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Electrical Wiring
Ask questions here about proper wiring and electrical installation here.
4,935 Questions
Wires sag in summers due to the increased temperature causing the metal to expand. This expansion causes the wire to elongate, resulting in sagging. This phenomenon is more pronounced in hotter temperatures as the metal becomes softer and more pliable.
What is the symbol for a single pole switch?
It is usually A capital S with a lowercase 1 out beside it. S1
What metal conducts electricity well and is used for wires and pipes?
Copper is the main metal used for this purpose.
What voltage is suitable for household use?
Depends on country
USA has lower voltage than UK in the US it is 120 V
UK uses 240 volts
AnswerThe United States and Canada uses a split-phase system, that supplies a residence with a nominal 240/120 V. 240 V is used for high-power appliances (e.g. stoves, driers), whereas lighting and receptacle (socket outlets) circuits supply 120 V.The UK and Europe's nominal supply standard is 230 V.
To create a 220 volt connection using two 110 volt lines, you need to connect them in series. Ensure the two 110 volt lines are out of phase (provide opposite polarity) and then connect them together. This will result in a 220 volt supply for your concessions stand. It's important to consult a professional electrician to ensure proper wiring and safety.
Can you rewire a 240v lamp light fitting or small appliance to 110v and if so how?
It is not recommended to rewire a 240v lamp light fitting or appliance to operate on 110v. This can be dangerous and may lead to overheating, electrical fires, or damage to the device. It is safer and more practical to use a voltage converter or purchase a new device designed to work with 110v.
You will need a two pole breaker for the 240 volt. Recommended wire size would be a #12 copper wire RW90 C connected to a two pole 30 amp breaker.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
How do you change a 220 - 240 volt wire to a 110 - 120 volt wire?
If you are asking about household ac service voltages, circuits and socket outlets, please see the answers to the Related Questions shown below.
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Normally, when someone talks about a "220 volt and 110 volt wire", electricians would assume he is talking about an insulation factor. When you see wire with ratings of 300 volts, 600 volts and 1000 volts, these are the highest allowable voltages that can be applied. A wire that is rated for 300 volts is good for 120 volts, 240 volts and 277 volts. At test research facilities, equipment is tested to destruction. The voltage label that is given to the wire as a result of the tests is the highest safest voltages that can be applied to that particular insulation. So when you say a wire is 220 volts or 110 volts they both fall under the 300 volt insulation rating of that wire.
That said, if you had asked "How do you change a potential voltage of 220 - 240 volts down to 110 - 120 volts?" then the above answer about insulation factor would not be correct.
Changing an ac voltage potential of 220 - 240 volts down to 110 - 120 volts would have to involve the safe use of a properly insulated transformer but, for normal domestic use, it would be both safer - and probably cheaper - to install a separate 120 volt branch circuit that has the correct size of circuit breaker, wiring and socket outlet.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Why did I get an electrical shock by touching the propane tank?
You can get an electrical shock when touching a propane tank due to the buildup of static electricity on the tank. The flow of gas causes a transfer of charge, similar to what happens when you walk across a carpet. When the charged item comes into contact with an item of different charge, such as ground or your hand, current flows to equalize the charge and you see a spark and/or feel a jolt of electricity.
You can also get an electrical shock from a propane tank if you are also touching something, and the tank and that something are not at the same voltage. This is a ground fault, which must be corrected, otherwise there is risk of electrocution.
Would 230 volt item applicance work on 220 volt in south Africa?
Yes, a 230-volt appliance should work fine on a 220-volt outlet in South Africa. The small difference in voltage is usually within the tolerance range of most appliances. However, it's always a good idea to check the appliance specifications to ensure compatibility and avoid any potential damage.
What is phase to ground fault?
A phase-to-ground fault is a type of electrical fault that occurs when one of the three phases of a three-phase power system comes into contact with the ground or a grounded surface. This can result in high fault currents flowing through the system, which may lead to damage to equipment and pose a safety hazard. Protection devices such as fuses or circuit breakers are used to detect and clear these faults to prevent damage and ensure safety.
There are two types of loop antenna used in radio, small and large. It is a loop of wire usually circular or square with the circuit (transmitter or receiver) connected at the two adjacent open ends.
A large loop is one wavelength in circumference and radiates a wave along the axis of the loop. It can also be thought of as a folded half-wave dipole.
A small loop also known as a magnetic loop is one tenth of a wavelength or less in circumference and radiates in the plane of the loop. Used as a receiver, a small loop gives an output signal voltage proportional to the magnetic component of the arriving radio wave.
Small loops for receiving can be made from a coil of wire on a ferrite rod, and this type of loop is also called a loopstick antenna.
Intermediate-sized loops have a rather unpredictable pattern so tend not be used.
Does switching your circuit breakers off save energy?
It can. Most electronic items now days are sold with the on and off switch turning off a portion of the electronics only. There is usually a slight draw constantly. Add all the devices that do this in your house and it can amount to a small savings in electricity if you unplug when you are not using an item. However, devices that need a "keep alive" memory will lose that memory when unplugged such as the preset station buttons on a stereo. You will have to reprogram them in when you restart the device.
Yes, GFCI devices are available for use on 240-volt, 480-volt, and 600-volt circuits. They come in different voltage ratings to suit various electrical systems and provide protection against electric shocks by quickly shutting off power if a ground fault is detected. It's important to ensure the GFCI device is rated for the specific voltage of the circuit it will be used on.
How do you replace a 3 way switch?
For a very good explanation of how to do this, with a diagram, browse on over to the Related link shown below this answer.
If you go to google.com and type 3-way switch wiring into the search box you'll get dozens of diagrams and instructions - all very similar.
US NEC: 6 awg wire is large enough to supply a 50 amp load but before you use that size it is wise to refer to the wiring tables in the NEC for the recommended wire size to use for the distance from the main breaker panel in a dwelling such as a house or apartment. However, and this is critical, the use of aluminum wire is dangerous and not advised. Most local code will not even permit the use of aluminum wiring anywhere on the load side of the meter, so this could also be illegal. <><><> As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed. Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized. IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
US NEC: A four pin plug has four conductors - two hot, one neutral, and one ground. It is used in 240V appliances that require a 120V path to neutral, where the electrical code also requires a separate protective earth ground be maintained. Normally, code allows a dryer or range to be connected to a three pin plug where neutral and ground are tied together at the appliance. This is an exception to the normal rule, and is allowed due to the design and "safety experience" of these type of appliances. However, the code requires a four conductor circuit in the case of a mobile home. In this case, ground and neutral must not be tied together at the appliance - they must be run seperately all the way back to the distribution panel. Even if this is not a mobile home, local code may override national code, so you do need to check. <><><> As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed. Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized. IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Can you plug a European 230 volt appliance into a US 120 volt outlet?
The voltage isn't a problem, you can run 220 from your house and use that to run a European appliance, the problem is whether the appliance is dependant on line HZ. European is 50HZ and US is 60HZ. If the appliance specifies 220/50HZ, it will probably give you trouble here. If it says 220V/50 or 60HZ
How do you test a 240 volt power supply?
Imported electronic multi meters are available in the market app.costing Indian Rupees 130/-. With these the voltage can be tested. <><><>
As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
What is the resistance of a conductor directly proportional to?
The resistance of a conductor is directly proportional to several different factors.
Here is a list of some of them:
- the cross-sectional area or thickness of the conductor;
- the overall length of the conductor;
- the resistivity of the material from which the conductor has been made - note that this is often dependant on its actual temperature;
- the actual temperature the conductor reaches after a steady electric current has been passing through it for sufficient time for everything to stabilize.
Does your house have 440 volt line?
No houses are wired for 440 volts. In the USA, most houses are wired for 240/120 volts called single or split phase. That means each "leg" of the service is 120 volts to ground, but across the two it sums to 240 volts, since each "leg" is 180 degrees out of phase with respect to each other. When one "leg" of the service is at +120 volts, the other "leg" is its mirror image, at -120 volts. In this way, connecting across the two yields twice the voltage of either leg to ground, allowing the use of 240 volt or 120 volt appliances depending on how connected- to ground or across "legs". Most other countries with 220-240 volt appliances do not use split phase service. There is only the one phase to ground and in those countries the incoming line is 220-240 volts to ground, voltage depending on the country.
How do you select an earth leakage setting?
on smaller stuff its usually 10ma since that is not usually fatal
default for most gfci
on larger stuff if its not connected with RMC even if you pull a ground wire be very careful
pre made cable BX (MC now) comes in large sizes ive used 2/0
the ground is #6 if there isn't a driven ground on the machine the fault could be carried in the little helix of galvanized wrapped around the cable.
now gee ill just put on an ohmmeter and make sure it wont get red hot
remember the word helix. the dc resistance doesnt change no matter what shape the wire is.
so use an LCR bridge not an ohmmeter
a caution sometimes these use 1000hz as a default
sealtite liqitite greenfeild all have this quirk
some have copper with the galvanize steel but the only thing that changes the inductance is the # of turns (well diameter too)
tray cable does not it seems to be always braided but im not positive
some hi voltage cable has the drain wires in a helix and the runs are usually longer .. on the plus side most bigger stuff has any parameter you could name settable in the breaker.
I did once learn the hard way that the suction hose on a 3" water pump is made with the same helix so it wont be pumped flat
takes about 3 amps at 277V
vom says 12 ohms perhaps its stainless wire
pumps merrily away and the hose steams a bit
perhaps the hose is a better ground than the plate at the bottom of the wood pole
plant has 480 277Y pole looked like one leg grounded delta
takes a bit of thought
Why does coax spark when connecting the cable?
That depends on where it is. People assume it won't spark because "it's just a TV signal." However, in these modern days with digital telephone and such, it can happen. Digital phone services provided by a cable provider are a special version of VoIP (voice over internet) technology. In order for the digital phone to work, you need a device to send the voice signal over the broadband cable. This device (inside the network interface box on the side of the house) usually does not have an external power source, because that would be very inconvenient for the customer. (Who wants a plug-in transformer next to the cable box?) This means the power to that device comes from the broadband feed to the house, which can carry around 90 volts on it in addition to the broadband signal. So if the cable sparked outside, or at the feed into the network interface unit, that could explain it. If this was inside, on a cable going into the back of a TV, that 90 volts shouldn't be there anymore, since it was dropped off at the box on the side of the house. But hey, I'm not a cable guy, just an electrician.
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It is best to ask for a wiring diagram from the place you obtained the ceiling fan from.
If they say they have not got one, or the fan was not bought new, then maybe you can find out the manufacturer's name from a label on the fan or on the box it came in? If you have the manufacturer's name you may be able to find their web site, phone number or street address so you can ask them to send you a wiring diagram.
The usual 120 Volt household AC wiring colors are:
Black is a "Hot" or "Live" wire which may come direct from the main breaker panel so is always "on". (But sometimes this wire is the one coming from the on/off switch controlling the lighting fixture.)
Red is a "Hot" or "Live" wire which may come from the on/off switch controlling the lighting fixture. (But sometimes this may be the wire which comes direct from the main breaker panel so is always "on".)
White is a "Neutral" wire.
Green (or bare wire with no insulation) is the local "Ground "wire.
What the Blue wire does is not obvious from the question as asked and should be found out from the wiring diagram for the fan.
If you can't get a wiring diagram and you still can't work out what to do then you should ask someone who knows how to handle mains electricity safely to advise you.
Better still, for your own personal safety, have a licensed electrician install the ceiling fan for you.
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It should be a black/white pair from the box in the ceiling: black is normally the "hot" and white is the "neutral". (Maybe in your case the "hot" is the red wire?)
One of the blue and black wires on the fan goes to the fan motor and the other maybe goes to an optional light in the fan housing? Before you connect them, you must check the wiring diagram or ask licensed electrician for his advice.
Only when you know for sure what they do, those blue and black wires should be connected to the the ceiling box. Often the black wire is the main "hot" wire on a fan unit.
The white wire on the fan connects to the white "neutral" wire in the box.
The bare (ground) wire on the fan must be connected to the ground wire in the ceiling box. Some wiring codes allow you to connect it to the white wire if there is no separate ground wire, but it is an unsafe method and it may be illegal to do this if your local wiring code does not allow it.
YOU MUST CHECK WITH THE LOCAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY OFFICER FOR YOUR LOCALITY BEFORE YOU DO THAT.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power
at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work AND
always use an electrician's test meter having metal-tipped probes
(not a simple proximity voltage indicator)
to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized. IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Can you get 220 vac 50hz from 380 vac 50hz?
I know that a company named TEMco makes a 380v to 120/208 transformer. You can try contacting them for your specific application I will attach their website for you.
