Recent content by bill in in

Infrared would probably be the cheapest if your garage is uninsulated. Most electric heaters aren't that expensive compared to the operating cost. If you have an insulated space consider a heat pump....

Breakers are thermal/magnetic so it would depend on where each breaker was on its curve when the fault occurred, tempered by the quality of the subject breaker (tolerance included). A lot of time panels will run hot and a base load can change things drastically. I've seen worse on well...

Just a couple of questions. Do have have a 400A load? Does/will the power company have 400A available to you? 400A usually means 8-10,000 sq. ft. an elevator and more in my experience. Maybe you should look at different strategies- an example might be going from electric resistance to...

I just put a PTHP (a PTAC type heat pump) in my shop. Its air to air and I have a propane back up for it. Think it should work well for me, and economically. Shop has 6 inch insulated walls and even without heat on holds temp real well. The trick is to keep the resistance electric from...

Most use a knife. For the really big stuff, a drawknife- Greenlee makes one for that purpose but it is identical to most woodworking tools.

By code in most areas you can't use another ground rod at the out building, that is what the ground conductor is for. Also there is an issue that doesn't seem to come up often about running the service for a building through another building without permeso of AHJ. Rethink your ground...

Best tools is the same for about everything, but more especially electrical- knowledge. You should understand hots and neutrals, grounds, and how to use various connections. I've rewired old houses with all kinds of wiring methods but any method done right seems to have held up. I've also...

Last time I looked, code said 1/4" of the surface if fire resistant. Box extensions are not real cheap, but will solve your problem for under $10.00.

I'd bet there are two different rates on your bill. One of the left overs from the days that they wanted people to use electricity for baseload (heating more than likely)

1. What a utility calls a 400A service and what you really have for ampacity are two entirely different things. They use the devices at your service for the sizing (and billing). Check the transformer that feeds your service. There is probably a number that relates to the size in KVA...

You don't need a ground rod but will need to supply a ground conductor back to your main panel. You don't need conduit, but it might be advantageous on a run of that nature. I won't sleep in a place with aluminum anyplace but as a service entrance termination, is it worth it for 50'? If you...

Check the branch breaker space ampacity, most would be good for 100A. You could change out the panel to a pass through type and then connect to the second lugs, or install a disconnecting device (probably fusible) ahead of the original panel and feed all off of it (see the specific sections -...

Be advised that diodes have an inherent .7 volt drop in the forward direction, so your output would be reduced by that much. Dry cells are generally nominally 1.5 volts - actual voltage will be higher at first. Transformer type supplies might need a capacitor more than a regulator type.