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Is there a good book to read about common homeowner electrical BS?
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Apr 21, 2020 03:54
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 17:17 |
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I want to see if what I want to do is ridiculous or if it makes any sort of sense. House we are buying is old enough to have a fuse box (but thankfully not in that time period where there is aluminum wiring) instead of a circuit breaker. It is also old enough that nothing is currently grounded. Sellers are going to replace the fuse box with a circuit breaker, install grounds, and bond the pipes and exterior stuff. Short term is map my circuits and GFCI outlets as needed. My super long term goal is to tackle a rewire a room at a time, as it makes sense. My question is this: It seems like for most residential living space (bedrooms, livingrooms), 14/2 w/ 15 amp breaker is the way to go for most standard installs. Am I good to essentially have all my receptacles at the start of the branch and then lighting/fan/switch at the end? There are some folks that seem to say that lighting and receptacles should be on different breakers, but that seems excessive and a throwback to when you had 25+ watts per light being pulled instead of higher efficiency LED lighting. Would it make more sense to go overkill and do 12/2 in those spaces and use a 20 amp breaker. The ultimate goal is essentially a breaker per room, except where you can't, like kitchens and bathrooms.
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May 9, 2020 18:30
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That’s all awesome. My gut told me 12/2 for a really similar reason. I called our county office for permit/inspection questions and he simply told me that unless I was replacing over 50% of the wiring at once, don’t bother having them come out which seemed crazy to me. E: also, if I run on 12/2 on a 20 amp, but don’t plan on plugging anything wild, can I still use standard 15 amp outlets that don’t have that strange t-shaped plug on one of the sides? Are those really even used for anything residential wise? KKKLIP ART fucked around with this message at 19:14 on May 9, 2020 |
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May 9, 2020 19:10
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kid sinister posted:If your house is old enough to have ungrounded NM, then it's pre-1960. If it's old enough to have knob and tube, it's pre-1950. It’s 1961, and everything I pulled out was ungrounded NM with fabric sheathing. It was wild looking at it but at least it wasn’t aluminum. Nevets posted:Yeah, in fact I believe if you use a 20 amp outlet it's supposed to be the only thing on that circuit. Multiple 15 amp outlets on a 12/2 wire with a 20 amp breaker is the normal way of doing it. That’s what I figured and what some research told me. The Black and Decker wiring electrical book is a really great read and helped a lot with some basic dos and don’ts.
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May 9, 2020 23:28
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I know this is a dumb question, but is there a good way to label wires? Can I just use a label maker or some electrical tape (but I don't want to give the impression I am coding the wire for a different use).
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May 10, 2020 14:22
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Looking at my local stuff, it seems like they don't care about wiring outlets in series vs. parallel. Seems like wiring in a series is "easier" and every outlet i've replaced in the past seems to have been wired that way. Other than simplicity (or maybe work box size), is there any big benefit to it? I like the idea that if one outlet gets funky, the rest still work. It also appears that first in branch GFCI should be in series instead of parallel. Don't most outlets have a metal strip that essentialy makes everything in parallel anyway>
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May 12, 2020 00:25
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This is an ignorance thing but is there anything inherently more or less of a pain in the rear end about low voltage other than it is just uncommon for most residential applications?
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May 15, 2020 14:14
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This might be a plumbing question, but the house that we are buying doesnt have a dishwasher. It was also built in the 60s. What is the current code nationally for dishwashers, because it doesn't look like there are any general addendums for them for my state. I kinda wanted to go hard wired since that is what comes in the box, with an AFCI/GFCI combo breaker. Washer that we want to buy calls for 15 amps.
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May 17, 2020 19:25
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H110Hawk posted:Tell your dealer to swap you to a plug kit instead of a hardwire. It should be free if they order it for you that way. Or tell em you need $50 more dollars off if the manufacturer is that dumb. We have septic so we wouldn’t be doing a disposal. I can see the wisdom of running a 20 for going above and beyond requirements but I don’t think we would honestly ever have a disposal so I think the double hanged 20a is still overkill. Would our situation still mean an outlet is best or hardwired? I think hardwired would be an easier install, but again, I’m open to ideas.
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May 17, 2020 19:55
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Is there a decent surface mount outlet option for under a cabinet or is that a generally a bad idea?
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May 17, 2020 20:18
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kid sinister posted:Just use a handy box. They got holes in the back to screw into the cabinet. The only issue is protecting the NM cable inside the cabinet that is feeding that box. You need to protect the NM from pots and pans being thrown in there. The first option is to put the box at the very bottom of the cabinet and run the NM in with a box clamp through a hole in the bottom of the cabinet. The next option is if your cabinet has a back, then run the NM behind it and feed your box from the back side. The last option is to just use a short section of flex conduit mounted to the box to protect the NM. I think future me will really appreciate that I put in a box instead of hardwired it so I probably will just run some 12/2 on a 20a, I wont worry about doing a 12/3 probably since we have septic. Thanks for the help!
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May 18, 2020 01:05
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ntan1 posted:What state/jurisdiction. Georgia
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May 18, 2020 19:44
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Homeowner did a real solid when we asked them to update from a fuse box to a circuit breaker before closing. All circuits are AFCI as code required but they spent a bit extra and did the combo AFCI/GFCI breakers so I don’t feel as super rushed for updating my outlets. Also installed new grounding rods and upgraded the service to 200 amp. Still need to get the main line to the oven on 6AWG cable, but it is a relief that they spent the money on quality instead of attempting to cheap out.
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May 23, 2020 16:21
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For rewiring rooms I see a few places say to do it behind baseboards which seems like a good non-destructive method. My general plan is to do that and maybe some sort of armored raceway and the wire guards you put on studs as I come to them. Any real issues with this?
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Jun 1, 2020 17:40
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Does anyone have a handy link or name for the best type of box and outlet to use under my sink so I can wire that poo poo up? It needs to be externally mounted, so I plan on using a bit of conduit (plastic would be preferable) so is there a more "water resistant" box that I need to use or do I just get one of those gray plastic boxes, a faceplate, and some schedule 40 conduit? I am thinking something like this "weather resistant" 1 gang non metallic box screwed into the back of the cabinet, this terminal adapter, and a bit of this conduit and some cable straps to keep it nice and happy. Is there an outlet cover that has foam or anything that would be better about keeping water out the box? KKKLIP ART fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Jun 9, 2020 |
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Jun 9, 2020 01:56
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Buying a 60s house has had a lot of really fun things in terms of electricity. Switched outlet (ok makes sense) for a "sitting area" at the end of the dining room. We had a motion light and a driveway light that never worked. They are tied to the drat sitting room switched outlet.
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Jun 15, 2020 02:10
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Hubis posted:So whoever added the driveway lights just tied them to the closest convenient conductor without realizing that it was the return on the switch loop, right? Maybe. Long term is to fix that because the light has an auto on off for night time anyway and maybe just put it in its own switch, and turn the switched outlet into just on all the time.
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Jun 15, 2020 23:58
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I am going to end up crossposting this in a couple of threads, but the home we purchased has some old florescent fixtures in the basement. One only fires up after the switch is on for like... an hour, and a separate one just doesn't turn on.The previous homeowner said they they thought it was either the ignitor or the ballast, but I just would rather replace them flat out. They appear to be 48" boxes. Is there a recommended LED replacement fixture? I'd like something warmer than daylight, maybe dimmable but not specifically required.
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Jun 29, 2020 15:40
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Ferrule posted:Yeah, probably a ballast. Yeah this is what I am looking for. Wanted to try to find some that looks a bit nicer, in so far as a tube light style fixture can look.
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Jun 29, 2020 18:18
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More previous homeowner fuckery: 2 switches in a double-gang box. One switch is for overhead room lighting, second switch is for light outside by the door. Instead of pigtailing the black, he had the wire go from the interior light switch, removed some of the casing, looped it, and kept the same cable going and terminated it on the outdoor lighting switch  Also the interior switch was a 3 way that he set up to only be a single pole. Like what the absolute gently caress.
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Jul 29, 2020 19:05
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H110Hawk posted:You can't say this and not post a picture. It's against the rules of common decency. Sadly I didn’t take a picture of the midway cut in the cable, it just looks like 2 wires going into the switch.
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Jul 29, 2020 20:58
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Are there any old work boxes that can either be screwed into a stud or have the flaps open left right instead of up down?
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Jul 31, 2020 20:19
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Nevets posted:Yes, they are called "Madison" boxes and I have been using them wherever possible in my new house. They are a bit pricier but not ridiculous, and come in standard sizes: I would need something like this but screws on the bottom. My stud is actually under the box.
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Jul 31, 2020 20:35
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Moey posted:I just recently used one of these to install a new ceiling fan/light. I used one of those too. Other than a too small opening that was offset enough to have to get into the attic, it’s snug as can be.
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Aug 1, 2020 17:08
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Ferrule posted:You can get a gem box and either hold it in the drywall with Madison hangers or pop out the knockout and use a drywall screw with a washer. They're single gang but gang-able. Can I just be dumb and do that with the old work box I have not and cover the screw with electric tape (bear in mind I know this is a really stupid idea)
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Aug 1, 2020 20:34
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Is there any magic for spacing or sizing LED pot lights for a room?
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Sep 20, 2020 17:00
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Motronic posted:Canadian spotted. USA but I’ve really only heard them called pot lights. This is a retrofit but I wouldn’t mind more lumens and a dimmer. Do they make dimmers for three way switches?
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Sep 20, 2020 21:32
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kid sinister posted:They do. There are several types as well. Which type you'd need to use depends the existing 3-way wiring method you have and how many wires there are. For single dimmer 3-way switching, it can depend on where the switch is in the 3-way wiring method. Existing... 3 way wiring? Like it’s that easy!
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Sep 20, 2020 22:20
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Is there a wall switch timer something like this that doesn't require a neutral wire? I want to change my bathroom switch to a timer but it just has a hot line/load. Yay 60s/70s wiring. e: Seems like Leviton has one that would work for me. Now to find it locally. Anyone have any experience with these? Probably a common enough setup KKKLIP ART fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Nov 14, 2020 |
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Nov 14, 2020 19:44
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Yeah it sucks because we have one switch in the bathroom which has just a line/load on the switch. That switch powers in the overhead led light/fan combo as well as the light above the mirror. I just want a dang timer that isn’t a knob but until we redo the whole thing I don’t think it’s feasible
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Nov 14, 2020 21:42
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It’s more I want the fan to run for 15-20 minutes after we leave from taking a shower. Right now I’m just leaving the switch on (and forgetting it, but that’s on me)
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Nov 15, 2020 03:11
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Literally told my wife that as we redo and update our house that’s one thing that is going to happen. Looks awesome.
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Nov 28, 2020 20:33
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This might be more the HVAC thread, so I'm going to crosspost. This old rear end house we bought has electric baseboard heaters in the basement. The thermostat is old and you can't really read any of the temperature settings. We have a total of 2 baseboard heaters on different walls, and I believe they are on different circuits. What the hell kind of basic thermostat do I need for them? I see different options, but I don't need anything more complicated than off and on.
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Dec 27, 2020 03:17
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Elviscat posted:Is the thermostat on the baseboard itself? If so you'll want this one I've had to take them off the mounting plate and modify them to fit the old baseboard before, hopefully that's not your case. On wall, that looks perfect!
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Dec 28, 2020 00:35
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That looks like a 100 amp service panel. You could make a case for upgrading the panel to at least 150, if not a 200 amp panel. A lot of folks like the Square D (can’t remember the specific line, either the QO or the Homeline) and combo AFCI/GFCI breakers so you are protected from the panel forward on every branch.
KKKLIP ART fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Dec 28, 2020 |
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Dec 28, 2020 05:02
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What is the deal with refrigerators and AFCI/GFCI protection?
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Apr 8, 2021 18:55
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I would think that they are just trying to make sure that if you are using all 4 burners and the stove at max temperature, you have plenty of amperage to make it happen. Our stove manual says 30 watts, but the plate says 50 and samsung says 50 amp dedicated, so we did just that.
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May 22, 2021 00:30
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Yeah you can just plug it in to that outlet and cal it done.
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Jul 5, 2021 00:41
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I need some assistance. I have these older 4 foot fluorescent light fixtures that I would much rather have LEDs in. They are in these god awful ugly boxes. On 2 of them, the ballasts are going so they flicker periodically and one of them has a starter that doesn't always fire up. Instead of just replacing the ballasts and starters part by part, I kinda want to just replace either the whole kit and use LED bulbs or if there is a whole kit and enclosure that I could use, that would be good too. Amazon has a million but I don't trust them for anything involving wiring. If anyone can point me to either a whole fixture or kit to replace mine, I'd appreciate it.
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Aug 8, 2021 17:12
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 17:17 |
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something like this would be fine, I am assuming?
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Aug 8, 2021 18:43
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