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haha, check out the installation instructions though. "cut a hole in the ceiling, toss on a couple wire nuts and you're good!" from the other pictures and the specs it looks like it has a driver and wants 110v on those external wires. yikes
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Nov 19, 2021 17:11
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cruft posted:In my house, every fixture is a "no ground wire" fixture, because they didn't run ground in 1942. I'd want to see that the fixture was double insulated, though. Interesting. I know they didn't used to run ground. I thought fixtures were required by code to be grounded if installed new now. Makes sense that you could ground to the chassis, it says it's aluminum. It just jumped out at me that it was bragging about "no ground wire" in the listing. Mimesweeper posted:haha, check out the installation instructions though. 
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Nov 19, 2021 17:13
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Mimesweeper posted:haha, check out the installation instructions though. Underwriters Laboratory certification is something to look for when buying random poo poo on Amazon. Sous Videodrome posted:I thought fixtures were required by code to be grounded if installed new now. That may well be, and I can't comment on it. As a future PO, all I know about "to code" is that I should follow the installation instructions and if I have any questions I should consult my consumer-level "code complete" book. But I've never bought a $3 el-cheapo LED fixture on Amazon and the instruction manual Mimesweeper posted does seem pretty sketchy 
cruft fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Nov 19, 2021 |
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Nov 19, 2021 17:14
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In contrast, here's one made by a well-known brand that is UL listed: https://www.amazon.com/Lithonia-Lighting-FMLWL-24-Inch-840/dp/B00P4FUD7G/ The instructions clearly state that the fixture must be screwed to a box, and the wires pass through a knockout for connection. Also, there's a ground wire tied to the metal enclosure! Gasp!
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Nov 19, 2021 18:19
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Yeah, I looked at that one. 1200 Lumens seems like too much output for a closet light. I just want something that will light up the closet and not really flood the entire bedroom. Is there any better site for cheap LED fixtures than Amazon? This just isn't a project where I'm willing to pay lighting store markup because they are just LEDs that are going in the closet. At the same time I want something that won't burn the house down. I'm not inclined to buy from Home Depot because the one LED I got from there cost a lot and takes way too long to turn on. Sous Videodrome fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Nov 19, 2021 |
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Nov 19, 2021 18:25
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Sous Videodrome posted:Yeah, I looked at that one. 1200 Lumens seems like too much output for a closet light. I just want something that will light up the closet and not really flood the entire bedroom. The one closet in our house that has electrical, had an E19 (light bulb) socket in it with a pull chain. Made it really easy to drop whatever bulb I wanted in, and when the voltage rectifier inevitably burns out, I can just screw in a new bulb. If I were wiring another closet, I'd do it this way.
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Nov 19, 2021 18:40
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cruft posted:The one closet in our house that has electrical, had an E19 (light bulb) socket in it with a pull chain. Made it really easy to drop whatever bulb I wanted in, and when the voltage rectifier inevitably burns out, I can just screw in a new bulb. If I were wiring another closet, I'd do it this way. Those aren't allowed anymore. It has to be enclosed. There's also spacing requirements depending on the light type: https://up.codes/s/luminaires-in-clothes-closets
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Nov 19, 2021 21:10
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Ymmv but in my closets, I just put LED tap lights that run on AAs. They last a reasonably long time. The level of brightness is good for a regular closet, but would be too low for a walk-in. You want it on the side wall, not the ceiling, obviously.
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Nov 19, 2021 21:21
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i like nice words
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B-Nasty posted:Those aren't allowed anymore. It has to be enclosed. There's also spacing requirements depending on the light type: https://up.codes/s/luminaires-in-clothes-closets Wow. Today I learned!
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Nov 19, 2021 21:40
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Each closet has a fixture that's already wired to switches that activate when the doors open. I just want to swap the old busted fluorescent fixtures out for an LED hard wired fixture but finding an 18-24" long fixture that isn't a massively bright shop light has been hard.
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Nov 19, 2021 21:43
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Sous Videodrome posted:Each closet has a fixture that's already wired to switches that activate when the doors open. I just want to swap the old busted fluorescent fixtures out for an LED hard wired fixture but finding an 18-24" long fixture that isn't a massively bright shop light has been hard. Closet sunglasses.
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Nov 19, 2021 22:33
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Sous Videodrome posted:Each closet has a fixture that's already wired to switches that activate when the doors open. I just want to swap the old busted fluorescent fixtures out for an LED hard wired fixture but finding an 18-24" long fixture that isn't a massively bright shop light has been hard. Look into hardwired undercabinet lights. That's a very common size range for them, and they're not glaringly bright like shop lights are.
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Nov 21, 2021 06:11
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Sous Videodrome posted:Each closet has a fixture that's already wired to switches that activate when the doors open. I just want to swap the old busted fluorescent fixtures out for an LED hard wired fixture but finding an 18-24" long fixture that isn't a massively bright shop light has been hard. Have you looked into the Ikea ones? They have ones intended for their wardrobes and under cabinet lighting in the kitchen and they might be exactly what you want, the wardrobes especially.
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Nov 21, 2021 08:43
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I spent my whole life in the Chicagoland area, so Romex and plastic boxes are new to me now that I've escaped Illinois. What's the deal with the metal plates in this box? All I can think is that they would be involved in grounding, but the ground wires in that box don't appear to be connected to it, so ?? Also everything in this house is backstabbed and none of the switches are grounded (built before it was code I believe, but still, would have taken 30 seconds to surpass code and would have, even in the 80s, been the obviously correct thing to do).
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Nov 23, 2021 04:41
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Slugworth posted:I spent my whole life in the Chicagoland area, so Romex and plastic boxes are new to me now that I've escaped Illinois. What's the deal with the metal plates in this box? Possibly an entrance from the bottom and that is how the NM is secured, instead of using tabs or whatever the pvc boxes use.
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Nov 23, 2021 05:02
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KKKLIP ART posted:Possibly an entrance from the bottom and that is how the NM is secured, instead of using tabs or whatever the pvc boxes use. Looks exactly like that, it's the missing link between metal boxes, and current blue ones whiter the NM tabs are just plastic cutouts.
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Nov 23, 2021 15:00
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Sous Videodrome posted:Each closet has a fixture that's already wired to switches that activate when the doors open. I just want to swap the old busted fluorescent fixtures out for an LED hard wired fixture but finding an 18-24" long fixture that isn't a massively bright shop light has been hard. I put these in stairwells and closets in my house and was really happy with them https://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-El...CA-V2/308540835 They're available in some larger diameters too, and at least for me they turn on instantly. I know you are anti "go buy it at home depot" but at least you know they're going to sell a light fixture with safety certifications.
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Nov 23, 2021 18:37
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Right now we have a 2-switch panel by our front door. One switch is a 3-way that controls the inside chandelier, and the other turns off the outside overhead light as well as the outside lamp sconce. How card would it be to expand this to a 3-switch panel and separate the outside overhead and sconce lights to separate switches? Eventually I would like to switch the overhead light to a Philips Hue bulb tied to a dusk to dawn sensor. Would it be easier to set that up and keep it wired separately from the switch and keep the switch just for the wall sconce? Is that even code?
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Nov 24, 2021 17:43
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raej posted:Right now we have a 2-switch panel by our front door. One switch is a 3-way that controls the inside chandelier, and the other turns off the outside overhead light as well as the outside lamp sconce. The two outdoor fixtures are almost certainly daisy chained so you'll need to run new wire to whichever one's first, connect it to the new switch through that, and then splice the old wires together at the first fixture to keep the circuit path to the other light. Nothing wrong with hard wiring one using the switch gangbox as a junction box as long as you don't exceed box fill. Also if that's something you want do long term I'd say go ahead and do it before you cut a hole in the wall for a bigger 3-switch box that's only going to be temporary.
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Nov 24, 2021 20:42
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You guys like light bulb questions right? What the heck is the name of the little brother halogen bulb on the right there? It's about 1.5 inches (3cm) in diameter, as opposed to the normal 2 inch guy.
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Nov 26, 2021 01:13
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NZAmoeba posted:You guys like light bulb questions right? The larger bulb should be an MR16, and the smaller bulb an MR11.
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Nov 26, 2021 02:33
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glynnenstein posted:The larger bulb should be an MR16, and the smaller bulb an MR11. This answered a question my googling for "small halogen" was not! Thank you!
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Nov 26, 2021 05:18
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Hey what's up. My dad (I'm helping  ) is trying to rewire a light switch with a new timer switch. The house is old, built 1920s, and we can't figure out how the existing switch was wired.There are two old black wires coming into the box. When the light is off, one pole shows power. When the light is on, neither pole shows power. That makes no sense to us. Other switches in the house are wired live, when power is on, both poles show power. Any ideas?
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Nov 27, 2021 21:24
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Pamela Springstein posted:one pole shows power How are you testing this? With a non contact voltage tester? With a multimeter? If a multimeter, what are you connecting the other lead to?
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Nov 27, 2021 21:43
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Are you testing with a voltmeter across the poles? That'll show you the difference in voltage between the poles, which are connected together when you turn the switch on, so there won't be a difference. If you're testing from pole to ground and the indicated voltage drops to 0 when you turn the switch on something is shorting to ground downstream of the switch and you're dealing with an immediate fire and electrocution hazard. Either way get a non contact voltage tester and check the poles and the ground with switch in both positions. Report back if the ground is hot with switch turned on. Also you're probably gonna have to run new wire for this in any case because that timer switch probably requires a neutral wire so it can draw power to operate itself and you don't have one in that switch box. shame on an IGA fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Nov 27, 2021 |
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Nov 27, 2021 21:49
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Motronic posted:How are you testing this? With a non contact voltage tester? With a multimeter? If a multimeter, what are you connecting the other lead to? We have a non contact tester pen and a two-pronged tester. Both light up (indicating power?) as detailed above. We have a multimeter but have not been using it. shame on an IGA posted:Are you testing with a voltmeter across the poles? That'll show you the difference in voltage between the poles, which are connected together when you turn the switch on, so there won't be a difference. This is interesting and may explain our confusion. There are no grounds in this box. It is a very old house. -- Using the multimeter, I see it bouncing between -1.5v and 1.5v while the light is off, and steady 0.00v while the switch is on.
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Nov 27, 2021 22:09
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shame on an IGA posted:Also you're probably gonna have to run new wire for this in any case because that timer switch probably requires a neutral wire so it can draw power to operate itself and you don't have one in that switch box. Yeah we discovered this. The switch we bought requires a neutral wire. I've ordered a battery powered switch that will be easier to wire. My cheapass dad was resistant to this.
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Nov 27, 2021 22:11
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Pamela Springstein posted:Using the multimeter, I see it bouncing between -1.5v and 1.5v while the light is off, and steady 0.00v while the switch is on. Okay, that's not really telling you anything useful for this situation. You need to test from a suspected hot to neutral. Since you don't have neutral, ground. Your boxes should be grounded, so you'll test between the lead you're interested in and the box. Either way, with the age of your home and the boxes typically used at that time you may have a difficult time fitting any sort of smart switch or dimmer in there, so definitely be aware of the size of the switches you're considering.
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Nov 27, 2021 22:29
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Ok, so Motronic will probably remember that I bought this 1967 built historic reproduction house, and it happens to have a full basement, which is something I've never worked on before. I'm familiar/comfortable pulling a permit and wiring with romex, but from my understanding romex is not allowed on exterior basement walls. Now the intent here is not to have exposed block walls in most parts of the basement, but to instead install furring strips and paneling (I've got carbon fiber strap reinforcements, so there's no prettying up the block). So if I'm wrong from the start about needing to run emt we can stop here. Also my understanding is that romex in an interior basement wall is perfectly fine, its just the exterior ones which require emt. So, I can get power to the wall within the joists, so romex should be fine, but as soon as I want to drop down I need to terminate into an EMT box and essentially switch wiring modes, pulling THHN through all of the exterior wall circuits. Is this correct? I'm aware of needing to ground all of the EMT boxes with pigtails, etc. But is there anything in what I've described that sounds really ill informed?
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Nov 28, 2021 05:17
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GEMorris posted:exterior basement walls. Now the intent here is not to have exposed block walls in most parts of the basement, but to instead install furring strips and paneling That's an INTERIOR wall, not exterior. Using MC, EMT or other way to protect means of cable protection is for when it's going to be exposed in a basement/garage, etc (unless you're in Chicago, then all bets are off and I have no idea how their code work, but you're not). You're creating a finished room. The romex simply needs to be behind the paneling and attached/terminated in boxes as per code. No other cable protection is needed. Note, this means you need to figure out how deep the boxes you need will be and space the wall out far enough. This may require more than furring strips, or you may choose to use shallow boxes with exterior rings on them (making it look like a surface mount box). Or maybe you're just putting outlets on one of the walls and furring strips + shallow boxes will work. Just figure that part out ahead of time.
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Nov 28, 2021 16:43
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I have a ceiling fan that is remote controlled. The ceiling is at probably a 45 degree angle and due to this, the pressure has crushed the remote receiver. I can still select fan speeds, but the light no longer turns on. I believe it's an issue with the remote receiver. I'm debating whether to get a new ceiling fan, but I wondered if I could connect the fan/light to a fan/light dimmer on the wall and just toss the receiver and remote. The cabling from the wall includes black/white/red and copper ground. The red wire wasn't used for the current installation. The fan itself has black/blue/white/green wires. I have the fan manual, but it says nothing about bypassing the remote receiver and connecting it to a wall dimmer. Is that even possible, or should I just buy a new fan and dimmer? It's a Home Decorators Collection model 14430 if that's helpful.
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Nov 28, 2021 22:12
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Motronic posted:(unless you're in Chicago, then all bets are off and I have no idea how their code work, but you're not).
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Nov 28, 2021 22:21
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Cacafuego posted:I have a ceiling fan that is remote controlled. The ceiling is at probably a 45 degree angle and due to this, the pressure has crushed the remote receiver. I can still select fan speeds, but the light no longer turns on. I believe it's an issue with the remote receiver. I'm debating whether to get a new ceiling fan, but I wondered if I could connect the fan/light to a fan/light dimmer on the wall and just toss the receiver and remote. Should work fine. Blue wire on the fan will be for the lights, use your red wire for that to your wall switch. Green will go to your bare wire ground, then white/black will match up for your hot/neutrals.
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Nov 28, 2021 22:27
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Do you feel like saying more about this? Chicago has some very unique electrical codes, which require all wiring to be in EMT, including inside walls and I'm sure a bunch of other things that are "nonstandard" that I don't know about. I'm not aware of any other place with residential electrical codes that divergent from the NEC. And honestly, from what I know it seems like it was quire reactionary and now quite outdated with things like AFCIs being standard and available.
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Nov 28, 2021 22:37
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opengl128 posted:Should work fine. Blue wire on the fan will be for the lights, use your red wire for that to your wall switch. Green will go to your bare wire ground, then white/black will match up for your hot/neutrals. That’s what I was hoping for! Thanks, I’ll give it a try and see if it works.
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Nov 28, 2021 22:40
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Motronic posted:Chicago has some very unique electrical codes, which require all wiring to be in EMT, including inside walls and I'm sure a bunch of other things that are "nonstandard" that I don't know about. I'm not aware of any other place with residential electrical codes that divergent from the NEC. Supposedly the main reason is the unions fought Romex because it results in less labor hours, but who knows. Living somewhere with Romex and plastic boxes now, I don't care for it. I won't make the argument that conduit throughout is *necessary*, but it will always feel like the superior option to me. The increasing popularity of Smurf tubes indicates a general agreement that having pipes in your walls for wires is a good idea.
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Nov 29, 2021 00:52
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Slugworth posted:Supposedly the main reason is the unions fought Romex because it results in less labor hours, but who knows. Living somewhere with Romex and plastic boxes now, I don't care for it. I won't make the argument that conduit throughout is *necessary*, but it will always feel like the superior option to me. The increasing popularity of Smurf tubes indicates a general agreement that having pipes in your walls for wires is a good idea. It's better, sure, but at what cost? Way more expensive to install, and something like adding an additional outlet to a circuit (which normally could be done by fishing NM without damage) requires ripping open drywall. There's very little evidence that the NM runs themselves are the usual source of fire; it's typically the terminations/junctions where the weak points are. Especially if the proper nail plates are used to protect from nail-gun-happy trim installers.
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Nov 29, 2021 01:24
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B-Nasty posted:It's better, sure, but at what cost? Way more expensive to install, and something like adding an additional outlet to a circuit (which normally could be done by fishing NM without damage) requires ripping open drywall.
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Nov 29, 2021 03:17
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You could just what? How often are you rewiring a line? It's not like you can upsize a circuit either unless the conduit is oversized (which a builder wouldn't do). I mean I guess if you cut a wire too short you could pull a new one maybe depending on bends etc. You also can't run cable line Ethernet or other LV stuff in tht same conduit.
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Nov 29, 2021 03:34
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I rewired my office and dining room over the last 3 days. My body is falling apart but at least I have grounded outlets. I also ran a new coax cable from the cable box on the back of the house through the attic and down a wall to a dedicated outlet box instead of the ridiculous 50 foot run going around the exterior of the house and then punching through the brick wall and interior sheetrock. loving cable installers.
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Nov 29, 2021 04:15
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