| Subject | Date Asked |
|
| Fixture Tripping Circuit Breaker | 8/4/2008 |
Q: The wife is tired of no lights, so I need your help! We recently moved into a 2-year-old home, and ...
A: Cody, Keeping the wife happy as you already know is extremely important so lets see what we can ...
|
| FOR NEW RECEPTACLE | 8/3/2008 |
Q: I WANT TO ADD A NEW RECEPTACLE TO THE LIVING ROOM. IM NOT SURE IF ITS SAFE TO BORROW POWER FROM A ...
A: Will, You can not take it from a switch where you only have one cable and the white and black wire ...
|
| wrong fuse? | 8/2/2008 |
Q: My home built in 1950 still has fused panel with 60 amp service. My problem: I think one fuse ( ...
A: Gary, You should have no 30 amp fuse's on any circuit in your home thats for lighting or ...
|
| dryer receptacle | 7/1/2008 |
Q: For some reason, an electrician installed a 50-amp receptacle in our laundry room. Mywhat is the ...
A: Ok you seem to be saying instead of a 30 amp dryer receptacle being installed on the 30 amp line for ...
|
| ceiling fan hum | 5/30/2008 |
Q: I have a similar situation with 4 identical hampton Bay accubreeze 52" fans l mounted in four ...
A: Kathy, Basically the cheaper fans do hum louder and a flush mounted fan because of the close ...
|
| How do I install a subpanel in detached garage | 5/29/2008 |
Q: I would like to install a 100 amp rated subpanel in my detached garage being fed by a 40 amp double ...
A: Jack, You can use the black 8/3 Romex and sleeve it with the PVC. You don't have to install a ...
|
| need to upgrade/need ground faults | 5/28/2008 |
Q: I am purchasing an older home, (1951), and with the inspection found the service panel needs to ...
A: Rebecca, I think I can safely say that it would be less expensive by you but the only way to find ...
|
| Wiring for a new garbage disposal | 5/27/2008 |
Q: I am trying to install a new garbage disposal and there's no existing wiring. I have a couple of ...
A: Ben, I don't know what else is on the circuit you want to tap so I can't predict wether or not ...
|
| wall outlet | 5/26/2008 |
Q: my wall outlet is about 36" from the floor and i want to move them to the baseboard.do i have to run ...
A: Kathy, Cutting a receptacle into the baseboard is more difficult than cutting it into the sheet ...
|
| white, red and orange wires in ceiling wiring | 5/26/2008 |
Q: I am trying to replace a ceiling fan that does not work in my new apartment. Upon entering the ...
A: Michael, If your fan has a light connect the black wire from the fan to the two red wires then ...
|
| Replacing porch light on older two-wire home | 5/21/2008 |
Q: My home is in South Texas, built around 1960. When I replaced the porch light, I noticed that the ...
A: Rudy, Its not unusual for those voltage sensors to do that but to be certain the fixture is ...
|
| Dim Lights | 5/20/2008 |
Q: Bob i am the guy who came home and half the house had no lights . Well i checked some more and fond ...
A: Jerry, If you have breakers that are only putting out 88 volts then you have a connection problem ...
|
| In-ground wiring | 5/19/2008 |
Q: I'm running an in-ground cable from my garage across the gravel driveway to a pond aerator pump; is ...
A: John, I highly recommend you use 3/4" PVC instead of burying the UF cable directly in the ground. ...
|
| ceiling fixture install blew circuit | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I was attempting to re-install a ceiling fixture; the white wire touched the black wire and circuit ...
A: Mary, The circuit breaker should be fine, as long as the white wire is no longer touching the black ...
|
| recessed lighting | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I want to install recessed lighting in my living room. I am thinking i can disonnect my light ...
A: Mike, Take stock of whats on that circuit. Shut the circuit off and go around and see what is not ...
|
| Wiring Diagram | 5/16/2008 |
Q: Good morning Bob, I am trying to wire an outdoor light pole so I'm thinking that I can tap off ...
A: Jim, Tapping into the existing outlet may prove challenging especially if there are already two ...
|
| Question on running wires in a chase | 5/15/2008 |
Q: I have split level house in Rochester NY. I am currently renovating an area and have an opportunity ...
A: Tom, If you use PVC run 2". If its possible to leave a "drag" (rope , string) in lieu of the pipe ...
|
| electric kiln | 5/15/2008 |
Q: I have a chance to buy a 208 3 phase pottery kiln at a good price but all I have at home is 120/240 ...
A: Rick, It may be possible to reconnect the kiln for single phase operation without too much trouble. ...
|
| Replacement cord | 5/13/2008 |
Q: I have been asked to replace a power cord on an old (60's) window fan. The exhisting cord looks to ...
A: James, If this is a 60's vintage fan I'm suspecting its probably made of metal and not plastic, if ...
|
| bathroom wiring | 5/12/2008 |
Q: Hooking up a few receptacles and switches. I have power from my panel to a receptacle,then from that ...
A: Mike, "Ok if I run power to my first receptacle then I just carry down the line to the next ...
|
| replacing 3 gang switch. | 5/11/2008 |
Q: My in laws have a modular home and they have a set of 3 switches in the bathroom. The switches are ...
A: Chris, I don't know how big the opening is that you have there but you mentioned 3 switches which ...
|
| bathroom wiring | 5/11/2008 |
Q: Hooking up a few receptacles and switches. I have power from my panel to a receptacle,then from that ...
A: Mike, You can run the power to the switch box and then run from the switch box directly to the ...
|
| Antique Clock Lamps | 5/8/2008 |
Q: I have an antique clock (apprx. 40 yo). It uses 2 15 watt bulbs to light it up . The bulb on the ...
A: Stephen, Sockets are the usual culprits when bulbs begin to burn out quickly but you say you've ...
|
| switch to outlet conversion | 5/7/2008 |
Q: Can we convert a light switch to a straight power outlet? Our dining room looks like it once had a ...
A: Mark, Maybe. The circle probably is the old box covered over and the wires are probably still live. ...
|
| Bathroom Light and Fan | 5/6/2008 |
Q: I have purchased a Broan QTR100L bathroom fan with a light and night light. The wiring diagram only ...
A: David, All you have to do is bring the power cable into the fans junction box and bring a new cable ...
|
| Electric Circuits | 5/5/2008 |
Q: How many duplex receptacles or light fixtures does the code allow on a 15 amp & 20 amp circuit ...
A: Richard, 9 duplex receptacles for 15 amps and 12 for 20 amps. OK light fixtures, first of all you ...
|
| Chandelier/Dimmer | 5/4/2008 |
Q: My husband installed a new chandelier today and when the power went on we heard a "pop" in the ...
A: Wendy, When Hubby installed the new fixture a wire must be getting pinched under the new ceiling ...
|
| Splicing Romex Copper to Aluminum in wall | 5/3/2008 |
Q: I'm putting in some new lighting and do not have enough of the original romex (aluminum) to make a ...
A: Jim, You can not bury a splice inside the wall with no access and I agree it won't look very ...
|
| Lights that flicker when I start appliances | 5/2/2008 |
Q: We have a new house and if we turn on anything the like the vacuum the lights flicker and dim. You ...
A: Kevin, You have a loose connection some where and most likely on your utilitys end. The problem ...
|
| ceiling fixture | 4/30/2008 |
Q: We recently tore down our old plaster and lathe ceiling and had a new sheetrock ceiling installed. ...
A: Ray, You mentioned a dimmer, a florescent light will not work properly on a dimmer so try a regular ...
|
| 100amp breaker box | 4/30/2008 |
Q: i am adding 2 additional breakers into a 100amp box. there are several open spaces for additional ...
A: Mark, Yes I agree it is a little curious as to why its OK for the bare ones and not the white ones ...
|
| pool subpanel in shed | 4/29/2008 |
Q: Bob - question - I built a shed and had installed all new pool equipment near our pool. I've got 2 ...
A: Dave, 1.) The panels are OK in the shed. 2.) Romex is fine. 3.) No ground rod required but it ...
|
| How to bury service | 4/28/2008 |
Q: I Live in Interlaken, NJ and currently have 100A service overhead from a pole in the back yard. I ...
A: Donald, The National Electrical Code has standards that must be followed. Such as: Minimum height ...
|
| Hum from Electric Box in Basement | 4/27/2008 |
Q: Bob - the other day in the laundry room I noticed one of my electric boxes was emitting a very low ...
A: Henry, If the transformer for your door bell is attached to this box it could be the source of the ...
|
| caps | 4/26/2008 |
Q: Regarding those plastic twisty caps for holding wire connections; Do the wires need to be twisted ...
A: Larry, It can be done either way. Pros usually twist them before putting the cap on because trying ...
|
| bathroom nightlight | 4/26/2008 |
Q: Just read your advice to Fran & George re: adding a nightlight in a bathroom that currently has ...
A: Becky, Much easier to add the receptacle and just as effective. You may even be able to do it right ...
|
| Wiring a ceiling vent fan and a light | 4/24/2008 |
Q: Bob - I would like to rewire a vent fan and light in the bathroom from being on the same switch to a ...
A: Brian, Your first challenge is to get another 2 wire cable from the switch box to the fan light. In ...
|
| range outlet | 4/23/2008 |
Q: Replacing a direct wired cooktop with a free standing range. house was built in the late 70's. the ...
A: Helen, Generally speaking full size free standing elec range's use a 50 amp line which allows full ...
|
| Ceiling outlet for projector | 4/18/2008 |
Q: I am wanting to figure out the best plan for adding a outlet in my ceiling in our family room. The ...
A: Bryan, In the 90 degree corner where the ceiling meets the top of the wall you have to cut a small ...
|
| New chandelier won't work with dimmer switch | 4/15/2008 |
Q: yesterday I bought a new chandelier to replace my old one that worked perfectly, using an existing ...
A: Alan, Ok this will be fairly easy, you will need a voltage tester to determine which of the 2 old ...
|
| New chandelier won't work with dimmer switch | 4/15/2008 |
Q: yesterday I bought a new chandelier to replace my old one that worked perfectly, using an existing ...
A: Alan, Tell me exactly what is in the box as far as wires go, in other words how many individual ...
|
| wiring under a slab | 4/13/2008 |
Q: Bob, Couple of questions... #1 - I'm putting a log home on a slab, so I need to run electrical ...
A: Brian, I don't recommend running UF under the slab, it has no protection and if it gets damaged ...
|
| power cutting out in doublewide | 4/9/2008 |
Q: I have a 1986 doublewide that I recently put on my property. The problem is without any warning the ...
A: Michelle, The problem is most likely on your utilities end but it is possible it could be in your ...
|
| recessed under cabinet lighting (pucks) | 4/7/2008 |
Q: Bob, You helped me out about 5yrs ago with a 3-way switch and that turned out fine. This time I'm ...
A: Mark, I understand why you don't want the plugs to show but code wise you can't run the zip cord ...
|
| 220v hot tub | 4/6/2008 |
Q: a friend recently purchased a hot tub from China, I am going to look at it in a couple of days but ...
A: Andy, What I know of European voltage is that every thing operates on 220 including lighting. If ...
|
| 3-way with 2 lights | 4/5/2008 |
Q: I would like to know how to wire a 3-way with 2 lights so both switches turn both ligts off & on. ...
A: William, There are many ways to wire a 3 way system but this is how I do it and its very simple. ...
|
| Dryer | 4/4/2008 |
Q: When I convert a three wire dryer pigtail to a 4 wire pigtail, is it okay to put the green wire and ...
A: Jesse, No, the white wire will go to the middle terminal by itself and if there is a "jumnper" ...
|
| AFCI TRIPING | 4/4/2008 |
Q: THIS IS NEW CONSTRUCTION.I HAVE A 15 AMP AFCI BREAKER INSTALLED IN A BEDROOM. THE LIGHTS AND FEED ...
A: Tony, Check the neutral connection (white) wire for this circuit, it should be connected to the ...
|
| electrical wiring for steamshower | 4/3/2008 |
Q: My electrician ran 8-2 wire (actually 8-3 but the red wire is capped at both ends) with a 40 Amp ...
A: Susan, No problem you can use the existing cable and just size down the 40 amp breaker in the main ...
|
| Replacing plug-in ceiling light | 4/2/2008 |
Q: Bob. I live in a 55-yr old house outside Philly. I was hoping to replace the old ceiling light in ...
A: Joon, Try removing the receptacle. The screws that are holding it to the box you should be able to ...
|
| What type of Thermostat | 3/31/2008 |
Q: Good Morning Sir, I am trying to figure out what kind of wall mounted thermostat (single pole or ...
A: Good morning Chris, If your BB heaters are 240 volts and they probably are, you want to get double ...
|
| kitchen lighting | 3/30/2008 |
Q: we have green, red and black wires coming out of our fixture. And we have red, black and white ...
A: Natalie, If your ceiling box is made of metal the green wire will connect to it, if the box is ...
|
| neutrals | 3/28/2008 |
Q: I have just built a home in ct and the electrician did something that I am not comfortable with, and ...
A: Richard, The neutral wires from two different circuits, from two different panels should NOT be ...
|
| Question about wiring problem for 100 amp service panel | 3/27/2008 |
Q: We are replacing an older outside service panel, which this identical panel is no longer available, ...
A: Robert, Yes you can splice them in the new panel. An easy solution is to use mechanical "butt ...
|
| Sub-panel / Panel Brand | 3/27/2008 |
Q: Quick question... I am putting in a sub-panel in my house. I wanted to know first whether a main ...
A: Mark, Square D breakers "react" in short circuit conditions quicker than other breakers so there ...
|
| Sub-panel / Panel Brand | 3/26/2008 |
Q: Quick question... I am putting in a sub-panel in my house. I wanted to know first whether a main ...
A: Mark, Unless you need the main breaker you could just get a main lug panel but I'm assuming you ...
|
| re-wiring electric cooktop | 3/25/2008 |
Q: I purchased a used electric glass cooktop to install over my built-in oven in my kitchen cabinet. ...
A: Bob, I seriously doubt the wire is aluminum, its probably copper wire that has been what they call ...
|
| switches | 3/25/2008 |
Q: Bob, I have a single pole to single pole(light and bath fan). I want to make sure I am wiring them ...
A: Peggy, Are you replacing an existing switch or is this a new installation ? Let me know how many ...
|
| dryer | 3/24/2008 |
Q: dryer has 3 prong cord wall has 4 got a new cord were dose the red green blk white wire go on my ...
A: Carla, Open the back of the dryer. You should see black wires that go to a terminal, red wires that ...
|
| Tapping into the main lugs in a panel | 3/24/2008 |
Q: Is it okay to install double lugs into a circuit breaker panel where the feeder comes into then tap ...
A: Anthony, First of all you need to know that the line your tapping will carry the new panel and what ...
|
| Light Fixture | 3/23/2008 |
Q: I purchased a light fixture that is a hard wire. The room that I wish to put it into has ceiling ...
A: Mary Ann, You could "swag" the fixture using chandelier chain, zip cord, decorative hooks and ...
|
| Amperage Question | 3/22/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if you could assist. I originall asked Rick Meill a question about roughing in the ...
A: BC, If your baseboard heat is 240 volts thats your problem. The fan light heat combination is 120 ...
|
| outlets | 3/20/2008 |
Q: I have an outlet in my living room. If you push the wall(the paneling around the outlet) it will ...
A: Brandon, This is the # 1 problem I get here and its receptacles like yours that have been "back ...
|
| wiring problem | 3/20/2008 |
Q: I installed a recessed light but the bulb won't light. I tested the circuit and have power at the ...
A: Alicia, Just to be sure the two other bulbs you tried were good ? Bad bulbs have caused more ...
|
| Temporary Service Relocation | 3/19/2008 |
Q: Background: Project includes a 12x22 addition extending from west end of dwelling. Existing service ...
A: Rob, The way this is usually done unless there are circumstances in your case I'm not aware of but ...
|
| 220 panel wiring | 3/19/2008 |
Q: Can I use 1 pole each from 2 different 2 pole breakers to make a 220 circuit? This would mean that ...
A: Joe, No can do. Yes a 2 pole breaker not only has the bar across but the breakers are tied together ...
|
| door bell | 3/18/2008 |
Q: I have a door bell that is plays an electronic chime. When the button is pressed and released, the ...
A: Michael, The contacts on the door bell button may be making poor contact due to corrosion on them ...
|
| LCD Wall mount electrical problem | 3/17/2008 |
Q: I installed a LCD on my wall and when I went to plug it in my circuit breaker in my room popped. I ...
A: Corey, It is unlikely but possible you could have hit just the hot wire in a cable with the ...
|
| Dryer Plug/ Recepticle | 3/14/2008 |
Q: I just moved into a home I am renting and the dryer outlet is a 3 pole/ 3 wire 10-30R type. My ...
A: Rob, Its not the outlet you want to change its the 4 wire plug and cord on your dryer you want to ...
|
| changing a light switch | 3/14/2008 |
Q: Here is my situation: I am attempting to change the outlets and switches in my bathroom from almond ...
A: Lisa, That 3rd black wire you spliced to the other "HOT" black wires is the wire that goes to your ...
|
| GFI circut | 3/13/2008 |
Q: Good day Bob, I have noticed a few answers on GFI's and have one more. I have 30amp circuit with a ...
A: Randy, Redundant GFI protection obviously isn't necessary when one will do but I've never had a ...
|
| 3 way switch | 3/13/2008 |
Q: I was in the process of swapping out our old switches with new rocker switches today, when one of ...
A: Kristi, Try using the screws on the side of the old switch for the red and white wires instead of ...
|
| Wiring multiple lights on one switch | 3/12/2008 |
Q: I'm putting lights in my attic. I have 4 lights and want to put them on one switch. I've wired ...
A: Ric, You've got the lights wired in series which is why they aren't very bright. Here's what you ...
|
| Pendant lighting Question | 3/12/2008 |
Q: I currently have a light fixture in my dinning room that is contrlled by a light switch and hangs ...
A: Veronica, No problem, all you need to do is go to Home Depot or Lowes and get a "canopy kit" in the ...
|
| Particial Power | 3/11/2008 |
Q: my house was built in 1990 and this past weekend we lost power due to a storm. When the power ...
A: Monica, If you have confirmed that you have full power coming in then the first place I would have ...
|
| Can I pigtail power off of a 3 way switch. | 3/10/2008 |
Q: 3 way track lighting switch. White is "hot" Want to pigtail power from this 3 way to an additional ...
A: Gayle, If you only have the 3 wire cable in the box its not possible. 3 way systems can be wired ...
|
| breaker problems? | 3/9/2008 |
Q: all three bathrooms lost all lighting/electricity. i'm pretty sure they are not on the same circuit ...
A: Rich, It sounds like a connection problem to me. Pull the switch(s) out in the bedroom and you may ...
|
| Replacing Ceiling Fan | 3/9/2008 |
Q: We are replacing a ceiling fan that is on a 3-way switch, and replacing it with just a light. The ...
A: Jeremy, Try this: You will need a voltage tester. Disconnect the fixture completely, leave the 2 ...
|
| Sub-panel feeder gage | 3/8/2008 |
Q: I'm building a 30 x 50' shop building. I just buried 2" conduit the 120' run from the house with 1 ...
A: Jim, Copper VS Aluminum : AL is cheaper and if terminated properly will work fine for your ...
|
| Possible overload and circuit breaker trouble | 3/8/2008 |
Q: I tried to do some work on an older house. There is one breaker in particular, that has half the ...
A: Nick, One of the two main power legs is out. Now its just a question of where the problem is. The ...
|
| home receptacles | 3/7/2008 |
Q: I am replacing the old receptacles in my home in Ocean County. My friend, who is a retired union ...
A: Rich, There is no code requirement to the ground being up or down in your situation. The most ...
|
| Installing new pendant lights | 3/6/2008 |
Q: I want to install two pendant lights over kitchen peninsula. There are no ceiling boxes over the ...
A: Jerry, This is one of the most difficult situations to deal with in a home with out making holes ...
|
| Recessed Lighting in Suspended Ceiling | 3/6/2008 |
Q: I am looking to finish out my basement ceiling with recessed cans lights in a suspended ceiling. I ...
A: Pat, My pleasure, you do want to leave some slack by each fixture for flexibility, I usually leave ...
|
| Recessed Lighting....No Light | 3/5/2008 |
Q: My question is this...I have two scenarios in my basement, on one light switch i have a total of 6 ...
A: Stefano, The sockets are probably burned out, in other words they are not making effective enough ...
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| Recessed Lighting in Suspended Ceiling | 3/5/2008 |
Q: I am looking to finish out my basement ceiling with recessed cans lights in a suspended ceiling. I ...
A: Pat, Todays recessed lighting "cans" are a lot different. Gone are the separate "wips" and "J" ...
|
| Garage renovation | 3/4/2008 |
Q: I am renovating my attached garage and adding 2 20 amp circuits for outlets. One of the walls of ...
A: Gary, Your correct in that there is nothing to stop a nail or a screw from going through the wall ...
|
| Bathroom light/fan/nightlight | 3/4/2008 |
Q: Bob, we installed a Nutone bathroom exhaust fan,light and nightlight fixture. The bathroom had a ...
A: Not at all, OK the fluorescent lamp may be defective or the electronic ballast for the lamp could be ...
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| Bathroom light/fan/nightlight | 3/2/2008 |
Q: Bob, we installed a Nutone bathroom exhaust fan,light and nightlight fixture. The bathroom had a ...
A: Fran and George, The extra switch for the night light feature is whats causing all the trouble. ...
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| Sub-panel feeder gage | 2/29/2008 |
Q: I'm building a 30 x 50' shop building. I just buried 2" conduit the 120' run from the house with 1 ...
A: Jim, Lets look at it this way. Assuming you have 200 amp service and a 200 amp panel, the biggest ...
|
| Wiring new kitchen island/ renovation | 2/29/2008 |
Q: We're renovating our kitchen & having a new island installed. I would like to run electrical in the ...
A: Doug, Using a grinder and a concrete cutting saw , cut a channel wide enough and deep enough to ...
|
| Replacing ceiling fan with regular light fixture | 2/28/2008 |
Q: I'm replacing a ceiling fan with a regular light fixture and wondered if you could help me. I took ...
A: Tim, The connections you gave don't make sense and I'm not saying thats not how they are but they ...
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| Replacing ceiling fan with regular light fixture | 2/27/2008 |
Q: I'm replacing a ceiling fan with a regular light fixture and wondered if you could help me. I took ...
A: Tim, Describe for me in detail how the two 3 wire cables are connected to each other in the ceiling ...
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| Replacing ceiling fan with regular light fixture | 2/26/2008 |
Q: I'm replacing a ceiling fan with a regular light fixture and wondered if you could help me. I took ...
A: Tim, Your going to have to so some home work. Pull out each switch. Each one has two brass colored ...
|
| Dimmer Switch to Non Dimmer Switch | 2/25/2008 |
Q: I have two rows of recessed lights in my basement and I wanted to take them off dimmer switches ...
A: Charles, One of the 3 black wires is the "HOT" and the other two go to the lights. You will need a ...
|
| light | 2/25/2008 |
Q: we have a flourescent light in the kitchen with 4 lights. Two have gone out, and my husband tried ...
A: Stephanie, The ballast inside the fixture is most likely the problem. There should be two of them, ...
|
| connecting an overhead light | 2/24/2008 |
Q: I'm replacing an overhead light. This light is on a dimmer switch. At the box in the ceiling, ...
A: Dan, The way you have it hooked up, if you were to turn the switch on you would blow the breaker or ...
|
| wiring cieling fan | 2/24/2008 |
Q: I have a remote control ceiling fan I am installing where I had a regular light with a black and ...
A: Anselmo, The remote module that goes in the ceiling by the fan should have a black and white wire ...
|
| sub panel for tankless heater | 2/22/2008 |
Q: Have a 200 amp service and I am installing a new tankless water heater.I understand the reasoning ...
A: Bill, It is a lot of amps because you have to make a large quantity of water hot instantly. You may ...
|
| Can Euro 220V be used with US 220V? | 2/21/2008 |
Q: Mossman, I am moving back to the States in a few months from Germany. I have a steam cleaner that ...
A: Greg, You would need the right voltage converter to use it here (US 120 volt to Euro 220 volt) and ...
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| New Cooktop Wiring 40 amp Cooktop | 2/20/2008 |
Q: From my service panel I have a dedicated line 8/3 with grd..my old cooktop (30amp)..I put an 50amp ...
A: Russ, I understand why you want to do it this way but its not the right thing do , besides you you ...
|
| Adding a switch for basement lights | 2/20/2008 |
Q: I have two lights in the basement that I want to put on a switch. They are the pull string type now. ...
A: Cale, The best way to do this is from scratch. Believe it or not it will be easier and more ...
|
| Bare Wire As Neutral | 2/19/2008 |
Q: Our house was built in 2003 and it came with a GE 24" microwave oven that uses 120 volts/20 Amp. ...
A: Quang, I have good news, if your new micro just says its 240 volts and not 120/240 volts then all ...
|
| GFCI in Kitchen Remodel | 2/18/2008 |
Q: We are updating the kitchen of our condo which was built in 1985. I have a couple of questions about ...
A: Tim, The disposal should not be on with the counter outlets so double check that to make sure but ...
|
| Bedroom lights - Accent cable kit | 2/18/2008 |
Q: My wife wants to install an accent cable kit light with 5 halogen bulbs (20 watt MR16)in our ...
A: Ted, They are referring to the wire's in your ceiling box and the kind of insulation on them. If ...
|
| main panel | 2/17/2008 |
Q: I am replaceing a 100 amp panel in an old house there is two hot wires and a ground coming in from ...
A: Kevin, What may appear to be the ground coming from the meter is actually the neutral. You see the ...
|
| Outdoor Lighting | 2/16/2008 |
Q: I need to replace an existing photoelectric sensor. Rather than a light fixture there is an AC ...
A: Jorge, If your aim is to control the AC outlet then wire it as follows: You will disconnect the ...
|
| Compact Fluorescents & Timers | 2/15/2008 |
Q: I purchased 3 Intermatic flush-mount programmable timers to operate 3 different sets of outside ...
A: Lyn, Its very possible you have a defective CFL and thats why its flickering so try a new one and ...
|
| wiring for a garage light | 2/15/2008 |
Q: I have an outside light above garage door, that I have put a switch in and works, now I would like ...
A: Leviton make's a programable electronic digital timer that I've had good luck with over the last 7 ...
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| electrical box | 2/13/2008 |
Q: I entered my home through the garage yesterday I used the code to open garage I then closed it from ...
A: Angela, make sure the timer for the lights is in the "off" position and try the breaker again. Also ...
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| bath light/exhaust wiring | 2/13/2008 |
Q: Sir, I currently have a 40 amp circuit which used to feed a barn,(currently unused),this 40 amp ...
A: Jim, If this is just a 2 wire cable with an additional bare ground then I would say forget it and ...
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| 2 prong to 3 prong outlet wiring | 2/12/2008 |
Q: I have a house that was built in 1952 and the electric panel has been updated to breakers and 100 ...
A: Ok, you have the old style cloth covered cable that looks like Romex, its not very common around ...
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| 2 prong to 3 prong outlet wiring | 2/12/2008 |
Q: I have a house that was built in 1952 and the electric panel has been updated to breakers and 100 ...
A: Victor, If your house was built in 1952 its probably wired with BX cable which has the typical ...
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| switch/outlet problem | 2/11/2008 |
Q: I recently replaced an old outlet/light switch. I am having problems getting it wired correctly. ...
A: Trevor, On one side of the device you'll see two dark colored screws that are close together, put ...
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| Current in the ceiling joist and bathroom drain piping | 2/11/2008 |
Q: I am experiencing a current in both the bathroom drain piping and the wood (which is wet)joist in ...
A: Marc, Yes you definitely have a problem there. Something in your drop ceiling like a light fixture ...
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| 240 or 120 on Hot Tub? | 2/10/2008 |
Q: We inherited a hot tub w/ our new home. There is a square D 50 Amp 2 pole Breaker that powers the ...
A: Mike, It is a 240 volt hook up given the 50 amp 2 pole breaker. Converting this line to 120 volt ...
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| voltage high/low | 2/10/2008 |
Q: I have a kill a watt meter hooked up to my computers and I notice that the readings for voltage ...
A: Brian, Your voltage can fluctuate depending upon whats on in your house at the time or your ...
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| can light | 2/9/2008 |
Q: I have a recessed can light in a kitchen soffet that pops on and off. I took out the bulb and I can ...
A: Jim, The problem is most likely the thermal device in the can. Its there to prevent a higher ...
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| please help | 2/9/2008 |
Q: in my kitchen and in my living room the 4 lights that are on the 2 ceiling fans (total 8 bulbs) have ...
A: Natalie, This is typical of a loose connection some where. If this problem only involves the fans ...
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| baseboard heat wiring | 2/7/2008 |
Q: my house was built in 1972, we have total electric baseboard heat. I remodled my bathroom and ...
A: Mark, No problem, now look closely at the body of the thermostat. You should see two wire's coming ...
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| exploded bulb damaging dimmer switch | 2/6/2008 |
Q: My wife screwed a bulb into an old multi-bulb fixture and it exploded. Now the dimmer switch that ...
A: Bryan, The bulb exploding caused a short circuit which is what blew the dimmer. I don't think the ...
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| electical panel | 2/5/2008 |
Q: I hope you can answer this question. I live in NYC in a pre-war building. My studio apartment has ...
A: Wayne, At least you don't have Federal breakers, fuses are by far better as long as they are sized ...
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| Counter Top Stove Hook-up | 2/4/2008 |
Q: Good Day, Just tried to install a counter top stove for my father in law. His old stove had 4 ...
A: Darryl, Its not clear to me what the old stove was hooked up to. Describe the cable that comes from ...
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| dimmers | 2/3/2008 |
Q: I have a new home with a Eight 75W bulbs in "cans". The One dimmer switch gets extremely warm (hot) ...
A: Ken, I don't know who's dimmer your electrician used but if its Lutron and it probably is because ...
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| re-wiring a switch to cieling fan | 2/2/2008 |
Q: I currently have a switch that controls an outlet in my bedroom. I wont to disconnect the switch ...
A: Jason, Yes, your blacks SHOULD be your "Hot" wire's just confirm that with a tester, the whites are ...
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| Thermal cutouts in recessed cans | 2/2/2008 |
Q: Well I have a problem where these brand new recessed lites I installed were turning off then later ...
A: William, It could mean that yes and it does happen. Just to be sure though if you look inside the ...
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| bathroom gfi | 2/1/2008 |
Q: does the code require a 20A dedicated circuit gfi receptacle in bathroom or can it be a 15A ...
A: Tim, The code requires a 20 amp circuit, 15 amps is not permitted. Now if there is only one GFI ...
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| Need help with electrical hookup on remote control ceiling fan | 1/31/2008 |
Q: A number of years ago an electrician installed a Minka-Aire Ceiling Fame with remote control in my ...
A: Charles, If its working the way you want it to then it sounds Ok to me. The white wire turned out ...
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| dryer outlet | 1/30/2008 |
Q: I have about a 50 or so year old house and I was wondering how I or my husband can change a 3 ...
A: Valerie, Most dryers come with out cords and plugs and operate on a 30 amp line. They can be hooked ...
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| Need help with electrical hookup on remote control ceiling fan | 1/30/2008 |
Q: A number of years ago an electrician installed a Minka-Aire Ceiling Fame with remote control in my ...
A: Charles, It seems that you just need to locate the "Hot" wire(s) in the box, connect the black wire ...
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| HVAC Compressor Spike - dimming lights | 1/29/2008 |
Q: Bob - We recently finished the construction of our new home. We took, what we thought were, all the ...
A: Jim, This is a common problem with compressors and motors in general when used in a residence. ...
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| Electrical wiring | 1/28/2008 |
Q: I want to run a 75AMP subpanel for my kitchen. the run from the main is approx. 80'. Is 8ga. enough ...
A: Richard, # 8 copper at the 75C rating is good for 50 amps so thats not even close. Now what you ...
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| putting a plug on a new dishwasher | 1/27/2008 |
Q: we have the installation kit, the wires coming from the dishwasher are marked, black, white and ...
A: Cindy, If you look at the male plug you will notice that one prong is slightly larger than the ...
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| panel codes | 1/26/2008 |
Q: I am finishing the room in the basement where my main panel and sub panel are located, can build a ...
A: Joe, If you are saying that these panels will be in this closet then technically you can't use it ...
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| Wiring Problem with Ceiling Fan Installion | 1/23/2008 |
Q: I’m trying to replace my bedroom light with a ceiling fan with inbuilt light. The fan and light are ...
A: Dan, You only need one additional wire to make this work so you don't really need the white wire in ...
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| T-8 florescent fixture light | 1/22/2008 |
Q: I install a new 2x4 T-8 3 lamp florescent fixture. It worked for about 3 days then quit. I thought ...
A: Chuck, You could easily have a defective ballast and its my guess thats what it is. The new ...
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| Bedroom light switches; 45 yr old house | 1/21/2008 |
Q: Bob: First I will freely admit to electricity (outside of fixture installation) being well outside ...
A: Rob, Ok based on the information you have provided me do this: Get 2 single pole switches (2 ...
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| GFCI Kicking out | 1/21/2008 |
Q: I am trying to run a block heater on a Bobcat or truck. There is around 150' from the house GFCI ...
A: Steve, It doesn't take much to trip a GFI especially when you have multiple extension cords outside ...
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| trouble instralling lighting fixture | 1/20/2008 |
Q: I am installing a lighting fixture in my entryway. The new fixture has three wires: black, white ...
A: It sounds like you have a foreign made fixture there with that yellow wire. A yellow wire in these ...
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| garbage disposal wiring issues | 1/20/2008 |
Q: I have installed a disposal where there was not one prior. I was going to tie into an outlet that ...
A: Rees, If your cable has no separate ground wire you probably have BX cable which utilizes the ...
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| sub panel | 1/19/2008 |
Q: I am wanting to add a subpanel to my workshop (about 75 feet from my main panel) I want the sub to ...
A: No ground rod is needed, the neutral wire (white) will go to the neutral block in the sub panel and ...
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| sub panel | 1/19/2008 |
Q: I am wanting to add a subpanel to my workshop (about 75 feet from my main panel) I want the sub to ...
A: Richie, Even if copper were not as expensive as it is today I would still tell you to use 100 amp ...
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| Installing new circuits in finished basements | 1/18/2008 |
Q: I am refinishing my basement and I am changing out all of the old wiring. First, does the 6/12 rule ...
A: Jim, No problem, OK you can put 12 duplex receptacles on a 20 amp line (12-2) so your more than OK ...
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| Installing new circuits in finished basements | 1/17/2008 |
Q: I am refinishing my basement and I am changing out all of the old wiring. First, does the 6/12 rule ...
A: Jim, The 6/12 rule is the National Electrical Code minimum which applies to all states. By the way ...
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| Cold air coming down from high hats | 1/17/2008 |
Q: I recently moved into a new home in IL which seems like a sieve for the cold air from outside. ...
A: Sharon, If its a new home you may have "IC" rated recessed lights. What that means is you can ...
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| lost power to 1 "grid" of my house | 1/15/2008 |
Q: I came inside tonight & due to wind/storm outside had to slam the door closed. I went to turn on an ...
A: Frank, My pleasure. Check the receptacle where you heard the fizzing and popping and where the ...
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| pendant light installation | 1/15/2008 |
Q: Background: I want to replace an existing chandelier in the dining room with three mini pendant ...
A: Robert, The box for the chandelier could be attached directly to a stud but most likely it is ...
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| Running wire above drywall and below joist in an old house | 1/14/2008 |
Q: I live in an 130 year old house that was renovate in the 60's. As a result there are several layers ...
A: Bob, Its not bad form as much as that is what you sometimes have to resort to in order to get ...
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| replacing bathroom light with fan/light combo | 1/12/2008 |
Q: I am trying to replace an existing bathroom light with a fan/light combo. Their is one wall switch ...
A: Greg, Yes use the same two wires that were used for the light, and connect them to the two white ...
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| wiring a broan light,heat,exhaust fan combo | 1/12/2008 |
Q: Bob, I am wiring up a new construction bathroom in my basement, I have purchased a broan model 665 ...
A: Ted, No its not, you are in fact a wire short so one of the three funtions of the unit would not ...
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| Custom switch plate? | 1/11/2008 |
Q: Bob. I need help finding a custom switch plate. I installed a simple light to a box that was wired ...
A: Steve, The easiest way for you to do this is to get a 3 gang white "Decora" style plate which ...
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| Switch and Lights | 1/10/2008 |
Q: I believe that my need is simple, but I am just not familiar with this. I have had the power cut ...
A: Adam, You'll need a volt/ohm meter to do this and make sure the main breaker, or fuses are off. ...
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| ceiling fan lighting | 1/10/2008 |
Q: I am having some difficulties with my ceiling fan. I took the fan down to paint the fixture and ...
A: Stacey, There should be a blue wire that comes down from the ceiling canopy directly to where the ...
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| Problem installing ceiling light fixture | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I am having a problem when installing a ceiling light fixture. I removed the old fixture and ...
A: Tim, Check your connections. You should have 2 white wires and 2 black wires in the fixture. Both ...
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| adding light to garage | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I'd like to tap into that receptacle to add a security spot light on the garage. Anything special I ...
A: Patrick, What ever size the existing wires are thats what you want to stick with for the new ...
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| spa | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I have a Coleman Spa that requires a 50 amp GFCI protected circuit. I've tryed to install a G.E. ...
A: Gary, You don't need to run any new wires or move the GFI breaker, here's what to look for. Check ...
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| bonding | 1/7/2008 |
Q: I bought a new square d main service panel(attachment). Came with green box bonding screw says "to ...
A: Mike, The green bonding screw is not used in a sub panel how ever it is "required" in the main ...
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| tanning bed | 1/6/2008 |
Q: hello i seen the other question about hooking the tanning bed to the stove im gad i read it but my ...
A: Dallas, I didn't see the other question but as long as the tanning bed has the same voltage and amp ...
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| Flickering lights when new water heater in use | 1/5/2008 |
Q: Our house is total electric. We are doing renovations and part of this project was to go to an on ...
A: Kay, Its a great concept but your turning on a minimum of 40 amps just to wash your hands, then if ...
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| Flickering lights when new water heater in use | 1/5/2008 |
Q: Our house is total electric. We are doing renovations and part of this project was to go to an on ...
A: Kay, This type of heater by its very nature draws so much current instantly that its dropping the ...
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| Suitable wire for Steam Generator | 1/4/2008 |
Q: I am looking for some assistance. I am finishing my lower level bathroom and putting in a Kohler ...
A: Greg, How about this. Use 3/4 " PVC as a sleeve and run your 8-2 Romex through it instead of the ...
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| GFCI application | 1/3/2008 |
Q: I would like to have two separate 120 volt receptacles in the basement for an air hockey table and ...
A: Don, No problem at all. When you open the box and replace the existing receptacle that will take ...
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| Ikea light fixture | 1/3/2008 |
Q: I am replacing a fixture that works off of one switch with an IKEA light fixture. The IKEA fixture ...
A: Dwight, I'm assuming you lost track of what wires went where in the ceiling box so with the power ...
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| waterproof electric light switch | 1/2/2008 |
Q: Do they make a light switch that is waterproof and where can I get one. The switch is just outside ...
A: Mary, Yes , Lowes or HD will have that. Get one thats made of plastic so there's no rust problem ...
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| light bulbs | 1/1/2008 |
Q: why do my light bulbs burn out so quickly in my old house.
A: Travis, If your light fixtures are old like your house then the sockets in those fixtures are worn ...
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| Voltage change - main panel rails | 1/1/2008 |
Q: Bob, 200amp,1ph.30 breaker res. panel. Had one circuit of outlets go out w/out tripping breaker and ...
A: Dave, You most likely have an "open neutral" on your utiltys end outside some where. When the ...
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| Continuity with cuircuit breaker open? | 12/31/2007 |
Q: I recently installed a fan motor with a rheostat speed controller. My house is only 6 years old and ...
A: Roger, its not unusual at all because the white wires are connected to ground in your panel so no ...
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| Circuit Breaker Trips | 12/30/2007 |
Q: One portion of our basement did not have light. On inspecting the circuit breaker panel, I found ...
A: Ravi, If the breaker will not reset and its sparking and making a noise when you try to reset it ...
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| How to hard wire a 220v Air Compressor | 12/29/2007 |
Q: I have a 100 Amp box in my detached garage. I need to hard wire a 220v Air Compressor using 110v ...
A: Dave, I need to know what the current draw is on the compressor at 240 volts and if the motor is ...
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| Taking out a Knockout | 12/28/2007 |
Q: I can't seem to punch out a knockout on an existing outlet box. I've used a hammer and large ...
A: Dick, Most Ko's you hit towards the inside of the box so I'm sure thats your situation and yes its ...
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| Taking out a Knockout | 12/28/2007 |
Q: I can't seem to punch out a knockout on an existing outlet box. I've used a hammer and large ...
A: Dick, There are some KO's that don't get punched right when they are made and I have literally ...
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| bathroom ceiling fan won't turn off | 12/27/2007 |
Q: our bathroom fan all of the sudden, could not be turned off at the switch. I figured it was a switch ...
A: Eric, If the fan is staying on with those two wires separated then the fan is getting power from ...
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| rain&GFI | 12/27/2007 |
Q: I have multiple distribution of holiday lights and animal figures on the yard bushes and trees this ...
A: David, It takes only a minute amount of water to trip a GFI so you need to check all your points of ...
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| Buzzing breaker | 12/26/2007 |
Q: Recently I've noticed that I sometimes hear a buzzing/crackling noise coming from my 200 amp Square ...
A: Joseph, Yes find out which breaker is doing this because it indicates a bad connection that either ...
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| Lighting problem | 12/25/2007 |
Q: I have a problem with lightning in the upstairs of my home. The upstairs has 6 lights 4-bedrooms, 1 ...
A: Paul, You have a loose connection some where along that circuit. Open the switch boxes of the ...
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| Repeated GFI failures | 12/24/2007 |
Q: An outside receptacle installed on the front of my house a few years ago has recently started to ...
A: Larry, Yes if water is getting in there it can ruin a GFI pretty quickly. Take good care to seal ...
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| Faulty out let? | 12/23/2007 |
Q: Have an electrical outlet on my covered front porch that I have most of my Christmas lights attached ...
A: Brian, First of all double check those breakers again and make sure none are tripped. OK unless its ...
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| HI-Rise condo | 12/23/2007 |
Q: I moved into a new hi-rise condo in NYC with concrete ceilings. Every electrician that has ...
A: Susan, Unfortunately digging into the ceiling just isn't an option as it would compromise the ...
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| GFCI | 12/22/2007 |
Q: We have a coffee pot and a soup warmer which keep tripping our GFCI receptacle in the kitchen. We ...
A: Roger, Anything can trip a GFI but the cause is key. There could be something wrong with either or ...
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| Outlets have no power | 12/20/2007 |
Q: 4 Outlets in one room and the main light/fan are not working in my 10 yr old house in Texas. I am ...
A: Sunny, Check those breakers again to be sure each one is putting out power since that panel is ...
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| Light fixtures have no power... | 12/19/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased a condo which was built in 1969. The first day that we walked into the house ...
A: Dan, Take a closer look at the circuit breakers, a breaker thats tripped can easily look like its ...
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| Wiring for Central AC | 12/18/2007 |
Q: My husband and I are planning to have a company install central ac. But we are trying to do the ...
A: Joan, You need to consult your HVAC contractor as to the proper wire size for the compressor. The ...
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| electrical | 12/18/2007 |
Q: i have an older house , in the dinning there is a double switch , one goes to the fan and the other ...
A: Rich, It does matter and I'm assuming your asking because your changing this switch or your doing ...
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| ELECTRIC BROILER | 12/17/2007 |
Q: Bob, I recently had a new electric stove to replace an old electric stove. I noticed that the ...
A: Paul, If you live in a single family home or even a two family the incoming voltage should be 120 ...
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| Faulty Outlet | 12/15/2007 |
Q: We have two strings of outdoor Christmas lights and a flood light plugged into two outdoor ...
A: Scott, Being this is an outside outlet and should be GFI protected, look at all your GFI ...
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| breaker tripped? | 12/15/2007 |
Q: I hope you can help me with this one,I just resently replaced my 100amp fuse panel with a 100amp ...
A: Jim, Unless there are other things on that circuit your not aware of the breaker should be holding. ...
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| cooktop stove & wall oven | 12/14/2007 |
Q: I am running new wire to cooktop stove & Wall oven. Both units are tied into individual juncture ...
A: Michael, White to white, black to black, red to red, and your 4th wire the bare one will be ...
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| 220 to 110 | 12/14/2007 |
Q: I have a 2 hot 1 bare wire ground 220 feed for my electric furnace. I want to pull a 110 receptacle ...
A: Robert, You can't do that but what you might be able to do is change the connections on the motor ...
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| update to power outage... | 12/13/2007 |
Q: I went to look at the electric box(200amp) and as I got to within 3 feet I smelled a burning type ...
A: Mike, You've located the problem, apparntly when the electrician terminated the wires he didn't ...
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| Bad Circuit Breaker? | 12/12/2007 |
Q: I had some guys come in and clean our rugs and floor. I was not home at the time, my wife ...
A: Edward, If the breaker did trip it may not be resetting, to properly reset a CB you must first turn ...
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| Electric baseboard heater stuck on | 12/12/2007 |
Q: I have electric baseboard heat in my home. The baseboard heater in the master bedroom seems to be ...
A: Jon, It all depends on how comfortable and confident you are inside a panel with exposed live parts ...
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| adding a ceiling light | 12/11/2007 |
Q: Currently in my bedroom I have no ceiling light but I do have a switch that controls the plug ...
A: Dan, The problem is you only have half of what you need in the switch box so here's what you need ...
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| Battery Preservation | 12/10/2007 |
Q: Since one usually has to buy batteries at a store in packs, how can I store the batteries I don't ...
A: Mike, A lot of people do that , I don't know how effective it is but there is a shelf life of ...
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| Overload protectors in recessed lighting | 12/9/2007 |
Q: I have several can type recessed lights in my home. They are the type where the junction box is ...
A: Michael, You do need those thermal cut outs and they are required to protect against higher wattage ...
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| Wall Timer Switch | 12/9/2007 |
Q: I purchased an Intermatic EJ500 wall timer switch to replace a single switch that controls 3 outside ...
A: William, It depends upon what kind of lights you have, this timer may not control flourescent or ...
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| garbage disposal wiring | 12/7/2007 |
Q: is it code acceptable to install a garbage disposal under a kitchen sink, in an enclosed cabinet ...
A: Gary, Yes, however the GFI is not necessary in that situation and a single receptacle could be used ...
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| Connecting a chandelier | 12/6/2007 |
Q: There are 2 black wire and 2 white wires. The 2 black were connected together the 2 white were not. ...
A: Wayne, Use the two free white wires and you should be fine, you see who ever made the connections ...
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| Wiring a chandelier off existing switch | 12/6/2007 |
Q: I presently have a switch controlled outlet in my room. The switch is a single pole with only one ...
A: Yes but you will lose control of the outlet by the switch which shouldn't be a problem since you ...
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| Electrical Buzz | 12/5/2007 |
Q: Some info before I get to my question. Residential home built in 1978. Probably original fixtures. ...
A: Albert, A light bulb wouldn't cause something like this though when controlled by a dimmer they can ...
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| 6 wire outlet | 12/3/2007 |
Q: I was replacing an old outlet in a bathroom. when i removed the old one, i found it had 6 wires ...
A: Jim, Yes if its in the bathroom it should be a GFI, now try wire nutting all the white wires ...
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| Using the wiring from a three prong outlet lamp to connect as a chandelier | 12/2/2007 |
Q: My wife bought a hanging lamp that plugs into the wall with a three-prong plug. We want to hang the ...
A: Sean, Yes and you may need a canopy kit which is available from HD or Lowes which besides the ...
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| Studying Faulty Wiring | 11/28/2007 |
Q: my name is Ryan. I am a student living in Hong Kong. Currently as part of a DT project, I am ...
A: Ryan, Basically wiring can overheat due to a poor connection where a wire is terminated. You can ...
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| Wiring to aa Sub Panel | 11/27/2007 |
Q: I am wiring a 220 volt 20 amp plug for a table saw in my garage off of my sub panel. I used a 12/2 ...
A: John, The ground wire goes to the ground bar which should be physically attached to the metal of ...
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| Problem replacing old entry way light | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I took down the old pendant light in the entry way (late 1920's home) to find that the electrical ...
A: Jenny, It sounds like you have an old flat pancake box that has almost no room in it for the wire's ...
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| 2-wire ceiling box & new 4-wire ceiling light fixture | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I just bought a new 2-bulb ceiling light fixture to replace the 2-bulb ceiling fixture in my ...
A: Laurie, The reason you see no ground in the box is because you either have BX cable which has the ...
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| power surges | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I have a question about some weird power surges, declines, in my house. The power in my house ...
A: Ray, Do your lights get unusually bright then dull when certain items are used like your dish ...
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| Secondary Electric Panel for Garage | 11/25/2007 |
Q: We are running electric service from the house main panel (200A) to the garage. The distance from ...
A: Tony, 4/3 copper would be adequate and I highly recomend that you use 2" PVC for a nice easy pull ...
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| Wiring double poll baseboard tsat w/feed to next room | 11/24/2007 |
Q: I recently replaced a single pole 220 tstat with a new double pole LUX and the junction box has 3 ...
A: Joe, Start from scratch and separate all the wires. Identify the incoming pair that is the feed ...
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| Main breaker location? | 11/23/2007 |
Q: I am trying to replace a breaker within the electrical panel in the basement of my townhome. ...
A: Bhishma, That main breaker is probably where the meter is located. Ask the superintendant and I'm ...
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| Outlet question | 11/22/2007 |
Q: In my master bedroom is an outlet that has the test button type outlet. It controls the lights in ...
A: Deb, Don't worry you won't burn the house down its just an inconvenience that you can continue to ...
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| Can Lighting | 11/21/2007 |
Q: I installed five can lights in a kitchen remodeling project five years ago. Recently, one of the ...
A: Jay, When bulbs start burning out quickly its usually an older fixture and the socket is shot from ...
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| Low power to switch | 11/19/2007 |
Q: We want to install a new chandelier in our dining room. We haven't had one in that room for years, ...
A: Diane, The cable going down instead of up just means that when the wiring was originally installed ...
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| Adding ceiling fan in bedrooms | 11/12/2007 |
Q: Just bought a house built in 1981 and there are no ceiling light fixtures in the 3 bedrooms. I want ...
A: Lance, Your best bet is to run a new the line from the panel. You could simplify this installation ...
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| When To Rewire A Home | 11/10/2007 |
Q: I am about to purchase a 51 year old home. It is a tri--level,basement. It is in pretty good shape. ...
A: Tim, There is usually no need to do that, as long as the insulation on the wires is not falling off ...
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| Electric Baseboard Heater Stopped Working | 11/9/2007 |
Q: I just moved into this house a little over a month ago and the previous owners replaced some if not ...
A: Kristen, If the home owners replaced them it could be a number of things but I would check the ...
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| bad vibrations | 11/9/2007 |
Q: There is a buzzing sound (vibration noise, not steady but cycle like.) coming in my bedroom wall (it ...
A: Lily, The winds could be making something vibrate like a loose piece of siding or something but ...
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| 60 amp to 100 amp? | 11/7/2007 |
Q: I have a 60 amp service coming into the house. Is it possible to take out the 60 amp fuse main panel ...
A: Keith, Unfortunately you can't squeeze 100 amps out of 60 so the answer is no you can't but if ...
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| eletrical plugs | 11/6/2007 |
Q: the problem started with the inlaws in town they noticed one of the light switches in the up stairs ...
A: lh, Check the easy stuff first if you haven't done so already, which is the panel for a blown fuse ...
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| warm light switch | 11/5/2007 |
Q: I installed a light switch with a dimmer on the side. When the dimmer is all the way up and lights ...
A: Jane, Warm is OK, hot is not, if you have a 600 watt dimmer which is typical, just count up the ...
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| Ceiling Fan Wiring | 11/5/2007 |
Q: I bought a ceiling fan to replace the old one installed in one of the bedrooms. I removed the old ...
A: Aaron, The group of black wires with the single white wire SHOULD be the "hot" ones, the single ...
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| converting 220v halogen lamps w/ dimmer to 110v | 11/4/2007 |
Q: Good evening. I have a few 220v halogen lamps, some with dimmer switch, that were purchased from ...
A: yhc, Check out "travel converters" , these are plug in adapters where you could plug a 110 to 220 ...
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| wiring | 11/3/2007 |
Q: I put a drill bit through wall into a live wire. (NO harm done to self, thank god for circit ...
A: Don, The easiest and best thing is to to try to get some slack in both directions if thats ...
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| 2 WIRE PLUG | 11/2/2007 |
Q: I BOUGHT A LANDSCAPING ROCK TYPE 20V SPOT LIGHT FOR MY BACKYARD. WHEN I OPENED THE BOX I FOUND OUT ...
A: Brian, It sounds like you may have mistakenly bought a 12 volt landscape light and are trying to ...
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| Outdoor flood light will not turn off | 11/2/2007 |
Q: Our outdoor flood light will not turn off. It is controlled by a switch inside the house and/or one ...
A: Thelma, What your describing is a 3 way switch setup to control this light fixture. It sounds like ...
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| wiring a switch | 11/1/2007 |
Q: OK, so this should have been very easy, however...I have opened up my switch and removed a defective ...
A: Liz, From what you have described here's what I think you should do. First make sure the power to ...
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| Wiring a bathroom exhaust fan from a Single Pole switch | 11/1/2007 |
Q: I have recently installed two bathroom exhaust fans in two seperate bathrooms. I have ran wiring to ...
A: Steve, It depends upon the wiring you have in those existing switch boxes. You may or may not have ...
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| tripped breaker | 10/30/2007 |
Q: have a breaker thats keeps tripping even after i disconnected every outlet and switch along that ...
A: Robert, Yes, you could have pulled every single splice in that circuit out and not found the ...
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| GFCI breaker trips when high-drain devices on other branch circuits activate | 10/29/2007 |
Q: The circuit breaker in my house has me rather confused. There's only one 15-amp GFCI breaker in the ...
A: Scott, This is not unusual, for instance in my own home when I run my water pik it inexplicably ...
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| Circut Breaker | 10/29/2007 |
Q: I have a 15 amp circuit breaker that will not stay on. The circut is in a loft area with minimal ...
A: Your on the right track Jim, you have a "dead" short some where which means where ever the short is ...
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| Power flickering | 10/28/2007 |
Q: My power on one branch of my service flickers and goes out quite ofter. was wondering if problems ...
A: Robert, Bad connections outside on the utiltys end are quite common and most likely what you are ...
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| stove wiring | 10/27/2007 |
Q: I live in country Western Ausrtalia where electricians are quite rare and VERY expensive. I bought a ...
A: Rob, Since I'm not there to see I can only speculate as to whats going on. This is my take. It ...
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| Turn switch on, breaker tripped | 10/26/2007 |
Q: When I turned on the switch in my master bath, it trips the breaker. I moved in to this house 4 ...
A: ......it could be a loose wire in the box or the fixture, it could be a wire thats pinched so that ...
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| Turn switch on, breaker tripped | 10/26/2007 |
Q: When I turned on the switch in my master bath, it trips the breaker. I moved in to this house 4 ...
A: Nesha, The problem is most likely with the light so it looks like a tall ladder is in order to see ...
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| Removing Recessed Lighting | 10/25/2007 |
Q: We just moved into a 1950's home where the previous owner went crazy with the recessed lighting. ...
A: Dionna, Yes the cans and their associated wiring can either be pulled down out of the ceiling where ...
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| Radiant floor heating and GFI issues | 10/24/2007 |
Q: Our Suntouch radiant floor pad has worked great for 6 months. Now the GFI has tripped according to ...
A: Peter, I assume there is some sort of switch or timer that controls the heat in the floor. If you ...
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| New bath fan trips GFC circuit | 10/24/2007 |
Q: I currently have a cheap, low power bath fan installed. I am replacing it with a Panasonic ...
A: Jeff, That is quite possible. If this fan is like many other fans I've installed , there is a plug ...
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| base board heaters | 10/23/2007 |
Q: i am thinking of putting space board heaters in each room of my house. the wiring is 12/2. do i ...
A: Lisa, I don't know what kind of electric service you have coming into the house but you would need ...
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| Power in a Bessa Brick Wall | 10/21/2007 |
Q: Don't know if this is possible, however I won't know if I don't ask. I live in a three story town ...
A: Adrian, Didn't appreciate the 4 my friend , the "duct" or whatever you call it down there is your ...
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| wiring dishwasher with plug rather than hard wired | 10/20/2007 |
Q: My dishwasher has a white & black wire, but since I am connecting to a plug (all grey) I don't which ...
A: Frank, You must use a 3 wire cable and a "grounding" type plug to connect the dishwasher, it sounds ...
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| Leviton 6560M timers | 10/20/2007 |
Q: My house was originally wired w/ 14/2 Romex down to simple mechanical timers for the single fan that ...
A: Tony, I'm assuming the exhaust fan is located in an unfinished area such as an attic or crawl space ...
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| Hardwire converison to Plug | 10/19/2007 |
Q: (Converted from electric heat & water talk about savings) The installers picked up the electric from ...
A: Bob, I would recommend that you use a single pole double throw switch as your means for switching ...
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| dimming lights | 10/19/2007 |
Q: We recently moved into a villa. about five days ago,our lights started to go dim and then bright ...
A: James, You may have an "open neutral" condition which cause's extreme voltage fluctuations or it ...
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| Wiring a garbage disposal | 10/17/2007 |
Q: I feel stupid, but have an existing garbage disposal and am replacing it. When I went to connect ...
A: Matt, There should be a small wiring compartment on the bottom of the disposal that has a small ...
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| Honeywell RTH6300B thermostat | 10/15/2007 |
Q: Ugh. In wall I have O,R,Y,G,C,W. Counted number of wires (per instructions) not including C. Have ...
A: OK thats good, if you look at the back of the existing thermostat where the wires are screwed to the ...
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| 240 volt power | 10/14/2007 |
Q: We have just moved to the US from Australia and we had some appliances shipped over including our ...
A: Sally, You can't safely do that because the power strip will then be fused higher than it should ...
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| intermittent drilling/buzzing sound in wall | 10/13/2007 |
Q: Help! Before we start breaking down the walls we need to get idea what this noise can be! This ...
A: May, It sounds like you've covered all the bases but still have no answer and I must say I'm ...
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| Dead circuit - no power in 2 rooms | 10/12/2007 |
Q: I live in an older house that uses fuses (not breakers). Much of the house has very old wire but I ...
A: Roger, The rats are usually just interested in the insulation and not the wire so I doubt there's a ...
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| Quad receptacle wiring | 10/11/2007 |
Q: I have installed a plastic QUAD electrical box which is in the middle of a run. I therefore have 2 ...
A: Philip, While there is nothing wrong with doing it the Building inspectors way, there is nothing ...
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| hot tub | 10/7/2007 |
Q: My problem is that when I go to test the gfci 50amp breaker out by the hot tub it will not cut the ...
A: Jim, Since I can't assume anything I have to ask you if the breaker has power applied to it when ...
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| dog fence | 10/5/2007 |
Q: i have cut the buried wire of my dog's invisible dog fence with an aerator doing yard work. i don't ...
A: Joel, There is specialized equipment to find a problem like this quickly and you have to know how ...
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| GFCI Wiring | 10/4/2007 |
Q: I am having trouble installing a GFCI recepticle in our bathroom. The load after the GFCI are 2 - 3 ...
A: Tom, Just keep things as they were before installing the GFI and don't use the "load" terminals on ...
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| Light switch | 10/3/2007 |
Q: I have a wall with a light switch currently installed (and working). I would like to place a light ...
A: Jeremy, Measure so that the new switch box will be next to the existing and leave an inch between ...
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| Wiring with two on/off switches | 10/1/2007 |
Q: I have a light at the bottom of the stairs to the basement that is controlled by a switch at the top ...
A: Bill, If I'm reading you right your trying to install an additional light fixture that you want ...
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| New kitchen lights | 9/20/2006 |
Q: I recently removed an early 80s recessed flood light with 3 smaller, lower voltage recessed lights ...
A: Ryan.....this typically can be caused by the refrigerator when it first comes on or an air ...
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| GFI Wiring | 9/19/2006 |
Q: I recenty moved into a 15 year old home in KC that has GFI protection in all bathrooms and outdoor ...
A: John, Yes you can do that but if there is no GFI breaker or GFI receptacles on the counter as you ...
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| light switch not working properly | 9/18/2006 |
Q: Light switch have two wires, one red and one black. When tested with a wire tester, there seems to ...
A: Bob......if you are putting the leads of the tester across the two terminals on the switch when it ...
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| Garage Secondary Panel Mounting | 9/17/2006 |
Q: I am planning to mount a secondary panel in my new-construction garage. I've seen some conflicting ...
A: .... I know of no "new construction" situation where you can not recess the panel into a framed ...
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| wiring garage | 11/6/2005 |
Q: Hey Bob, I'm wiring a garage. No major equipment will be used in the garage. Can I run a no.8 wire ...
A: Matt, Yes you can and you want to run 4 wire cable. I also recomend you get an acessory ground ...
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| switch replacement | 11/5/2005 |
Q: I have a timer switch that controls my front outside light fixtures (three). The switch is ...
A: Roger, Yes you can replace the timer with a regular 1 pole switch (two terminals). Switches have ...
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| flickering lights | 6/2/2005 |
Q: Since I'm originally from the old East Paterson in Bergen County, I'm hopeful you'll bring me luck ...
A: I think we can bring you a little luck ;> By the way I'm originally from Tenafly which has changed ...
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| WIRING CEILING FAN/LIGHT | 5/31/2005 |
Q: I am in the process of replacing a ceiling fan/light in my kitchen. I took the old one down already ...
A: John, Sorry about the lapse in getting back to you but All Experts doesn't always notify me when I ...
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| wiring | 5/23/2005 |
Q: In Baltimore City, Md most homes are 100 years old and I was wondering what can happen to the wiring ...
A: Al, Basically the things that wear out in an electrical system are the devices such as switches, ...
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| Wiring bathroom exhaust fan | 5/16/2005 |
Q: I am from Monroe, Ohio and here is my dilemna. I just installed an exhaust fan in the bathroom of my ...
A: Jennifer, If there is one cable going to the light over the tub then it should work and it may ...
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| junction box | 5/15/2005 |
Q: This is my last question-honest! I spoke to my electrician. apparently i didn't describe the problem ...
A: Josh, No problem.....and I don't put limitations on honest questions . Ok I would go with the ...
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| junction box | 5/13/2005 |
Q: I hope you can help me. I just purchased a house and have since discovered that the wiring is messed ...
A: Josh, If your house is wired with Armored (metal outer covering) cable , there is no tester that ...
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| Exhaust Fan | 5/12/2005 |
Q: Bob, I am running power in my attic from an outlet to the bathroom ehaust fan. Where do the black ...
A: John, Here's the simplest way to approasch this: You can run a two wire cable from the receptacle ...
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| electrical switches | 4/30/2005 |
Q: I have a new combination single pole double switch, that has one black connection and two white ...
A: Mark, If both devices are single pole "double switch's", then yes. You will notice on the new one ...
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| sawdust on recessed lights | 4/22/2005 |
Q: I installed twelve 4" IC Halo lights and needed to cut a piece of non-structural wood in the attic ...
A: Rollie, Until such time as pigs fly or Hell freezes over its not a concern. IC rated cans are ...
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| motion detector light | 4/21/2005 |
Q: Outdoor light -Texas- works periodically. Why would the photocell only work part of the time? 2lamp ...
A: Bill, I don't know how old this unit is but its been my experience with Heath Zenith that it isn't ...
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| Fluorescent lighting | 4/20/2005 |
Q: Mr. Mossman, I have fluorescent lighting in the kitchen. There are 5 receptacles located under the ...
A: Ajay, Florescent lights are a pain in the neck when it come's to trouble shooting them. Basically ...
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| Renovation Questions | 4/19/2005 |
Q: I'm located in Lebanon, Missouri. I own my home and it is in great need of renovation. My home ...
A: Tim, Basically you have to drill your way into them from either the basement or the attic. The ...
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| Radiant Heat | 4/18/2005 |
Q: I am considering an electrical radiant heating system in my bathroom. The product is claiming to be ...
A: Howard, Yes, radiant heat in the floor is more efficent in the sense that it distributes the heat ...
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| Renovation Questions | 4/15/2005 |
Q: I'm located in Lebanon, Missouri. I own my home and it is in great need of renovation. My home ...
A: Tim, Sorry this is getting to you rather late by my standards but every once in a while I'm not ...
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| recessed lighting | 4/14/2005 |
Q: Recessed lighting- 15 can lights with 60 watt flood lamps on a 20 amp circuit. The problem is the ...
A: Tom, Check the "rated" hours these lamps have. In other words how many hours these lamps should ...
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| recessed lighting | 4/12/2005 |
Q: Recessed lighting- 15 can lights with 60 watt flood lamps on a 20 amp circuit. The problem is the ...
A: Tom, If these recessed lights are approx 10 years old or older the sockets are most likely worn out ...
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| French Chandelier | 4/11/2005 |
Q: I am from Orlando Florida. I have recently purchased 3 French Chandeliers from a friend. She bought ...
A: Raul, Its not clear why the chandeliers were tripping the breakers. Maybe they were hooked up ...
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| Business | 4/7/2005 |
Q: I'm starting my own Electrical business what is the best thing for getting started like advertising? ...
A: Wally, Basically 3 things: Eye catching business cards to hand out or post anywhere and everywhere. ...
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| 200amp sub/100amp main | 4/6/2005 |
Q: I would like to take avantage of your experience once more, if you don't mind. I am out of space for ...
A: Jim, No problem. Yes you could do it that way and still be safe. Obviously the new panel can only ...
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| 100amp servive/pool heater | 4/5/2005 |
Q: I have a 100 amp service in my home an am concidering adding a heat pump for the pool ( 40 amps) my ...
A: Jim, Given the numbers you gave me you will be flirting with the total capacity your service can ...
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| Electric wiring 3 way switch in old home | 4/3/2005 |
Q: From Eastern PA near New Hope. I want to replace an old 3 way switch with a new one. 1. The wires ...
A: The key to changing a 3 way switch and not screw it up is by determining which wire on the existing ...
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| fire hazard? | 4/2/2005 |
Q: Don't know if you're up @ this hour, but I sure could use your help! (I'm in Dallas, by the way.) ...
A: No you don't have to worry about a fire plus I'm sure the plumber in addition to turning the water ...
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| Dimming lights | 4/1/2005 |
Q: When the washing machine starts up, all the house lights dim and blink ever so slightly. When the ...
A: James, The main neutral connection has most likely been compromised in the main panel or the meter ...
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| Oven controlling power to circuit | 3/28/2005 |
Q: Strange? Everything was working okay, Wife cooking dinner. Main breaker trips. I go to box and flip ...
A: Kelvin, Half of your main breaker has most likely gone bad which kills half your panel except when ...
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| Outside Electric Wires | 3/23/2005 |
Q: We purchased an older home 5 years ago and have been running unusaly high power bills.We have ...
A: Terry, Every so often I don't get notification from All Experts that I have a question to answer ...
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| Atmospheric Dinnning | 3/22/2005 |
Q: I'm from Montvale, New Jersey...where are you from? It is my understanding that we have a "home ...
A: I'm from a place called Edgewood. I spend a lot of my time there. Maybe you've heard of it. Ok, ...
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| Recessed lighting | 3/21/2005 |
Q: I've got some old ('60's) recessed lights that now have newer smaller and *shorter* bulbs in them ...
A: David, Yes and its called a "socket extender". You might find them at HD or Lowes but if not a good ...
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| 220 Vs 110 | 3/20/2005 |
Q: I am in Milwaukee Wisconsin. (Cold winters). I am going to add some electric baseboard heaters in ...
A: Rick, There will be no appreciable savings. Wattage is wattage no matter how you slice it with ...
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| Wiring Upgrade Follow Up | 3/17/2005 |
Q: Bob, You helped me earlier with a question regarding the upgrade of some old wiring in my ...
A: Phil, If what your saying is you have "metal armored cable" in that box which does not have a ...
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| Ceiling Light | 3/11/2005 |
Q: Bob, I have a pull chain celling light that no longer works in my laundry room. There is no switch ...
A: Lisa, The wiring for your pull chain is either 14 gauge or 12 gauge. Most likely it is 14 gauge. If ...
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| remote controlled ceiling fans | 3/10/2005 |
Q: Most of the ceiling fans with light kits that I like have a remote control included. I do not like ...
A: Bill, All the major manufacturers of paddle fans such as Casa Blanca, Hampton Bay, and Hunter offer ...
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| Florescent light add-on | 3/8/2005 |
Q: I will try that configuration when I get up there this weekend. However, another electrician told me ...
A: Kevin, You can if your tapping into the box in the 3 way system where the "feed" is. You see a 3 ...
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| Florescent light add-on | 3/7/2005 |
Q: Here is the situation: 3-year-old house Basement location 3-way switch controlling 4 incandescent ...
A: Kevin, If you ran a 2 wire cable (black and white wire)to the new switch you may have connected the ...
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| Electrical pool lighting | 3/5/2005 |
Q: Phoenix, AZ Hi Bob, I have a unique question. I am replastering a swimming pool very soon, the pool ...
A: Bob, I don't know how old your pool is but the conduit that runs from the "shell" the light sits ...
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| A dimmer switch | 3/2/2005 |
Q: You must be really good with electrical currents. My question is, "How do I add/apply/install...I'm ...
A: Your quite welcome and its my pleasure. "Install" would be the most correct term here. You would ...
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| switch wall plate is hot. | 3/2/2005 |
Q: I installed 7 cans into my basement ceiling. I have 85 watt bulbs in each. They are hooked into a ...
A: Patrick, You need to do one of two things: Either cut back on the wattage in your lamps to 75 watts ...
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| open netrual wire | 3/2/2005 |
Q: Receptacle in washrrom not working, plued in a tester and it said it had a open netrual wire. What ...
A: John, Open the box and check all the connections there. Make sure they are all tight with no signs ...
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| BAseboard heater wiring | 3/1/2005 |
Q: Would this set up be acceptable to install two 8 foot baseboard heaters (2000 watts each)on the same ...
A: Jerry, Its fine except for the 20 amp breaker. You would use a 30 amp 2 pole breaker for # 10. A 20 ...
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| Basement Wiring | 2/28/2005 |
Q: Bob, I am in the beginning stages of partially finishing my basement. I will be adding one new ...
A: Phil, You can, just make sure your matching the size of the existing circuits with your new lines. ...
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| neutral bar bridge | 2/26/2005 |
Q: when i had the 100amp svc installed the neutral bar bridge was missing from one side of panel to ...
A: Mike, Absolutely. With out getting overly technical with AC theory basically what happens in this ...
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| Adding socket and rerouting kitchen lines | 2/24/2005 |
Q: We just bought our first townhouse, and we can't afford to hire a contractor right now. I'm pretty ...
A: Aja, We know you can get what you need from the panel so I think thats your best bet. You could tie ...
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| sub panel in barn | 2/23/2005 |
| Q: I'm in the planning stage of running |
