 2009 |
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May 16, 2009 13:49
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grover posted:Grounding is extremely important for antennas, as they tend to act as lightning rods, and proper grounding will dissipate the static charges that build up, and reduce the change of being struck by lightning. What you're literally doing is running a wire from this antenna into typically an 8' (or longer) rod stuck in the ground - this "grounds" your system, and dissipate any electrical energy right into the earth. The ground wire of your electrical system is always grounded, too. The risk is lessened if there are higher actual lightning rods around, but not eliminated. Does your building have lightning protection on the roof? If he is on the 20th floor of a building, I would sure as gently caress hope they have a lightning protection system. How big is this antenna he wants to put up on his balcony, and how many floors are above him?
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May 19, 2009 02:01
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It's a relatively-compact double-bowtie model. It's only about two feet tall, foot wide and like eight inches of depth. There are 25 floors above me.
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May 19, 2009 02:37
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I am thinking about rewiring my upstairs in my new house since it is K&T. There is an old 1'x1' chimney space leading up to the attic from the basement. Currently the hot water vent is placed inside the old chimney, which runs up into the attic and punches through the roof. Would the old chimney be a good location to fish wire up into the attic? I could only anchor the wire at in the basement before the chimney and in the attic after the chimney so it would be un-anchored for two floors.
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May 19, 2009 14:21
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How possible/smart/stupid is it to convert a ceiling light figure to a plug-in? My apartment doesn't have wiring for a ceiling light fixture and only one standard wall outlet that's keyed to the light switch. I'm currently using a floor lamp to light the room, but I would like to use a ceiling light of some form. Is it safe and possible for me to run a cord from the wall outlet, then hardwire that cord to whatever lighting figure I get? If so, what's the safest way possible? (Besides doing the wiring before plugging it all in.) Still undecided on what fixture, but I need to know if it's at least possible. Thanks in advance!
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May 25, 2009 03:09
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Atrus posted:How possible/smart/stupid is it to convert a ceiling light figure to a plug-in? "Possible"... Technically, yes. Define "apartment". The landlord might not be very keen on you cutting up his ceiling and wiring.
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May 25, 2009 06:08
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Atrus posted:How possible/smart/stupid is it to convert a ceiling light figure to a plug-in? NEC 400.8: Flexible Cords and cables: Uses Not permitted (1) As a substitute or the fixed wiring of a structure. (4) Where attached to building surfaces. So, no. Your only way is to figure out how to get wire from the switch on your wall to your ceiling or to use a floor lamp plugged into a switched outlet on the wall (which is OK by code [210.70(A)(1)]) babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 09:00 on May 25, 2009 |
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May 25, 2009 08:43
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kid sinister posted:"Possible"... Technically, yes. Define "apartment". The landlord might not be very keen on you cutting up his ceiling and wiring. babyeatingpsychopath posted:So, no. Your only way is to figure out how to get wire from the switch on your wall to your ceiling or to use a floor lamp plugged into a switched outlet on the wall (which is OK by code [210.70(A)(1)]) Thank you both for the advice!
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May 25, 2009 09:22
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NEC says extension cords are illegal, so technically they are... but it's not exactly ever enforced. You'll find many businesses enforcing the rule, and many house fires caused by extension cords that are worn through, but nobody's going to arrest you for running an extension cord up your wall. FYI, power strips are considered extension cords are are illegal, too, so I hope nobody reading this has one on their computer! If you want a technicality that's 100% IAW NEC and legal, there are many ceiling-mounted lamps designed with a long cord and plug. My grandparents had one in their kitchen. Interestingly, though power strips are illegal, surge suppressors are considered to be equipment and are perfectly legal. One of those stupid little loopholes. So, get a surge suppressor with a 12' cord and mount it on your ceiling
grover fucked around with this message at 13:51 on May 25, 2009 |
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May 25, 2009 13:46
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grover posted:If you want a technicality that's 100% IAW NEC and legal, there are many ceiling-mounted lamps designed with a long cord and plug. My grandparents had one in their kitchen. Oh yeah, I forgot about swag lamps... Atrus, do this.
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May 25, 2009 15:12
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Again, thank you all!kid sinister posted:Oh yeah, I forgot about swag lamps... Atrus, do this.  grover posted:You'll find many businesses enforcing the rule, and many house fires caused by extension cords that are worn through, but nobody's going to arrest you for running an extension cord up your wall.
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May 26, 2009 00:14
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You could always run wiremold up your wall and to wherever you want your light to be.
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May 26, 2009 04:12
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I have some questions about adding outlets to a circuit. My garage has at least three circuits in it. There is one that I want to add receptacles to. The circuit currently has one outlet (in a bad location that I don't use) and one light fixture on it. The receptacle box has the hot line coming in and it is pigtailed with one line going to the receptacle and one line going out to the light fixture. Could I run another wire from this box to the location of my new receptacle? If not, could I replace the current box with some kind of junction box that would allow me to take the hot wire and run one line to the light and the other to the new receptacle locations?
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May 26, 2009 17:56
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tuzalu posted:Could I run another wire from this box to the location of my new receptacle? Either or should be fine. You wouldn't need to "replace" that box with a junction box, just remove the receptacle and pigtails from it and put a blank plate over it. The only real limit on whether you need to is how much stuff you can safely cram into that one outlet box. That one box would have to hold 3 lines coming into it, all the wires appropriately twisted together, 3 pigtails, 3 wire nuts, and a receptacle. You can remove the receptacle and 3 pigtails to gain some more room, but that's all.
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May 26, 2009 18:50
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To clarify, yes you can tap off the pigtails in the receptacle box. You leave leave the receptacle there, there's no limit to the # of receptacles on an outlet string in a residence. The only consideration is that there has to be enough room in the box to make the connections. For this pigtail, I doubt you'll have any issues, but you could remove the receptacle if you wanted to. FYI, garage receptacles must be GFCI now. If this circuit is not GFCI protected, you'll need to make sure the first in the string is GFCI.
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May 26, 2009 19:04
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So any thoughts on me using the old chimney to run wire to the attic? I'm hoping to start this project this weekend.
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May 27, 2009 14:51
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fishhooked posted:So any thoughts on me using the old chimney to run wire to the attic? I'm hoping to start this project this weekend.
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May 27, 2009 15:49
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The chimney runs to the attic so it is sealed off. The vertical run would be 30' or so (2 floors)
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May 27, 2009 18:25
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I know that I need 40% fill for 12/2 NM cable. How big of a hole do I have to drill through my joists for it? Is 3/4" sufficient? edit: Also I am under the impression that I can run NM cable along an unfinished basement wall to receptacles and such. But I am not allowed to run NM (unprotected) along the ceiling joists of said unfinished basement. What's the reasoning here, assuming I'm even right? I feel that I am much more likely to gently caress up cables at eye level than ones over my heard. Seems like the ones on the wall need protection too. Lucid Smog fucked around with this message at 12:37 on May 28, 2009 |
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May 27, 2009 19:34
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You can run along joists, just not across the bottoms.
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May 28, 2009 20:22
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I tried reading through the thread for a quick answer but I just got a headache doing it. I'm definitely not an electrician! I wanted to hook up a dimmer switch for the new baby's room. House has three wires going to the current switch. White wire is on top, black wire is on the bottom and the ground is hooked to the screw the switch is held in place with. Dimmer is a Leviton decora. It has four wires. Green and red wires out one hole and black and red wires out the other hole. The red wire with the black is labled for a 3 way switch. What do I hook to what so I don't burn the dang house down? Thanks!
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May 28, 2009 23:45
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fast5c posted:I tried reading through the thread for a quick answer but I just got a headache doing it. I'm definitely not an electrician! If the switch is wired properly, then white goes to black, red goes to black, black and red gets a wire nut, and green goes to green. If it doesn't work, swap the white and black house wires [white to red, black to black]. Whatever you do, put black tape around that white wire. It may be your hot wire coming in, and should be marked.
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May 29, 2009 01:25
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fishhooked posted:The chimney runs to the attic so it is sealed off. The vertical run would be 30' or so (2 floors) The code says NM may be run unsupported when fished between access spaces and supporting is impractical. So, you're good. I'd put a j-box at the top and bottom so there are cable clamps as close as possible to the run. If you don't run anything else in the chimney, you could even claim it as a "raceway" and NM in raceways doesn't need support. Lucid Smog posted:I know that I need 40% fill for 12/2 NM cable. How big of a hole do I have to drill through my joists for it? Is 3/4" sufficient? 3/4" is fine for 1 or 2 NM. The reasoning, as I've heard it, is that you may finish the basement, so to avoid having to explain to the drywallers not to screw everything up (which they'll do anyway), you just can't run wire on the bottoms unless its 3 #8s or bigger (2 #6s). It's a 2005 code change, so fairly recent. You see older houses with all the wire stapled in the basement ceiling frequently.
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May 29, 2009 01:30
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:If the switch is wired properly, then white goes to black, red goes to black, black and red gets a wire nut, and green goes to green. Your advice was spot on, thank you! It worked perfectly the first try...well sorta. The dimmer functions as expected but with an incandescent bulb in, it makes the bulb have a high pitch whine at anything less than full power. I googled that and it seems fairly common. So I went out and bought a dimmable CFL. It works pretty good from 100% down to about 45% It then starts to flicker and hum a bit. Is there any way around either of those problems?
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May 29, 2009 04:29
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fast5c posted:Your advice was spot on, thank you! It worked perfectly the first try...well sorta. CFLs and most dimmers work at increased frequencies from the 60Hz coming into your house. You are hearing harmonics caused by the device. I don't think there is anything you can do about it, other than listen to loud music and damage your ability to hear high frequencies. Most dimmers nowadays I would describe as "switching" dimmers, meaning they modulate the power on and off to the light which changes the duty cycle. This is how you're actually using less electricity when the lights are dim, the light is actually being "shut off" and "turned back on" many many many times per second. You could maybe find a dimmer that was just a simple rheostat/potentiometer, which means that it will always be drawing full power and just dissipating that which you don't want in the form of light as heat at the dimmer. It sounds dangerous to me and I doubt you could find something like that at Lowe's.
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May 29, 2009 12:48
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So, I'm on knob and tube wiring. I've attached a picture of what looks to be our deathtrap of a breaker box. Is it feasible for someone with little wiring experience to re-wire his house (after researching how, of course), or should I just contract out? If so, could someone give me a very estimate cost for a 1940s, 4 bedroom, 2 bath house? (not sure about the exact sq footage).
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May 29, 2009 17:49
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Aturaten posted:So, I'm on knob and tube wiring. I've attached a picture of what looks to be our deathtrap of a breaker box. Is it feasible for someone with little wiring experience to re-wire his house (after researching how, of course), or should I just contract out? If so, could someone give me a very estimate cost for a 1940s, 4 bedroom, 2 bath house? (not sure about the exact sq footage). I maintain that any idiot can do residential wiring based on the idiots I see with contractor's licenses doing residential wiring. That said, be very careful, get your permits, and get the power company to pull your meter out before you start and very little can go wrong. Not knowing anything about the house, a ballpark estimate for a whole-house rewire in a place like that is probably on the order of 7-10 grand. It is a whole lot of work. You can probably do it yourself in a 3-day weekend for less than 2000 in tools and material.
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May 29, 2009 18:08
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I'm currently in the process of remodeling my kitchen (some of you may know me from the plumbing/other home threads). I need to move my 220 line for my stove (it's currently hard-wired from a junction box) about 15 feet. I had a guy come out who said he could move it by wiring off of the existing box, going through my crawlspace, and up the other side into a receptacle. He understood the amp requirements (I'm getting a much newer stove, but it only takes 40 amps while my line is 50), etc, etc. He's done work for some friends and comes highly recommended, but he is not licensed (he's an HVAC and general handyman, I found this out after, even though he has done electrical work for my friends). Now, because I don't want to burn my house down or invalidate my insurance, does this kind of work require that a permit is pulled and does it need to be done by a licensed electrician? I see a lot of advice on google for DIY 220 moving (which I am not comfortable doing), but nothing referencing the need for a permit outside of adding a new line or going outside of the existing structure (to a spa, for instance). Any advice is definitely appreciated, thanks!
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Jun 2, 2009 01:34
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benitocereno posted:I'm currently in the process of remodeling my kitchen (some of you may know me from the plumbing/other home threads). I need to move my 220 line for my stove (it's currently hard-wired from a junction box) about 15 feet. I had a guy come out who said he could move it by wiring off of the existing box, going through my crawlspace, and up the other side into a receptacle. He understood the amp requirements (I'm getting a much newer stove, but it only takes 40 amps while my line is 50), etc, etc. He's done work for some friends and comes highly recommended, but he is not licensed (he's an HVAC and general handyman, I found this out after, even though he has done electrical work for my friends). There are legal ways around using a licensed electrician. Most jurisdictions allow the homeowner to do his/her own electrical. So, if you are really into saving money by not hiring licensed electrician, Which you should do BTW, then basically, "you" get the permit and "you" do the work with help from your buddy. Do you get what I'm saying here? Of course, the best way would be to hire a professional licensed electrician to do it. It'll cost you more, but if this guy fucks something up and either starts a fire or wires something incorrectly, he's probably not covered for damages.
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Jun 2, 2009 01:47
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