| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| rewiring lighting fixtures | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I am replacing a single lighting fixture above the mirror in the bathroom with two fixtures. I read ...
A: You will need a junction box on either side of the mirror. Try to move the wire from the existing ...
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| Hot tub Installation of Electric | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I want to put a hot tub on a concrete porch in back of the house, in the corner behind concrete ...
A: If you need to run wires through concrete block, you can use a star drill, which is like a chisel to ...
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| Light Switch | 9/5/2008 | Benny |
Q: I woke up this mourning to no lights in half my house assuming my wife blew a circuit with her ...
A: Looks like you've had a hectic morning. If the insulation on the wires is not damaged or melted you ...
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| light stopped working | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: Bob, My wife and I recently moved into a home that was built in 1987. We were installing a new ...
A: Are all the lights not working, the light kits with the fans? Are they on separate switches? The ...
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| Wall Mount Oven | 9/5/2008 | Rick Miell |
Q: I am installing a new electric wall mount oven. This oven came with wiring but no plug. It has a ...
A: In the past, the electrical code allowed the neutral (white) wire to be connected to the ground ...
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| Dryer pigtail | 9/5/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: My son moved into a new apt. He had a Maytag electric dryer, in his old apt. he had to remove the ...
A: It doesn't not sound too bad.It was most likely caused by a loose connection. If a connector get ...
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| Replace bathroom exhaust fan | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I have a bathroom fan/light combo that I would like to replace with a fan/light/heat combo unit. The ...
A: You either have to run another wire between the switch and the unit, or combine the light and fan, ...
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| Portable Shower Pump Solution | 9/5/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I have a unique question. I hunt/camp in very primitive areas where all of my living accommodations ...
A: To tell you the truth I'm not an expert on DC power. I might start looking at computer power ...
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| sensor light and 2 lights | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I am running a sensor light and 2 other lights to front of barb my question is which one to I run ...
A: You will need to run a 3 wire line between the switch and the sensor light. The black wire would ...
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| I have an odd power loss | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: We had a strong thunderstorm come through yesterday and I came home to an odd problem. We have a ...
A: Somehow it sounds that the two phases in your house are somehow on the same phase. That could be a ...
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| Wiring problem | 9/5/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I flipped the switch on in my new master bedroom and found that it doesn't control the ceiling fan ...
A: If you want the plug to be hot all of the time, just disconnect the switch, and wire nut the two ...
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| small chest freezer amperage use | 9/5/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I want to buy a generator just to keep my freezer from thawing in case of a power outage I am ...
A: You need to check out the amperage rating on your freezer but I don't think it will be more the 16.6 ...
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| Main Panel wiring of circuit breakers | 9/5/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: hi guys! I was searching the web, trying to find an answer to a question I have about swapping ...
A: First thing. That is not a main panel it is a sub-panel. You don't have a main breaker. The wire ...
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| black light bulbs and metal part detaching | 9/5/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: in many light fixtures (nearly all) in our home, the bulbs will burn out and become very black near ...
A: Do you live in a humid environment? It sounds like you sockets have corroded making them hard to ...
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| GFI outlet | 9/4/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I have 2 GFI outlets with test switches that are on one normal (non-GFI) breaker. I discovered them ...
A: That happens sometimes. Sometimes the breaker does not know what is overheating. For example, a ...
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| otdoor lantern wiring | 9/4/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I have an outdoor split rail fence lantern and the post the lantern is set on has rotted. How do I ...
A: You should be able to remove the lantern and disconnect that wire. Be sure that the breaker is off ...
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| 1960 house wiring | 9/4/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I want to upgrade some of the old receptacles and lights in this house. They have used emt to run ...
A: You can either use the conduit as the ground, or add a green wire. It is best to add the green ...
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| sensor light and 2 lights | 9/4/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I am running a sensor light and 2 other lights to front of barb my question is which one to I run ...
A: If all the lights are going to be on the same switch, it does not matter what order. Is the sensor ...
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| Security Light | 9/4/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I'm installing a dusk to dawn light near my boat dock and I would like to have a switch on it to be ...
A: You will just need to run the power to the switch before it get to everything else. Wire wise you ...
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| New Range wiring | 9/4/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I am replacing my range with a new free standing range. I am confused about the wiring. I have 3 ...
A: If you are going to run a new wire you need 6-3 romex. That is what I would do. If you use the ...
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| adding a new electrical outlet | 9/4/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: Bob, I would like to add an additional electrical outlet further up the wall from an existing one in ...
A: Yes, you can do that. All the blacks connect together, as do all the whites. If all the screws are ...
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| Two prong plug-in | 9/4/2008 | Benny |
Q: In one room in our house there is a two prong plug-in. We are wanting to move the computer to this ...
A: FYI: There is a "National Electrical Code" (NEC) which was written to safeguard persons and property ...
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| Subpanel fill | 9/4/2008 | Rick Miell |
Q: I have a 125A subpanel with 20 one inch spaces. What is the sum total of the amperage rating of the ...
A: There is no real answer for this question. The basis for overloading the panel would be the actual ...
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| New Range wiring | 9/4/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I am replacing my range with a new free standing range. I am confused about the wiring. I have 3 ...
A: What you have here is an old standard meeting a new standard. Here is what the colors meant in the ...
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| Replacing Kitchen Ceiling Light | 9/4/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I am replacing the light fixture in my kitchen. It was connected to 3-way switches at opposite ends ...
A: Why did you take it all apart??? ;-( When replacing a light all you have to do is take two wire off ...
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| New lighted doorbell button doesn't work | 9/4/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I'm replacing a simple button with a lighted one for a wired, electronic doorbell. The simple ...
A: The lighted button works by being in series with the doorbell. It sounds to me that the button and ...
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| Replacing Kitchen Ceiling Light | 9/3/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: I am replacing the light fixture in my kitchen. It was connected to 3-way switches at opposite ends ...
A: You do not need to touch the switches to replace the light. In the the light box you will want to ...
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| Two outdoor ceiling fans from porch light | 9/3/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: Is it possible to run two ceiling fans from the existing switch and wiring of a single bulb porch ...
A: If the power enters the switch first, you can just add the fans as a new application, or wire it to ...
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| Portable Generator to a house 220 volt Dryer Plug. | 9/3/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: A contractor told me that I could plug in my Generator (Generac 7500) and temporarily power my home ...
A: NO, NO, NO!!!!!!! It might work but this is dangerous. You could kill the electrician who are ...
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| Low voltage to certain outlets. | 9/3/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: 2 days after Version came out and installed FIOS in my home. I lost a circuit..blew the power supply ...
A: This sounds like something that requires in-person investigation. However, funny voltages are ...
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| ceiling light | 9/3/2008 | J Cook |
Q: I'm looking to add a ceiling light to a bedroom. The existing switch is now controlling a wall ...
A: The big obstacle is the circuit is at the receptacle, not the switch so the wire will have to ran to ...
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| sub-panel for attic expansion | 9/3/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I have an attic expansion. I'm planning 6 20amp breakers for outlets - 4 rooms and 2 for the ...
A: That seems like a lot of circuits, especially for the lights. If they are normal rooms, such as ...
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| GFCI breaks when use shop light | 9/3/2008 | Benny |
Q: My son-in-law put in a new circuit to use for a sump pump. He used a 20 amp breaker in the box and ...
A: Even though I might have a idea what might be causing your problem doesn’t mean we can solve it ...
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| Wiring problem | 9/3/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I flipped the switch on in my new master bedroom and found that it doesn't control the ceiling fan ...
A: A switch loop is just a wire to the switch, when the power enters the light (or fan) first. Since ...
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| Adding an electrical outlet from a switch | 9/3/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: I currently have a light switch. There is a black wire and white wire attached to the switch (and a ...
A: This is called a switch loop, and both wires are hot. You don't have a neutral, and without a ...
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| Floor mount receptacle | 9/3/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: Can I mount a receptacle in the floor? We have a lamp in our living room that would be a trip ...
A: You sure can. You need to order a special box rated to be used on the floor. They normally come ...
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| Dual outside light switches | 9/3/2008 | Dale |
Q: We have outside lights that are controlled by a switch in the kitchen upstairs and a switch ...
A: Were the wires wire nutted together? How many wires are in the box besides any ground wire (bare ...
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| Electric current in my shower | 9/3/2008 | Robert Wilber |
Q: I can feel an electric current in my shower. I don't feel it unless I am in the shower, the shower ...
A: You could always just be nuts, have a pinched nerve, etc., but your kid says he feels it too. ...of ...
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| Adding light/fan to existing setup in bedroom. | 9/3/2008 | Bill Lutz |
Q: What I am trying to do is add a switched light/fan combo to the existing switch/wiring in the ...
A: Your fan need two things to operate. It needs a hot and a neutral. The hot and neutral come from the ...
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| Follow-up | 9/2/2008 | Bob Sponaugle |
Q: this is a follow-up questions to the post I entered last week. The nice gentlman from Philly is on ...
A: Usually strange voltage readings are caused by a loose or disconnected neutral (white) wire. The ...
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