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  1. M

    Permit Inspection

    I installed an electric vehicle charger in my garage myself. It was a fairly simple process; just surface-mounted conduit, and a wire run of 25 feet to the EV charger. I've never had an inspection done before; what should I expect? Do I leave the subpanel cover off, junction box covers off, and...
  2. M

    Electric Vehicle Charger

    I'm installing an EV charger on the outside of my detached garage, and I'm trying to figure out the best options: Main house panel has a 200amp service. 10/3 on a 30 amp 240v breaker runs from the main panel to a junction box on the side of the house (about 25 feet). 4 strands of 10 gauge THHN...
  3. M

    Insulating brick windows

    Not my garage but my house. It is a 1948 brick (structural, not veneer). No insulation in the walls, and from what I understand, it would be a bad idea to insulate them with anything other than foam. Problem is, the window frames are just attached to the brick with tapcons. There is some...
  4. M

    Basement floor covering

    I'm looking to cover the horrific gold-flake floors in my basement. They are 50% asbestos, so covering them/not removing them is definitely the best option. The basement is pretty dry but does get a tiny bit of water in one spot after heavy rains, and there is a sump pump that goes off...
  5. M

    How old is too old?

    Purchased a new house recently. It has 100 amp service (all gas appliances, central air is the only big current draw). The panel is a 10-space/20-circuit Cutler-Hammer with an install inspection sticker of 1951. There is a newer subpanel installed next to the panel for expansion purposes...
  6. M

    Concerned about electrical

    We just moved in to a house, and we've had a few weird electrical issues. First was a computer; it worked fine at the old house, but once we tried to turn it on at the new house, it's dead. It refuses to power on and the motherboard isn't getting power from the power supply. Second, one of our...
  7. M

    Upgrading house panel

    I'm buying a house that has a very small 10-space panel with 100 amp service. There are several tandem breakers in the panel and it is very crowded with wires. They ran out of space, and installed a 6-space subpanel off of the main panel. What's the best option here to make some extra room...
  8. M

    Cinderblock Walls- PVC or EMT?

    I purchased a house that has a garage made of cinderblock walls... no studs. There is only a couple of outlets, and there is Romex stapled to the mortar between the blocks. I have plenty of Romex lying around, but no THHN. Should I run PVC or EMT conduit? Romex in the conduit or buy some...
  9. M

    Central air blowing cold air but not cooling house

    I am buying a house in northern NJ, and had the home inspection done yesterday. It was about 78 degrees and very humid outside. As part of the inspection, the inspector turned on the central air unit. The house was 80 degrees inside. After an hour and 45 minutes, the house had only dropped...
  10. M

    Painting cinderblock

    I'm in the process of buying a house; the garage is made out of cinderblock but looks like it needs to be finished. I'll probably paint it; what's the best way, and the best color? The house itself is brick. http://imgur.com/gallery/agleg1l
  11. M

    Grounding antenna

    I just ditched DirecTV, and attached a small OTA antenna to the dish mount. When I checked the wiring, there is a ground block installed near the wire's entrance to the house, but the ground wire is not attached to anything. Inside the basement I attached a coax surge protector with a #10 wire...
  12. M

    LED/circuit help

    I am converting a set of flush-mount LED deck lights from solar power to plug-in power. There are 6 lights total and each light has 2 LEDs in it. The solar panel had 3 AA rechargeable batteries in it, so I bought a 4.5v 1000mah power adapter. This will turn on 4 of the lights but not all 6...
  13. M

    Removing Heat

    I'm looking for the most economical way to remove the excess heat from my unfinished detached garage. There's no insulation anywhere. I added a static vent, but it's still very hot in the summer. I thought about finishing the ceiling and insulating, but it isn't cheap, and I would need 24"...
  14. M

    Cross-Phase Wires?

    Question for the linemen... I was driving today and saw these wires between phases on a transmission line. First wire goes from phase 1 to phase 3, second goes from phase 2 to phase 3, and third goes from phase 3 to the ground wire. What purpose would this possible serve?
  15. M

    Insulating and Finishing Ceiling

    Due to some bad calculations, I have about 20 rolls of R30 unfaced fiberglass left over from my house; the perfect amount for the ceilings of my garage. The garage is unfinished and not insulated; I only occasionally run a propane heater when I'm working out there. I figure I might as well...
  16. M

    Generator

    I'm looking to wire up my generator to the house wiring. This generator only puts out 120 volts and has 30 amps max. It has a NEMA L5-30R twist-lock, a NEMA TT-30R twist-lock, and 2 NEMA 5-20R receptacles. The transfer switch kits I've seen all have 4-prong twist-locks. So I'd have to buy a...
  17. M

    Blown-in Insulation Prices

    Anyone have any recent experience with blown-in done by a contractor? I got 2 quotes recently, one for $2800 and one for $3100, for 10" covering about 1500 sq ft. This seems insane... with current prices at Lowes I could do it myself for about $850 for blown-in and $700 for fiberglass batts. It...
  18. M

    Air Compressor

    I know nothing about air compressors; I'd like to get one. I only plan on using it to add air to tires, and to take lug nuts off. No idea what size, type, etc to get. I'd rather spend not that much, since I'd use it infrequently.
  19. M

    Shared Neutral

    I'm not understanding how shared neutrals/multiwire branch circuits work. I have a subpanel in the garage powering a pool pump outlet and a shed. The wire running out to the shed and pool is 10/3, protected at 20 amps, and the red wire isn't being used. The pool pump needs to be on a timer...
  20. M

    Getting Wiring to Garage

    I'm looking to run wiring out to my detached garage. Someone buried 12/3 Romex directly into the ground/cement, and I'm not sure how much I trust it. Problem is, there's pavement in the way, and I'm not sure how to get the power wires in. In the first picture, you can see the subpanel in the...
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