Search results

My bathroom wiring is on a GFIC breaker that protects all outlets and lighting. I have recently purchased a hotel style hair dryer that is wall mounted, and has pigtails on the back side. The instructions say to install the pigtails to the load side terminals on a GFIC receptacle. Will the...

A friend gave me a 100 amp panel to use as a sub panel in my cellar, and it was full of breakers... about 16 or 20 of them. I am presently using about 6 or 7 slots, and was wondering if it is acceptable to just leave the panel filled with the rest of the breakers, even though they aren't...

Is it legal to use Romex on a finished wall in the garage? If not, can you use the grey PVC conduit on the wall, or does it have to be EMT?

I want to eliminate a 3 way switch. Do I just tie the 3 wires together, so the other 2 switches will still work? thanks

I am having a problem getting the 12 gauge stranded wire under the ground screw on the GFIC receptacle. I was wondering if it would be acceptable to put a spade crimp terminal on the wire, and then put the spade under the screw. I was able to get the wire under and around the screw, however...

What is the best way to put 3/4" and larger holes into plastic junction boxes? What is the best way that you have found successful, without breaking the plastic.

The home originally had a single propane tank that served the clothes dryer, and the cooking stove. We have since changed from oil heat to propane heat, and sometime this summer, the underground 1000 gallon tank will be installed. Presently, the heat is serviced by separate tanks, and when...

The local electrical supply house that I frequent, suggested that I purchase my wire from HD or Lowes, since they only sell 10 gauge and larger wire by the foot. Another electrical supply house that is further away, quoted me 17 cents a foot for 12 gauge stranded wire, and offers a selection of...

I am having a new A/C condenser, and the dealer asked if I was going to have the power from the panel to the outside unit installed by my electrician or did I want him to do it. It is a short distance, and I was thinking of doing it myself. He told me that the unit requires a 40 amp two pole...

If you are using a metal box, and have attached the ground wire to the back of the metal box with a dedicated ground screw, is it necessary to put a ground wire onto the receptacle and / or the switch that is screwed to that metal box? To me, it is redundant, and when I wired the garage in...

The home was built in 1985, and the garage outlets are not GFI protected. Will this need to be upgraded when the home is sold? i.e. do home inspectors point this out, and do buyers usually ask to have this upgraded? What is your experience? What other areas of the home are required to have...

I installed Halo recessed fixtures in my new garage, and was attempting to wire them to a switch. When I put power to the black and white wires, all the bulbs light up. When I put the ground wire to the ground on the metal electoral box, the breaker trips. Without the circuit being grounded...

When my home was built, it was wired entirely with #12 wire, and now that I am upgrading the switches to the new paddle type, and installing Lutron Maestro dimmers in some of the boxes in place of the original switches, I am having difficulty stuffing the wires back into the boxes. To put it...

I am replacing the old toggle switches with modern paddle type of switches. On the 4 way circuit, the first one that I opened, has the 2 red wires going to the terminals on the left, looking at the switch, and2 black wires on the right. The original switch is Hubble, and the replacement is a...

Some of my old tool box locks have been removed and there is just an empty hole where the lock belongs, and others, the keys are missing. Is there a place where replacement locks can be purchased reasonably. I did a quick count, and there are 12 lock holes, where the locks are missing or the...

I am slowly trying to understand radiant heat, and what I can't understand is how the temperature in the Pex lines is regulated. The plumber has said that he will be installing a Sparcomix nonn electric mixing valve 3/4" AM101R. I did some reading on the web, and what I don't understand, is if...

I just started to look at the thread about the Vintage Tool Boxes, and realized that there are 164 pages, with over 6000 posts, so trying to id a box that I have would take me more time than I might have left in my lifetime. For the record, I am 525 years old in dog years. :D For this reason...

Friend sent this to me, and asked me what the silver tool is. I don't recognize it. Any ideas?

Today, as usual, I drained my compressor tank by opening the ball valve after using the compressor, until all moisture came out. I noticed that even though the valve was open, that the air had stopped. I checked the tank pressure, and it was 100 PSI. I then drained the air from the tank, by...

Does a second floor that has radiant heat applied to the sub floor have to have insulation between the floor joists and the sheetrock ceiling in the first floor area? My thoughts are that since the first floor is already a heated space, that since the heat rises, that the area above the...