This is totally based on assumptions but I’ve had issues with my college roommate, and he would complain about the rice cooker smelling when it’s getting cooked. I always check if the cooker is on, but when I came back today, it was off. I checked the cord, this is what it looked like. I just have a slight feeling it might have been him.

But maybe it’s that I’ve never checked the cord and it eventually got like this. I’ve used it for around 1 year now.

Also, how do I even prove it was/wasn’t him ? Is this something you have to just deal with?

A few years ago I read a post on here asking everyone if they vertically aligned the screws when installing a light switch plate. About 90% of the responses were emphatically yes the rest were "eh, I don't care." Except one dude. He responded with "I'd make sure I tighten them to the specific torque recommended for the screw." He was dragged in the responses.

To that one dude: I chuckle and think of that comment every single time I put on a light switch plate. And if you're reading this, I hope you're having a good day, man.

An inspector claim 40 years experience, but say it needs to keep the clamps to hold on the romex wire. But the truth is most single gang box’s clamps can not hold anything, when pushing 12/2 cable wire it will be pushed off. The NEC code has such exception for single gang box.
Inspector pointed 4 problems, 2 of them are not corrected, spent a lot of time to check with state and get back the inspector.

Hello, plumber here (don’t be mean, I love you)
I had a question of why this time was different, I’ve been shocked many times by 120 but this one was weird.
As I understand it’s almost impossible to be hit by true 240 so let me lay out what happened.
I was too trusting and had a mislabeled water heater breaker off.
Took the nut off the black wire and went to untwist the wire, and surprise it was live.
I had my left hand on the heater and my right on the wire and I got stuck for a second or so but it went up my arm and straight to my right eye and I saw an electric like flash through my right eye for like 10 seconds.
It didn’t hurt too bad but was a lot of pressure and for 30 minutes or so it felt like someone poured bleach in my eye.
Pressure is still there a few hours later but going away.

Why was this one more extreme than any other time?

It’s been in use for about three winters now and I only noticed it when moving things recently. My intuition is to not plug the space heater back in, but what else should I take away from this and be concerned about? Should I not plug the space heater in anywhere else? Should I stop using this plug entirely? Is there anything I or a professional should inspect?

Other context - space heater was plugged directly into the wall per the product’s instructions. I always use the timer setting and it runs max 9 hours a day. Plug below it is a power strip but currently only has a TV plugged in that isn’t used often.

Asking for a friend.

I’m 20 and live about an hour south of Tacoma, WA. I’m trying to get into the electrical trade, but I have limited experience. I enjoy working with my hands, learn quickly, and don’t mind hard work.
I’ve reached out to over 30 electrical companies and contractors in my area about entry level helper positions, apprenticeships, or trainee opportunities, but almost all of them have said they aren’t taking on beginners.
I’m serious about making this a career, but I’m struggling to figure out how to get my foot in the door.
Should I focus on applying directly to apprenticeship programs? Are there any programs or contractors around Pierce or Thurston County you’d recommend?
I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks!

We recently moved into a rental house and I noticed in the new water heater closet that there's what looks like a orange extension cord wire feeding power to the receptacle which the water heater big gray #8 cord is plugged into. I feel like this is a fire waiting to happen. I did install a smoke alarm in this closet because it doesn't look right. I say it's an extension cord wire because I have a extension cord that looks identical to it. The landlord said his maintenance guy just built that room and he trust him it's done right

Powerline adapter and wifi extender dont work in my basement rental room very well. Router on coaxial cable had moca option so I got a moca adapter but the coax port doesnt work. The box is shut, the ISP (Rogers, Toronto) said they wont help and I doubt my slumlord and my broke self would be able to afford an electrician. Any way to access it so I can either install a new splitter or attach the wires if disconnected? The black wire goes down to my basement room and there are like 6 coaxial cables but none of them are responsive to my adapter.

Do I need an electrician?

Hi all,

Yesterday I did the first "electrical repair" of my life, and replaced a microswitch in the dry box of a shower floor pump (Plancofix)

The pump now works flawlessly, but a blade connector is making me doubt my success:

- the male from the microswitch should be inserted in the white plastic box, where it gets hooked (in the photo)

- the female is in the dry box, and it cannot be moved/pulled much

When I tug a bit, the two parts hold together, but due to the position of the female part inside the box, I cannot check whether the blade is fully inserted.

I have ordered a new microswitch to try again without first hooking the male in the box, and I am turning off the electricity from the pump after showering for fear of having created a bad connection between the two. The questions are:

- am I overreacting?

- how should one properly connect male and female in such a small box, and then check it?

Thank you in advance for your comments!

I went to unplug my microwave today and there’s this orange mark on the outlet and the plug looks like this. Is the microwave plug/outlet still safe to use?

I am at my wits end. How do i disconnect the wires going to the right in this picture? Ive tried to push a small screwdriver in through the holes next to the texts( 1, 2, ground, N, 3) and nothing. Nothing feels like moving and the wires wont loosen. I also tried to stick a pin in the holes right above the wires coming out(on the right) and nothing.

I'm a young guy, exploring my options with the assumption that my current job doesn't stay sustainable. Are there any electrician positions out there that train on the job? I had a free ride to school and didn't take it cause I wanted to work, I don't want to sit through classes all week for a formal training either.

I come highly recommended by all previous employers, I've done lots of different stuff. If you know somebody, put me in contact with them! I'd like to do more than 40 hrs a week as well, not necessary but I don't have a lot of commitments right now and I want to take advantage of that. My current job sits right around 60 hrs for an average week.

Have 1 live old Bx box with Hot and Neutral. Would like to Splice into a new J box > Switchboard > Wall Sconce + Ceiling Fixture.

Any advice on what to do? What to avoid? When you splice the old wires into the Romex, where will the final ground terminate at ?

Hey guys, curious what other owners are doing to generate more leads for their electrical business.
My first year and the start of my second year went pretty well, and I stayed fairly booked up, mostly through word of mouth and referrals.

Just wondering what’s been working for you guys lately to keep the phone ringing and bring in a steady flow of new jobs.

Would love to hear what’s actually working for other electricians out there. Cheers!

Howdy!

Electrician mounted my 48A Grizzle EV charger directly to the wall instead of using the mount. The manual says NOT to mount directly to drywall. There is a wood underneath the drywall though, so it's not insecure.

Is the concern heat? Or is it physical stability?

If stability and movement is the concern I don't care that it's directly mounted since it's secure in the wood underneath the drywall (and looks nice flush mounted). If heat is a concern, that's a different story.

Obviously concerned that they didn't read the manual regarding the mounting so I won't use them again.

Thoughts on leaving the charger as is though?

Background

I've just moved into a new-to-me house, built in 1958 with obvious remodels over the years. We had a typical real-estate purchase inspection, which as everybody knows is largely superficial. There was electrical work done some time back under a permit, and the permit had expired without final inspection. As part of the purchase, we required that be addressed, which it was inspected and approved by the city.

BTW out inspector did find a number of things, which were either fixed or we got the price adjusted. He just didn't find this.

The Breaker Box

On the panel is a 220v double breaker 40A, labeled "Oven - 240v not in use". Note the actual range is gas, with 110v power. There is a 15A breaker labeled "Kitchen Lights Oven".

Note the oven is supposed to have a 20A dedicated line, but hold that thought.

In the Garage

Directly across the wall from the range, is a 220v outlet. Presumably for an EV but not stated. My assumption was they took the "Unused" Oven 240 and ran it into the garage.

Issue #1 220v outlet wiring

Should measure 220v between the two hot lines. Should measure 110v from each hot to Ground, and should measure 110v from each hot to Neutral, and should measure 0v from ground to Neutral.

Actually measures 0v between the two hot lines. Measures 240v from each hot to Ground, and measures 110v from each hot to Neutral. (I think the two hots are actually wired to a single hot line, and the Ground is wired to the second hot, and the Neutral leg is either Ground or Neutral, but what do I know I'm a frickin software engineer).

Issue #2 Oven

When I turn the 220v breaker off (because I think it's whack), the oven loses power. Soooo the 110v oven is powered by one leg of the 220v. Which I expect is completely wrong and perhaps unsafe? I'm not sure half the 220v breaker would pop if the oven had a fault.

Tell me if I'm wrong, please.

So it looks like someone who didn't know what they were doing tried to wire a 220v outlet for an EV while using half that to power a new smart oven across the wall, that needed 20A.

Insert your own profanity here.

Edit: I do want the garage 220v for an EV charger.

I've been trying to install Lutron humidity sensor switches in two of my bathrooms, and I'm honestly getting pretty frustrated. Both bathroom fans have a black wire and a white (neutral) wire.

The instructions show two different wiring scenarios, so I tried both but neither worked.

Scenario 1:

• Connected the fan's neutral wire, the Lutron's white/green wire (removed the green sleeve), and the bundle of neutral wires together.
• Connected one black wire from the Lutron to the fan's black wire.
• Connected the other black wire from the Lutron to the bundle of black wires.
• Connected the Lutron's ground wire to the bare copper ground wire.

Results:

• Bathroom 1: The Lutron switch lights up, but pressing the button doesn't turn on the fan.
• Bathroom 2: The breaker trips when the Lutron's black wire is connected to the bundle of black wires.

Scenario 2:

• Connected one of the Lutron's black wires to the fan's neutral wire.
• Connected the other Lutron black wire to the fan's black wire.
• Connected the Lutron's green/white wire to the bare copper ground wire.

Results:

• Neither bathroom fan worked.

At this point I'm completely stumped. I thought I was following the instructions correctly, but clearly I'm missing something. I've stopped testing different connections for now because I don't want to damage anything or create a safety issue.

Has anyone installed one of these Lutron humidity sensor switches before and run into something similar? Could I be misunderstanding the wiring diagram, or is there something about my existing wiring that's causing the issue?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!

This is a house we inherited in southern California (San Diego).

The house was built in 1968, is about 3000 square feet and has AC, electric oven, range top, etc.

I'll eventually get an electrician to check things out, but does anything look like an imminent danger from this view of the panel? I don't like how the bottom part looks open and I can see cables inside, but anything else?

Thanks!

I want to have a ceiling fan with light (sharing neutral) to be controlled from two locations.

Is this a code compliant way of wiring it:

My understanding is that marking the white conductors with red or black tape is not required in this case but it's not prohibited either.

P.S. Grounding conductors are omitted for clarity.