| Subject | Date Asked |
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| proper wire size from pole to service head? | 11/16/2009 |
Q: GOOD MORNING BEN, MY HOUSE HAS A 200AMP SERVICE. MY LIGHTS WERE DIMMING AND APPLIANCES STRAINING ...
A: TOM The power company has no juristicton on wire sizing.Basically they install what they think they ...
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| Subpanel voltage loss | 11/16/2009 |
Q: I have an outbuilding with a subpanel supplied from main panel in the basement of house. Distance is ...
A: Steve When you get a lower voltage on a wire,it can mean 2 things 1 the neutral may be bad 2 the ...
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| new electrical run in garage | 11/14/2009 |
Q: I have bought a home with the following conditions. A. Garage with only two outlets. One at the ...
A: David When you say temporary do you mean you are going to do a permanent installation later? I am ...
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| electric wire | 11/12/2009 |
Q: I ran wire under ground from a shed to a breaker box about 100 ft away. I did not have enought wire ...
A: mark No that is not safe at all,if it does leak water then you will eventually have corrosion and ...
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| Generator hookup to breaker box | 11/10/2009 |
Q: I have a portable generator and have been told it can be wired directly to the breaker box. I ...
A: Jim You can not wire it to the breaker box with out the generator hooked up to some sort of transfer ...
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| Light delay in coming on | 11/9/2009 |
Q: Recently some electrical wires were replaced in my 68-year old house. Now my kitchen light (3-way: ...
A: wanjie First of all who did the wiring was it a Electrician? What sounds like somewhere there may ...
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| Electrical Questions | 11/8/2009 |
Q: Ben, I recently purchased a new home. I noticed that my well pump (AWG 10 Ground Type UF-B 600 ...
A: Charles Uf wire is made to direct burial in the ground,your installation has a hole in the concrete ...
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| Outlets work, switches do not | 11/7/2009 |
Q: I just bought a house and 4/4 bedrooms have switches just inside the door (you would think to turn ...
A: Jason The reason the switch does nothing is because the black wire is always hot so it won't allow ...
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| full panel | 11/2/2009 |
Q: My 200 Ge Panel is full and will not accept 1/2 inch breakers or 1 inch double pole breakers...I ...
A: Lee what you can do is add a sub-panel you need to make sure the sub panel has the 2 hots a neutral ...
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| Outlets work, switches do not | 10/31/2009 |
Q: I just bought a house and 4/4 bedrooms have switches just inside the door (you would think to turn ...
A: Jason Those switches are used to turn on half of a outlet usually the top.Shut the switches off and ...
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| Short Circuit? | 10/30/2009 |
Q: House electrical to separate building (Studio). Problem: Low voltage 20-30V on the studio side. On ...
A: John What this sounds like is the neutral or ground may be bad or nicked. Check the voltage between ...
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| 1 switch in a 2 switch box not working | 10/28/2009 |
Q: I have a double switch box that controls 2 different lights. One of the switches works just fine. ...
A: Chris Have you changed the switch? Switches can go bad,what you can do is remove the switch and take ...
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| breaker | 10/26/2009 |
Q: this is actually for my garage.I have a 220v lincon 225 amp,ac/dc welder I need to hook up.what size ...
A: JR That depends one the amperage draw on the unit.There is a name plate on the welder it tells you ...
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| Stove not receiving enough power | 10/22/2009 |
Q: We recently purchased a fixer-upper home and brand new appliances for the kitchen. Come to find out, ...
A: Michelle sounds like the breaker is on the wrong buss bars.Make sure that the breaker is sitting on ...
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| 110 outlet 400 feet away | 10/14/2009 |
Q: I have a 200 amp service box with plenty of room out at the pump house... I want to add a water pump ...
A: David Wow that's a long way for a pump run,one of the things if you can do, is change the pump to a ...
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| dishwasher and garbage disposal | 10/10/2009 |
Q: i am running a new circuit for my dishwasher and garbage disposal. the questions are what gauge wire ...
A: Brian You will need to run a 12-3 with ground for the dishwasher and the disposal. The dish washer ...
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| Troubleshooting Panel problem | 10/7/2009 |
Q: I have a 200 amp panel. It was installed back in 1986, roughly. After a recent set of storms, I ...
A: Woody Sounds like when you had the storm the power company may have a broken wire coming into your ...
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| ceiling fan hook up | 9/26/2009 |
Q: Outlet box has a red, white & black coming down. Ceiling fan has a blue, white & black coming up. ...
A: DON What you need to do is get the red wire from the outlet box. Take that wire and connect that ...
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| Wiring a welder | 9/19/2009 |
Q: I have a welder that runs on 230V. I would like to plug it into a dryer outlet, but the welder only ...
A: Dave The dryer is wired with 4 wires 2 hots 1 neutral for the 120 volt timers and a ground to ...
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| Old 60 amp service | 9/18/2009 |
Q: I want to upgrade the service into my 1947 built home. The current 60 amp service I believe should ...
A: Steve What you need to run is a 4/0 4/0 3/0 aluminum wire 2 4/0 for the hot and the 3/0 for the ...
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| GFI wiring | 8/4/2009 |
Q: I have wired a standalone GFI the problem i have is when i install a load or multiple loads i get no ...
A: Keith You should not have continuity between the gold and the silver.The reset button may be ...
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| Electrical Service in Home | 8/2/2009 |
Q: We are in the process of remodeling our home. In addition to painting and new wood floors, we have ...
A: Jeff Yes he is correct in telling you you need to upgrade 300 amp or 400 amp. This is not uncommon ...
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| Light Install | 7/27/2009 |
Q: I took down the light already in the room and hooked the new light up the same way.When i flipped ...
A: Ty Take the red wire from the box and hook that up to the black wire then do the same for the white ...
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| Breaker problem | 7/22/2009 |
Q: I have a tenant in one of my duplexes that keeps blowing the breaker switch for his bedroom...This ...
A: Dennis Since he is blowing the breaker find out what else is on that circuit.As you say he may be ...
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| wiring a chandelier | 7/19/2009 |
Q: Hello I'm trying to install a antique chandelier an can't tell which wire is hot cuz they are both ...
A: Teresa There should be a small ridge in the fixture wires the one with the ridge is the Hot wire. If ...
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| Electric Dryer | 7/15/2009 |
Q: How can i safely wire a new 2 breaker sub panel with a 2 pole 30amp for a dryer? my panel is the old ...
A: Rick What you need to do is come off the main panel with a circuit breaker at least a 40 amp circuit ...
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| Dryer Cord Wiring | 7/10/2009 |
Q: I recently replaced a section of dryer (220) wire in an older home that runs to a three-prong dryer ...
A: John Make sure that the dryer wire you replaced has the same amount of conductors.Check in the panel ...
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| Splitting a 240 Dryer line | 7/5/2009 |
Q: I want to move my dryer to another wall. I need to put the 240 plug on that wall. Can I cut the ...
A: Jim Yes you can use a J-box as long as it accessible. Make sure you make all connections tight and ...
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| 3-way switch | 7/3/2009 |
Q: I also have a 3-way switch that acts as a master switch, when in the off position, the second switch ...
A: matt Someone wired this switch wrong,what you need to do is this. 1 Take the incoming wire blk & ...
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| outlet question | 6/29/2009 |
Q: I read several times not to use the holes in the back of a receptacle to hook it up, but to use the ...
A: KC The holes in the back should never be used,why they put them there is a wonder.If you have the ...
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| New AC / Outlet | 6/27/2009 |
Q: I needed a new Ac Outlet plug in my living room, so what i did is i went to home depot, and ...
A: Don Thank you for all the detailed information,do you want job? LOL What you did was perfect.The ...
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| 110 outlet off a 220v outlet | 6/26/2009 |
Q: I have a 220v outlet used to connect a washer and dryer from Germany. I am replacing the washer and ...
A: Rich No you can't this is against the code. You would have to hook up the dryer and hook up the ...
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| pressure switch | 6/24/2009 |
Q: I have set up a portable water tank with a pump to supply water to my house. The power for the pump ...
A: Richard Yes you can by-pass the pressure switch,then the pump will keep pumping till it fills the ...
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| Mini Breaker for fuse box | 6/22/2009 |
Q: Ben, I have been blowing 15amp fuses in my home for a while now during the summer when all of the ...
A: Justin Have you checked the amperage on the AC unit? 15 amps seems small for a ac unless it is a ...
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| wiring recessed lighting | 6/20/2009 |
Q: I am planing to run my first lighting circuit and I need a little help. I am running 6 recessed ...
A: rich The best way is to go to the switch first,then from there you can go to each fixture.You can ...
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| Fireplace wiring | 6/19/2009 |
Q: I would like to wire in a gas fireplace for my basement. The fireplace will be in the corner of the ...
A: Chad Some fireplaces have a built in cord so you can plug it into a wall outlet.This outlet should ...
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| Main electrical panel grounding | 6/18/2009 |
Q: Some electrical panels for homes have a ground wire run from the buss bar to a ground rod, others ...
A: Bryan It depends on the power company rules some power company's do not want the ground hooked up ...
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| outlets and lights not working | 6/16/2009 |
Q: Hey there, I plugged in my blow dryer and two outlets and two lights went out. No circuit breaker is ...
A: Laurie hey there back to you.................:-} If the outlets are wired from a GFCI then yes the ...
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| Fire shooting out of outlet | 6/15/2009 |
Q: This weekend we were working outside and when we went to plug a drill into the outdoor oulet flames ...
A: Kristen Yes if the breaker is off you are fine. I would remove the cover and the outlet from that ...
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| adding lights n switch | 6/13/2009 |
Q: "I am trying to add a few lights in a unfinished basement. There is a set of 3 lights that are wired ...
A: Paul Yes you can add a switch take a wire 14-2 form the light that has the power in it from the ...
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| confuring chandelier wiring | 6/8/2009 |
Q: i am hanging a new chandelier. The fixture has 2 (thick) white wires and 2 (thick) red wires, plus ...
A: Hal Since this house is that old, they used cloth covered wires and the color was under the cloth. ...
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| Replacing an old 200 amp main breaker panel | 6/4/2009 |
Q: If I replace an existing 200 amp main breaker panel, which is fed by a 3-wire SER cable, will I have ...
A: Dustin The code says that if the panel is more than 6 ft from the meter than you must have a means ...
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| electric outlet | 6/3/2009 |
Q: I have an outlet at the end of a circuit that doesn't work. I changed it out with a plug that I knew ...
A: Mike Have you checked to see if there is any power on the wires? Take the outlet out and check the ...
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| 200 amp service | 6/2/2009 |
Q: i am purchasing a home in arizona and it currently has 100 amp service and the underground wire runs ...
A: Frank Depending if you want to put the wire in pvc conduit or just direct burial. If you was to ...
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| outside light and bathroom light-Dead? | 6/1/2009 |
Q: In the same week, for no reason two lights in two areas not connected at all in the electrical ...
A: Amy What you need to do is check to see if the bathroom lights are on the same circuit as the ...
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| 3 wire to 2 wire? | 5/31/2009 |
Q: Replacing a ceiling fan/light operated by 2 toggle switches (one for light, one for fan) on the wall ...
A: Steve What you need to do is use the red wire for the new chandelier take the black wire and wire ...
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| aluminum wiring on CU devices | 5/29/2009 |
Q: I am in total and complete shock of your response on aluminum wiring on devices listed for copper ...
A: Mike First of all what the hell are you talking about??? What makes you think I wrote to someone?I ...
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| feeding a 60 amp panel | 5/27/2009 |
Q: A friend has a 240 volt, 50 watt welder he wants to run in his garage. At present his garage has a ...
A: Peter What he needs to do is run a new PVC conduit 1-1/2 or 1-1/4 1-1/2 PVC is more common and has ...
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| Electrical Terminology | 5/25/2009 |
Q: What is "peckerhead"
A: lonnie THIS A TERM WE AS ELECTRICIANS USE The wiring box mounted to an electric motor is called a ...
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| Main Disconnect Breaker for Square D | 5/24/2009 |
Q: Regarding a new install in an off-grid location. We're running 110 power (no 220) from the Solar ...
A: JIM Why not use the 220v? or is this solar power only 120v. The problem would be that the breaker ...
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| black versus white wires | 5/21/2009 |
Q: I just installed five new porch lights, and the last one which was wired separately years ago only ...
A: Jerry The way it is installed is fine,what will happen is that the center of the lamp socket will ...
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| exhaust fan | 5/20/2009 |
Q: I added an exhaust fan to my washroom and connected the wiring to the existing light switch. The ...
A: Frank The way that switch is wired is called back feed where the 2 wires in the switch box bring ...
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| loose wall socket/pushed in sheet rock | 5/17/2009 |
Q: it is cracked. I took it off and the sheet rock around the socket is pushed in and the socket moves ...
A: Shannon What you can do is go to lowes or the depot or any other big box store. They make these ...
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| outlet question | 5/16/2009 |
Q: I recently replaced a couple of outlets in my 1938 house and i noticed in 1 room the hot wire of my ...
A: ed Somewhere along the circuit there is a loose or open neutral wire causing the hot wire to out of ...
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| Amount of Amps in home | 5/14/2009 |
Q: I had a home inspection for a client and the inspector was concerned that 100 amp service for a ...
A: Sue That service may be somewhat over loaded for such a big home,but there is no code that says you ...
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| Outside electrical installations | 5/12/2009 |
Q: I am mounting 2 outside light fixtures and installing 1 GFCI outlet on the outside of my house. I ...
A: Cindy What is a J Block?? never heard of that. You need to buy a weather proof box for the GFCI make ...
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| Meterbase placement | 5/10/2009 |
Q: I am installing a new underground service on a new construction (house). The ideal place for ...
A: Gary what you need to do is contact your city's building dept I have no clue what you city's codes ...
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| Attic lights | 5/7/2009 |
Q: I currently have one light in my walk-up attic controlled by a switch at the bottom of the permanent ...
A: Allen What you need to check is the fixture for bad connections,I have seen key less fixtures to ...
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| outdoor 240V hot tub | 5/5/2009 |
Q: We just got a new hottub and went to get the wiring for it. The previous owners had the spa wired ...
A: Teri What you need to know is how many amps is the spa, there should be a nameplate somewhere on the ...
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| bathroom wiring - fan and light | 4/27/2009 |
Q: I had someone install a ceiling fan. The light was on one switch, fan on the other, but it was a ...
A: Rich You should have a 4 contact screws on this switch and 1 for the ground on one side you will ...
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| Enclosure | 4/23/2009 |
Q: I have a water pond in my backyard that I'm "raising from the dead". There are 4 outdoor spotlights ...
A: Joe I myself have a pond and waterfall what I did was run 3/4 PVC pipe from the pond panel 30 amp ...
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| knob & tube problems | 4/21/2009 |
Q: My 1939 home has a problem with a garage light. It has one switch that controls the porch light and ...
A: Richard This sounds like a 3 way system because you say the white has power on it.Is this wire by ...
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| No Chassis Ground | 4/18/2009 |
Q: I am wiring a Sundance outdoor 240 volt connected spa. I have all 4 wires connected, red and black ...
A: Joe You may have to install a ground rod by the spa,this way the spa itself is grounded.Just ...
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| Fan Speed 3Way | 4/16/2009 |
Q: I purchased the Leviton Fan Speed Control ...
A: Luke Here is what the wires do VRF01, VRE06 and VRM10 have 5 wire leads for line, load, Neutral, ...
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| Tork 1101 timer | 4/15/2009 |
Q: I would like to hook up the timer to a outlet for the pool. I am just a little confused about the ...
A: Steve The Tork timer has a very simple way of hooking up the L 1 can be used for different motor's ...
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| Dimmer switch "popping" | 4/12/2009 |
Q: I have a fixture with 5-60w bulbs over my dining room table that was installed by a licensed ...
A: Guy Make sure that the wattage is not more that the dimmer can handle.I appears that you have 300 ...
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| Tub spout that shocks you | 4/11/2009 |
Q: I have read that it could be a grounding issue that causes my tub spout to shock me, this house does ...
A: Michelle What needs to be done is have all the plumbing pipes grounded to a outside ground ...
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| HELP - NO ELECTRICITY | 4/9/2009 |
Q: One breaker box is failing without blowing a fuse. The only lights; outlets working in house are the ...
A: Jessica You have a fried panel where the breakers get welded to the buss bar.Or you may have ...
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| Service panel | 4/8/2009 |
Q: I'm installing a new 200 amp service to my house.I live in Los Angeles County.My electrical provider ...
A: Ozzie If you use copper wire then you need the 2/0, if you use aluminum wire the 3/0 is OK. Find out ...
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| 100 amp service | 4/4/2009 |
Q: I am about to make an offer to purchase on a home with 100 amp electrical service. The house was ...
A: Greg The service you have now (100 amp)is not going to handle that kind of load,why the service was ...
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| lighting conversion can to chandelier | 4/3/2009 |
Q: I have slanted ceilings with can lights. (No access from attic) I am wanting to remove a pendant ...
A: Leslie One of the ways you can do that is to hang the chandler from a swag kit. then have a blank ...
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| Copper clad aluminum wire | 4/2/2009 |
Q: I am wiring the Generator Transfer Switch into the main load center. The problem comes from the ...
A: Peter Yes aluminum wire is not allowed any more,the problem now is that have electrical panels using ...
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| half switched outlet | 3/30/2009 |
Q: I have an outlet in my living room that I want to make half switched. The power comes from the ...
A: Christian If the wires that go to that outlet are direct from the switch you will have to have 4 ...
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| troubleshooting track lighting (Commerical) | 3/28/2009 |
Q: I added several lighting to the tracks that I have installed in my church. I believe I overloaded ...
A: Corey Are these low voltage track lights?What you need to do is count the number of lamps you have ...
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| Switch controlls nothing | 3/26/2009 |
Q: I purchased a home and have a switch that seems to control nothing. As far as I know, we've tested ...
A: The switch may control a ceiling light that can be used with a ceiling fan.So you can control the ...
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| wiring a nutone bath vent/light 763RLN | 3/24/2009 |
Q: I am trying to replace my bath fan and I screwed up the wiring. The wiring diagram in the ...
A: Jad The blue wire is for the light,the black wire is for the fan.Now hook up the whites together ...
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| Recess LIghting installation | 3/23/2009 |
Q: I have recently installed recessed lighting in an addition to our house without any surprises. Today ...
A: Jeff That looks like a type of peg board with out the holes. I doubt it is ceramic as ceramic is ...
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| residential wiring | 3/21/2009 |
Q: IN A CONDO COMPLEX THE VOLTAGE READ DIGITALLY WAS 208VOLTS PHASE TO PHASE, 120V EACH PHASE TO ...
A: Vince The building is wired according to what the power company has at the location.I am sure that ...
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| 220 10 gauge and range installation | 3/18/2009 |
Q: We are finishing our basement. There was debate about whether to install just a range top set in ...
A: Heather A 220 & 240 is basically the same voltage and will work with the range top,wall oven either ...
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| Max # of Twin Breakers in Panel | 3/17/2009 |
Q: Here’s the details. Have a 1972 home. Underground wiring wired to a 100 amp panel box that has 16 ...
A: Phil Sounds like you have a mess. I seen this allot when home owners want to do their own electrical ...
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| arcfault breakers | 3/16/2009 |
Q: should bedroom lighting be included on the arcfault breaker for that bedroom and can two small ...
A: Ken Arc fault breakers should only be used on bed room circuits.Electrical fires happen every day ...
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| halogen flood lights | 3/15/2009 |
Q: in my kitchen can i use halogen flood lights in the high hats, i was using 100 watts ...
A: PETER Yes you can as long as you do not exceed the wattage of the can.Halogen will last longer and ...
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| Marking the neutral | 3/13/2009 |
Q: I have a few questions, but I'll break them up. I have upgraded my main panel to 200A and I am ...
A: Patrick The panel you are running to from your main panel requires a 4 wire install.The reason that ...
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| Residential Air Compressor | 3/11/2009 |
Q: Hey Ben, I've got a 240V 15A air compressor I'm trying to hook up in the garage via 2 single pole ...
A: Ray If the compressor has a neutral then you will have to run 14-3 with ground. The compressor may ...
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| Open neutral in all GFCI open loop | 3/8/2009 |
Q: I recently bought a property and moved in. This property has one GFCI loop that includes an outlet ...
A: Luis I have never heard of a GFCI switch,This must be something new.I believe this is a receptacle ...
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| 20amp circuit breaker with 15 amp outlets | 3/5/2009 |
Q: I have a 20 amp circuit breaker in my basement attached to a 20 amp single outlet. I would like to ...
A: Anna Leave the circuit at 20 amps,that is what is required in basements.Yes you can add more ...
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| wiring | 3/4/2009 |
Q: i,m putting a light up and there are 3 wires coming out of yhe ceiling.1 black 1 green 1 white.the ...
A: Ken Us the black wire to the black and the same as the white wire the green needs to attached to ...
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| subpanel for addition | 3/2/2009 |
Q: im installing a subpanel to accommodate an addition on my house. it will be fed from a 200a cutler ...
A: Gerald What you need to do is calculate the wattage's on what you are using and then you can use 80% ...
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| fluorescent lights on a motion detector flicker? | 2/27/2009 |
Q: I have three 2-bulb fluorescent fixtures on a motion/photocell switch. Two of the fixtures are new ...
A: Steve Some where there is a bad connection.Make sure that all the bulbs are the same as the others ...
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| Problems with a double box in bathroom | 2/26/2009 |
Q: My mom just purchased a home and I am doing a lot of upgrades. I am currently changing all switches ...
A: Baxton Have you tried resetting the GFCI device? I am assuming that the box was a metal switch box ...
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| Hot Prongs | 2/25/2009 |
Q: After using my hair dryer, the wide prong is very hot.This happens only in one of the two ...
A: Audrey Hair dryers are a conductive source of electric,what that means it the power is regulated by ...
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| new ceiling fan w/power from outlet controlled by swithc | 2/24/2009 |
Q: in the outlet controlled by the switch i have the following wires Set 1 is black/white/red/ground ...
A: Kelly Get a new outlet and do not hook up the red wire in the box just cap it off.Now in the switch ...
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| Hot plug | 2/19/2009 |
Q: Ben, After using my vacuum cleaner the prongs are very hot. It may be run for a few minutes at the ...
A: Bill Usually when that happens it is a sign that the motor is getting bad.Some vacs do run a little ...
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| ganged dimmers, one 3 way | 2/18/2009 |
Q: i asked an earlier question about ganging 2 dimmer switches using one power conduit to both when at ...
A: pamela First of all is this a commercial job? You mentioned running conduit. You can use 1 15 or 20 ...
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| New light installation wiring | 2/16/2009 |
Q: I am installing a new light and the wiring coming out of the ceiling is 1 white, 1 black, 1 red, and ...
A: Kevin You have the wires hooked up correct the red wire is from the switch. If you hook up the ...
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| arc welder | 2/15/2009 |
Q: I purchased a lincon ac 225 arc welder the garage has 100 amp service. the welder recommants 2-50amp ...
A: Walter I am assuming that the welder is 240 Volts. You can hook the welder to the panel using a 2 ...
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| Residential Wiring | 2/12/2009 |
Q: I need to know if a 2/0 wire will be big enough for a 330' run from meter to sub panel, it is a 200 ...
A: Scott What type of wire is it ? Copper wire will give you a better size for that service while ...
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| Generator/well pump motor | 2/10/2009 |
Q: Have a generator 125v 25amp 3000w. Well pump motor has switch on rear of motor 230v 9.3 amp / 115v ...
A: Dwayne That well pump will not work with that generator. The reason is the generator is only ...
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| Loose Electricity | 2/9/2009 |
Q: they have built next door now they are desperate and I have the very clear sensation of electricity ...
A: Stephanie What you need to check outside by your meter a ground wire attached to a ground ...
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| 4 wire tanning bed | 2/5/2009 |
Q: I bought a tanning bed for my wife today, It is an older Wolff 324 Model. It has 4 wires (Blue, ...
A: Craig If this bed is a 240 volt unit I think the lady you got this from was mistaken,or it was only ...
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| wiring a 2 rocker switch | 1/31/2009 |
Q: Putting in a vent. fan with light in our bathroom need to know how to wire it with a 2 rocker ...
A: David You will need to get a stacked switch or 2 switches depending on what type of box you are ...
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| Portable Generator for Home Use | 1/30/2009 |
Q: Ben, I would like to purchase a Generac XP8000E 8KW gas generator which has GFCI. My friend says ...
A: Brad When they say "power derived from an electric utility company or from an on-site-generated ...
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| outlet | 1/29/2009 |
Q: I have an outlet that just stopped working. It doesn't seem to be getting power. It is the only ...
A: Patrick Have you checked the wires in that box for power from hot to ground? What you may have to ...
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| Portable Generator for Home Use | 1/28/2009 |
Q: Ben, I would like to purchase a Generac XP8000E 8KW gas generator which has GFCI. My friend says ...
A: Brad The reason the GFCI is on there is to protect the end user.I would not buy a generator with ...
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| tripping breakers | 1/27/2009 |
Q: I have 100 amp servive in a 1948 cape style home. Wiring has been upgraded with romex vs old styled ...
A: Phill First of all if your basement gets that humid I would invest in a dehumidifier if the panel ...
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| Generator - Proper cord from Gen to House | 1/26/2009 |
Q: I have a small Coleman Powermate PM0524000 generator (4000W - 5000W surge). It has a NEMA 6-15 240 V ...
A: ej Yes it should as long as you do not overload the generator. You need to buy a 10-3 cord with ...
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| powere surge in home | 1/25/2009 |
Q: have a problem with power or voltage drop when another appliance turns on, for instance, ...
A: Kee I would call the power company and tell them the problem they may have a bad connection on the ...
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| Sub Panel Wire Size | 1/24/2009 |
Q: I have a few questions regarding sub panels. Is the amp rating of a sub panel supposed to be higher ...
A: James If the sub panel is rated at 100 amps then it should be feed with a 100 amp service wire.The ...
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| isolated grounding | 1/22/2009 |
Q: we are working on a home theater and the receptacles call for isolated grounds.can we run separate ...
A: Robert When a Isolated ground is used it must be Isolated from the complete grounding system of the ...
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| electrical wiring | 1/21/2009 |
Q: From my power source, I have a 12/2+ground cable running through a 3-way toggle switch to a light ...
A: William Yes you can if you bring the hot wire into the switch box and then take a wire 14-3 w/g to ...
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| Wire nuts inside breaker panel | 1/19/2009 |
Q: A Friend had me look at the inside of his breaker panel. When I opened it I was Shocked. Every ...
A: Robert What may have happened is the ground wires were either too short when they installed them or ...
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| MC / FMC in residential | 1/17/2009 |
Q: I am remodeling a room in my house and need to get around a corner of that room to a switch box with ...
A: Mark You can use mc inside walls any length Although MC resembles its close relative, armored ...
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| generator | 1/16/2009 |
Q: Is there a minimum distance that a propane tank can be set from a 15kw backup generator for ...
A: Kenneth The minimum distance between a tank and the closest part of any fuel fired appliance is 2 ...
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| 240v to3phase | 1/14/2009 |
Q: i made a bad move and bought a HUGE air compressor from a fly by night dude real cheap, but my ...
A: Darren You may be able to find one at grainger, http://www.grainger.com or search the internet. ...
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| wiring a band saw home run to panel | 1/12/2009 |
Q: I want to run a home run line for a 220V 17" new band saw to my 220 electrical panel.Can you walk me ...
A: Paul To do this correctly get some 12-2 wire with a ground. Purchase a box a receptacle and a ...
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| electrical run to workshop | 1/6/2009 |
Q: I am looking to run electric to my work shop,I already have a 30a run going to an rv parking,which ...
A: Ken The first problem is voltage drop from the main panel to the work shop. You have a total of 150 ...
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| adding 30 amp outdoor recepticle | 1/5/2009 |
Q: For my RV I'd like to attach a 30 amp plug-in box on the outside of my garage. My main breaker box ...
A: Jack You need to find out how many amps is the garage panel rated for.Then you need to see what ...
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| determining single phase vs 3 phase 240 | 1/3/2009 |
Q: I am moving into an industrial shop space and I want to determine at the outlets whether I have ...
A: Matt By going to the outlets that will not tell you if you have a 3-Phase service. What you will to ...
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| Knob and Tube dimming lights? | 12/31/2008 |
Q: I recently bought a very old fixer upper. The electrical seemed fine upon first inspection but after ...
A: Adam When you have a home that has knob & tube wiring you will get the dimming. When the house was ...
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| converting a switched fan to a "constant" power fan | 9/28/2008 |
Q: I recently had a basement finished and in one section I have a workout area. There is currently a ...
A: Mitch You do not need to any drywall patches at all. In the switch box remove the switch for the fan ...
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| wiring in cement | 9/26/2008 |
Q: We have an outdoor light in our front yard that recently quit working. I checked the voltage at the ...
A: Steve Yes it is possible that the concrete may have damaged the wire,What you can do is dig up ...
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| Dual meter socket wiring | 9/25/2008 |
Q: Situation: *Setting up service for new construction *200A panel for main *100A panel for offpeak ...
A: Brian What size wire did you use for the water bond, and are the wires in the trough full sized for ...
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| replacing range hood with over the range microwave | 9/24/2008 |
Q: My name is chris, I am attempting to install a over the range microwave. I removed the over the ...
A: Chris The hood wire is probably connected to other outlets in the house. Check the wires to see what ...
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| Electrical conection - hot water tank | 9/23/2008 |
Q: As part of cabin remodel, we relocated a working 30 gal hot water tank to another location. Initial ...
A: Chip You have to verify that you are getting 240 volts to the elements. Take the bottom element ...
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| Arc Fault Circuit | 9/17/2008 |
Q: Only when using my portable generator, the arc fault circuit keeps tripping..Do I have to do ...
A: Tom The reason the Arc fault is tripping is because you have not ground the generator. The neutral ...
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| subpanel, hot tub | 9/17/2008 |
Q: I have acquired a used hot tub that I plan to install in the back yard. I have a 150a service into ...
A: Dale What is the amperage of the hot tub? You can run a new wire from the main panel to the ...
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| size of wire needed? | 9/8/2008 |
Q: i am putting a second load panel (100amp) off my main circuit load panel. was wondering what guage ...
A: Ken When wiring a sub panel that is a 100 amp you will need to install 4 wires to the sub 2 #4 hots ...
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| 60 Amp Appliance | 9/6/2008 |
Q: I want to upgrade my electric range and the one I like requires 60amp service and the one currently ...
A: Mark The Aluminum wire is a # 8 wire the 2 hots and 1 neutral this wire is rated for 50 amps only ...
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| generac guardian ultra source 12500 portable | 9/3/2008 |
Q: Generator 3 years old. Warranty 2 years. Meticulously maintained generator, started every 6 weeks ...
A: Penny How do you know for sure the rotor is bad? Have you tried flashing the field?? Try that and ...
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| wiring in a barn | 8/31/2008 |
Q: I am installing wiring in a barn. This a large pole barn. I want to use romex wiring in most ...
A: Buddy Yes that would work. The only thing is that rodents may chew on the romex wire. They are good ...
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| Ceiling Fan | 8/28/2008 |
Q: Have new home wired for ceiling fan with two wall switches. So 3 wires go to ceiling, a black, white ...
A: John The fan remote does it turn on the fan as well as the light? If it does then all you need to do ...
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| electrical outlet, one hot, one switched | 8/27/2008 |
Q: I have an outlet under the sink. I want one plug hot constantly for a water filter, and the other ...
A: Vince What you need to do is add a switch for the disposal then bring that wire in to the outlet ...
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| 1 power source to 2 switches | 8/26/2008 |
Q: I'm trying to wire a 4x4 switch box(2 switches) each to a different light with one power source. ...
A: Brian Yes it can be done bring the power source and the 2 wires from the lights in to the new box. ...
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| converting 110v outlet to 220v outlet | 8/25/2008 |
Q: We are replacing our gas oven with a built in electric and a gas cook top as part of a kitche ...
A: Toni If you have a existing circuit that is 120 v to the outlet by the old oven was that will not ...
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| Ceiling fan issues | 8/23/2008 |
Q: I am trying to install a ceiling fan, but am having trouble with the wiring. The box has an incoming ...
A: Greg What wires are you talking about the box for the ceiling fan should only have a black a white ...
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| electical wiring troubleshooting | 8/22/2008 |
Q: I recently wired a new light fixture with new switch and added 2 additional outlets to the same ...
A: john What may have happened is that the outlet may have gotten wet or there is a loose connection ...
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| New Stove | 8/21/2008 |
Q: We recently purchased a home built in 1984. The wall oven was the original oven. My wife wanted a ...
A: Russ The wiring that you found sounds like a 120 v circuit on a 20 amp breaker. They probably used ...
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| connect gas generator to dryer 220 to backfeed breaker box | 8/21/2008 |
Q: I have a 5500 watt gas electric generator. I have not had time to get an electrician to install the ...
A: Eric This will work as it will energize the panel and turning off certain breakers will help the ...
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| breaker tripping | 8/20/2008 |
Q: This may be one of the most random occurrences you have ever heard of but here goes....a breaker ...
A: Michele If this circuit trips between 9:30 - 11:00 check to see if the pump is coming on at that ...
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| Hot Neutral | 8/20/2008 |
Q: My parents have 4 outlets on one circuit that have a hot neutral. Other outlets on the same circuit ...
A: Richard You have what we call a open neutral somewhere along this circuit the white wire (neutral) ...
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| Wiring new ceiling light | 8/18/2008 |
Q: I replaced one-bulb light fixture with a two-bulb fixture. The ceiling box has one black, one ...
A: Karen Is this on a switch? The wires up in that ceiling should be 120 volts take the meter and test ...
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| Wiring Wall Oven 6-4 to old 6-3 | 8/18/2008 |
Q: Ben, I am installing a new wall oven/microwave combo and want to use the outlet that served range ...
A: Etienne The reason there is a 4 wire on new ovens is because when they just used a 3 wire the ...
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| Run Seperate Bare Ground to Stove | 8/16/2008 |
Q: I am remodeling my kitchen and I bought a new stove. The existing stove is on a 50 AMP breaker and ...
A: Dennis Yes you can run a ground separate because the ground just protects the appliance only if the ...
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| Outlet for Welding Machine | 8/14/2008 |
Q: I have a Chicago Electric (China) Dual MiG 131 welding machine,new. The welding electrical cord is ...
A: Will Actually this is on the border line because the wire for the welder is a 14 Gauge black white ...
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| 3 Way Issues | 8/13/2008 |
Q: I have two lights controlled (at the same time) by two switches. I installed a new fixture last ...
A: Andrew You have to trace down where the red wire goes to.Open the switches up and look for a red ...
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| Dimming Lights | 8/13/2008 |
Q: I live in a house built in 1980. Whenever a big motor item like the air conditioning (new unit was ...
A: John Since your house was built in the 80's your panel should at least 150 amps or 20 amps.Usaualy ...
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| outdoor chandelier | 8/10/2008 |
Q: can i install an outdoor chandelier to a pergola where the top is not fully covered and water and ...
A: Fern Probably not as the rain or snow would start to corrode the fixture and may short the fixture ...
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| 220 single phase exceed a 125 amp panel? | 8/9/2008 |
Q: I am bringing in 220 volt single phase into my shop/apt. by way of two 4/0 and one 3/0 wires. The ...
A: Dave The 4/0 wires is usually for 200 amps if this is aluminum wire. All you needed was a #2 ...
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| Dryer 4 prong | 8/6/2008 |
Q: I just rented a small house that was build 30 years ago and I have a new dryer with a 4 prong plug ...
A: Joter No you can not use a converter with a 20 amp 120 volt to convert to a dryer outlet. You dryer ...
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| re-wiring a house? | 8/5/2008 |
Q: I just purchased a home built in 1926. It has knob and tube wiring. I wanted to re-wire it but was ...
A: Martha Who ever told you that was wrong if you have only 2 wires (normal in Knob & Tube) you can not ...
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| hidden doorbell wiring | 8/4/2008 |
Q: When my home was resided, the company covered up my existing doorbell. How can i determine where ...
A: Edie The way this can be done with out making a lot of holes is to get a Toner the toner has a ...
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| Old Wiring In Old Bungalow | 8/3/2008 |
Q: I live in an old, run-down 1931, tiny “Milwaukee” bungalow owned by my boyfriend, whose father owned ...
A: Sheri Move out the house it is a death trap,the wiring problem is because the voltage is too low ...
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| Wiring of new stove top (with a twist) | 8/2/2008 |
Q: Ben, I saw the Q/A regarding wiring of a new stove and need additional help/clarification. I have ...
A: Mitch The reason the new stove has a 4 wire connection is because of its features, Timer,clock etc ...
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| Troubleshooting Interior Wiring | 8/1/2008 |
Q: I own a rental that the tenant says a breaker keeps tripping. It is 15 amp and I replaced it ...
A: John The first thing is to find out what makes it trip,like you said find out exactly what is ...
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| connecting 3 #6 wire | 5/26/2008 |
Q: What is the best way to connect three #6 wires in a metal junction box? I am wiring a wall oven and ...
A: Bob You can use a split bolt these use allot of space and tape. You can use a big blue wire nut ...
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| Wiring a new receptacle from single-pole switch | 5/25/2008 |
Q: I am trying to add a receptacle near a new work box that currently has a single-pole switch in it ...
A: David Ok in that box you have 2 black wires on the switch. One of those wires is the hot the other ...
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| wall oven install, 240V | 5/25/2008 |
Q: I have brand new KitchenAid wall oven/microwave combo. Needs 220V/40 amp separate breaker. I ran ...
A: Gabriel On the oven you connect the wires to the respective colors and then the green gets screwed ...
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| temp generator bypass | 5/24/2008 |
Q: i buy homes often with no power turned on .i was wondering how the hud inspectors hook up their ...
A: Scott This is a dangerous thing to do as you must be 100% that the main is off as you can back feed ...
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| Hot & Neutral Feeds Reversed | 5/22/2008 |
Q: The electrician I hired to upgrade my service panel connected one of the two hot feeds from the ...
A: Bernie Probably the only damage was to the devices that were hooked up. The wires can carry voltage ...
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| Ceiling fan installation - Arion "Bahamas54" | 5/22/2008 |
Q: Ben, I just broke the ceiling fan from the box today, after purchasing it on Saturday at Costco. ...
A: Don The red wire usually is the switched wire in the electrical box the black is the always hot.You ...
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| Electrical fire from GFCI | 5/21/2008 |
Q: I recently had a bathroom remodel done. The contractor's electrician installed a new GFCI above the ...
A: The wires have to be installed correctly or the GFCI will not work as it senses the difference ...
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| Short in electrical line | 5/20/2008 |
Q: I have run a new line to my boat lift and everything worked fine for 60 seconds. Now the new 30A ...
A: Chris Before you rule out the wire do a continuity test on the wire. Make sure that they are all ...
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| wiring new ceiling fan | 5/19/2008 |
Q: I have a wiring question. In the bedrooms I have a switch on the wall that controls and outlet. I ...
A: Gerry The constant hot wire should be the wire coming from the outlet to be sure you will have to ...
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| electrical placement | 5/18/2008 |
Q: I am building a detached garage on the site of my home. My planes are to run a 50 amp service to ...
A: Gary There is no limit the only thing is that if you bury wire in a conduit the conduit must be ...
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| Electrical mystery | 5/17/2008 |
Q: my electrical problem is in my home. One of the circuits in the house loses power for 2 or 3 seconds ...
A: Erik This sounds like a loose connection somewhere. The circuit may be overloading,but as you say it ...
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| Electrical fire from GFCI | 5/17/2008 |
Q: I recently had a bathroom remodel done. The contractor's electrician installed a new GFCI above the ...
A: Joe I would check to see if the GFCI receptacle was correctly wired. I have seen retrofit ...
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| wiring new ceiling fan | 5/15/2008 |
Q: I have a wiring question. In the bedrooms I have a switch on the wall that controls and outlet. I ...
A: Gerry First of all you can use 14-2 for the lighting this will make it easier to make connections ...
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| problems with installations | 5/14/2008 |
Q: .30A.-125/250V OUTLET SO I CAN PLUG MY DRYER IN THE DRYER FITS THE OUTLET .WHICH HAS 3 PROGS ,BUT ...
A: Randolph If the 4 wires coming out of the wall are red ,black,white and green. You should hook up ...
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| Flickering | 5/13/2008 |
Q: My lights flicker in the master bedroom and Not anywhere else around the house. It started a week ...
A: Abel if this is isolated to the bedroom there is a loose connection somewhere in one of the ...
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| Residential Service | 5/12/2008 |
Q: Can I install the 200A panel in my garage and run 2/12 W-G through conduits to my house 20 feet ...
A: Jim If you want to place the main panel in garage you can. Now you still would have to a sub-panel ...
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| 3 AND 4 WAY SWITCHES | 5/7/2008 |
Q: PLEASE HELP. HAVE TWO LIGHTS IN UPSTAIRS HALLWAY, CONTROLLED BY FIVE SWITCHES. FEED STARTS AT ...
A: SEAN First of all you can only use a 3-way for power or switch legs. The 4 way is only used to ...
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| Outlet installation and buzzing noises | 5/6/2008 |
Q: I recently purchased a whirlpool tub and had an electricial install an electrical box under the unit ...
A: Jane The tub issue sounds like some loose connections,Take it apart and see if all the wires are ...
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| ceiling fan installation | 5/4/2008 |
Q: Ben! i tried installing a ceiling fan with lights but it did not work well as i was not simply ...
A: Nelson the fan should have a black a blue a white and a green wire Your electrical box should have ...
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| Changing to canned lights in kitchen | 5/3/2008 |
Q: I am a weekend warrior when it comes to being a handy man - I've installed ceiling fans, but not ...
A: Eddie If you want to change the fixtures to recess can lights. They sell them at the big box ...
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| power to shed | 5/2/2008 |
Q: I have been working on this for three days now please help me. I put a 30 amp breaker into my ...
A: dean First of all the wire that you used is not for a 120/240 V circuit together. You can have ...
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| rewiring for an OTR microwave | 5/2/2008 |
Q: I read a question where a guy had to go from an outlet to hardwiring on his Over The Range microwave ...
A: SUSAN What you can do for the microwave is before the cabinets are installed,run a new wire if you ...
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| undersurge? | 4/30/2008 |
Q: I live in a apartment in Fresno county, CA. My problem has been reoccuring from time to time for ...
A: Andrew After reading your message it sounds like the apartment has the problem. What I am referring ...
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| Faulty Light | 4/28/2008 |
Q: I have recently had a chandelier fitted in my hall. It is on a double dimmer with an outside light. ...
A: Dave You may have a bad dimmer make sure this dimmer meets the load of the chandelier wattage. count ...
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| baseboard heaters | 4/28/2008 |
Q: what size wire and breaker do i need ?i have 2 4ft heaters with 1000 watts each 2ft and 12ft away ...
A: Ken This depends on the wattage for each heater.the 2 4ft heaters will be 2000 watts that needs a 20 ...
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| Grounding wire | 4/28/2008 |
Q: I noticed when I was adding a new circuit breaker to my panel, and was moving the white wires around ...
A: chuck The neutral wire is what we called the unbalanced load.This wire carries unused power back to ...
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| Home tanning bed | 4/25/2008 |
Q: ... 1 x 110 Volt Dedicated Circuit 1 x 20 AMP Circuit Breaker 1-Standard 110 receptacle My ...
A: Rachel For now you can use the bed that way make sure you plug it into a outlet that has only a ...
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| ground wire | 4/24/2008 |
Q: Residential home The ground wire coming into the house is not currently attached to the plumbing. ...
A: Randy To connect the ground wire to the plumbing you would need a ground clamp. Many hardware and ...
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| Wiring a new light switch | 4/24/2008 |
Q: Ben - I am wanting to change the single light switch in my bathroom to a double switch. CUrrently, ...
A: Brian What you have in the bathroom may be 2 hot wires and 1 switch leg.Maybe in your situation you ...
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| hot fuses | 4/23/2008 |
Q: we live in a rental that was built in 1920.. there are two fuse boxes, with one that is original to ...
A: Linda When a circuit gets hot that is a indication of a overloaded circuit. Check to see what's on ...
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| electical problem in a residential home | 4/23/2008 |
Q: I recently ran into a problem while troubleshooting a water heater. Upon turning off the cicuit ...
A: Eric What this sounds like is that used the 30 amp breaker to possibly feed a sub panel some where ...
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| 220v | 4/22/2008 |
Q: I have a small garage that has a 100amp service that is supplied by 10-4 wire is it possible to add ...
A: Randal For your information the panel you have in the garage may be 100 amps,but by using a 10-4 you ...
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| 277v | 4/20/2008 |
Q: When your dealing with 277v lights, how would you wire them from the panel, to a j-box, feed down to ...
A: Dan Using 277 volts is the same as using 120 volts,just that the voltage is higher and more ...
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| Replacing service wiring & meter bases | 4/19/2008 |
Q: I've received 2 estimates so far for a service panel upgrade. One contractor (not the other) says I ...
A: Cheryl It is wise when changing the service to change the service wires and meter base and any ...
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| RV electrical problem | 4/19/2008 |
Q: This one is stumping me. I was using the outside receptical on my RV and the power quit. I checked ...
A: Ron Sounds like you have a loose neutral somewhere on that circuit open the panel and check each ...
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| Open Ground | 4/18/2008 |
Q: This is an older home and some of the wiring is 14/2. I am getting an open ground with my hand held ...
A: Danny Someone must have added a circuit to this or extended the wires from a 2 wire device. See if ...
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| electrical neat plumbing stack | 4/18/2008 |
Q: Ben, I am doing some remodeling in my kitchen, including adding a disposal and dishwasher. Need to ...
A: Brad No there is no requirements other than you can not use another's trade to support your trades ...
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| 20 amp dual circuts with GFCI | 4/18/2008 |
Q: I am converting my garage into a woodshop. I want to run 20 amp dual circuit outlets along the walls ...
A: Joe You would need to install a double pole breaker,the reason is if you shut down one of these ...
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| Power Supply for Battery Charger | 4/17/2008 |
Q: We have just rented a Battery Charger (Brand:Hawker,Model 8MSE)for our newly vehicle shop. This ...
A: Rodolfo If the charger is 230 volts and you use the 208 volts to this you would eventually shorten ...
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| Subpanel Ground Wiring | 4/16/2008 |
Q: I asked about wiring the neutral and ground together in a sub-panel. You told me that in a ...
A: Richard The ground wire needs to hooked up to panel frame via a bus bar or some sort of lug.Now in ...
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| wiring circuit | 4/15/2008 |
Q: We just bought a house built in 2003 by licensed builder (with a good rep. but we're finding a lot ...
A: Amy Outlets and lights are allowed on the same circuit. The reason the lights are dimming is ...
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| Main Panel (Load Center) Wiring | 4/13/2008 |
Q: I have been planning an extension panel to our 200Amp service. The house was wired last in 1978 or ...
A: Richard When it comes to a main panel with a main breaker installed the neutrals and the grounds are ...
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| Pool pump bonding | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I have an Intex Easy Set pool and want to hook up a 1 horsepower 115 volt (grounded plug in ...
A: Ed Grounding {Equipment Grounding} (Green or Bare) is the conductor which is not designed to be, ...
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| wiring new cooktop into older home | 4/11/2008 |
Q: i am wiring a new cooktop into an older home. the home was built in 1962. it has been remodled at ...
A: Michael For some reason and we as electricians don't know why. They always make wire with a white in ...
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| Reconnecting a chandelier | 4/11/2008 |
Q: I am installing an old chandelier in an old house. I have a pig-tail with four wires (neutral wires ...
A: Bryan Either wire on the chandelier will work on the fixture wires.You will see one of them has a ...
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| changeing service from 60 amp to 150 | 4/9/2008 |
Q: Where the connector comes thru the wall from the meter,does not line up at all with knock outs in ...
A: Scott The correct wire size you need is 2 # 1 and 1 #2 plus a ground if the Local Power co allows it ...
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| electrical problem with manufactured home | 4/8/2008 |
Q: my i beam under the house has a shock to it when you touch it, and my outside central air unit will ...
A: Anthony Some where there is a wire loose and it is using the trailer and AC for a return path. The ...
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| Temporary Power / 50 Amp GFI Breaker | 4/7/2008 |
Q: I am in the beginnings of building a home and hooking up temporary power. I have an older Temporary ...
A: Todd I believe you are mis-understanding how GFCI devices sense a ground fault. Very very simply: a ...
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| 220 curcit | 4/4/2008 |
Q: i have a house that has a barn circuit from the panel box. the panel in the house is a 200 amp ...
A: broderick Thanks for all the correct information. Just for your information bonding neutral to ...
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| discontinuing an outlet | 4/3/2008 |
Q: i recently pulled a wall down that had an electrical outlet in it. i do not need the outlet any ...
A: stuart The accepted way is to make that wire accessible with a j-box or a outlet. If there is a ...
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| Wiring a new structure | 4/2/2008 |
Q: I had a new 150 amp service brought into the structure, with minimal overhead lighting. I need now ...
A: Arnie The wire size you would need in conduit is # 12.A 20 amp or 15 amp breaker can handle this. ...
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| Adding a light fixture | 4/1/2008 |
Q: Ben, I would like to add a ceiling fixture to our former living room now a dining room. I will be ...
A: Jim They make what they call old work boxes. These are used when the drywall is up and you need to ...
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| adding a wall switch to an outlet | 3/30/2008 |
Q: I would like to add a switch to turn my compressor on in the basement. If I run a new line with a ...
A: Paul Take the existing outlet and add a set of wires from the outlet to the new switch. Install the ...
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| New construction condo left covered electrical box with wiring in dining area | 3/30/2008 |
Q: There has never been a light fixture in dining area but builder installed wiring & covered to add ...
A: Pam You said there are 2 blue wires? I have never seen blue wires a residential installation unless ...
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| Outlet boxes | 3/30/2008 |
Q: I am curious as to the Pro's and Con's of plastic outlet boxes vs. metal outlet boxes. I have heard ...
A: Gary This is a choice of peoples preferences.I have installing Plastic boxes when the first were ...
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| Code violation? | 3/29/2008 |
Q: They recently re-sided our condo complex. In doing so, they replaced all of the exterior 'porch' ...
A: Greg First of all the only time they never used J-boxes is when Ben Franklin first invented ...
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| Bad Breaker? | 3/29/2008 |
Q: Recently the breaker that supplies power to my one bathroom, an outside plug and one plug in the ...
A: William Before you replace the breaker get or borrow an amp probe,this will allow you to see how ...
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| GFI tripping - leakage current | 3/27/2008 |
Q: I just purchased a 2 year old home. For about a month, all went well. We have had an extended period ...
A: Ken What is happening is the GFCI is reading a voltage difference from the light pole,could be from ...
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| Question concerning problem wiring 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 What you can do is replace the wires that are going to the Power company.If that is feaseable ...
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| Track Lighting | 3/26/2008 |
Q: Ben, I have an old line voltage track light that I would like to either replace or get new lights ...
A: Barry First thing you need to do is find a track head that will fit the track. If it is low voltage ...
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| Power Blinking | 3/24/2008 |
Q: I have recently starting having problems with the lights throughout my house blinking (or fading) in ...
A: Chris Usually when you get that kind of problems it can be a numerous reasons. #1 The power company ...
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| Electrical Wiring | 3/24/2008 |
Q: We moved into our house in 2000; the house was built in 1995 but was a model home for five years. ...
A: Murray Since this was a model home,they probably had the lights burning 24/7 which is not good for ...
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| Need help with wiring for a used tanning bed | 3/24/2008 |
Q: 03/24/2008 Ben, I just purchased a used tanning bed. My husband is planning on doing the wiring ...
A: Pat Before you install the 240 volt line I would make sure that it is set for 240 if not you can ...
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| Electrical wiring | 3/23/2008 |
Q: I've recently had an electrical contractor in to install 6 recess lights in my kitchen. The lights ...
A: Carl Run the wires from J-box in the attic to the switch box. Make sure you bring power into tis ...
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| replacing electrical panel in house | 3/23/2008 |
Q: I have a 70 electrical panel in our house. We need more space to add more breakers for the house and ...
A: Tina If you have a 200 amp service coming into the house,then you should upgrade to 150 amps. ...
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| outlets | 3/22/2008 |
Q: Just another question or two while I think of it. 1) Is there a limmit to the number of outlets you ...
A: Mike 10 outlets or lights is the most for a 15 amp circuit 10 outlets or lights is the most for a 20 ...
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| gfci outlet | 3/21/2008 |
Q: i wanna change the outlet above my counter to a gfci but attached to the old outlet is a black wire ...
A: Eric What they wired was a 12-3 to the panel then they ran that wire to a outlet,what they are ...
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| Outlet problems | 3/19/2008 |
Q: We have had to replace our coffeemaker 3 times in the past 6 months. We kept it plugged into the ...
A: Kathy You need to check the outlets to make sure that all the wires are working like they should. ...
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| wiring | 3/19/2008 |
Q: i have a bed room it has no lighting no wiring for a light fixture but it does has a light switch ...
A: Luis Depending how they ran the wires to the plug there should be a black white and a ground there ...
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| No-load amp draw on washing machine | 3/18/2008 |
Q: We have 2 washers on one circuit that intermittently trips. Before using them one day, the breaker ...
A: Wayne A washer should have its own circuit, when it goes into the spin cycle it has a load on the ...
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| switch and gfci wiring config | 3/17/2008 |
Q: We're replacing the switches and recepts in our bathroom. In one box, there was a single pole ...
A: Beth You will need a voltage meter or a meter that shows you the voltage on the wires,you probably ...
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| switch and gfci wiring config | 3/17/2008 |
Q: We're replacing the switches and recepts in our bathroom. In one box, there was a single pole ...
A: Beth When using a GFCI they have 4 screws or holes one is for the line and the other is for the ...
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| residential dimmers | 3/17/2008 |
Q: I am a handyman/remodeler, but cannot figure this problem out. I've installed 2 dimmers in a ...
A: Paul Sounds like a neutral problem more than anything else. Are you replacing the dimmer with a ...
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| Light Fixture Question | 3/14/2008 |
Q: We are replacing a ceiling fan that is on a 3-way switch(I think), and replacing it with just a ...
A: Jeremy In the light box where the fan was use the red wire only for the light take the blacks and ...
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| Roughing In a bathroom Broan Model 732 (Heater/Light/Fan/Nightlight) | 3/13/2008 |
Q: I am in the midst of roughing in the bathroom electrical and wanted to get a more expert opinion ...
A: BC The Nutone equipment has a light a exhaust fan and a heater/with blower. Actually the 10-2 is a ...
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| Trying to understand the electrical from the 1930's | 3/12/2008 |
Q: I am installing some low voltage halo recessed lights in a friends house. I am having some trouble ...
A: Paul "On that switch it is wired using the neutral on the switch. I do not think I have ever seen ...
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| 120 and 240 volt pumps to one 240 timer | 3/12/2008 |
Q: I have 2 pumps for a waterfall- 120 volt 1/2 hp- 10 amp draw & 120/240 no hp rating but draws 6/12 ...
A: Steve If you did that you would be putting a uneven draw on each one of the pumps. What you could do ...
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| Service change from 400 Amp to 200Amp | 3/11/2008 |
Q: I currently own a home, I have a 400 Amp service. I don't think I need that big of breaker. The ...
A: Chris Having a 400 amp vs a 200 amp has nothing to do with power consumption.The usage comes from ...
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| Guardian 15kw generator | 3/10/2008 |
Q: I installed a 16kw standby generator. When I first tested it, it started and ran my air conditioner. ...
A: Randolph Unfortunately you can not use Ac control module.Sounds like the generator may have to have ...
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| generator hook up | 3/9/2008 |
Q: I have a 200amp murrary panel with the main breaker in the middle of the panel Iam trying to hook up ...
A: Jim What ever type of transfer switch you have I need to know if you have a sub-panel one or a main ...
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| No Ground? | 3/8/2008 |
Q: Our homeowners association (HOA) just installed individual water meters on each condo. The same day ...
A: Thomas The ground for the water meter has nothing to do with the panel ground,if anything they used ...
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| service entrance | 3/7/2008 |
Q: I recently replaced the fuse box 100amp with a 100amp breaker box .I also changed the service cable ...
A: Jim Yes that is a good way of changing the panel from fuses to breakers. Anytime you use aluminum ...
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| Requirements on residential interrupters | 3/6/2008 |
Q: I am having trouble finding any info on old nickel sized fuse boxes and any requirement to update ...
A: Chris your answer to question 1 Yes you can keep the fuse box in the newly renovated home as long ...
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| Installing electrical outlet on kitchen island | 3/6/2008 |
Q: We are remodeling our kitchen and she wants a semi-movable island in the middle of the floor, with ...
A: Tom Woman they always want the impossible............. You can install a conduit stub up with a wp ...
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| light switches not working | 3/5/2008 |
Q: I have 2 light switches (both controlling incandescent ceiling lights, one in kitchen, one in ...
A: Gil Somewhere you have a open neutral that explains why the red & black in the refrigerator out ...
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| New Construction - Electrical Wiring | 3/4/2008 |
Q: I am building a new home and the drywall is being istalled now. I am very concerned because the ...
A: Lexi First of all you are worrying for nothing,on all jobs as long as the wire is near the center ...
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| interior house wiring | 3/3/2008 |
Q: What gauge wire is correct for interior house wiring. Is stranded wire or solid wire better
A: Tom You need to use solid wire in a home,usually 14-2 and then 12-2. 14 wire is used in ...
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| wiring a garabage disposal | 3/3/2008 |
Q: I have a new house a want to wire for a disposal. I have a outlet plug next to the sink. I have ran ...
A: Kevin If this is new construction installation then you need to bring a #12-2 wire to the disposal ...
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| standby generator wiring | 3/2/2008 |
Q: I have a 15kw guardian generator and have a few questions about wiring it up to the utility box. ...
A: Allen The generator that is 100 amp would be a water cooled generator. You need a special transfer ...
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| installing a dimmer | 3/2/2008 |
Q: i recently decided to install a dimmer in my apartment but when i took out the old switch there was ...
A: Becky The way this switch was wired is called a feed back system.They use the white wire from the ...
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| Dimmer Switch | 3/2/2008 |
Q: I am trying to install a dimmer switch into a very crowded junction box, i.e. the dimmer switch will ...
A: Jerry How many watts is this dimmer switch? Is it a 600 watt,1000 watt? The problem with dimmer ...
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| possible ballast problem | 3/1/2008 |
Q: I have 2 light fixtures and 1 ballast, is it possible that the ballast is bad and 1 fixture works ...
A: Jeff when you say 2 light fixtures and 1 ballast I quite not sure how this is layed out.If a ballast ...
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| adding a emergancy generater to existing panel | 3/1/2008 |
Q: I have a Murray LC4040B1200 panel in my home that I want to add the Murray Standby Power Manual ...
A: John Yes you can extend the wires,that is allowed by code.The wire size you will need will be a #6 ...
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| Light not working | 2/29/2008 |
Q: Ben I hope you can help. I have a chandler in an entrance way that is controlled by 2 switches.This ...
A: Jeffrey Have you checked the bulbs? Your 3-way switch may be bad open up the switch and check to ...
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| Wiring a commercial air compressor | 2/28/2008 |
Q: I am trying to wire a used commercial air compressor in my garage, but I can't seem to find any ...
A: Brandon the 2 lines from the top are the power in, then there is a wire that will go to the pressure ...
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| Motion detector | 2/28/2008 |
Q: I am replacing a motion detector that illuminates my back deck. On an adjacent wall is a floodlight ...
A: Dale P.S. remove the sliced electrical cord that is not safe. I thought I sent to you the way to ...
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| breakers voltage | 2/28/2008 |
Q: i have three double switch slime line breakers. the voltage on the left side switch is about 115. ...
A: John The slim line breakers that are installed are on the same buss,are all the breakers like that ...
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| 4 lights 2 switches | 2/27/2008 |
Q: how do i wire from panel to light to switch to switch to 3 more lights. the first light to be ...
A: Tony First of all bring a wire from the panel to the first switch,then from there go up to the 1st ...
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| relay chatter or buzzing | 2/27/2008 |
Q: Relay is substantial, operates 4 building frontage neon signs. The chatter or buzzing,,, what do you ...
A: Ken First of all let me say "Welcome Home Brother" Yes you are better off replacing the unit as it ...
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| Motion detector | 2/26/2008 |
Q: I am replacing a motion detector that illuminates my back deck. On an adjacent wall is a floodlight ...
A: Dale On the motion detector there should be 4 wire black red white and a ground. The black wire is ...
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| electrical power intermittent | 2/25/2008 |
Q: I have intermittent power to my master bedroom and bathroom. It comes and goes at will. (power goes ...
A: Greg Go in the panel and check for a loose neutral,find the hot wire on the fuse and locate the ...
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| Wiring a commercial air compressor | 2/25/2008 |
Q: I am trying to wire a used commercial air compressor in my garage, but I can't seem to find any ...
A: Brandon Yes you can use a 30 amp circuit for this. This is a contactor that runs whit the compressor ...
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| AFCI wiring | 2/25/2008 |
Q: In my basement there is a bedroom beside my bathroom. I ran a 3 wire from my panel. One circuit for ...
A: Andrew You can not put the ARC-Fault breaker with a GFCI that shares the neutral there is too much ...
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| ungrounded GFI recpt. | 2/21/2008 |
Q: Ben, I replaced an old two prong receptacle (fed with knob & tube wiring) that served a kitchen ...
A: Jason The GFCI has no equipment grounding conductor run to it as it is an old house. Your plug in ...
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| two outlets and a light switch | 2/20/2008 |
Q: i am helping remodel my moms home ..we took down a wall and the outlets as well ,when we took of ...
A: Oscar in each outlet you should one of the following wires 2 blacks 2 whites and 2 green/ground bare ...
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| General wire | 2/19/2008 |
Q: I just bought a new house and I am finishing the basement off. I got 20 amp Receptacles. My question ...
A: Dave in the basement you can put 10 outlets or light outlets switches are not counted as the just ...
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| 240 air compressor | 2/19/2008 |
Q: i have a 60 gallon 5hp air compressor i am wiring. the plug is preexisting. my problem is that i am ...
A: Rick the wiring from the compressor should have 2 hot legs and one ground. If you have a Disconnect ...
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| Service to Residence | 2/18/2008 |
Q: I have a problem with my electrical service to a second home. The entire electrical system is new ...
A: Kirk What this sounds like you have a lose neutral maybe in the meter or out side to the pole or ...
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| Adding sub-panel | 2/17/2008 |
Q: My main panel has 150 amp service. There is a 10-3 plus ground and 30 amp 2 Pole breaker that was ...
A: Armand Yes you can use that to feed a sub panel. Run the 10-3 with ground to the new panel and make ...
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| Sub Panel - Tranisition from Hot Tub | 2/16/2008 |
Q: What determines whether a circuit will be 110 v. 220v? I recently got rid of my Hot tub, but am ...
A: Carter What determines voltage is the transformer on the utility side they usually will feed your ...
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| Electrical service entering the basement | 2/16/2008 |
Q: I am in the process of layout out the entrance conduits for a new service for a commercial building. ...
A: Fred You can use duct seal it is a play dough like substance that wil keep some water out of the ...
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| circuit breakers | 2/15/2008 |
Q: I work in a retail store and would like to know where I could find a compatibility chart for circuit ...
A: Sandra Unfortunately there is no list like that because that would jeopardize the manufacturers ...
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| hotwater heater | 2/15/2008 |
Q: We were getting shortened showers so I changed the lower heating element. While doing so I found ...
A: JC Have you installed the element correctly? Check to see if your T-Stat is working on the Water ...
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| electrician adding additional breaker panel | 2/14/2008 |
Q: Buying home built in 1920's. Home has electrical upgrades including breaker panel. We are adding ...
A: Charles That depends on if there is enough room in the existing 200 amp panel. You are allowed by ...
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| Generator Wiring | 2/14/2008 |
Q: I have a generator that puts out 5500watts & has (4) 120 volt 20 amp receptacles and 1 Nema L14-30 ...
A: Mark The Nema L14-30 can be wired for 120/240 volt Your RV should have this type of Outlet that you ...
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| outlets | 2/13/2008 |
Q: my home is wired with 12-2 wire the outlets are 15amp outlets is this a common practice? when would ...
A: Jim Yes that is sometimes a practice for residential homes,one reason is the 15 amps are cheaper ...
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| simple question I hope | 2/13/2008 |
Q: I was given a crafteman air compressor. It runs on 220v. Testing the switch with a dvom, I found ...
A: Mike Sometimes on equipment they have a DP switch That acts like a SP,What you have is 120 Volts on ...
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| bathroom wiring | 2/12/2008 |
Q: my contractor wants me to return my ceiling fixture because there isn't enough wire coming out of ...
A: Anne Never heard of that. You should be able to install the fixture in the ceiling to the wires that ...
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| electrical | 2/12/2008 |
Q: I've added a bar in my basement and had to wire in all receptacles and lights. the problem i'm ...
A: In your main electrical box you have a ground,maybe you are talking about the receptacle boxes.if ...
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| 240 Dryer Connection | 2/11/2008 |
Q: Feed lines are red, black, white. I'm moving the dryer outlet and am using 10-2. Does the 10-2 ...
A: Shannon You will need to use the 10-3 wire with the ground,this unit is made to hook up that way,to ...
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| NO AMP READING | 2/10/2008 |
Q: I have no amp readings at the power panel. Used two meters. Got 0 reading. Checked meter at another ...
A: Terry When you check for amps on a circuit the connected items need to using power,if what ever is ...
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| all outlets on circuit with no power.. after re-wiring 1 outlet.. | 2/9/2008 |
Q: I was recently replacing an outlet and.. - ALL outlets (3)/light switches (1) on that breaker are ...
A: Steve Go back to the outlet you replaced and see if there is voltage there> If there is none you ...
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| Doorbell | 2/8/2008 |
Q: My house has a wired doorbell system that is connected to 3 doors. When we moved in it only worked ...
A: Sandy You may have a bad door bell transformer check that first to see if it is putting out the ...
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| Lights and outlets not working in one room | 2/8/2008 |
Q: This afternoon, I was moving furniture and vacuuming in our bedroom. After plugging in the vacuum in ...
A: John Very interesting,Is this outlet switched from the bedroom wall switch?If it check the ...
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| adding new ceiling fan to existing light switch | 2/7/2008 |
Q: I am trying to add on a ceiling fan and tap into an existing light switch. Everything is in place ...
A: Mike The way to hook this up is to bring the wires from the switch to the fan and hook up the ...
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| Tripping | 2/6/2008 |
Q: We had an electrican remove some old wiring from our main panel because it was done without a permit ...
A: Michelle The main breaker will not cause the single pole breaker to trip.Sounds like you have a ...
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| FPE Fuse Panel | 2/6/2008 |
Q: Ben, We've just purchase an older, small home in Florida, it has FPE fuse panel,vintage 1960. It ...
A: Vic the PROBLEM IS THAT THEY DO NOT MAKE THE FPE PARTS ANY MORE SOMETIMES YOU CAN FIND ONE ON E- bay ...
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| Wiring | 2/4/2008 |
Q: First of all thanks for your help. I just bought a new home in Texas and was trying to change out a ...
A: Stephanie The fixture does need a box and a connector to protect the home. Why the boxes are ...
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| outdoor wiring | 2/3/2008 |
Q: i just built a shed behing my house and would like to run power to it via an underground wire. i ...
A: Jeff I would run a 1 inch conduit out there and install 2 # 4 wires 1 #6 and a #10 for the ground ...
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| ub panel minimum hight | 2/3/2008 |
Q: I'm trying to find the code section that will tell me minimum heights of panels.Question is: I'm ...
A: Bill The nec does require that the panel have a certain height. What is done is that the center of ...
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| Ceiling light | 2/2/2008 |
Q: I am not an electrician. I was simply changing out some light fixtures to update a residential ...
A: Ryan Sounds like you have a set of hot wires(2) and a set of Neutrals)2) and 1 switch leg. Separate ...
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| wiring in hallway | 2/2/2008 |
Q: my dad just built a new house. he has two lights in the hallway. one at the end of the steps and the ...
A: Brandi Sounds like the 3-way switches are not wired correctly.In the switch box there should be 1 ...
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| definite purpose contactors | 2/2/2008 |
Q: Could you quickly explain how a definite purpose contactor works? And, How to use one in a situation ...
A: Matt This contacter can be 1 -8 poles(like a switch) and what happens is that instead of hooking up ...
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| loss of power on circuit | 2/1/2008 |
Q: My children were fooling around in the bedroom with a beach ball. There was no light cover on the ...
A: Renee Ok so I guess you are a expert? Nice comments from someone who knows nothing about ...
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| rewiring old house | 1/31/2008 |
Q: I own a 1942 flat roof house with a crawlspace under the floor and would like to know if it is ...
A: Randal Yes you can this is a common practice when there is no access to the overhead crawl space. ...
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| Generator | 1/31/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if you could give me some guidance on what kind of whole- house generator to buy. I ...
A: Ed A 7 or 10 kW would do you fine with a 8 or 10 circuit transfer switch panel. You could get a ...
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| brown out - tanning beds won't power up | 1/31/2008 |
Q: I went to work today to find that we were having a "brown out", we did not power up any of our ...
A: Trisha Sounds like the voltage to the panel may not all be there. You need to have full voltage ...
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| wiring a gfci | 1/30/2008 |
Q: If you want to put a GFCI in a circuit in lieu of a GFI breaker how do you know where to put it. ...
A: Pat The area you want to install the GFCI shut off the breaker and see what outlets go off.Then ...
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| elec outlet failure | 1/28/2008 |
Q: got new toaster - came home and the wife said it had sparked on her and could I reset the breaker. ...
A: Chris The GFCI outlet may have a problem internally I would try checking to see if this is on the ...
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| Service Panels | 1/27/2008 |
Q: I'm getting ready to help a friend change his service panel. It's located in the dining area at ...
A: Jerry The NEC does not allow any panels to be installed in any closets,bathrooms or any type of ...
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| adding second panel off main disconnect | 1/24/2008 |
Q: I have a Square D 125 amp panel in house and will be installing a second 125 amp panel to feed only ...
A: James There is a main panel, and in this panel you said you have 2 50 amp breakers. Then you do not ...
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| fluorescent lights | 1/24/2008 |
Q: My issue is that my fluorescent light fixtures won't stay lit. Each fixture has 4 20watt bulbs but ...
A: John The ballast are inside the fixture, you need to take off the cover and it will be inside. Make ...
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| adding second panel off main disconnect | 1/23/2008 |
Q: I have a Square D 125 amp panel in house and will be installing a second 125 amp panel to feed only ...
A: James Your question says (adding second panel off main disconnect If this is true then that is the ...
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| No power | 1/22/2008 |
Q: 110 with only microwave on line. Plugged microwave in another outlet--it works. Still no power from ...
A: Sheila Sounds like you lost the neutral. Check the hot wire with the ground and see if you get the ...
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| electrical | 1/19/2008 |
Q: I have taken out an over the oven fan. I want to replace it with a combined microwave fan unit but ...
A: heather The Old Exhaust fan should have a 3 wire system a Black (hot) a white (neutral) and a ...
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| Power for lights | 1/16/2008 |
Q: Ben, I'm doing some upgrades to my garage (dark!). I want to install 5 48" florescent light ...
A: Richard 1 circuit would be more than enough.lights are calculated by the wattage of the bulb and in ...
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| Generator Setting 120 vs 240 | 1/15/2008 |
Q: I have a small chinese generator, an Alton 3500 watt. I plan to use if for power outs to run my gas ...
A: Rick You should be able to install the transfer switch and hook up the breakers according to the ...
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| Contactor | 1/15/2008 |
Q: Have a 240v contactor that's in a timer box for a pool pump I have power on both the Line sides and ...
A: Chris When you go across the top of the contactor the line side you should have the 240 volts across ...
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| Dryer blowing fuses | 1/13/2008 |
Q: The breaker panel contains 2 30amp time delayed fuses. At no particular time either the heater ...
A: Jason Sounds like one of the elements may be shorting out or get over loaded. Get a amp probe and ...
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| All outlets work in new basement room but one | 1/13/2008 |
Q: I've finished our basement and all the outlets in the basement work but one. I've got plugs on ...
A: Stuart Check the wires that come out of the receptacle make sure they are tight,next do the one from ...
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| 14V on hot wire w/breaker off??? | 1/12/2008 |
Q: I recently tried to install a GFCI in an existing bathroom outlet box. Previously, there was a ...
A: Reid Try leaving the GFCI by it self then connect each load to see what it is doing. Check to see ...
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| 1 dbl sink vanity light to change to 2 lights - 1 over each sink? | 1/11/2008 |
Q: I have a 14 year old home, with one long 7 bulb light fixture over a 2 sink vanity. I would like to ...
A: Kathy Yes you can it may involve some dry wall cutting and patching. You will need to take the ...
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| Outdoor light lamp post | 1/11/2008 |
Q: Problem. I started having a problem with the light bulb going out in the outside yard lamp post. I ...
A: Bish This could be a number of problems one could be that the wire underground or somewhere is ...
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| service upgrade or not | 1/10/2008 |
Q: I have a 1260 sq ft home with a 300 sq foot garage that has been converted into a studio. I have ...
A: James Yes that would help allot if you got rid of the electric heat.If your bus bars over heats ...
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| Wiring at home electrical service panel | 1/10/2008 |
Q: Ben, I just recently bought a house that is approx 25 years old and have been updating it. Just ...
A: Dan You are allowed to make a splice in the panel you just cant use it as a junction box. As far as ...
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| service upgrade or not | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I have a 1260 sq ft home with a 300 sq foot garage that has been converted into a studio. I have ...
A: James What you can do is put a amp probe on the main incoming wires on each leg one at a time. See ...
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| Can a GFCI be used with a welder | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I have a portable mig welder and a portable stick welder. They both operate off of 230 volt (NEMA ...
A: Marc You can buy differnt GFCI'S for that type of equipment. Basicly this is how a GFCI works. ...
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| Combination Switch & Receptacle | 1/7/2008 |
Q: I have a ceiling light controlled by three different light switches. In one of the boxes, there are: ...
A: John One end of that switch system is the feed end and the other is the switch leg circuit. Find ...
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| Adding a light fixture | 1/6/2008 |
Q: I want to add a light fixture to one of my bedrooms, but it seems that the previous owner had the ...
A: Frank In this switch you have white ,black & red wires. Install a 14-2 wire in this box that will go ...
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| Wiring from 115v to 230v | 1/5/2008 |
Q: I installed a 115v 15amp dedicated outlet to a pump outside my house, GFCI. The motors ratings are ...
A: Matt 15 amps is 15 amps either on a 1 wire or a 2 wire or even the 3 wire system.The wire size is ...
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| 460 volts | 1/4/2008 |
Q: Have a small warehouse....standard 120 line in service...but the whole building is wire 220...even ...
A: Leland No you can not do it that way, because the 480 voltage is not like the standard 240/220 120 ...
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| Adding a light fixture | 1/4/2008 |
Q: I want to add a light fixture to one of my bedrooms, but it seems that the previous owner had the ...
A: Frank When this house was wired they use to take a outlet in the bedrooms and make it a switched ...
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| Country wiring | 1/3/2008 |
Q: I have electrical service to a small house in the country. My barn is about 600 feet away. To run ...
A: David You could run a underground wire from your house to your barn.If you want a 50 amp service ...
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| wiring specialty switches for fan/light | 1/2/2008 |
Q: I purchased 2 Harbor Breeze Bellhaven fans and 2 Harbor Breeze switches. I wanted to install one ...
A: Stacey You said that you have 1 power feed for the switches are these switches in the same box? if ...
|
| Making a three phase extension cord. | 1/2/2008 |
Q: Ben, I have a question about making an extension cord for my 470 volt three phase concrete grinder. ...
A: Denis First of all is the generator a 3 phase? if it is then you just need to hook up the hot leads ...
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| Rewiring kitchen outlets, switches... | 1/1/2008 |
Q: Greetings...I am in the process of finishing my kitchen remodel and want to add an outlet running ...
A: Kyle Sounds like you wired the receptacle wrong. The new outlet you installed should have 4 wires ...
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| New subpanel in detached garage | 12/31/2007 |
Q: New subpanel in detached garage I am installing a new 70A panel in a detached garage connected to ...
A: Laurent The first problem is that you can not use a #10 wire in a 70 amp panel.10 wire is only rated ...
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| Need help Wiring a Ceiling Fan/Light separately | 12/31/2007 |
Q: I have a ceiling fan in the master bedroom that I would like to add a switch so I can control the ...
A: Ryan What you are showing me in the diagram is that the ceiling fan box is feeding the electrical ...
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| Wiring a tanning bed | 12/30/2007 |
Q: My service entrance to the meter is the common 2 wire & stranded bare ground/neutral?.Then..from the ...
A: Bob The bed is probably a 20 amp 240 volt bed.If the ground and neutral were hooked up together ...
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| wiring up 3 switches on one power lead | 12/30/2007 |
Q: I bought a house and of the 3 switches in the bathroom, only one works. One is to the fan, one is to ...
A: Keith If the power is in the switch box make sure that all the switches have power going to them ...
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| Wiring a tanning bed | 12/30/2007 |
Q: My service entrance to the meter is the common 2 wire & stranded bare ground/neutral?.Then..from the ...
A: Bob To your house you have a 200 amp service consisting of 2 hot legs (4/0) and 1 neutral/ground/ ...
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| Ground---Neutral bond or not | 12/28/2007 |
Q: I own a poultry farm, with 4 houses each 400 foot long. There is one meter base, one 600 amp main, ...
A: JASON Once you leave the main service, the neutral and ground are separate. So your sub-panel will ...
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| standby generator setup | 12/27/2007 |
Q: Forgive the long question but I want you to have all the relevent data. I am installing a 7KW Briggs ...
A: rick First of all when you run the sensing circuit it is low voltage 12/24 volts and at 70 feet you ...
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| GFCI outlets and 12/3 cable | 12/26/2007 |
Q: Can I run 2 lines of power with 12/3 cable (on separate breakers) to feed 2 GFCI outlets, each ...
A: Phil Yes it should work. I have found, however that with long homeruns (over 50') that I have ...
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| Ground---Neutral bond or not | 12/26/2007 |
Q: I own a poultry farm, with 4 houses each 400 foot long. There is one meter base, one 600 amp main, ...
A: Jason The STAND BY Generator should have its own Ground rod. Look at it this way the generator is ...
|
| Kitchenaid Built-In Wall Oven | 12/25/2007 |
Q: I recently purchased a new built-in Kitchenaid oven with a top microwave/convection oven. My old ...
A: Doug You may have to rewire the oven as the circuit for the new oven is not adequate for the new ...
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| wiring an unfinished basemnt | 12/22/2007 |
Q: Our builder insulated our basement. We now want to finish it and need to install our lights, ...
A: Tatjana Your best way of doing this is to install the wires and boxes in front of the insulation ...
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| Connecting a generator to the house | 12/22/2007 |
Q: Ben, I bet you've had this question before. My son-in-law has a portable generator to use when the ...
A: Richard First of all you are absolute right When using any kind of generator. You NEED TO INSTALL a ...
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| switching 220 volt loads | 12/20/2007 |
Q: I acquired a HUGE 2 pole mercury switch that was used to control electric heat in a house built in ...
A: Bruce First of all what is the rating of this switch? You can switch one leg of the motor with no ...
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| stove wiring | 12/19/2007 |
Q: I have a new stove requiring 240 power for the oven. I have power from a 30-amp 2-pole 120/240 ...
A: Josh What you need to check in the panel is that both red and black wires are not on the same pole. ...
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| Temporary power subpanel | 12/19/2007 |
Q: I am a sound engineer, and a couple clubs I setup at have insufficient circuits, and are unwilling ...
A: Dean You will have to use a 240 volt panel,as they do not make a 120 volt panel. The best way is to ...
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| Generator Transfer Switches | 12/19/2007 |
Q: Ben, I have read all of your replies, but I still have several questions. For the last 8 1/2 years ...
A: Maurice I will try to explain this in a easy format. The transfer switch has what is called a 3 ...
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| 200 vs 400 amp svc | 12/16/2007 |
Q: I am building and it was recommended to upgrade to a 400 amp svc. The home is 3400 sq ft with two ...
A: Mike Why do you need a 400 amp service? Did anyone do a load calculation on this home? Your biggest ...
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| Confusing wiring diagram Cooper Wiring 6109 180deg motion-sensing switch | 12/16/2007 |
Q: I bought a Cooper 6109 motion-sensing switch for my basement. The wiring diagram shows one of the ...
A: Sam No not at all if you do that you probably burn out the switch. Usually the hot wire goes to one ...
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| Replacing NEMA 6-30R with 14-30R | 12/16/2007 |
Q: Years ago we purchased a Bosch washing machine that required 240V service and came with a NEMA ...
A: Craig If the wires come from a main breaker panel then you can hook up the ground and the neutral If ...
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| help | 12/15/2007 |
Q: i have a building with 2 meters one meter was hit and and is crushed.in side the building i have 2 ...
A: Jason First why was there 2 meters? There had to be a reason. You can upgrade the service and have ...
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| Bathroom fan wiring | 12/14/2007 |
Q: This is similar to a prior post, but not quite the situation. I am retrofitting a new ...
A: Randy At the switch you said there is only 2 sets of wires that are in the box. According to what ...
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| Marley base borad heater | 12/14/2007 |
Q: I am using 12/2 wire from each heater to a junction box and have hooked up each heater with its own ...
A: Paul You have a 12-3 coming from your breaker box, You can use the red & black for the power wires, ...
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| electrical problem | 12/13/2007 |
Q: some of the things in my bathroom just quit working, jacuzzi, and the fan, heater,vent all in 1. I ...
A: Dwayne Have you checked the incoming service? Make sure that if you check the incoming go across the ...
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| Voltage Converter | 12/12/2007 |
Q: I want to buy and install a washer and dryer in my home. Unfortunately, these appliances usually ...
A: Uche I would see what The 2 outlets are hooked up to in the kitchen and if you are using ...
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| Generator Wiring | 12/12/2007 |
Q: I'm installing a Coleman 7kw lp gas backup generator. My electrician friend says I need to get 8-3 ...
A: Rod The 7 kw generator would need a 30 amp breaker which needs a #10 wire,So what you would need is ...
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| sub panel | 12/11/2007 |
Q: I have a 100amp service currently working fine. I have a 50 amp breaker in the service, that the ...
A: Michael No bother at all When you size a breaker you size it for protection, that means that if ...
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| remote wiring | 12/11/2007 |
Q: I have a ceiling fan that has no wall switch attached to it,we just use the pull chain to turn on ...
A: Phil That will be the only way to control the fan light. Un less you run extra wires. They have ...
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| Bx wiring | 12/10/2007 |
Q: I want to run an extra outlet in my house and I was going to use bx the bx I have is 12/2 it of ...
A: Jeff The wire that you have is called a 12-3 2 hots and 1 neutral the ground wire is a given as this ...
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| sub panel | 12/9/2007 |
Q: I have a 100amp service currently working fine. I have a 50 amp breaker in the service, that the ...
A: Michael I would get rid of that mess for sure it is a hazard and a eyesore.Yes you can install a ...
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| Wiring a 220v outlet for a Welder. | 12/9/2007 |
Q: I have a 200amp tig welder. That requires a 220 volt outlet. My current house does not have a 220 ...
A: Jason Are you saying tat the welder needs 200 amps 220 volts?? That is allot of amps for a ...
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| Hooking up a wall oven | 12/8/2007 |
Q: We replaced our double wall oven, the new oven came with a cable already installed , the cable has 3 ...
A: Gerard The older oven had 2 circuits that is why you have 2 blacks and 2 reds.You will need to see ...
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| Wiring a GFCI receptacle | 12/8/2007 |
Q: There is a GFCI receptacle mounted on the outside wall of my home. The line coming from the circuit ...
A: Ed It is hard for us out in the computer to visualize Most problems. We can only assume and ...
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| old ceiling electric heat | 12/7/2007 |
Q: I have been re-wiring a 1950 house that has had serious electrical problems (i.e. bare hot wires ...
A: Bill What they are running is a heating element in the ceiling for induction heat,so when they are ...
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| Adding a pull switch to new fixture | 12/7/2007 |
Q: I own a 130 yr old house where I have changed the old wiring in the areas of the house that I have ...
A: JOE The way they use to wire lights was to bring a hot & neutral to the box then install a switch on ...
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| Plugs burning out. | 12/6/2007 |
Q: I work in maintenance at a nursing home in which we have (through wall)PTAC units in every resident ...
A: Jason Well they have been installed for 11 years so with direct induction heat all it is doing is ...
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| wire located in duct work | 12/5/2007 |
Q: My house is 117 years old. I am retrofitting the bathroom on the second floor and making sure that ...
A: Sean That is not a very good idea plus the code does not allow it. The reason is that when air is ...
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| outlets, and grounds | 12/4/2007 |
Q: when I touch the outlet in my barn I get a zap, we put a heater in cows water to keep from ...
A: Glen The outlet you are using is not grounded In the main panel you have to make sure the neutral ...
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| electric to an outbuilding | 12/3/2007 |
Q: Just built a run in shed for our horses 400ft from house. I planning on running 12/2 direct bury ...
A: Shane You will lose allot because of voltage drop,not amps it wont be enough to even turn a light ...
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| service for new shop | 12/2/2007 |
Q: Just built a new multi-purpose shop that is 130 feet from the house, I will be using a wielder and ...
A: Mike Wilder You said that they stubbed you a future J-box? I do not understand the problem go from ...
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| No power in circuit | 12/2/2007 |
Q: One complete circuit in my house is dead. I checked all of the circuit breakers and they seem to be ...
A: Frank What may be the cause is that you lost a hot leg or neutral to the circuit take the covers off ...
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| Lights dimming/flickering in entire home | 12/1/2007 |
Q: We're having an intermittent issue with lights dimming in the entire house (or at least on different ...
A: Chris Dimming of lights indicates a big load being put on the service. It can also be from lose ...
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| Additional basement circuits | 11/30/2007 |
Q: My main electrical panel is located on the inside of my garage wall 5 feet from the wall that is ...
A: Doug You have many options. Is the garage over the basement or just part of it? If it is then you ...
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| wiring a sub panel | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I already have a full 200amp panel w/a 220 out of it for a hot tub. I purchased a peice of equipment ...
A: Andy Take the hot tub wire out and you can put it in the new sub-panel along with the other circuits ...
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| dimming lights | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I am experience lights dimming when large appliances are running like the microwave or vacuum. It ...
A: Shawn It sounds like a bad connection either in the meter or a shorted or loose wire somewhere from ...
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| Generator plugs | 11/25/2007 |
Q: I bought a portable generator for my cottage. I have a shallow well pump which runs on 220V. The ...
A: Jeff The 4 wire plug on the generator is wired this way 2 hots 1 neutral and one ground,you will ...
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| 3 black wires and 1 white | 11/25/2007 |
Q: I've got 2 switches in my dining room that control the overhead light. One is a dimmer; the other ...
A: Amy Their is only those 4 wires?? Something doesn't sound right. For a 3 way to work you need 1 for ...
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| Dimmer switch | 11/23/2007 |
Q: I have a dining room light that had a dimmer switch. The switch controls only the dining room light. ...
A: mark When the dimmer buzzes that is a sign of a bad dimmer or a overloaded or a miss wired dimmer, ...
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| GFCI outle switch combo | 11/23/2007 |
Q: I am trying to hook up a GFCI outlet switch combo. I have the feed line coming in (black and white) ...
A: Mark the incoming wires the black & white need to be hooked up this way white to white black to ...
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| GFCI Bkr | 11/21/2007 |
Q: I am wiring a hot tub for a friend. I installed a 220v 2 pole GFCI bkr (GE)and ran 6/3 W/ ground to ...
A: Jeremy is the hot tube grounded at another place? sounds like you are getting a voltage problem from ...
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| mobile home power hookup | 11/19/2007 |
Q: I am about to move into a mobile home in a week or two. I have been calling around to get quotes and ...
A: Allan On the outside you should have a disconnect box with a meter near it or above it. Depending on ...
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| Generator Hookup Aesthetics | 11/18/2007 |
Q: I am concerned that the wiring from the Standby Generator to my home looks untidy (and maybe unsafe) ...
A: George That should be in conduit as well the only exception is it may be done in romex,I dont what ...
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| Generator Hookup Aesthetics | 11/17/2007 |
Q: I am concerned that the wiring from the Standby Generator to my home looks untidy (and maybe unsafe) ...
A: George I doubt you asked a electrician because if he was he wouldn't do it that way.The NEC Code ...
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| Neutral Wire Burned at Panel | 11/17/2007 |
Q: I have a 3 year old new construction hose in Michigan. I have had 2 contractors out to look at the ...
A: Steve What may have happened is the neutral wire was not tighten down properly,this wire carries the ...
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| horse arena lights going off/on | 11/16/2007 |
Q: I turn my lights on at the circuit breaker box and sometimes when I first turn the breaker on there ...
A: Diane Something the fixtures have a few reasons for cycling off and on.#1 The bulb could be bad #2 ...
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| outage | 11/14/2007 |
Q: i have a very strange situation.four circuits intermittently go out,no warning ( no breakers trip ) ...
A: Paul what it still sounds like are on the same side of the buss as the 240 v circuit thus when when ...
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| panel change from main 2 sub | 11/14/2007 |
Q: I am upgrading my service to a 200A and install a new main panel on a different location. The old ...
A: Roman The difference is this the main breaker panel will have a main and a neutral bar bonded to the ...
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| Electrical, 3 way control of an outlet | 11/12/2007 |
Q: Have a run of receptacles,at the beginning I have an outlet where the hot side of the duplex is ...
A: Rosemarie The wires in the switch boxes should be the following colors. Red black white green then ...
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| Adding ceiling fans 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 What you can do is pull a 14-3 from the existing switch to the ceiling fan box. Disconnect the ...
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| Installation of 240V 2000W electric baseboard heaters | 11/11/2007 |
Q: My husband has been trying to install a Farenheit 8' 240V electric baseboard heater (MALEY) 2000W ...
A: Lisa You have done a fine job of explaining,most women would say (the thing that's is hooked up in ...
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| 20 Amp receptacle | 11/10/2007 |
Q: My washer is plugged into a 20 single outlet receptcle. I changed to outlet to a 20 amp with two ...
A: Steve the reason the washer was on a single receptacle is so that nothing else can be added to that ...
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| Range wiring | 11/10/2007 |
Q: I am renovating my whole house. The people that put the island in the kitchen ran the 240 for the ...
A: JP You should have the following redstripe/black wire -black wire and a white wire and a green or ...
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| dimmed and flickered lights | 11/9/2007 |
Q: Was just wondering if you could help. A few days ago the lights in our house dimmed and flickered ...
A: Sam When this happened did you hear that noise from inside your home?If you did then you may have ...
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| electric tankless water heater | 11/8/2007 |
Q: I'm trying to get a tankless water heater (Bosch Powerstar 115)installed in my 1970's era condo. ...
A: Jim Yes it is, but is the wire capable to carry this load? The water heater has a 30 amp breaker and ...
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| home electrical breaker box | 11/7/2007 |
Q: I wanted to know whether or not my trailer's only breaker box should be very warm to the touch? I ...
A: Nancy When you are running the space heaters they use allot of electric and use induction heat which ...
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| generator hookup | 11/7/2007 |
Q: I have a question for you about a generator circuit. A friend of mine wants to run a generator plug ...
A: Sally What you are trying to do is hook the generator up in the pole barn panel and then when the ...
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| Generator transfer switch wiring | 11/6/2007 |
Q: We just had a new Guardian 13K Generator with auto transfer switch (12 circuits) installed today. We ...
A: Barb Allot of times to keep costs down and labor down,electricians will run a 14-3 or a 12-3 for 2 ...
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| Panel upgrade | 11/3/2007 |
Q: I have a panel to upgrade from the old disc type fuses to what is now more common. I intend on ...
A: Jeff There should not be 2 mains what you may have is a breaker for a sub panel.What you can do is ...
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| standby generator | 11/2/2007 |
Q: I have acquired a 12kw guardian generator. The tail from the transfer switch has the 4 load wires ...
A: Andrew Yes 2 of the wires carry voltage to the generator #1 to keep the battery charged and to ...
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| Recessed Lighting/Switch | 11/2/2007 |
Q: I'm baffled by this because I think I did it correct, yet it's not working. Four lights being ...
A: Dave To wire 4 lights you will need to come out of the switch wit a 14-2 black & white to fixtures ...
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| standby generator | 11/1/2007 |
Q: I have acquired a 12kw guardian generator. The tail from the transfer switch has the 4 load wires ...
A: Andrew The connector you are talking about carry's the 2 control wires and the 2 voltage wires 240 ...
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| Light switch | 10/31/2007 |
Q: Im trying to install a light switch. The main wire coming into the box has a black,red,and a white ...
A: Brad The red wire may be a different circuit take a tester and see if there is voltage on the red ...
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| Generator power | 10/30/2007 |
Q: I just installed a generator and transfer switch. The power coming from the main distribution panel ...
A: Bill You should have the incoming power going to one set of lugs,then the load side should have 2 ...
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| home electrical circuts | 10/29/2007 |
Q: My son Ben was trying to figure out our delemia and gave up ! Four circuits go out at the same ...
A: Beth Sounds like you may have problems in the Panel. The buss bar my be corroding if you can remove ...
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| Wall Outlets work and then don't | 10/27/2007 |
Q: For the past year, certain room outlets in my house (built 1942) work and then don't. When I plug in ...
A: Matt The tester that shows reversed ground will show up when you don't have a ground on the ...
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| How to find a contractor's insurance coverage | 10/25/2007 |
Q: An electrician installed the breaker, wiring and GFI box for my hot tub on my back porch, and it was ...
A: Barbie First of all I am not a attorney and can only give you suggestions. See if you know or can ...
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| Keyless Lampholder Installation | 10/24/2007 |
Q: I am installing a couple of keyless porcelain lampholders in the attic and have a few questions: 1) ...
A: Michael to your answer to #1 if the box is metal then you need to ground the box if it is plastic ...
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| AFCI's | 10/23/2007 |
Q: We are moving into a newly constructed 4-bedroom house and when we plugged a vacuum cleaner into one ...
A: Lynne A AFCI breaker is like a GFCI it protects the person from any available shock. They are pretty ...
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| Electrical Installation | 10/23/2007 |
Q: Electrical Installation (USA) - Qn: running underground cable 280 ft. for 100 amp supply. Length ...
A: Peter What is happining is you are getting a voltage drop. And at 100 amps on a 200 amp wire you ...
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| Electrical | 10/19/2007 |
Q: I have this friend that's renting a older model trailer and her lights has been dimming and ...
A: Jason Sounds like the main wires in the panel are loose. Try to shut off the main breaker and ...
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| pool wiring | 10/18/2007 |
Q: ben. thanx in advance, great site. am running 60 amps from existing box to pool house. 1 breaker ...
A: greg A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is one of the most effective means available for ...
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| pool wiring | 10/17/2007 |
Q: ben. thanx in advance, great site. am running 60 amps from existing box to pool house. 1 breaker ...
A: Greg if you are using this for a pool house you can use the existing ground from the panel. Now ...
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| Tripping Circuit breakers... | 10/15/2007 |
Q: I purchased my house about a year ago, and at that time it only had a single 60 amp panel for all ...
A: Tito When you use the 3 prong tester in the outlet is this outlet a grounded circuit? Just because ...
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| service install on new metal building | 10/13/2007 |
Q: I have built a new 40x60 wood framed, metal shop next to my home. We just finished the siding ...
A: Joey First of all installing a 200 amp service is over kill for a shop and using rigid conduit is ...
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| baseboard heater wiring | 10/11/2007 |
Q: i recently renovated the kitchen in my house and eliminated the baseboard heater that was situated ...
A: Steve Is the thermostat located on the wall or on the base board? If it is on the baseboard you will ...
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| outlet burning smell | 10/10/2007 |
Q: Within the past 2 months, whenever I use this outlet I would get a funny plastic burning smell, if ...
A: Lori More than likely the outlet may be bad change the outlet and see what else is on that ...
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| Ceiling fan wiring connections. | 10/8/2007 |
Q: Sure you had your fill of these.. THis is a new home, ceiling junction box has 4 wires.red black, ...
A: Ed In the ceiling box the wires are used as follows Black constant hot, red is switched, white is ...
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| Adding a 220 Subpanel when Main is full | 10/6/2007 |
Q: We had a retired electrician friend here yesterday to help us hook up a 220 volt dedicated subpanel ...
A: Blaine What he did was perfectly fine and it is done everyday as long as the load doesn't exceed the ...
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| sub panel wiring | 10/6/2007 |
Q: I am adding a 50amp GFCI breaker to my subpanel for a hot tub and using 6/3. I read that the neutral ...
A: Brian Yes this will be a problem as the GFCI will trip sometimes depending on the surge. Are you ...
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| GFCI Trips | 10/5/2007 |
Q: There are two GFCI outlets one on each side above my kitchen sink on circuit breaker #9 which seem ...
A: Bob What is happening is that both of those circuits share the neutral and when you plug something ...
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| 20 amp 250v service sufficient for old oven? | 10/3/2007 |
Q: I purchased an old GE oven to use for some powder coating. Oven will be used only for short time ...
A: Larry This oven may be a 30 amp circuit and it just may run on the 20 amp as long as nothing else is ...
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| Wired Doorbell | 10/2/2007 |
Q: Bryan, A few weeks ago I was changing out my doorbell and was drilling a larger pilot hole for the ...
A: Beau What has happened is that you shorted the transformer out. You will need to replace the ...
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| Service Wire | 10/2/2007 |
Q: I recently installed a 150 Amp panel in a house about 1500 sq ft. And my co worker says the service ...
A: Britt When you say the service wire do you mean the wire that comes from the meter? and then goes to ...
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| replacing a light fixture in an old house | 10/1/2007 |
Q: Good morning, I am working on remodeling a bathroom in an old house. The house itself has been ...
A: Ryan First see what else is on this circuit so you know if you can add more of a load the light wont ...
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| Buzzing from Wiring | 10/1/2007 |
Q: We just moved into a new (1.5 yr old) house and are hearing a momentary "buzzing" sound when the Air ...
A: Dave The length really has nothing to do with the buzzing sound.We have ran wire 400 to 500 feet in ...
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| LCD HD TV won't power on | 8/15/2007 |
Q: My husband and I purchased a new Viewsonic 42inch HD LCD TV. We took it home and it won't work in ...
A: Linda first of all plug a working light into the outlet the TV will be plugged into to see if it ...
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| Wiring | 8/15/2007 |
Q: I need to replace a 2 outlet receptacle with a 4 outlet receptacle. What is involved in the wiring ...
A: Mike You will need to get a 2 gang box for the 2 duplexes, take the black to the 2 receptacles and ...
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| Burying 220 volt 6/4 Wiring for Hot Tub | 8/14/2007 |
Q: I'm running approx. 85 feet of 6/4 220 volt wiring for my hot tub. How deep do I need to bury my ...
A: Jerry What type are wiring are you using? it has to be rated for direct burial,or else you will have ...
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| New GE clothes dryer blow circuit | 8/13/2007 |
Q: I just purchased a new GE electric clothes dryer from Sears the dryer is on a 20 20 circuit.( the ...
A: Barbara The dryer needs to be on a 30 amp 2 pole circuit with a #10-3 wire. The dryer may have been ...
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| wiring 2 switches to a ceiling fan | 8/12/2007 |
Q: I would like to know if you can walk me thru the step of how to wire two switches to a ceiling fan. ...
A: Robiet Ok you need to run a 14-3 between the 2 switches. Then take a 14-2 to the fan. Now bring a ...
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| outlet working off a switch | 8/12/2007 |
Q: I have an outlet in my home office where the top part of the outlet is live all the time and the ...
A: Craig First of all you will need to get a new outlet and insert the white wire in the gold colored ...
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| Pool pump keeps blowing fuse and gfi | 8/11/2007 |
Q: I bought a new 1 1/2 hp pump for my above ground pool. After a few hours use it either trips the ...
A: Jordan You may have to increase the breaker and the wire to accommodate the new pump. What is the ...
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| common neutral | 8/10/2007 |
Q: When using a common neutral does each circuit have to be fed from different legs. Can you please ...
A: Dennis When using a common neutral for a circuit. You are allowed to share that neutral,in a single ...
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| Splitting a double-pole 240v into two | 8/10/2007 |
Q: I have a manual transfer switch for my generator that came pre-wired for 12 cicuits. I have 2 240v ...
A: Dana All of the neutrals should have been left in the original panel. What type of transfer switch ...
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| Bedroom Wiring | 8/9/2007 |
Q: I want to run a circuit to a new bedroom. The room will have about eight receptacles in it. What I ...
A: Neil You are on the right path to wire the bedroom. First of all you can run 14-3 from the switch to ...
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| adding a 220 outlet | 8/9/2007 |
Q: where there is no 220 how do i go about adding a 220 line. describe what i need and how to create a ...
A: James There are 110 volt ranges but they are not common. You need to take a #6-2 with a ground and ...
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| Household voltage | 8/9/2007 |
Q: What is the lowest that the voltage can safely be in a house? My voltage goes from 113 to 119. The ...
A: Ernie Most voltages vary from 110 to 120 so you are ok what happens when there is a big load on the ...
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| Sub-panel replacement | 8/9/2007 |
Q: Don, I'm replacing my current 60A sub-panel with a generator ready sub-panel with a 60A/30A ...
A: Greg You will have to calculate the load that you are putting in the new panel.You should not exceed ...
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| Splitting a double-pole 240v into two | 8/8/2007 |
Q: I have a manual transfer switch for my generator that came pre-wired for 12 cicuits. I have 2 240v ...
A: Dana Yes you can replace the 2 pole breaker with a single pole. The wire that you are hooking up ...
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| Subpanel installation | 8/7/2007 |
Q: We are in the process of building an attached indoor pool enclosure. The pool equipment will be ...
A: wade Give the cost of copper you can use the direct burial wire make sure it is at least 24 inches ...
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| Subpanel installation | 8/5/2007 |
Q: We are in the process of building an attached indoor pool enclosure. The pool equipment will be ...
A: wade Question 1 Install a 100 amp sub-panel make sure you buy a grounding bar for it. The wire can ...
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| throwing breaker | 8/5/2007 |
Q: I was tiling my backsplash and when putting the plug back into place I accidently touched the side ...
A: Annette You have to make sure that on the new plug that the wires coming in from the panel aren't a ...
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| Old Stove/Newer Home | 8/4/2007 |
Q: I have an older stove that has a three prong plug, the outlet in the wall requires a four prong ...
A: Morgan Take the 2 hot wires and hook them up to the 4 prong plugs hot connection then take the white ...
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| running power to a lake dock | 8/1/2007 |
Q: I am out in the country and having a dickens of a time to get a licensed electrician to come to give ...
A: Kurt Your best bet because of the distance is to run 3 # 8 wires and 1#10 in a 1 inch conduit to a ...
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| Ceiling fan to light fixture wiring problem | 7/31/2007 |
Q: Iam trying to re-install a hampton bays ceiling fan with lights, that was removed. The wires ...
A: Seon The blue wire is for the light,the black is for the fan and the white wires are for the ...
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| Light Switch | 7/31/2007 |
Q: My friend has a light switch that was broken by a piece of furniture. It has not worked in a long ...
A: Jim Sometimes you can get a small voltage reading on the the wires because something is plugged in ...
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| home electrical | 7/31/2007 |
Q: i tested 1 side of my house all outlets read hot/ ground reversed how do i narrow it down to the ...
A: don Turn off the breaker to that circuit and count how many are on there. Then go to the middle ...
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| pre existing house | 7/30/2007 |
Q: I am wanting to rewire my home with new coax,cat6,phone,and low voltage wiring for intercom system. ...
A: Doug You can use a tool called a flex bit it is around 7 ft long and very flexible it comes in a ...
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| Adapter plug Generator to RV | 7/30/2007 |
Q: I would like to make an adapter plug to go from my generator to my travel trailer. On the generator ...
A: Carville What you will need to do is make a cord to go from the generator to the RV shore power ...
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| Trying to wire ceiling fan confused about wiring found in the box | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I have a box for a ceiling fan, and went to hook it up today, but was confused with what I found, ...
A: Dennis While looking at the picture you have a black wire always hot and the red wire which is ...
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| ceiling fan installation | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I put up a ceiling fan that does not work. Usually they do. I did notice a RED wire in the ceiling ...
A: Kathy The wires in the ceiling box are used as this black wire to the fan wire,red wire to the light ...
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| Vent fan and light for shower | 7/24/2007 |
Q: My master bath has a vent fan over the commode. I recently enclosed the shower and would like to put ...
A: Don According to the NEC if a area is readily accessible you can install a outlet, But in your case ...
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| Recessed lighting | 7/24/2007 |
Q: I'm installing 6 new recessed lights in my basement home theatre. I've taken power off of an ...
A: Jason Throw that book away you should never swap wires like that. Wire the lights this way from ...
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| Switched Outlet | 7/22/2007 |
Q: I've got a double electrical box that sometime in the past someone just put one outlet in. I've got ...
A: Mike Take the wire in the switch box and use the black wire to the outlet you want switched. Now ...
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| mc wire use | 7/22/2007 |
Q: can i run 12/2 MC Cable across the top of my rafters in a all open space in my work shop. if yes ...
A: Larry Yes you can run MC it will have to be secured with straps. What did you read that said you ...
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| installing a 220 50 amp breaker | 7/21/2007 |
Q: I am wanting to run a new 220 line for my kitchen stove. Was using gas stove. I have only one pole ...
A: William What you need to do is get a 20 amp twin breaker that fits your panel and remove the breaker ...
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| Replace fluorescent lamp ballast | 7/20/2007 |
Q: My ceiling fixture has two 40w tube lamps.I want to change out the original ballast.The original ...
A: Andrew You will have too remove the wires on the tombstone this is where the lamps plug in. you ...
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| Cost of wire | 7/19/2007 |
Q: I got an estimate from a local electrician (contracted by my power company - so I'd normally trust ...
A: Heidi Someone is getting soaked and it is not from the hot tub. If he goes into the crawl space he ...
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| hi | 7/18/2007 |
Q: lately i ahve heard of someone that out of deseperation is hiring an electrician to install ...
A: Yom First of all it is against the law to hook up electric that way 2nd it can be very dangerous to ...
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| small comercial laundry | 7/18/2007 |
Q: I will be installing new dryers it states I need 30amp 115 v breaker per dryer and 10 gauge wire I ...
A: mike If this is a commercial laundry,you will have to use conduit, and then some flex the NEC States ...
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| Wire Specs | 7/16/2007 |
Q: I am in the process of installing a built-in home swimming pool. We got approval for our plan, ...
A: Greg There is no such article. You can compliantly run Romex in conduit. It takes a conduit bigger ...
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| Service panel, 100 to 200 amps | 7/15/2007 |
Q: When we planned a new home we put the well (1993) in first. From the utility step down transformer ...
A: George The answer to #1 is no because this panel is only rated at 100 amps #2 This needs to be a ...
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| Putting wire from TV behind wall | 7/15/2007 |
Q: I was hanging a Panasonic 50" plasma TV on the wall, and the installer said that, while he could run ...
A: Jerry you can run wiring behind wall,this guy doesn't know what he is talking about Just about every ...
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| subpanel/voltage drop calcs | 7/14/2007 |
Q: My question is, should voltage drops be calculated before wire is pulled to decide if a subpanel is ...
A: Lisa First of all at this stage to get a new electrician to finish the job may cost more money, but ...
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| Water piper arc | 7/12/2007 |
Q: We recently had our water service replaced with a new copper pipe. The plumber told us the pipes ...
A: Greg when he was replacing the pipes to copper he was getting a ground feedback. Check your outside ...
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| bathroom light/fan | 7/12/2007 |
Q: the bathroom has a double switch and eaxh switch works the fan and a seperate light both ...
A: Mike You have the wires on the wrong terminals. On this type of switch you have one side that has 1 ...
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| Hot Tub upgrade | 7/11/2007 |
Q: Currently I have an existing Hot tub that is connected to my main service panel (150 amp). Existing ...
A: Kevin Yes you can use the same main panel.You are only go up 20 amps and that is for the heater when ...
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| subpanel/voltage drop calcs | 7/11/2007 |
Q: My question is, should voltage drops be calculated before wire is pulled to decide if a subpanel is ...
A: Lisa First of all when a contractor gives you a bid for a job he should bid it as the prints are ...
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| repl alum wiring | 7/10/2007 |
Q: I am not an electrician. I do have substantial residential wiring experience. My home was built in ...
A: Kent Usually when you have arcing it is from a loose connection.Usauly with alum wire once installed ...
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| new service | 7/10/2007 |
Q: I moved into a new home and recently built a small wood shop in my back yard. I am trying to save ...
A: Jeff THANKS FOR PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY!! What you can do is run romex wire in a 1 " PVC conduit to ...
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| repl alum wiring | 7/9/2007 |
Q: I am not an electrician. I do have substantial residential wiring experience. My home was built in ...
A: Kent Changing the wires from alum to copper is ok and cost effective if you do it yourself. Hiring a ...
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| Pool Filter Wiring | 7/8/2007 |
Q: I am preparing to run an underground feed to a pool filter. I am a little confused as to the ...
A: Scott When you bring the conduit to the house and run it indoors, you should install a J-box 4Square ...
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| Electrical | 7/8/2007 |
Q: All my electrical appliances seemed to be running hot. We have blown many light bulbs, ruined 2 ...
A: Ken Make sure that the neutral and the ground are separate in the panel. Most mobile homes require a ...
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| wiring a shed | 7/7/2007 |
Q: i have a 16' x 20' shed about 40-50 feet away from my houses main panel i would like to install ...
A: lee I would run a 60 amp sub panel with a set of 2 #4 thhn 1 # 8 thhn and 1 #10 for the ground in a ...
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| Switched Outlet | 7/7/2007 |
Q: I have a double outlet, the bottom socket is constant hot, the top socket is supposed to be ...
A: Riley From the look of your picture it looks like the ground wire is on the neutral side. That does ...
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| track lighting | 7/4/2007 |
Q: .. I bought an eight foot track lighting track. The brand is Hampton Bay. I wish it to fit ...
A: Tom If you are very careful you can cut the track. If you can pull out the tracks wiring Now you ...
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| GFI | 7/4/2007 |
Q: I have a bathroom GFI that won't reset. I replaced the GFI outlet, the fuse, and several of the ...
A: Cody You need a New GFCI this one is broke,when they wont reset they are usually bad. After you ...
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| Rural Electrical Service | 7/2/2007 |
Q: I am planning to install electrical service to a home to be built in a couple of years and a new ...
A: Carlton When running a 400 amp service to a dwelling and to a shop. The best thing to use a 400 amp ...
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| 200A underground cable to house | 7/1/2007 |
Q: Ben, I'm building a home in Texas. The house is being built with a 200A service. The cable is being ...
A: Dawn Well you were told wrong about using more electric. The difference is a few things one is ...
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| New light switch connected to an outlet | 6/30/2007 |
Q: We recently had a new house built. In several of our rooms, we have light switches that control an ...
A: Katie what THE ELECTRICIANS forgot to do is break off the tab on the receptacle. Shut off the power ...
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| Re-wire old house | 6/29/2007 |
Q: First of all, thanks for your time. I'm researching repairs for an old house in NC to flip. The ...
A: Tiffany First of all that will depend on the condition of this house.is the walls bare so you can ...
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| Ceiling Fan - Wire Type | 6/28/2007 |
Q: I've heard that ceiling fans should always be installed with 12g conductors, but I have one which is ...
A: Mark Well you heard wrong most homes unless the ceiling fan is a super big one.Would be put on a ...
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| pool pump keeps tripping the GFI outlet | 6/28/2007 |
Q: The house I just purchased came with an above ground pool that the previous owner maintained very ...
A: Jon Sounds like the pump may be the culprit. I would see about disconnecting the pump first then put ...
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| Circuit trips when ANY device plugged in | 6/27/2007 |
Q: This morning, turning off lights to leave but accidentally hit a 3 way switch with empty ...
A: Mike The reason it would trip when you add a load is because you are making a circuit from the hot ...
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| air conditioners | 6/26/2007 |
Q: Is there any advantage in buying a 230 volt or a 115 volt air conditioner? Many units that are of ...
A: Ron Yes there is first of all you can get better cooling out of a 240 volt, as with a 120 v unit it ...
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| spotlight problem | 6/24/2007 |
Q: i hope you can help me. I have a living room that leads into the dining room. The living room has 8 ...
A: Josh When you get that kind of problem with the lights it has to do with the thermal overload switch ...
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| Wire to Breaker size | 6/24/2007 |
Q: In reviewing the elec. in the main elec. panel of this older home I found #10 wiring to a 20-amp ...
A: Greg If the wiring is larger then that's not a problem because in certain applications we would use ...
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| Dishwasher & Garbage Disposal | 6/24/2007 |
Q: After receiving advise from a local Home Depot I have run new 14/2 w ground wiring for a DW and GD ...
A: Joe Yes you will need to run a 12-3 with ground because they should be on there own circuit. I have ...
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| hard wiring puck style under cabinet lights | 6/23/2007 |
Q: I know how to set it up as far as hiding all the wires and transformers but I guess I should have ...
A: Randy Now I See what you are asking..................... Ok in the outlet box you should have a ...
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| hard wiring puck style under cabinet lights | 6/23/2007 |
Q: I want to install the puck style under cabinet lights but don't want to see any of the wires and ...
A: Randy It is hard to inform you on how to do this as I can not see the job. You can fish the high ...
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| 220 wiring to Electric Heat Pump | 6/22/2007 |
Q: Ben I have an old thru-wall heat pump with I've 50 amp breaker box on one electrical whip, to this ...
A: Mike You will need to have a wire at each unit according to the amperage it is requesting. If the ...
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| Running a Basement Subpanel | 6/21/2007 |
Q: I have an unused 3-wire #6 cable (2 black and 1 ground) that I want to use for a new sub panel ...
A: Chris To use a sub-panel you will need 4 wires to this panel if you want 240 volts. Now to make it ...
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| end of circuit | 6/20/2007 |
Q: I am putting some otside lighting on my house. I would like to add a double box where there is a ...
A: Wally Take a new 14 -2 with ground and go from the outlet to the switch and then hook up the ...
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| electrical outlets | 6/20/2007 |
Q: My son was using the microwave, then a few seconds later he heard something pop. Now all of the ...
A: Patricia See if there is a GFCI outlet in the Kitchen. It may need to reset or replaced,Also check ...
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| a/c compresser | 6/19/2007 |
Q: why does my outside a/c compressor have 2 hots (120v to ground each) and a ground wire for power. ...
A: Brent because the 2 wires coming in from the power company are from a transformer that puts out 240 ...
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| 220 wiring and bonding grid | 6/19/2007 |
Q: A few years ago I ran 3 #6 solid copper wires in a now buried (under concrete) 1" conduit roughly 85 ...
A: Jay You can use a 2 wire system for the heat pump. As long as the wire size is a #8 or larger hook ...
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| a/c compresser | 6/17/2007 |
Q: why does my outside a/c compressor have 2 hots (120v to ground each) and a ground wire for power. ...
A: Brent Brent Brent............. add 120 and 120 you get 240 thats what takes to make the compressor ...
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| electric outlet won't work | 6/17/2007 |
Q: I have an electrical outlet outside that was working fine. I plugged a small filter into it that ...
A: Colleen Sounds like you may have tripped the GFCI outlet. Check in your garage,bathrooms for a ...
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| Add switch to wall sconce | 6/15/2007 |
Q: How do you add a manual on/off switch on to a wall sconce. There is no wall switch to control the ...
A: Marisa You will need to buy a small switch,and then drill out a hole the size of the switch in the ...
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| The most power for 3/4" conduit? | 6/14/2007 |
Q: I have ran 3/4" PVC pipe to a garage and 100 feet away a few years ago. I would like one 220 outlet ...
A: Tom You can run 4 wires in this conduit to a small sub -panel in the Garage. You should run 2 # 8 ...
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| generator l14-30 | 6/12/2007 |
Q: I have a coleman (PM 0496500)- honda engine GX390 that has a L14-30 120v/240v ac/ca plug. The other ...
A: Randy They make a cord that you can plug into the generator that will give you 4 outlets. The cord ...
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| new electric cooktop install | 6/11/2007 |
Q: I am wiring a new frigidare cooktop for a new kitchen--I installed a 4-wire system coming from the ...
A: Rich Just keep the wires they way they are on the cook top as that is the way the manufacturer ...
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| Generator nuetral grounding and transfer switches | 6/9/2007 |
Q: My house has a DPDT manual generator transfer switch that powers the entire main house panel. It is ...
A: Dave If you use that type of switch you will still have a ground from the PC supply.When the service ...
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| australian 240 vac single/phase appliances | 6/7/2007 |
Q: our wiring is 240 volt single phase ,active red or brown , neutral black or blue , earth green & ...
A: lloyd Are you moving from Australia? If so the hertz like you say is 50 I am not sure what Canada ...
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| Emergency generator wiring 1 of 2 breakers that use a common white wire | 6/5/2007 |
Q: Wiring a breaker into a manual transfer switch that has a common with another breaker cause any ...
A: Frank The Neutral only carry's the unbalanced load back to a original ground on the house not to the ...
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| hackers | 6/3/2007 |
Q: The apartment I live in was once a whole house now it is (2) apartments. the people upstairs 2nd ...
A: Bonnie Is this your house or is it a landlords property? There is probably only one panel to the ...
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| lighting | 6/3/2007 |
Q: i am wiring 2 lights off one switch how to do it
A: Stephen Go from one light to the other light then down to the switch make sure the wires in the ...
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| breaker | 6/2/2007 |
Q: Is it safe for me to replace a breaker that keeps tripping? Or, do I need to hire an electrician? ...
A: JC Yes you can do it yourself. The only thing is you need to find out why the breaker is tripping is ...
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| Pool Pump and New Shed Electrical | 6/2/2007 |
Q: Ben, First of all thanks for volunteering your time to help us wannabes. I recently purchased a shed ...
A: Tom Your welcome What you can do is run a line to the shed in 1 inch PVC Conduit with 3 #8 wires and ...
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| weird beeping | 6/1/2007 |
Q: I have a strange beeping noise in my basement and it seems to be travelling. I turned off my power ...
A: Sara Oh That beeping yes the low beep beep beep..................that's the ants telling other ants ...
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| Grounding for lightning protection | 5/30/2007 |
Q: I am using a Toro sprinkler timer that is not very robust with respect to lightning surges. I found ...
A: John The ground wire and the ground rod outside the home should have a ground clamp check that to ...
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| intalling a gfi | 5/30/2007 |
Q: I am installing a gfi recepticle in an existing junction box above the kitchen counter. There is ...
A: Greg You wont be able to share the GFCI with the other load.The GFCI may trip the red wire may go to ...
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| Ceiling fan with light kit and remote control | 5/30/2007 |
Q: Can you help me? This is throwing me for a loop. I had taken the ceiling fan to paint the room and ...
A: Emmy The wire in the ceiling box all you need to use is the black white and the green. Hook up the ...
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| Fluorescent fixture | 5/28/2007 |
Q: Ben- I have two tracks of fluorescent lights in my garage (total of 8 bulbs)controlled by one ...
A: Shelly Sometime you need to check the ends where the fixture fits in the end. Make sure they fit ...
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| pool switch | 5/27/2007 |
Q: I'm replacing my pump motor on my pool. I need to make sure that i'm wiring the switch correctly. ...
A: Roger The wires that come from your house are 240 Volt they go to the 2 pole switch (red & black ...
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| Neutral and Ground | 5/26/2007 |
Q: I have three wires coming from a breaker box and going to a 220-volt sprinkler system pump which is ...
A: Larry yes that would work but it is not safe it is like driving around on one of those donut tires ...
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| hot circuit breaker | 5/26/2007 |
Q: When I first installed my baseboard heaters they worked fine. The breaker has been jumping lately. ...
A: David There could be a number of reasons the heater may have a problem the breaker may be bad or ...
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| wiring | 5/25/2007 |
Q: I have installed nine recessed fixtures under the eave of my home around a patio. I have a ...
A: Patrick Is the dimmer in a separate box? When you start using the higher wattage dimmers they have a ...
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| GFCI's | 5/23/2007 |
Q: I have two sinks at opposite sides of the room but on the same circuit breaker. I need to install ...
A: Lisa you say you have 2 sinks? When you install a GFCI receptacle you can go from one receptacle to ...
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| electrical box placement | 5/22/2007 |
Q: ...i am in the process of buying a house, and after the inspection, i was told that because the ...
A: Tim By saying that this is a complete rehab are you redoing the whole building? Removing drywall ...
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| electrical box placement | 5/22/2007 |
Q: ...i am in the process of buying a house, and after the inspection, i was told that because the ...
A: Tim Who told you the box is a fire hazard if it was the electrical inspector or any other inspector ...
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| Non working recessed lighting | 5/22/2007 |
Q: I have recessed lighting in my basement. Four recessed lights do not work. I replaced the switch and ...
A: Elliot The switch has a pilot light which lets you know there is power to the switch. when you turn ...
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| 100 AMP Sub Panel | 5/21/2007 |
Q: I would like to run a separate 100 Amp sub panel for my garage and home office above the garage. ...
A: Steve yes you should run the SER 1-1-1-3 AS THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF 100 AMPS. MAKE SURE WHEN YOU ...
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| Old to new wiring | 5/21/2007 |
Q: my son would like me to replace 3 outlets and a ceiling fixture in his house, built in the 1920s. ...
A: Jerry Usually if you look close enough to this cloth wire you can see the difference it is hard but ...
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| Wiring to electrical panel | 5/19/2007 |
Q: I had closed on an new construction condo (1332 heated square feet) in November 2006. The home has ...
A: Randy I would go to the Local electrical inspectors office and ask to see the final inspection ...
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| Power surges | 5/18/2007 |
Q: We have a seperate power meter installed in our barn that is 6 years old. From the barn we have ...
A: Susan What you can do is replace your service underground kind of costly. That will protect you ...
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| electrical box | 5/18/2007 |
Q: We are buying a house and hoped the seller would get rid of/replace the electrical box that feeds ...
A: Caitlin It is hard to estimate a job with out knowing the Local codes and seeing the job, as a rule ...
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| Ceiling Fan Installation | 5/17/2007 |
Q: I've recently purchased a Hunter Ceiling Fan for my apartment. Upon disconnecting the previous ...
A: J The wires coming from the ceiling are used in the following order Black wire always hot red wire ...
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| 150 amp VS 200 amp service | 5/16/2007 |
Q: I just had 12 recessed lights installed throughout the first floor in my home. The electrician is ...
A: Jay A heavy load can cause a fire and a light load will cause one also. The wires should not burn ...
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| Adding switches to my pool setup | 5/15/2007 |
Q: Here is my situation for my pool. The filter/pump is on a dedicated 20amp circuit. From the panel ...
A: Shaun What you need to do is run the 12-2 to the switch from the junction box. At the junction box ...
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| ceiling fan wiring | 5/12/2007 |
Q: I have a ceiling fan with a red and white wire coming from the fan and a white and black wire from ...
A: Sam The wires in the ceiling box should have the following colors black (hot) white (neutral) ...
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| 6th grade science question, need answer | 5/10/2007 |
Q: Why do electric dryers and ranges require 240 volts?
A: Peggy The reason is that they have heating elements in them or as in the range cooking elements. The ...
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| remodel | 5/8/2007 |
Q: I am currently doing a remodel of a commercial building with 4 apartment units upstairs. Right now ...
A: Matt Yes you can leave the wires in the junction boxes as most likely your local code enforcement ...
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| Wiring a Residential Range | 5/7/2007 |
Q: I am installing a new range and have the following needs: the existing wiring is 4/3 aluminum and is ...
A: Milt Use the color for color wiring connections,and since you are going from copper to alum you ...
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| service panel to pole barn | 5/7/2007 |
Q: Ben, i want to run an under ground elecrical service (in conduit) to my pole barn. i think a 60 amp ...
A: broderick What you will need to install is 2 #4 thhn 1 #6 thhn for the neutral and 1 # 10 for the ...
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| Switch will not work | 5/5/2007 |
Q: I recently took down a plain light fixture and put up a chandelier in my bedroom. The problem is ...
A: Kata In the switch box is there just 3 wires a black ,white and a green/copper wire. If so that is ...
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| light fixture installation | 5/5/2007 |
Q: I have a 4ft. fluorescent 2 tube light fixture in my kitchen. It's ugly and I hate it and want to ...
A: Patti If the light is mounted on the ceiling there should be a box above it for the wires, if not ...
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| electric wiring in a barn | 5/4/2007 |
Q: We recently had an unheated farm building built. The electrician that wired it put the wires in ...
A: Margaret Sometimes the code doesn't require the wire to be in conduit,you will have to check your ...
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| mobile home electrical power pole | 5/3/2007 |
Q: We are moving our mobile Home on our new land and have found out we need to do something for the ...
A: David and Sally What we usually will do is install a 20 ft 6x6 pressure treated pole then mount the ...
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| remodel can? | 5/2/2007 |
Q: Ben, Thanks for being there. I'm working on a house that has 4 cans in the kitchen. they've had ...
A: Yes they do have a overlimit switch did these cans have incandescent lamps before? IF they did they ...
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| useing an electrical outlet to turn it into a dimmer switch | 5/1/2007 |
Q: The pendant lights are low voltage with transformers in each base. When we turned on the switch the ...
A: Kelly You may have burnt out the dimmer or the transformer. You need to disconnect the GFCI from the ...
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| transfer switch hook up | 4/30/2007 |
Q: I have a Champion 4000w generator that I bought for running the absolute minimum in the house for ...
A: Joe No because the cord is a 4 wire 2 hots 1 neutral and 1 ground.The generator will probably have a ...
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| Circuit Breaker Box | 4/29/2007 |
Q: I have a circuit breaker box in a bathroom in my basement. Time to re-model. Electrician wants me ...
A: Susan Yes it is the code will require that a electrical panel will not be allowed in any bathroom, ...
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| New workshop wiring | 4/28/2007 |
Q: I am having a 30'W X 50'L X 12'H shop built. I have a 1 acre X 3 acre lot. I currently have a single ...
A: Steven The wire size will depend on you using copper or alum.the breaker will be the same.if this is ...
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| Long service run to an outbuilding | 4/27/2007 |
Q: I live out in the country. It cost me a lot to bring in power and I ended up with 2 transformers and ...
A: Joel How far away are you from the well power?First of all if you run that wire make sure you run ...
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| 2-200 amp or 400 amp panel | 4/27/2007 |
Q: We are sorry, but Don Beck wasn't able to answer yourI currently have an upgraded 200 amp surface ...
A: Brian Ringless means that the meter socket does not require a locking ring for the meter. #2 It is ...
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| Whirlpool electric stove top | 4/26/2007 |
Q: My problem I am installing a Whirlpool electric stove top and removing an GE electric stove top. ...
A: Richard The wires for the new stove top white,red,black they are as follows the red and black are ...
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| Cardio Room | 4/25/2007 |
Q: I am in the process of designing a cardio room for a small college. There will be treadmill, ...
A: Pat Well the code requires that you install convenient outlets inside a gym every 15 feet,for ...
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| Hot Breaker | 4/25/2007 |
Q: My Mother is living in her fith wheel in my backyard and we have her on a seperate breaker lately it ...
A: Tina What is happening is the cord that you have running to the enough wheel is not big enough for ...
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| Adding an auxiliary transfer switch for septic pumps | 4/24/2007 |
Q: I have a 500 watt generator (specs below) that is currently run through a 10 circuit plug-in load ...
A: Paul What you would have to do is install the septic pump to the same transfer switch because if the ...
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| Electrical Wiring for the Swimming Pool | 4/24/2007 |
Q: I recently bought a mid sixties house with a mid sixties pool that has mid sixties wiring. I've got ...
A: Mark If you want to replace the timer and the GFCI for the pool I suggest installing a weather proof ...
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| Rewiring front door light | 4/22/2007 |
Q: I have an idea to rewire my front door light. Currently the light turns on and off according to a ...
A: Jacob What you would have to get is a Lighting Control Starter Kit. It is designed to be the most ...
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| wiring 12 to 14 volt Lamps | 4/22/2007 |
Q: I am wiring up incandescent 12 to 14 volt miniature lamps onmy layout with a 110volt to 14volt ...
A: Brian You need to figure out how many watts the lamps are if they are a 20 watt lamp and you have 10 ...
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| Major Sub Panel Issues | 4/21/2007 |
Q: I am an industrial electrician, and yesterday I went out to my detached garage to take a look at its ...
A: Nick What happens when a installation is done this way,it is the unbalanced load that is in the ...
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| Generator connection to house wiring | 4/20/2007 |
Q: My house was built in 1978, when we purchased it two years ago we had renovations that included 200 ...
A: Lewis The problem is that portable generators need to have the neutral switched. The EB Series is ...
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| Installing Recessed Lights | 4/20/2007 |
Q: I want to replace an existing light in my kitchen - which is connected to 3 way switches with 5 ...
A: Jim The reason the lights dim is because of the microwaves start up amperage draw. it takes allot to ...
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| three way switch and wiing | 4/19/2007 |
Q: I have done th following: 1. run power to a light at bottom of stairs in basement. From there I have ...
A: Paul Your first question is wrong if you are trying to run a 3-way switch. You need to run power to ...
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| subpanel | 4/18/2007 |
Q: SUBPANEL Question I WANT HOOK UP A SUB PANEL TO MY 3RD FLOOR APARTMENT SO I DON'T HAVE TO RUN ALL ...
A: Leo What you will need to do is run a #6-3 with a ground,that will give you 60 amps.Install a 40 amp ...
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| Adding a Sub-Panel | 4/18/2007 |
Q: we have an exspandable upstairs (about 1000sqft) that we are going to finish into a master suite ...
A: James What you will need to do is run a #8-3 with a ground,that will give you 40 amps.Install a 40 ...
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| Generator | 4/17/2007 |
Q: I have recently installed a 7kw Generac complete with transfer switch into a house. From the ...
A: John You must use the 240 volt power as it is to the transfer switch,as the controls sense 240. When ...
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| outlet box showing voltage | 4/15/2007 |
Q: power from panel comes into one outlet in room and then connected to 4 other outlets, 2 to the left ...
A: Bob it sounds like you are getting voltage back from the neutral, is there any other way something ...
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| wiring a new light fixture | 4/15/2007 |
Q: Hey there, I recently moved into a new apartment (it's actually a condo within a very big complex ...
A: Cristina Yes if you go in the switch box and look for the wires that go up to the ceiling, you may ...
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| Romex in Metal flex conduit | 4/15/2007 |
Q: I am installing electrical in a finished structure. I obtained 1/2" flex and metal boxes for free. ...
A: Dale You do not need the ground rod, you have to make sure that you have 4 wires coming from the ...
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| Wiring issue: Billiard table light not working | 4/14/2007 |
Q: I just removed some track lighting in my basement ceiling to replace it with a hanging billiard ...
A: Steve On that type of wire there is a small ribbed section along the wire that is the neutral ...
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| flickering lights | 4/14/2007 |
Q: My parents live in a early 60's home and have been experiencing the lights flickering for no ...
A: Kyle You said " They had the main service in to the house checked (and cleaned) and there were no ...
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| flickering lights | 4/14/2007 |
Q: My parents live in a early 60's home and have been experiencing the lights flickering for no ...
A: Kyle YES you may want to contact the power company and see if the line coming to the house is in ...
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| new main breaker in multi-dwelling home | 4/14/2007 |
Q: I've got a huge building with 6 small appartments upstairs, and 3 storefront downstairs. Each ...
A: Brian sounds like a do it yourselfer did this job,do you not have a local inspector?yes you can ...
|
| Romex in Metal flex conduit | 4/14/2007 |
Q: I am installing electrical in a finished structure. I obtained 1/2" flex and metal boxes for free. ...
A: Dale yes you can install the romex in the flex,what you can do is strip off the jacket to make it ...
|
| generator | 4/13/2007 |
Q: We have a camp down a private road and we use an automatic transfer switch to turn on our generator ...
A: Angie yes they have a device that will let you know when the power goes out by utilizing the phone ...
|
| piggy tail new switch | 4/13/2007 |
Q: I had a single light switch on the wall that controlled a wall outlet. There was no ceiling fixture. ...
A: Mike What you need to do now is take the wires that go to the outlet and make them a hot circuit. Go ...
|
| Wiring 3 lights and 3 switches | 4/13/2007 |
Q: Remodeling our basement. Using all 12/2 wire. We have a line coming from the breaker box (20amp) ...
A: Heather what you need to do if it is possible go from the J-Box to each switch box then take a wire ...
|
| dimmers | 4/13/2007 |
Q: I have a light that is controlled in 3 locations. I want to put a dimmer in one of those locations. ...
A: Becky When you have switches that are in three locations, one of them is called a 4-way switch. The ...
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| piggy tail new switch | 4/12/2007 |
Q: I had a single light switch on the wall that controlled a wall outlet. There was no ceiling fixture. ...
A: Mike what you need to do is make sure there a 2 sets of wires or more in this box take all the ...
|
| wiring ceiling fan | 4/12/2007 |
Q: i am wanting to install a new ceiling fan but i do not have an existing light fixture on the ...
A: Paul what you need to do is bring a wire into the switch box. This box must have 2 sets or more of ...
|
| outlet box showing voltage | 4/11/2007 |
Q: I wrote to you earlier and you responded, "the ground rod may not be connected" regarding voltage ...
A: Bob If that wire is at the end of the circuit the you may a loose connection from the outlet before ...
|
| wiring from house to dock | 4/11/2007 |
Q: I want to run power from my house panel box to our dock. I want to be able to run a battery charger ...
A: ED HMmmmm 1200 feet big yard I guess. The wire size you will need will be rated on a 50 amp ...
|
| TV outlet wiring | 4/10/2007 |
Q: I just brought a three-floor townhouse and it comes with two tv outlet, one at first floor and one ...
A: Ishih That depends on the way the building is constructed is the 2nd floor a bedroom if so they may ...
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| Home wiring | 4/10/2007 |
Q: I recently had a family member wire my garden shed for power. After completing the job 2 of my ...
A: Matt Maybe your family member took off the wire to the breaker or when he/she was working on the ...
|
| light fixture with an outlet | 4/9/2007 |
Q: I tried replacing an old light fixture with an outlet on the bottom of it. When i tried hooking up ...
A: Derek No problem ok here we go if you have wires in the light box and if there are 2 sets of wires ...
|
| replacing switch w/ switch outlet combo | 4/9/2007 |
Q: I just purchased an older home. The bathroom only has 1 switch and one light. No power outlets in ...
A: Ron Correct me if I am wrong,what you are saying is that you have only 2 wires in the switch box a ...
|
| Subpanel installation | 4/9/2007 |
Q: I am planning to install a subpanel to the main panel in order to run power to a carriage barn out ...
A: Mitch Actually when you do that you are still drawing a bigger load on your service so if your ...
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| Total load for breaker panel | 4/9/2007 |
Q: Would like to add some new 20A circuits to an existing box with 150 amp service. There are lots of ...
A: Tim When using a amp meter with a clamp on it you would take the clamp and put it around the ...
|
| light fixture with an outlet | 4/9/2007 |
Q: I tried replacing an old light fixture with an outlet on the bottom of it. When i tried hooking up ...
A: Derek Ok this is what you need to do take all the ground wires and tie them together,do the same for ...
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| ground wire/box showing voltqge | 4/9/2007 |
Q: Coaxle cable installed in a friends' house by her brother is causing ground wires and/or the secured ...
A: Bob What it sounds like is that the house ground is no longer grounded. I would check the ground rod ...
|
| electric code | 4/8/2007 |
Q: Do the connections on outlets for residential or commercial wiring need to be wrapped with tape ...
A: Scott No they don't that is not written in the code the reason it is done in the commercial jobs is ...
|
| two different voltage readings | 4/7/2007 |
Q: I have a 220 main breaker panel in my home. 1 side of the main 2 pole breaker reads 110 volts and ...
A: Charles The difference in voltages is a problem with the power company's transformer they may tell ...
|
| Adding a sub panel from a sub panel | 4/7/2007 |
Q: I am building a shop about 125 feet from my house. I presently have a detached garage that has a ...
A: Mike yes you can run wire to a sub-panel and it can be a 100 amp make sure you run 4 wires to the ...
|
| electric baseboard thermostat | 4/7/2007 |
Q: My late husband installed baseboard heating in our family room 15 years ago. There are three ...
A: Maureen You can not install a programmable thermostat on inductive heat (baseboards) You can buy a ...
|
| ceiling fan install | 4/7/2007 |
Q: Wires from the ceiling box are: 3 white wires wound together...and one single colored wire (not ...
A: Bill There has to be a wire in the box that's a black. Unless this is a commercial installation ...
|
| Sorry was incorrect on my last question. 2 neural 1 hot | 4/7/2007 |
Q: Sorry I emailed you a little earlier with my question, it's correct the only thing I said ...
A: Joe You should still have another black wire in there somewhere look in the back of the box if you ...
|
| Outlet with 3 wires - 2 hot, neutral | 4/7/2007 |
Q: and thanks for the help. I have an outlet I was wanting to replace in my bedroom. It's tied to a ...
A: Joe You said it only has 3 wires 2 hots and a neutral? There should be a ground wire also. If the ...
|
| Subpanel Installation | 4/6/2007 |
Q: What is the correct way to feed power thru sub-panel from front house to guest house??
A: Rick the best way is to install a breaker in the main panel. Depending on the load in the guest ...
|
| replacing a light fixture-flo to halogen | 4/6/2007 |
Q: I'm replacing a flo rectangular light fixture with a small Halogen track system.. I keep popping ...
A: Stace The green & white wire is still a ground wire hook thaty up to the ground. Is there a switch ...
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| replacing a light fixture-flo to halogen | 4/6/2007 |
Q: I'm replacing a flo rectangular light fixture with a small Halogen track system.. I keep popping ...
A: Stace You can use the fixture you have, what is happening is you are hooking it up wrong. Take the ...
|
| Hign Voltage | 4/6/2007 |
Q: My main service Conductors entering my main basement panel the voltage reads 262 volts not 240, at ...
A: Enrique What causes that is the power company's transformer outside or your house. The only thing ...
|
| Subpanel in detached garage | 4/5/2007 |
Q: I am looking to install a sub panel in my detached garage. I will be digging approximately 65' of ...
A: Spencer The most economical way to go would be direct burial alum wire you would need to up size due ...
|
| Adding a Switched Light to an End of Run Receptacle | 4/5/2007 |
Q: I have a receptacle that is at the end of the run (i.e. only one cable <blk, wht, gnd> coming into ...
A: Brian Yes you are correct you answer is the same as mine maybe I didn't read it correctly as we get ...
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| circuit shut down | 4/5/2007 |
Q: In my kitchen I have my stove, refrigerator and microwave. the outlet behind the stove is connected ...
A: Anastasia The breaker should be tripping only when there is a short or a extremely excessive load ...
|
| service expansion | 4/5/2007 |
Q: My home has an exterior service meter feeding a 150A panel (interior). I do not know the amp rating ...
A: Steve Meters have a rating of 200 amps and above if you want to add a sub panel to a pole shed you ...
|
| Replacing an electrical outlet | 4/4/2007 |
Q: I am trying to replace outlets that were probably original to the house (built in 1964). The ...
A: Roy You will have to run a ground wire from the new outlets to a metal pipe,waterline or a steam ...
|
| Sub Panel Wiring | 4/4/2007 |
Q: I am adding a sub-panel with a 50amp GFCI breaker outside my home to service my hot tub. I am ...
A: Rob Yes you are correct when installing a sub panel it requires a separate ground in it as not to ...
|
| 3 romex in 1 recepticle | 4/3/2007 |
Q: Having kitchen remodeled, told contractor I would do "finish" electrical. All going OK until I came ...
A: Carol Find a short piece of romex about a foot long and remove the black,white and ground out of ...
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| Adding a Switched Light to an End of Run Receptacle | 4/3/2007 |
Q: I have a receptacle that is at the end of the run (i.e. only one cable <blk, wht, gnd> coming into ...
A: Brian You are hooking up the wires wrong what you are doing is causing a short. Take the wire from ...
|
| wire size for gate opener | 4/2/2007 |
Q: I am installing a one hp electric 110 Vac swing gate opener. It is 1040 feet from my breaker box. ...
A: Darrel You would need a # 2 wire in copper or a #1/0 aluminum. Estimated Drop 1.6 Volts Load At ...
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| bathroom outlet / breaker question | 4/2/2007 |
Q: I have a reoccurring issue where the bathroom circuit breaks (stops working) when using a blow ...
A: Pete Sometimes a breaker gets hot after a while of being used this may occur being overloaded or ...
|
| Power surging in home | 4/2/2007 |
Q: What is causing and how to stop power surging in my home. The surging occurs approximately every 10 ...
A: Wanda You may have a loose neutral in the panel or you may have some loose main hot wires. what may ...
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| 2 pole GFCI Breaker Installation | 4/2/2007 |
Q: I am trying to connect my clothes dryer to a new 2 pole GFCI 220v circuit breaker. The information ...
A: Nick Why are you using a GFCI breaker? If you have a dedicated outlet for a appliance circuit then ...
|
| Exterior Electrical Outlet Safety | 4/2/2007 |
Q: We have exterior electrical outlets on our deck (they originate from back wall of house, have silver ...
A: Wendy Yes you can plug the water coler in as long as it is a grounded type plug.What you want to do ...
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| wiring...not sure? | 4/1/2007 |
Q: Our porch light went out, then a few minutes later,the next nearest light inside the house went out, ...
A: Bonnie What it sounds like is that you have a loose wire in one of the light fixtures most likely ...
|
| lighting control | 4/1/2007 |
Q: I want to control a lighting circuit with a timer and photocell in series. The timer would allow ...
A: Jack You can not use a Photo cell on that because the photo cell will take over the circuit until it ...
|
| 1929 house receptical | 3/31/2007 |
Q: I just purchased a 1929 home in kitchen also in 1 bedroom upstairs there is a 4 prong outlet 2 ...
A: Clark You need to see what the amperage is on that circuit if it is 45 amps or above you may be able ...
|
| arc-fault circuit breakers | 3/14/2007 |
Q: should an arc-fault breaker trip when using a saw or drill or hair dryer?
A: Malcolm Sometimes they will because they are very sensitive to voltage change. How they work is they ...
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| New circuit | 3/13/2007 |
Q: I recently moved my tanning bed from the basement to an upstairs room. I had then found out that ...
A: Bud The wire and the breaker is more than enough for that load of 19.8 amps,you have a 30 amp branch ...
|
| Breaker box problem | 3/11/2007 |
Q: The breaker that controls the power to my backyard will not stay set. It controls power to my ...
A: Martha Is this a GFCI breaker? If it is something on that circuit is shorting out the GFCI. If not ...
|
| Tripping Arc Fault Bedroom Breaker | 3/10/2007 |
Q: The house in 1.5 yr. old. and all of a sudden the master bedroom 15amp Arc Fault curcuit breaker ...
A: Mike It is possible you may have a bad breaker or something on that circuit is causing the ...
|
| New Sub-panel in Detached Garage | 3/10/2007 |
Q: I am installing a 100amp sub-panel in a detached garage(in Florida). The garage is 100 feet away ...
A: Chuck In the NEC code Book it states that there shall be only one ground system that is connected to ...
|
| potable generator for 240v service | 3/9/2007 |
Q: I'm still a little confused.What should I be looking for as far as which size portable generator to ...
A: Robert It is highly unlikely you will find 15 KW portable that you can lug around. When the load ...
|
| 110v3-wirw to 110 v 4-wire | 3/8/2007 |
Q: I have a live 3-wire 110v lead from the house(bare, black,white wires) that lead to a junction , ...
A: Luke The wires you have coming into the box were they ever hooked up to the breaker box in the pole? ...
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| potable generator for 240v service | 3/7/2007 |
Q: Does this surge rate of 6500 watts prevent the compressors from overloading the circuit if both are ...
A: Robert The surge rate will only keep the generator from stalling if the compressor starts and it ...
|
| No power in One room | 3/6/2007 |
Q: We had an extension built just over 2 years ago, we had to have the electrical updated to circuit ...
A: DEE You said that the breaker you replaced was a GFCI are you sure that was the breaker tat took ...
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| breaker expantion | 3/5/2007 |
Q: My breaker box is about 25 yrs old with 28 single openings (200 amp). Currently I have 3 single ...
A: Matt The best way is adding a 100 amp sub-panel this way you wont put that much of a stress on the ...
|
| Wire size | 3/5/2007 |
Q: I purchased a new electric single oven and the factory wire that I'm suppose to hook to my junction ...
A: Ralph Something doesn't sound right about this are you sure that that 16 gauge wires are not for ...
|
| Problem with 3way bulb | 3/5/2007 |
Q: Why can't you use a timer on a lamp with a 3 way bulb? The first cycle works, but on subsequent ...
A: Janis You should be able to I do at my house I have a lamp in my living room and it is a 3-way i set ...
|
| Dimmer | 3/4/2007 |
Q: I want to replace a switch with a dimmer. Problem, the switch appears to be a 3-way but instead of ...
A: John It sounds like someone use a 3-way switch instead of a S-pole switch. If you are sure it is a ...
|
| no power to part of house | 3/3/2007 |
Q: I have a puzzling problem. I was working at my computer when the power went out - only in that part ...
A: Gerry What may have happened is a wire came loose in one of the wall outlets. Start by checking the ...
|
| Stairway lighting | 3/2/2007 |
Q: Sorry, my electrical books all call it "4 wire" meaning 2 hots, neutral and ground. You probably ...
A: Ryan This is how the circuit should work. Switch #1 has a 3 wire in it and a 2 wire the 2 wire is ...
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| circuit breaker and wire size | 3/2/2007 |
Q: I have 50 feet of #10 wire and a 20 amp circuit breaker to run a 1 horse power water sprinkler pump. ...
A: Michael The circuit breaker will be fine as you are not going to far over the protected circuit to ...
|
| Wiring | 3/1/2007 |
Q: The other day my power went out on everything but the living room. The lights, ceiling fan, and ...
A: Megan What wires did he replace? Sounds like you may have a loose connection in the panel on one of ...
|
| meter can change | 2/28/2007 |
Q: i am changing a new service i know you must hook up 2 ground rods do they got into the meter can ...
A: Wayne It depends on your local codes. Most times you put in 2 ground rods at 10 ft apart and the ...
|
| 220 receptable | 2/27/2007 |
Q: I have a 220V arc welder with a combination round, small flat & large flat plug configeration. This ...
A: Steve Yes you make a adapter that you can carry with you. What you need to know is what amperage ...
|
| Power Outage | 2/27/2007 |
Q: I have a main box that routes power to two subboxes. The issue I have is that several appliances ...
A: Daniel You said that you get a open neutral when you plug in a tester. To verify that you have ...
|
| Main Braker Problem | 2/24/2007 |
Q: I run a (70 year old) church campground, we have a 200 amp main breaker box.. Last year we changed ...
A: Michael You have to contact the Power company to upgrade your incoming service to 400 amps. If you ...
|
| generators and invertors | 2/22/2007 |
Q: what happens if you reverse the end of a cord and plug it into a household outlet? for example - ...
A: Jerry if you plugged in a cord that had 120 volts on it you would back feed the circuit it was ...
|
| New Recessed Lighting | 2/22/2007 |
Q: So you are saying run the new recessed lighting wires to the existing switch which I mentioned in my ...
A: Sal You could leave them on the outlet, then you would have the outlet and the Recess cans all ...
|
| RE: CIRCUIT BREAKER PROBLEM | 2/22/2007 |
Q: THE BREAKER IS NOT A GCFI TYPE. THE BREAKER SHUTS OFF EVEN WHEN NOTHING AT ALL IS PLUGGED INTO THE 4 ...
A: Renne You stated that the "THOSE 2 BREAKERS COVERING THE BEDROOMS HAVE A TEST WHEEL ON THEM " Which ...
|
| wiring | 2/21/2007 |
Q: I have a large amount of 10 ga wire and want to run off a 100 amp service. What happens if I group ...
A: Tom it is not advisable to do that as what you are trying to do is run a parallel circuit. The ...
|
| Running Wire on a non-studded wall | 2/19/2007 |
Q: I am currently trying to "upgrade" my garage. Prior to drywalling (using furring strips, not studs) ...
A: Chris If you are running wire on a wall with no protection you should put the wire in a conduit. ...
|
| Cooktop wiring | 2/19/2007 |
Q: The answer you provided to my question seemed simple enough. Could the guy who left me the ...
A: Bill yes if you were to wire this unit with a brand new feed then you would use a 4 wire ...
|
| Cooktop wiring | 2/17/2007 |
Q: I am replacing a cooktop. The new cooktop leads are red, black and green & White crimped together. ...
A: Bill Connect the wires from the service as this the black is hot the white is hot and the bare is ...
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| wiring | 2/15/2007 |
Q: I currently have a 4 wire cooktop and I purchased a 3 wire cooktop. The new cooktop is a plug in ...
A: David You would need to cut off the cord plug from the new one or get a receptacle to match the new ...
|
| Water in Main panel | 2/12/2007 |
Q: The problem I can experiencing is a small amount of water inside the main panel. I noticed a small ...
A: Mike Sounds like you are getting condensation problems from the outside.Eventually it will cause ...
|
| Max Amp Ratings of Appliances vs. Generator Ratings | 2/11/2007 |
Q: I'm trying to figure out how many things I can run from my generator and am having trouble ...
A: Brian Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| outlets | 2/11/2007 |
Q: I am changing the outlets in a bedroom. I made it to the last one and it is a little different then ...
A: Kevin Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| Watts per 15 amp breaker | 2/10/2007 |
Q: How many watts is a 15 amp breaker rated for. We are trying to do a load calculation and we have ...
A: Steve Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| thrown breaker | 2/10/2007 |
Q: I have a hallway light with a 2 way switch located at the entrance from the garage and one at the ...
A: Dan Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| electric meter | 2/9/2007 |
Q: I have a separate outside meter for my electric water heater. It runs for 11 hours at night and does ...
A: Roger Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| Recessed Lighting | 2/9/2007 |
Q: My husband want to put up recessed lighting in the kitchen but there is no existing lighting or ...
A: Tina Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| 12volt adapter question | 2/7/2007 |
Q: Don't know if you can answer this but no harm in asking I hope. I have a used LCD screen that has ...
A: Steven Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 ...
|
| Wiring | 2/6/2007 |
Q: I am installing a ceiling light, when I hook it up it doesn't work. I took the following voltage ...
A: Robert Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job 3 hours ...
|
| ETHICS OF ELECTRICIANS | 2/6/2007 |
Q: I'M HOME OWNER IN WINSTON-SALEM N.C.,AND RECENTLY I REQUESTED AN $$ OF COST TO REPLACE 3 OUTLETS IN ...
A: Colleen WOW Sorry for getting back to you so late I had to be hospitalized while working on a job ...
|
| Photo Eye to Contactor wiring | 2/2/2007 |
Q: I am trying to install a 110vac photo eye that will pull in the contactor for a 3 ph. motor. These ...
A: David You will need to hook it to the NC so that when the eye closes it puts power to the control ...
|
| Basement Bathroom Circuit Requirements | 2/2/2007 |
Q: I searched the archives before posting this question, so I apologize in advance if I missed the ...
A: Dan You can add up to 10 additional outlets on 1 GFCI Breaker The lights etc all need to be on a ...
|
| Switch Wall Cover too small for drywall cutout | 2/2/2007 |
Q: we had a shady electrician who has dropped off the planet install a light switch in our home. We ...
A: Sandra Sorry to hear about your misfortune,there is a bad egg in every box. What you need to do is ...
|
| wiring | 1/31/2007 |
Q: I built a room in my basement and I need to know the basic wiring scheeme for 2 recepticles 1 light ...
A: Greg From the breaker box run a 14-2 to the closest box, then from there go to the other boxes you ...
|
| Electricity problem | 1/27/2007 |
Q:
A: Richard The best way to check the circuit to find out where the problem is. Find out how many ...
|
| garbage disposal wiring | 1/27/2007 |
Q: I took the wiring from my old disposal and cannot tell which wire is white or black,it does have a ...
A: Bill The best way to check which one is the hot wire is take one of them with a tester and connect ...
|
| bathroom nightmare | 1/27/2007 |
Q: I only have a light with a switch on the wall.I have attempted to install a GFI outlet 4 feet ...
A: Alan if there are only 2 wires in the switch box not including the ground. Then you can not do this. ...
|
| Recessed Cans Installation | 1/27/2007 |
Q: Is there a general rule of thumb to advise distance from outside walls in a room to install recessed ...
A: Sandy You should keep them 2-3 feet away from the wall,also it depends on what kind of trims you are ...
|
| Circuit Breaker Temperature | 1/24/2007 |
Q: I recently added 5 new 20amp circuit breakers to a subpanel. I was checking on them, after I started ...
A: Mike When you use a electric heater it is called induction heat. That means it is just a bunch of ...
|
| motion detector flood lights | 1/24/2007 |
Q: We have a "pro" who indicated he could replace our old floods with motion detectors. They are very ...
A: Brenda Most Motion detectors are pretty good even the cheap ones they just don't have that many ...
|
| wiring | 1/24/2007 |
Q: what is a uf wire
A: Greg U F Wire is underground wire,it has a special insulation on it to prevent any damage to it ...
|
| Using a 120v fixture on a 277v line | 1/23/2007 |
Q: We are redoing some of our landscape lights at our office building. The current landscape lights ...
A: Jeff If the power you have to the lights is 277 volts you will not be able to hook them up to 120 ...
|
| Install ceiling light | 1/21/2007 |
Q: Our home is 3 years old and was pre-wired for ceiling fans in all rooms. We are installing a ...
A: Beth The red wire is a switch leg for a fan light combo. It was wired so that the fan can be on ...
|
| Neeed help | 1/19/2007 |
Q: I am talking about the wire in the hole house and close to the plugs and switches. Thanks, Lee.Hi ...
A: Lee What that involves is a lot of work the wires are stapled in the walls to the studs. It would ...
|
| electricty to shed | 1/19/2007 |
Q: I had electricty run from my house to my shed. I have a flood light with a motion detector/sensor. ...
A: Mark Most times when you have a motion detector flood light. They will need to be adjusted to the ...
|
| Main pannel problems | 1/18/2007 |
Q: I have 240 going to my main 1oo amp breaker and that splits off to two sides for the breakers. My ...
A: Ryan WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? I don't understand you say you have 240 volts going to your panel and it ...
|
| Power from Service Pole (meter) to barn. | 1/18/2007 |
Q: I have built a 28ft W x 36ft L x 33ft H dairy type barn. I am looking to run power to it from my ...
A: Troy Yes you can use the same meter if the local power company will let you hook up a main breaker ...
|
| electrical | 1/18/2007 |
Q: What do you mean by "look in the lights themselves"? As for loose hot or neutral wire in the switch ...
A: Fred Since they are recess cans you would need to take out the bulbs,then you will have to remove ...
|
| electrical | 1/18/2007 |
Q: Ben, I have a room with two rocker-type light switches side-by-side at the entranceway controlling ...
A: Fred The first thing I would suspect is a loose hot or neutral wire in the switch box, as that would ...
|
| Power to detached garage. | 1/17/2007 |
Q: I want to run power to my garage from my panel in my house basement that is about 100ft away. I ...
A: Troy what you will to run is a #6-3 wire with a ground this will give you 60 amps at 240 volts. At ...
|
| Jacuzzi Wiring | 1/17/2007 |
Q: I am installing a Jacuzzi Tub and an inline heater for it at the same time in my home. Both require ...
A: Joe The problem that you may have is that the heater usually has the amperage on while the pump is ...
|
| Sparking ligth switches | 1/17/2007 |
Q: We have 3 or 4 light switches that click/spark when you turn them on. Is this a problem? What is ...
A: David Sometimes when they build a new house they will quick wire the switches,that is they will ...
|
| What type of wire do I need? | 1/16/2007 |
Q: I am building a small tool shed about 250 feet from my house. I would like to run a wire under ...
A: Gregg The best thing to do is to install a 30 amp sub-panel in the shed. As we all know that we will ...
|
| wiring | 1/16/2007 |
Q: i'm finishing a room in attic just studded now. i have 1 light. can i run from junction box at light ...
A: Jim You will need to make sure that the outlets are wired hot then go to the switch.Run a 14-3 wire ...
|
| 220 | 1/16/2007 |
Q: I made up a 10'Cord for the planer Heavy black rubber uses 50amp plugs in that cord was a ...
A: Roger If the service you are using for the planer has a 4 wire connector to make it work then you ...
|
| 3 speed fan switch | 1/15/2007 |
Q: My fan pull string broke, so I purchased a new 3 speed fan switch, double layer 5-8 wire. The ...
A: John The wiring that you have is for a 3 speed fan. You need 1 wire for the hot 1 wire for low 1 for ...
|
| Electrical Appliance Conversion | 1/15/2007 |
Q: Recently I purchased a "cook and stir" kitchen product in the UK. It is 220 50 Megahertz. I was ...
A: Sharon In the USA we use a 60 Cycles (Megahertz)system.The problem you will have is to find a ...
|
| ADDING A ADDITIONAL 2 BREAKER BOX | 1/14/2007 |
Q: TO AN EXISTING 10/2 UNDERGROUND CABLE FROM THE HOUSE TO AN OUT BUILDING,I REMOVED WHAT WAS THOUGHT A ...
A: TERRY The ground wire is not considered a neutral it will leak electric as the neutral is used for ...
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| Hooking A Generator to My House | 1/13/2007 |
Q: My house is wired for a generator. The plug, as best I can tell, is an L14-20P. I bought a 4k watt ...
A: Dave The plug that you have L14-20P is a 20 amp 120 volt.The receptacle you have on the generator is ...
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| electric water heater | 1/13/2007 |
Q: I have a 50 gal electric water heater that is burning one of the two 30 amp cartridge fuses in the ...
A: Dave What this sounds like you have a element That is going bad in the water heater. The leg that it ...
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| Lights | 1/12/2007 |
Q: I am trying to wire two lights to two switches from one feed. No matter how many times i do this ...
A: Jeff What you need to do is go from one switch with the hot wires to the other switch then from each ...
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| Trying to convert an outlet to a light.... | 1/12/2007 |
Q: I opened the box and there are two wires. One black and one white. Still think I'm gonna need a pull ...
A: KEITH Yes you can make a wall mount fixture into a switched light you can use a small twist switch ...
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| Trying to convert an outlet to a light.... | 1/11/2007 |
Q: I'm remodeling my kitchen and found an outlet on the wall near the ceiling. It's located above the ...
A: KEITH It probably is a clock outlet that they use to put in some homes as a convenice. The house is ...
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| outlet and switch problem | 1/11/2007 |
Q: I checked the breakers and their fine.Hi, I had a pool table installed and the workers were using an ...
A: Omar Now what you need to do is and I don't know if you already did this.Shut the breaker off on ...
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| 220v | 1/11/2007 |
Q: I have a 220 outlet with a 30amp breaker. This is a commercial place. I have a washer installed in ...
A: argento25 Actually you need to have both washers on different circuits to prevent any overloads to ...
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| Using a range plug for a dryer | 1/10/2007 |
Q: Bob- We have an 1950's ranch house and just bought a new dryer. The breaker is 30 amp, but the ...
A: Jeff If you still have the dryer cord and it is a 50 amp cord and the breaker is 30 amps there won't ...
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| Lighting | 1/10/2007 |
Q: I'm finishing my basement and have been going back and forth with what I want to do for lighting. ...
A: Doug When you are running new wire for any circuits including track wiring you need to install a ...
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| Generator hookup | 1/10/2007 |
Q: I purchased a 3500W generator to possibly us when power outages occur. I am aware 3500W wil not ...
A: Martin The best and safest way, is to install a manual transfer switch,this way if the power comes ...
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| Generator | 1/10/2007 |
Q: I just bought a EXL 8000 generator for our K-9 search team and my question is.. We have a 16ft cargo ...
A: Matt Just to let you know I was a K-9 Handler in V N and also trained Schutshund for 25 years. So ...
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| outlet and switch problem | 1/9/2007 |
Q: I had a pool table installed and the workers were using an electric stabler which was slowing not ...
A: Omar If you have checked the outlets and all the wires were tight and the switches were also ok then ...
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| hooking outlet up next to light switch | 1/9/2007 |
Q: I have black, white, and bare power coming into box. I have black, white, and bare going to light. I ...
A: Howard What you need to do is take 2 wires from the switch to the light. One being a white for the ...
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| using dryer outlet for welder | 1/7/2007 |
Q: i have a welder that runs on either 110 volt or 230 volt made by miller electric. it has 2 plugs ...
A: Brad The welder plug is a 50 amp configuration. The dryer is a 30 amp configuration that is why they ...
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| Wiring Reconnection | 1/6/2007 |
Q: I have a bathroom light/switch, a flourescent light/switch, two wall outlets on the same circuit. ...
A: David R Well hopefully I can help you out.if you have 2 switches going to the lights then 1 black ...
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| 120/208 | 1/5/2007 |
Q: can you feed a single phase 120/208v, from a 3phase transformer 120/208v, or do you only get the ...
A: ALAN If you try to feed a single phase from a 3 phase you will have to hook it up to some sort of ...
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| wiring | 1/5/2007 |
Q: i'm finishing a room in attic just studded now. i have 1 light. can i run from junction box at light ...
A: JIM Run a 14-3 wire from the switch on the bottom to a new switch box at the top of the stairs. Use ...
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| hooking genator to office | 1/4/2007 |
Q: Ben, I'm in building maint. at a trucking company. We would like to fix our office for hooking up to ...
A: Roy You will need to install a transfer switch for the circuits that you want to put on the ...
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| elecrtical question | 1/4/2007 |
Q: the outlet now is not grounded does that mkae a difference? i know that its not the right way to do ...
A: Becky It is till not ok because the ground is hooked up somewhere in the house and all the grounds ...
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| Wire tracing | 1/4/2007 |
Q: How can I trace a wire to find out if there is a short in the line.without the power on.
A: Kurt What you need to have is a V O M (meter). Disconnect the power off the circuit and remove the ...
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| Splitting a Switched Outlet | 1/3/2007 |
Q: I am trying to split an already switched outlet. Currently, both outlets on the receptacle are ...
A: Adrienne what you need to do is look in the outlet box and see how many wires are in there. Are ...
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| transformer taps | 1/3/2007 |
Q: Ben, I am the facility manager at a mid size commercial building. We are looking to expand our ...
A: Bud Your model # 9T23Q3574 480 Volts Delta 208Y/120 Volts 75 kva (6) 2 1/2% taps: 2 above 4 ...
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| light ballast | 1/3/2007 |
Q: is it possible for a bad florescent light ballast to give off a foul smell (like dead animals)
A: Tim If a ballast goes bad especially if it is a older type they will give off a bad smell. This is ...
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| 100 AMP RUN | 1/3/2007 |
Q: I want to run 100 amp service to a shop 350' from my house, that includes 25' in the house. I think ...
A: Don Since you are coming off the main panel you will need to run a ground wire with it to the new ...
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| Generator grounding/bonding issue: | 1/3/2007 |
Q: I own a Coleman Pulse 1850 watt (camping) generator. The ground pins in the generator receptacle are ...
A: Mike The best thing you can do and the fastest way is to ground the generator right at the location ...
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| 220 volt wiring to Garage | 1/2/2007 |
Q: I am running 220 volt 50 amp service to a garage 100 feet from my homes 200 amp service panel. I ...
A: Frank All you would need to do is run a 4 wire conductor either in the ground with conduit or ...
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| Adding a sub-panel | 1/2/2007 |
Q: I have a 150 amp service and am adding a 100 amp sub-panel to it. The sub-panel will be 36 feet from ...
A: Terri You will need to install a conduit to protect the wires as they are not made to be outside of ...
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| GARAGE STRIP LIGHTING - blinking lites | 1/1/2007 |
Q: I have an old strip light fixture(12yrs old)whose bulbs burnt out a couple weeks ago. I bought new ...
A: Ramona What it may sound like is that there are some loose wires somewhere in the circuit and the ...
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| Tempory power to new building | 1/1/2007 |
Q: I just passed the rough inspection for the electrical in a new building that has line run from the ...
A: Bob What you can do is ask for The new service to be a temporary service for construction purposes. ...
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| Florescent light problem | 1/1/2007 |
Q: I purchased a new home built in Feb 2006. After about 6 months, the florescent light fixture in my ...
A: Adrian Is the light in the closet and the one in the laundry room on the same circuit?If they are ...
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| Are busses dedicated in the Main panel? | 1/1/2007 |
Q: Can you place neutral wires on the grounding buss and vice versa in the Main panel? I have read ...
A: Bob When you have a panel with a main breaker in it that is considered a main breaker panel in the N ...
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| pull chain wiring | 12/31/2006 |
Q: The chain on the light fixture broke in the basement next to the boiler. When I removed it, there ...
A: Mike Did the old fixture have a electrical outlet attached to it? If it did then the red and beige ...
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| Light switch doesn't work after replacing outlets | 12/31/2006 |
Q: I recently changed the outlets in a bedroom. One of the outlets was connected to a light switch. ...
A: Joe The outlet that was connected to the light switch needs to be taken back out and on the right ...
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| Dead electrical outlets | 12/30/2006 |
Q: An outlet suddenly went dead. When checked with a volt-meter it says there's power in it (116 v) ...
A: Bud When you are checking the voltage what slots on the device are you checking?? You need to check ...
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| Generator Wiring | 12/30/2006 |
Q: Ben, I will be installing a briggs and stratton 10kw standby generator with a 50 amp auto ...
A: Bob The wires that are in the panel will stay there.You will need to bring into your main panel from ...
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| Electrical Sizzle sound | 12/30/2006 |
Q: There is an outlet in my bathroom that is located on a lower portion of the wall and every time I ...
A: Tiffany What it sounds like is that there is a loose connection in the outlet some wiring may have ...
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| power spikes to 220 on 110v plugs | 12/29/2006 |
Q: I have a mobile home that belongs to a friend. I am a amateur eletrician.. very knowlegeable.. but ...
A: Mike What sometimes happens is that when a home or mobile home is wired especially in the kitchen ...
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| light switch | 12/29/2006 |
Q: how can you bring in one power source and split it into two or three diffrent switches.
A: Chris What you need to do is make a pigtail out of the one hot wire that comes in to the switch box. ...
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| New electrical installation | 12/29/2006 |
Q: I am currently upgrading my garage and have just finished the framing of the back wall, and now want ...
A: Chris Since you are running a freezer I would recommend using a 12-2 wire as most freezers will draw ...
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| new receptacle for 90amp tig welder | 12/29/2006 |
Q: I was wondering what would be the best way to get power for a tig welder that has a 90amp rating. I ...
A: Mario what you will need to do is install the wire off the main panel with a set off wires off the ...
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| Which is hot? | 12/28/2006 |
Q: I recently had an addition built. The contractor cut a wire going to the bedroom outlets (no ...
A: GIG The way wiring was done back then it was a version of knob and tube wiring the red wire usually ...
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| Voltage drop somewhere on GFI branch | 12/28/2006 |
Q: A couple of days ago, I was running a vacuum from an outlet on a GFI branch. The vacuum suddenly ...
A: Jay First thing you need to check is voltage from the hot wires to the white wire if you have 120 ...
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| Size of emergency transfer switch | 12/27/2006 |
Q: I would like to know how to size an emergency transfer switch for a portable generator. Do you size ...
A: Jim Most homes are supplied with 200-amp service. That's the power available to you. The AC voltage ...
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| GFCI Receptacle vs. 1 1/2 HP table saw motor | 12/26/2006 |
Q: I just got a 10” Delta Contractor Saw (Model 36-678), with a 1 ½ HP motor, at my local woodworking ...
A: Jose Check to see what else is on that circuit. It may feed other outlets that should be on a ...
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| Variable Speed Control | 12/24/2006 |
Q: I have a AC table top milling machine which has the speed control by moving the belt from one pulley ...
A: Conrad What you are doing with the dimmer switch is reducing the voltage and the machine is then ...
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| wiring a new home | 12/24/2006 |
Q: Our electrican came in to wire our new home...he drilled holes about the size of a quarter in some ...
A: Shirley Allot of times with new construction a contractor like a electrician will drill his holes ...
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| electrical problem | 12/23/2006 |
Q: Ben, Last night our electricity upstairs blinked a few times, then went off for a few seconds, and ...
A: Loretta Sounds like you may have a loose connection somewhere. I would check in the panel box first ...
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| New electric wall oven | 12/22/2006 |
Q: To size the fuse would I take the power of the oven divided by the voltage: ie 3kw / 240 = 12.5 ...
A: Bob commonly used of all above remember that when using smaller conductors, then if your conductor ...
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| GFI breaker problem-20Amp,residential | 12/22/2006 |
Q: 16+ years ago converted 20amp breaker to 20amp GFI breaker. It protects two circuits: #1 includes ...
A: Al What may have happened is that when the breaker was installed to the bus bar, and the neutral ...
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| New electric wall oven | 12/21/2006 |
Q: Ok, let me ask anotherI can purchase suitable wire ie (4 14gauge) and run that to my electrical box ...
A: BOB What you need to get is a wire that would rate the oven amps and watts.Look at the oven and see ...
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| New electric wall oven | 12/21/2006 |
Q: I am pulling an existing 120v gas wall oven and replacing with an electric wall oven. My new oven ...
A: BOB When replacing a gas wall oven you have a 20 amp 120v circuit for the necessary times.clocks or ...
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| GFI Outlet | 12/20/2006 |
Q: I am installing an outdoor GFCI outlet at the base of the lamp post. The lamp post is switched on ...
A: Paul What you need out by the light post is a continuos hot along with the switched wire you should ...
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| Hot Tub | 12/19/2006 |
Q: Recently I was given a Hot Springs Jetsetter Hot Tub and I am trying to wire it up. I am going to be ...
A: Justin What you need to do is supply the Hot Tub with a 12-2 wire, if this wire will be used ...
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| wiring issue | 12/19/2006 |
Q: Here's what I have.Outlet has 2 sets of wires going to it.White to white and black to black.There is ...
A: Kevin If you have a GFCI outlet backed up against the outlet that you are having the problems with, ...
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| COLD GLITCH | 12/18/2006 |
Q: IT IS LIKE THE LIGHT IS FLICKERING BUT THE PAUSE IN POWER IS LONGER THAN A FLICKER IT'S A PAUSE.HI! ...
A: DEBBIE Ok lets try to narrow this down Is the light outside? what type of light is it? You say this ...
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| home emergency generator hookup | 12/18/2006 |
Q: ..IT WASNT SUPPOSE TO BE 4300 $...IT WAS $3000...THE 2500 YOU MENTIONED PLUS 6 TO 700 FOR THE ...
A: Robert Sometimes the installation can cost anywhere from $500.00 to $800.00 depending on the area ...
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| wiring issue | 12/18/2006 |
Q: Just bought an older home and discovered the following: When I turned on a vaccum cleaner plugged ...
A: Kevin What it sounds like who ever wired the new outlet may have gotten the wires put back wrong.So ...
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| electrical heater | 12/18/2006 |
Q: I recently bought a new baseboard heater and hooked it up when I turned the breaker back on it made ...
A: Josh What it sounds like is the 1 new heater you had hooked up is a 120 Volt heater.The circuit may ...
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| home emergency generator hookup | 12/16/2006 |
Q: I am tempted to buy one of those box store (home depot) generators...its a 5500 watt...(8200 peak ...
A: Robert The generators that you purchase at the so called "BOX STORES" are just as good as ones you ...
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| how to ground a GFCI | 12/16/2006 |
Q: There's no pipe available - what are my options to ground a GFCI in an older (1950's) home? thanks ...
A: Erich What you will need to do is use a GFCI that is rated for a 2 prong device. The most important ...
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| Flickering lights | 12/16/2006 |
Q: We have two rooms with flickering light. Now on occasion both rooms have even had the power go out. ...
A: Pete What it sounds like is that the breaker may have a bad spot on the bus bar if this is so pull ...
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| conversion from 220v to 110v | 12/16/2006 |
Q: I wonder if you can step down? a 220v to 110v ( without the use of transformer of course) . I ...
A: asaniel Yes you can it depends where the circuit comes from if you want to change a 240 V circuit ...
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| Hard wired stove | 12/15/2006 |
Q: It is time to upgrade my hard wired stove. I have been told not to hardwire the new stove and to buy ...
A: Eric Some stoves are set up for a mobile home,those are the 4 wire systems because the mobile is ...
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| Neeed help | 12/14/2006 |
Q: I am new in the electrical field and I need to install a timer on a 15A Dp (30A) commercial building ...
A: Lee What you will need to do is get a lighting contactor and rate it for the 20 amp circuits if you ...
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| wiring problems with ceiling fan | 12/14/2006 |
Q: I was attempting to replace a fan switch for a home ceiling fan yesterday, and ended up having to ...
A: Matt . Fan lights where the pullchain is simply on/off use a two wire pullchain. This pullchain is ...
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| Generator hookup | 12/14/2006 |
Q: My electric panel is full, how does the transfer switch get hooked into the panel? Is the portable ...
A: Bernell What you would need to do is remove the wires for the pump and place the transfer switch ...
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| WIRES ON A LIGHT FIXTURE | 12/13/2006 |
Q: I am changing a pendant light fixture in my kitchen. No instructions came with the new light. From ...
A: Nikki The wire that you are in question of what color is it? Most time there are 3 wires from a ...
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| Generator hookup | 12/13/2006 |
Q: I have a 8450 watt portable generator for use during power outage. I am interested in having a ...
A: Bernell What you need is a Manual transfer switch that is approved for that generator. How it works ...
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| Bath fan to fan/light combo w/ 1set bl/wh and ground | 12/12/2006 |
Q: Can I run the fan and light wiring to the existing wiring which exists of 1 ground, 1 black, and 1 ...
A: Theresa It depends on how it is wired from the switch,If the switch goes to the fan with only 3 ...
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| Ceiling fan installation | 12/12/2006 |
Q: I know I am pushing my luck but here goes. Rather than simply have a "on" "off" switch in bedroom ...
A: Craig The way the Universal Wall Command Control works is by wire less transmitters and receivers ...
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| Ceiling fan installation | 12/12/2006 |
Q: I recently installed a ceiling fan and mounting support box in bed room no. 1 and am having some ...
A: Craig What you did was put the fan on the switch leg as well as the other rooms.You need to just ...
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| gfic | 12/11/2006 |
Q: My gfic in the master bath clicked today and caused the light in my guest bath to turn off plus the ...
A: Rosemary What you need to do is make sure that you are pushing the reset button not the test button. ...
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| live earth wire | 12/11/2006 |
Q: in my lounge i have a dimmer switch with a brass plate front, my wife went to turn it off and got a ...
A: Andy What it sounds like is that the dimmer may have a problem with bleeding off the voltage. That ...
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| flickering circuit | 12/11/2006 |
Q: I have a 15 amp circuit that flickers and I replace the breaker thinking that might be the problem. ...
A: Robert You said breaker has been replaced by you and you know that the wires on it are tight,since ...
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| General Swithc fuse box | 12/10/2006 |
Q: ------------------------------------------- The text above is a follow-up to ... Thank you for ...
A: Curtis A new panel couldd cost anywhere from $100.00 and up depending on how many circuits you ...
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| Ceiling Light Fixture | 12/10/2006 |
Q: I was replacing a ceiling light fixture, something I had done several times in the house. This time ...
A: Sean Sounds like one of the wires may have gotten shorted and sometimes will break inside the ...
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| General Swithc fuse box | 12/10/2006 |
Q: I am a contractor from the big island of Hawaii and I am my father house in Omaha NE he has a ...
A: Curtis sometimes you can on E-bay to do a search for old electrical items.There is a few places on ...
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| garage heat | 12/9/2006 |
Q: Ben, the 60 amp subpanel is in the garage. I ran number 12 wire through external conduit for the ...
A: Jim Sounds like the panel is pretty full,what you will have to do is replace the sub-panel with one ...
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| garage heat | 12/9/2006 |
Q: I just ran a 240v 20 amp circuit in my garage off of a sub panel for a 4000w elec. heater. My ...
A: JIM How far is it from the sub-panel to your garage? A 4000 watt heater at 240 volts is rated to use ...
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| Baseboard Heater | 12/6/2006 |
Q: I have tried to hook up a baseboard heater going through a thermostat. What I have is a 20A double ...
A: Jeff Seems like the heater is getting the 240 volts it needs to work. The thermostat is just a ...
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| Christmas lights | 12/6/2006 |
Q: I have a 1 1/2 story 1965 home. I have put up led lights over the past 6 years without any ...
A: Michael Seems like there may be a problem with the lights or the circuit it is plugged into. Take ...
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| wiring magnetic starter | 12/5/2006 |
Q: I recently purchased a 80 gal compressor with a 7.5 hp 230V, 1ph, 32 amp motor. The manufacturer ...
A: Tom What you would need to do is wire the ground wire to the Compressor frame or to the connection ...
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| Updating wiring........ | 12/5/2006 |
Q: I have recently moved into a home that was built in the 30's. The panel and service has been ...
A: Joe When the wiring in the house only has 2 wires going to the outlets and there is no ground ...
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| duplex outlet | 12/5/2006 |
Q: I need to replace a duplex-split circuit- outlet. I don't know how the old one was pulled out as I ...
A: CIA BRUNO What you need to do is twist the ground wires together to make a pigtail (all wires become ...
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| Bonding/Grounding | 12/5/2006 |
Q: I am also putting in a jetted tub. It also has a in line heater. Both have bonding/grounding lugs - ...
A: RON You can use 1 wire for the groounding.It can be bare min #8 is fine. Run the wire to the panel ...
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| Main Panel | 12/4/2006 |
Q: My other question was should I use an ARC breaker for basement. I will be using it as a TV room?I ...
A: Ron Sorry about that I got involved in another question. the arc fault breakers are only required ...
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| Main Panel | 12/4/2006 |
Q: I am running new electric for my basement. I have a Square D 200 amp service box. I am running out ...
A: Ron Yes you can double up on the wires for the ground and the neutral just make sure that when you ...
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| Underground wiring | 12/4/2006 |
Q: The shack will be a 12'X 30'. In terms of 220 circuits, I'm am planning an electric hot water ...
A: PHIL What I would do is run a 2 inch PVC conduit from the power companies pole to your meter. I ...
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| residential light switch | 12/4/2006 |
Q: This is an older home built in 1920. I have a light switch that has a dimmer. When turning the light ...
A: ROSE To me it sounds like the dimmer switch may be bad to verify this you will have to remove the ...
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| exterior lights | 12/3/2006 |
Q: I removed old porch lights and replaced with new lights which have a dawn-dusk sensor, the sensor ...
A: Fred Some of the newer dusk to dawn fixtures have a feature in them that allows the light to go to a ...
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| maytag stacked washer dryer power plug | 12/2/2006 |
Q: i just bought this appliance from home depot and the wires in that are supposed to be attached in ...
A: Alex What is seems like is that the Black wire and the red & blue wire are the hot legs for the ...
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| knob and tube/ceiling fan | 12/2/2006 |
Q: hey ben, I have knob and tube wiring in my house for the light fixtures, the outlets are already ...
A: Kevin With knob and tube wiring it is very hard to see what is what on the colors.The wires at the ...
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| leviton 6124H programmable switch | 12/2/2006 |
Q: The leviton 6124H switch includes 4 wires (green, white, blue (Load), black (line)). I want to hook ...
A: Owen Take the green wire to the green wire Take the white to white take the blue wire and hook it ...
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| Generator/Emergency | 12/2/2006 |
Q: I have a 7800 watt generator.If I switch off the main breaker.Can and how do I connect my generator ...
A: Tim What you would need to do is install a circuit breaker in the panel that would feed the ...
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| Generator/Emergency | 12/1/2006 |
Q: I have a 7800 watt generator.If I switch off the main breaker.Can and how do I connect my generator ...
A: Tim Is it a Portable Generator or is a fixed type? You would need to get a transfer switch that ...
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| Underground wiring | 12/1/2006 |
Q: I would like to run underground electrical service on my hunting tract from the main road to my ...
A: Phil Even though the power company is suppling a 200 amp service to the pole you may not need to ...
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| electrical failure | 11/30/2006 |
Q: the neighborhood boy was helping trim bushes using electric hedge clipper. I had some holiday ...
A: Check in the garage or in the bathrooms for a GFCI outlet. It will have 2 buttons in the middle of ...
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| Electric Baseboad problem | 11/30/2006 |
Q: 1 thermostat in Living room controls 2 Electric baseboards in living room and 2 in foyer also ...
A: Frank It sounds like the thermostat may be broken.Is this a 120 volt or a 240 volt thermostat? That ...
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| inadequate wiring? | 11/30/2006 |
Q: A little bit of info before I ask my questions (in case it helps with the answer). About a year ago ...
A: Since your residence is a Home and not a commercial building you would not have any tubing (conduit) ...
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| replacing an old spring thermostat with a new digital | 11/30/2006 |
Q: What is the electrical definition of terminated. There are 3 wires the colors are blue/green, ...
A: Mira Terminated means they are on the screws or on some sort of connection to the heat unit.If ...
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| replacing an old spring thermostat with a new digital | 11/30/2006 |
Q: We just have electric forced air heating and coolingOur wires are very old and wrapped in cloth. ...
A: Mira Are the wires at the unit terminated, I can only give you the standard wiring for a unit. If ...
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| wiring light diagram | 11/29/2006 |
Q: I want to wire a 110 volt light,so I can turn the lignt on at the bottem of the stairs and turn it ...
A: Wayne What you want is what we call in our trade a 3 way switch. Do have access to get the wire ...
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| Bonding screw | 11/28/2006 |
Q: my question is this, I have an old service panel that seems to be missing a bonding screw.Do I need ...
A: Mark A bonding screw in a panel is for applications where you would have a main breaker installed in ...
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| ELECTRICAL PANEL UPGRADE | 11/28/2006 |
Q: I have a 125amp service breaker to my electrical panel. The pannel has 5 20 amp breakers on the top ...
A: Jesse With you having a 125 amp panel installed you should have enough to add a 220 volt ...
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| electrical | 11/28/2006 |
Q: what if i used one switch with 2 toggles would that control the fan and light? as u can tell i am no ...
A: Richard You need a neutral in the fan and the only way to get that would be from the light fixture, ...
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| electrical | 11/27/2006 |
Q: yes the walls are covered with plaster in the old part of the bathroom. and like i said the the ...
A: Richard The only other way would to run a wire from the light to the fan,if you have access to the ...
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| electrical | 11/27/2006 |
Q: how and where do i bring a new line in from. what i tried was to run a short line from the one light ...
A: Richard A couple of questions 1)Are the walls covered with drywall,plaster,Etc? 2)Can you run a new ...
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| electrical | 11/27/2006 |
Q: the second switch wasent connected to anything. i was lucky when i put in my bathroom fan that i was ...
A: Richard Unfortunately you will not be able to do that unless you bring new a hot wire and a neutral ...
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| electrical photo eye | 11/27/2006 |
Q: There are six 100 watt bulbs on the circuit. The photo eye is rated at 1800 watts and there is no ...
A: Bret Six 100 watt lamps is not a big load assuming the wire size #14 Min has been ran.To me I would ...
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| electrical | 11/27/2006 |
Q: one switch is for the light with the old wiring with a black and white no ground. i ran wiring from ...
A: It sounds like who ever wired this light got the power from the light fixture,you say you have a 2 ...
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| electrical photo eye | 11/27/2006 |
Q: I have lights in the eaves of my house and they are controlled by a photo eye on the south side of ...
A: First of all Is the photo cell located near any trees,shrubs or any other obstructions?The photo ...
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