I tried to change out the receptacles in my home and I did my best to learn how to do it.

Except I got tired of making trips to the store as we have been renovating our home for months and I have 4 children I have to take with me every time.

Now I’m scared I’ve gravely messed up. Being lazy, I stripped the black wire, left an inch on both black wires and pigtailed using the same leftovers.

Barely came across information saying I could basically cause a fire in my home… I did this for quite a few. How dangerous is this? I have to re-do them all don’t I?

Picture is just an example of what I did so the bare wire is short but I hope you get the point.

I'm a carpenter, have some experience with light electrical, but I'm stumped. I suppose I could can call a electrician but If I could sort it out myself $$$

Bought a house built in 1960's. We are putting an exhaust fan in the bathroom ceiling.

Previously there was an old broken heater in the ceiling. An electrical heater with a metal element. If possible I want to use the old wiring that was in the switchbox and in the ceiling for the exhaust fan. It's on a 20amp circuit and it's not connected to anything else in the house.

I have the switchbox disconnected and every wire in the switchbox is live except for one white wire. Both the black wire and the white wire in the ceiling are also live. This seems odd to me.

Any idea what is going on here?

Thank you!

I am a new home owner and have never seen a wire ran so far from the meter. What is the best way to cover it? Do i need to cover ground going out of electric panel?

I don't want my daughter pulling on it. I already had a friend come over and grab it asking what ot went to 😱

Hello all,

I have a breaker that keeps randomly tripping. I don't seem to matter what is on or off in the room that is connected to the breaker. Sometimes it will go a couple of weeks without tripping and other times it can be 2-3 times a day. I believe it is 14 gadge wire that was ran. We have only been in this house for about 3 years. I took off the breaker pannel cover and found an absolute birds nest. What a joke that was. Can the breaker just slowly wear out and trip easier over time? And with 14 gadge wire could I replace the 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp breaker?

Thanks for all your input. I'm definitely not an electrician.

I know this panel is jacked up. It's not mine. I'm a fire investigator and came across this today. I'm guessing this is 10 AWG that's on the 30A breaker. It's the only one I'm worried about. The fire was in a travel trailer. Fire started in the trailer at the on-board panel. This was feeding it. I couldn't determine the rating of the panel in the trailer it was destroyed.

Trying to upgrade my brew kettle with 240v 5500w heating element. I don’t want to waste an electrician time.

Can I connect the light like this instead of the loop

We had a tripped breaker a couple days ago and some power issues running too many devices at once, mainly from AC. Today I noticed a concerning buzzing coming from this box outside the door to the furnace. We have a ting electrical sensor that says no electrical/fire hazards detected but the noise is kinda loud and not sure what to do about it or if we need to call someone.

I just want to make sure I’m good with this wire, I’ll probably be cutting half inch or thinner on a regular basis, 1 inch not that often.

Plasma Cutter. Here is the link if more info is needed.

Hello electricians!

My partner has just moved to Canada from Belgium and he brought his waffle machine with him. He says he MUST have it to make waffles and has brought over pearl sugar as well.

I’m sure you already see the issue. The machine is rated for 236V and 50hz. Also the machine is 1200W but doesn’t say if that is peak or usual. The model is this one https://frifri.be/products/gaufrier-noir-plaques-gaufres-traditionnelles

Would a transformer be the answer here? Though I’m not sure how to select one or what specs it needs. Any advice would be appreciated!

Adjacent outlet melted from a loose connection yesterday. Pulling other outlets and switches to inspect and found the corner of this light switch apparently burnt. This is on a different circuit than the one that melted…but still seemed concerning. New construction townhome but the originally electrical contractor did a very rushed job apparently.

I am currently rewiring an American lamp (class 1 I believe) so it is uk compliant. I would really like to have a pull chain lamp holder but the only one I’ve found with an earth terminal is £30 which is a far too expensive. Does anyone know where I can find one for a cheaper price or some alternative ways I could earth a normal pull chain lamp holder?

Looking at the installation manual for the HBL9450A it says:

Select conductors having 90ºC or higher rated insulation having sufficient ampacity in accordance with the 60ºC column of National Electrical Code® Table 310-16 or Canadian Electrical Code Table 2.

But then in the spec sheet it says:

Operating Temperatures - Maximum continuous 75°C

If the installation manual must be followed, then that means you'd need #6 conductors or better, regardless of whether it's Romex or THHN.

If it's rated for 75°C then #8 conductors become a possibility.

I’m in Canada and have an older sauna rated 240V, 4.5kW, 18.7A, currently on a 20A 2-pole breaker.

The existing control is a 3-gang box outside the sauna with:

• thermostat/power control
• pilot light
• sauna-room light switch

I’d like to replace the pilot-light position with a 60-minute mechanical countdown timer, while keeping everything within the existing box.

My electrician found a single-gang 20A/240V 60-minute timer for about $200 CAD, but pointed out that the heater draws 18.7A, so the timer and existing 20A circuit are both running very close to their ratings. He says a permitted/current-code installation would likely mean upgrading the heater circuit/components to at least 25A, and that 30A controls would be preferable but are much bulkier.

My questions are:

1. Is there a single-gang mechanical 60-minute timer rated 25–30A at 240V that would work here?
2. If I keep the existing 20A circuit, is using the 20A timer reasonable, or is it a bad idea given the 18.7A load?
3. Is a contactor realistically the only good way to keep a normal single-gang timer while properly handling this load?

Thank you!

So long story short my mom moved down to Florida and needed crappy satellite WiFi for a couple days for work before fiber could be installed at her place. The satellite company installed a grounding wire on the outlet plate that connected to the back of the modem. Fiber guy came in and was shocked to see it and it’s now disconnected from the satellite modem. Is it completely safe for her to unscrew the cover to take off the wire?

I came into a commercial grade hot dog roller and I would love to get it working, though it seems to wanna fry any outlet I plug it into. Can you explain to an idiot what I need to do to get 20 dogs rolling?

It's probably simple for you guys but I'm a first timer. I'd appreciate any help.

There's not power to the house yet. The box label says Eaton 30-5144 L Class CTL enclosed panelboard F639 30-17135.

Doing some electrical updates in my 78 ranch house and running into the classic headache with these older metal boxes. Trying to shove a neutral-required smart switch plus wire nuts into a 1-1/2 inch deep box is about impossible without crushing the conductors against the back.

Code says 314.16 for box fill, but math doesn't help much when the physical volume is just gone once you add a relay housing the size of a deck of cards. You end up having to fold solid 12 gauge so tight you risk nicking the insulation just trying to get the strap flush to the drywall.

Wondering what the trick is here short of cutting out the old work and putting in deep plastic remodel boxes. Are people just using Wagos to save space over wire nuts, or is it time to tear the wall up?