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New Electrical Work
Electrical work ranges from the installation of new electrical components to the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. It may also include wiring airplanes, ships and other mobile platforms.
4,938 Questions
Can you use a 240V hanging light fixture in the USA?
As long as it's a regular incandescent light fixture, and the sockets will accept US bulbs, with provisions for grounding, then yes. You may need to upgrade the wiring to a heavier guage; I'd suggest 14 guage stranded wire through the entire fixture. If it's not incandescent, then no, unless it has a multi-tap ballast.
Simple answer is yes. But you need to first determine if your breaker can handle it, not just because you have an empty slot. You have to total up amps being used and check rating for your box. If it can handle it then it is a sinch to install
If you have a 200A Meter Main Combo do you need a main 200A breaker in the panel?
When I went to a 100 amp service I could not find a 100 amp. breaker in stock. I used a 60 amp. breaker and have never blown it. The 200 amp you are using can handle up to 200 amps, but if you use a smaller breaker it will only handle up to that amperage. The 200 amp is usally the total amperage of all the breakers comming out of the box. You will probably never come anywhere near using 200 amps at one time.
How do you wire multiple lights on a 3-way switch with one between and one not?
Explain in more detail what you mean. What is between: the switch or the light? What are you trying to accomplish with this setup? The term 3-way switch means 2 switches controlling one or more lights. If you have 2 lights and one switch then you need a standard 75 cent switch. Generally with 3-way switches, there are 3 wires not including the ground, black, white and red. some houses attach the white to the switch, some attach the black. Generally the white will feed through the box not attaching to anything but another white wire. The black will attach to the upper and lower screws on one side of the switch while the red attaches to the opposite side. The red goes to the other switch and black goes to the light fixture(s).
Do you need to change European wiring of a 3-bulb light fixture to American wiring and why?
The American system is 110 Volts and the UK (plus some other EU countries) are about 240 Volts. The formula is Volts X Amps = Watts. Don't panic, that's as hard as it gets. The problem is this, that for 240 Volts a current of .25 Amps is needed to light a 60 Watt bulb (240 X .25 = 60). At 110 Volts this would be about 110 X .5 = 60 giving over twice the Amps for the same Watts. The more Amps, the heavier the wires needed to carry the power. So, to be safe the fitting would have to be rewired. If in doubt contact an experienced electrician to rewire it for you. Better a few dollars than dialling 911 because the house is on fire!
That's pushing it but it can work. It depends if you have central A/C, electric range, water heater, etc. Those are your amp suckers. You'll need to be mindful when operating the hot tub; not running the dryer, oven, or other large appliances.
This is pullout disconnect switch. Pull out on the "T" handle to disconnect the circuit. If the word ON is right side up and reinserted the circuit is made. If the work OFF is right side up and reinserted the circuit is off. Some disconnects are fused, they have two cartridge fuses under the cover beneath the pull out. These may need to be replaced if power is not reestablished.
What should you do if your range outlet is missing?
If your range outlet is missing, first ensure that the power is turned off to that circuit. Then hire a licensed electrician to install a new outlet to ensure it meets safety standards and codes. Avoid attempting to install the outlet yourself to prevent electrical hazards.
How do you rewire a series of electrical switches?
If the switch is a single pull switch there will only be 2 black wires and a ground that need to be connected to the device. If it is a 3-way switch there will be a ground wire, a red wire and 2 black wires (one of which is the common)that need to be attached to the device. a 4-way switch will require a ground wire, 2 black wires and 2 red wires that all need to be hooked to the device.
How do you install a 50A sub panel to a 100A box?
Install a 50 amp breaker in the 100 amp panel and run appropriate size wire to the sub panel connectors...
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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.
DISCUSSION: There is a discussion started about this question. Please click on the 'Discuss Question' button below to see it and add any of your own comments.
Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.It is possible (if this new GFCI receptacle was replacing a regular receptacle) that the GFCI receptacle has been added into a three-wire circuit where the neutral is "shared" (before it splits to 2 two-wire circuits). A simple GFCI receptacle will only work on two-wire circuits: one "Hot" and one "Neutral".Also there may or may not be a "Ground" wire. If there is one, it is a protective wire and is not counted as a circuit wire.
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If you know that the GFCI is good, then a heater or other appliance that you are plugging in has a ground fault condition. This means that the bottom (ground) prong on the plug is carrying current, instead of the neutral. A GFCI measures the current coming in from the hot and compares it to the current going out on the neutral. If they differ from each other, the GFCI will trip. In your case the heater may have a fault to its frame and some of the current is going to the ground wire. Either find the fault by taking the heater apart, or buy a new one and toss the faulty one before it causes a serious problem.
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Assuming you have pressed the 'RESET' button but the GFCI always trips again immediately, there are several possible things that will have to be checked very carefully.
The newly installed GFCI could be tripping because of a neutral-to-ground short circuit, called a "neutral-to-ground fault", somewhere in the circuit it is monitoring. Here are some possible reasons for such a fault:
1) There is something plugged in to one of the outlets, such as an electric kettle, that has a neutral-to-ground fault. Any plugged-in appliance which has a neutral-to-ground fault will always cause the GFCI to trip even though the appliance's own "on-board" on-off switch may be off. So remove all appliances from the outlets and try to reset the GFCI. If all is well, plug in each appliance in turn until you find the one with the neutral-to-ground fault. (Old metal-bodied electric kettles are the worst offenders!)
2) Even if you have replaced the socket outlets there could be a neutral wire touching a ground wire because there is a nick in the insulation. *** (See Note below.) This sometimes happens when the cover is screwed down because the wires are pressed hard against each other to get them into the wall box. The PVC insulation around the wires is very soft so you have to be careful this does not happen. If there was no GFCI protecting the circuit - as in the old days when GFCIs did not exist - it did not matter if a neutral wire touched a ground wire or the metal box itself. But when you have a GFCI protecting a circuit which has that type of fault - probably left over from the days before the house had any GFCIs put in - it will always trip immediately you put power onto the circuit! The reason for that type of neutral-to-ground fault with GFCI-protected circuits is not known to everyone, especially if they have not had to find and fix one before.
Speaking from hard experience, neutral-to-ground faults in the supply wiring to the socket outlets can be a real pain to find!
*** Note: Neutral wires are colored White in USA, Canada and other countries which use similar 60 Hz mains supplies. In Europe and other countries which use 50 Hz mains supplies, Neutral wires are colored Blue for all new work. (Older wiring circuits may still have Black wires for neutral wires.)
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There are other things that can trip the GFCI:
1. Foreign matter in an outlet box (I found dead roaches in one case)
2. A noise suppressor power strip or power line filter
3. A guitar amp with a ground reverse switch
4. A water leak in the wall dripping on wiring
5. Older electronic devices made before GFCI became common
6. Some older computers
7. Devices that make sudden power surges
8. Old tube type radios and entertainment electronics
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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.
Outlet not working in Kitchen or Bathroom or Garage or Outdoors?
The outlet is likely a GFCI protected outlet, or a GFCI outlet itself. Does it have test and reset buttons on it? If not, look around the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, and outdoors to find a GFCI receptacle that feeds this one, and attempt to reset the device by pushing the reset button. If your home is relatively old, you may not have GFCI's, then troubleshoot as below. But the mere mention of an outlet not working in the kitchen makes me think GFCI... Qualifications: Commercial/Residential service electrician. Just about every time there's a problem in one of these areas the culprit is a GFCI the homeowner didn't know about... If you do not understand the work well enough to accomplish it yourself properly and safely, don't try it. Consult a professional electrician, as they are proficient enough to do it properly and safely. When working on electrical circuits and equipment, make sure to de-energize the circuit you will be working on. Then test the circuit with a definitive means to make sure it is off (multimeter with metal tipped leads, voltage tester with metal tipped leads, etc., not a non-contact tester, which is non-definitive.)
A faulty receptacle or a disconnected wire in the path. it means that the outlet being affected is probably the last outlet in a series of outlets wired together... so the problem is in either the affected outlet or the one before it.. this happens alot to outlets wired from the back instead of having the wires wrapped around the screws.. so you have a loose common or hot wire at one of these outlets.. a quick way to find the problem is with a small tester known as an outlet tested it plugs into an outlet and has three lights which can tell you what and which outlet has the problem .. any hardware store for $5.00...the only other way is to turn the breaker off that is for your kitchen outlets, pull the recpt out check for a loose wire there or the one in front of that one
Which is wires do you use to hook up new gauges to tie into the switch on the steering wheel?
It depends if the gauges are for replacing your old ones or new ones. They are located under your dash behind your gauge cluster. Your steering wheel should only have cruise control features and of course the ignition wiring. 'i suggest you go to a Nissan 240sx forum, register, and become a member, there should be links to manuals and diagrams there. Use the search engine on them. :D
How do you wire dedicated circuits and test for that?
To wire dedicated circuits, you need to route a separate cable from the electrical panel to the specific outlet or appliance you want to power. You then connect the cable to a dedicated circuit breaker in the electrical panel. To test if the circuit is dedicated, turn off the breaker and check if the outlet or appliance loses power. If other devices also lose power, then the circuit is not dedicated.
It can be done but it requires knowledge about how a 3way is wired to convert it to a regular switch. It would involve testing live wires to determine where power starts at. You can't just replace one switch.
How do you install a new range receptacle?
A new outlet (running new wire) or replacing an old one (wires already there)?
Shut off the Power to that Receptical, diconnect the receptical, and reconnect the New receptical using the Wires from the one you replaced. Then turn the power back on and Test it with a Tester!
It is recommended to keep electrical wires at least 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 feet) above the ground in an unfinished basement for safety reasons. This height helps minimize the risk of damage to the wires and reduces the likelihood of accidental contact with water or other hazards on the ground.
Why would unplugging something from one outlet cause lights plugged into another outlet to turn off?
I would venture to guess that yyour wiring is in series and when a plug is inserted it closes the circuit ie. positive +----- ..... - negative : no plug. positive +-----\-\..... - negative : with plug. hope this helps. pete Check your neutral connections. They may have come open.
Can you upgrade a 100A main circuit breaker to a higher amp?
I doubt if the 125 amp breaker will fit into a 100 amp box. This is due to the rating of the box only being rated at 100 amps. If this exchange could be made then the service conductors feeding the box must be upgraded to take the 125 amperage that the breaker will allow on the conductor.
On polarized receptacles the short slot is the hot side and the taller slot is neutral side. Colors can be swapped around sometimes. If they all are reversed, it is because the line is reversed somewhere, and all of the following outlets "downstream" from that one are reversed. Could even be in the main panel, if everything on the circuit is reversed.
Do both the breakers and the outlets need to be GFI if you are running two 15 amp GFI circuits?
If you're using a GFCI breaker then the entire circuit will be protected by just the breaker alone. Every receptacle, switch, etc on that breaker will utilise the GFCI protection. You may have problems with it tripping if you plug in a motor (vacuum, etc) on the circuit.
== == === === Gauge #6 wires are best for this application. The breaker and wire should fit in your main panel unless it is already overloaded. Get advice from an electrician. ----- See Discussion for additional information <><><> 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.
How do you get power to Christmas lights which are outside?
You can get power to Christmas lights outside by using an outdoor power outlet, an extension cord designed for outdoor use, and weatherproof power strips if needed. Make sure to keep all electrical connections protected from water and snow to prevent hazards. It's also important to use outdoor-rated lights to ensure they can withstand the elements.
the colors should be Green/Black/White
The Black and white do not really matter in this configuration.
Though this is the standard way of connecting the wires.
The two brass colored screws get connected to the black and red wires (phase A and B), the silver-colored screw gets connected to the white wire (Neutral), and the green screw gets connected to the bare or green wire (ground). The receptacle you have is made for 240V, you need to run a new cable assembly to it that has a black, red, white, bare. Make sure that you buy the correct wire for the 30 amp circuit (#10). Also make sure oyu have the proper breaker installed in the panel, a 30 amp, 240 (it's a double breaker that takes up 2 slots in the panel, hance the 240 volts).
I have the very same dilemma, and no, this isn't a 240V plug either. I need to use a 120V twistlock in this case to plug into a vibrative generator which seems to shed standard 120V plugs with ease.
I continue to search for this answer, perhaps somebody could leave it here.
Thanks
B
The green powdery corrosion on copper wires is likely due to exposure to moisture or humidity. To cure this, you can clean the affected area with a mixture of vinegar and salt, scrub gently with a brush, rinse with water, and ensure the area is completely dry before reassembling. To prevent future corrosion, seal the wires with a protective coating or wrap them with electrical tape.
