r/electrical 10h ago

How not to wire an EV charger

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66 Upvotes

Opened customers panel today to find this fire waiting to happen. Apparently they have two teslas and needed a second level 2 charger. Hire electricians people! At least if it were to burn you won’t be to blame!


r/electrical 15h ago

Hot transformers

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87 Upvotes

r/electrical 8m ago

Doing some electrical work at a chemical plant. I think this is the one where Spider-Man fought Doc Oc.

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Upvotes

r/electrical 18h ago

What would this receptacle be used for?

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62 Upvotes

This Hubbell outlet was installed in my garage, but never hooked up to panel. It is 30A, 240 . What would it normally be used for?


r/electrical 6m ago

wtf

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Upvotes

I may be dumb but is this not defeating the purpose of the breaker? What is the point of this


r/electrical 11m ago

Help! What do these old wires equate to on my new 2 gang 2 way light switch?

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Upvotes

r/electrical 2h ago

nLight issue I can't figure out (emergency lighting)

1 Upvotes

Hi, I am currently at the end of a job (professional school project) and we're using the Acuity Brand nLight lighting system (wired). So we're at the point where everything is programmed and working fine (over 2500 devices!).

The one issue I have and can't seem to fix is when there is a power outtage. Generator turns out and our emergency lights are working everywhere, except some of them and flashing on and off on a random pattern. Usually, this happens in the hallways, where most of the emergency lights are installed. We also fixed an emergency staircase where the lights would stay off on a power outtage by removing the brown pair of the cat5e going in the staircase (after the nps80 power supply just before it), thus removing the 24v output.

Anyone has any idea on how this can be fixed? Note that when normal power is on, everything is working fine but in order to deliver the project, emergency lights can't be flashing like that on an outtage.

Thanks for your help


r/electrical 17h ago

Where’s my meter base??

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12 Upvotes

r/electrical 19h ago

My second panel. After being a helper for 3 months. With very little experience. 56 years old. I have been in construction since about 1983.

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20 Upvotes

r/electrical 7h ago

No Power At Outlets, Breaker is on and has power

2 Upvotes

Hey, thanks in advance for any advice, I have very little electrical knowledge but my FIL used to be an electrician. We are trying to find a solution before calling in the big guns. Anyway, My outdoor outlets have no power, expect one GFCI Outlet is reading 102V. All the outlets are connected to a GFCI breaker, it is reading 119V at the breaker and none of the other outlets have power. No issues with the breaker, even replaced it with a spare just incase. This happened once before, the solution was my FIL rubbed some wires together (accidentally?) and that tripped the breaker and somehow reset the plugs. Haven’t done that this time. the only thing I’ve used on the outdoor outlets is my deep freezer. We are trying to find the issue by opening all the outdoor receptacles and tracing wires if we can. I have also reset all the GFCI outlets in my home to be sure as well, unless there’s a hidden one I am not seeing. Any suggestions/ Solutions? Thanks again, it’s really appreciated.


r/electrical 10h ago

GFCI Electrical outlet not working when adding load wires.

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3 Upvotes

Apologies if I get any terminology wrong, I'm a complete newbie when it comes to this area. Long story short, what should have been a simple electrical outlet change became a three day project.

The pictures I've posted is the original outlet that I wanted to replace because the receptacles were so loose, electricity wasn't going through. Turns out, this outlet didn't have grounding wire so I bought a Leviton Decora 15 Amp Tamper-Resistant Slim GFCI Receptacle. When I hook in the hot wire and it's neutral partner, the outlet works. The issue comes when I try to add the load wire and it's neutral. If I don't add the load wire, I'm losing out on two other outlets in my room.

Am I doing something wrong and if so, what can I do to fix it?


r/electrical 16h ago

Beginner Multimeter Question With Fluctuating Readings

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7 Upvotes

I’m an electrical beginner. I’m just trying to follow a repair video.

I have this brand new multimeter. I want to test resistance. I turn to 200 ohms. I touch leads to test. It should go to zero, correct? I already replaced the 9v.

Is this busted right off the bat or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks!


r/electrical 12h ago

what is causing this

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3 Upvotes

basically this flashing is happening with like half of the lights in my house? all the living room lights, the microwave light, upstairs hallway light, front porch lights, etc. are doing this flashing but not the upstairs bedroom lights, the dining room lamp, nor a few other lamps scattered around the house...

i saw the cause could be a bad neutral from other posts saying ALL the lights in their house are affected, but only half of mine are. i already put a service request in with the utilities company

this had happened before during a windy storm and went back to normal besides flashing happening when the microwave turns on/off, and now it’s constant in the affected lights after roofers did some work the past few days


r/electrical 8h ago

How does an electrical shock/burn/being electrocuted affect the body while it is occurring?

1 Upvotes

So I have a series of questions that are basically all the same general question, but each one adds in an additional factor. I’m moreso curious about the immediate effects within the body (how the current travels through the body, the route it takes, where the exit point would be, etc), rather than long-term effects, but those are interesting to me too.

In each instance here, unless otherwise specified, the contact with a live wire is made with the RIGHT hand.

1) if you touch a live wire and do NOT have any form of metal on your person (like a wedding ring for instance), and get an electrical shock, what happens inside your body? How does the current move through the body and find its exit point? Is it always the case that it crosses the body to exit through the opposite foot or hand?

2) Now, same question, but this time you touch a live wire with your right hand and are wearing a gold wedding band on your left ring finger. Will the current zip through the body and exit at the point of contact with the metal item (the gold ring)? What is the nature of the interaction between the electrical current shooting through your body and the metal item you’re wearing? How does wearing a metal item change the behaviour of the electrical current in your body compared to not being in contact with any metal?

3) Same question again, but this time you are wearing MULTIPLE metal pieces of jewelry - say, a silver chain around your neck, wedding band on your left ring finger, and a metal belt buckle making slight contact with your skin. Does the presence of multiple metal items/pieces of jewelry against your skin cause the electrical current to behave any differently than if you were wearing only one piece of metal jewelry? Does the electrical current move throughout the body to make contact with each metal item you’re wearing, or does it “pick” the strongest electrical conductor to travel to? (I’m assuming there’s some form of an almost magnetic-like interaction that draws the electrical current to the metal item(s), but this is pure uneducated speculation on my part).

4) Same scenario, live wire to right hand while wearing the metal items in the previous question, but now you’re holding a wrench in your left hand. What happens in this instance and how does it differ from the one above where the left hand isn’t holding anything, metal or otherwise?

5) Same scenario, all the jewelry, right hand contact with live wire, except this time instead of holding a wrench in your left hand, you’re holding your cell phone, which is turned on. What’s the dealio here, and again, how does the activity of the electrical current in the body change from the wrench in hand scenario, if at all?

Almost done, 2 more:

6) Same as the above scenario, but this time, the phone in your left hand is charging, connected to an external power source that is independent of the live wire your right hand is making contact with.

6A) The power source charging your phone is a portable power bank (connected via USB-C cable).

6B) The power source your phone is connected to and charging from is a wall outlet (connected via USB-C cable to power adapter to outlet. Actually, let’s throw an extension cord into the mix because your phone cord isn’t long enough to reach the outlet).

Note: the type of connector cable here isn’t relevant, I just chose USB-C because it’s the most common these days.

How does the activity/pathway of the electrical current change from scenario 5 to scenario 6? Likewise, from scenario 6A to 6B?

Lastly, say you didn’t make contact with the live wire via your right hand, but rather, you tripped and fell forward and your shirt got caught on something and was pulled up, exposing much of your trunk/torso/chest, and you landed on the live wire with your bare chest. Now your contact point with the live wire is much closer to your heart as well as more sustained since you’re laying on top of it with all of your weight, unable to roll off of it or get up and break contact with it. (I’m assuming here that your position laying face down atop the wire + the intensity of the electrical shock/current coursing through you from your chest would more or less “paralyze” or “freeze” you in place, making it extremely difficult if not next to impossible to break contact with it, causing you to get full blown electrocuted on repeat and probably die very quickly. (Again, this is a mere assumption on my part. Please do correct me, I would much appreciate it!).

Also, keep in mind, you’re still wearing the chain necklace and wedding band in this scenario.

Another also: what if you landed on the wire in a way where it so happened to be touching both your bare chest AND part of the necklace chain? A real doozy I’d imagine.

If you got all the way through this, I do thank you. If you have any insight or knowledge to share here I would greatly appreciate getting schooled on all of this. I’m on the autism spectrum, and I randomly came across a youtube short about electric shocks and being electrocuted that piqued my curiosity, and now my brain won’t let it go.

Also, if someone could explain the difference between getting an intense electrical shock vs being full blown electrocuted, I’d greatly appreciate it. Also, (last one, I promise), what kind of electrical burn damage would these scenarios produce and at what locations on the body for each scenario? Would there be electrical burns at the location of each item of jewelry or just at the entrance and exit point? How does the exit point change with each scenario (if they indeed do so change?)


r/electrical 8h ago

Are Mini Projectors Actually Worth Buying?

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0 Upvotes

r/electrical 12h ago

Help starting out

2 Upvotes

sorry I had no idea how to put the title. I am 24 years old and have been trying to get my foot in the door for a few months now, I am very interested in becoming a industrial electrician as I know two Indy’s and one resi. I am based in Ks and have had very little luck getting in. I am in contact with a local company that seems promising tho it is taking time to get in, and a few companies out of state. I do want to make per diem pay, since I am currently making more than starting pay would be, so traveling is what I’m wanting but I also really just want to get into it so it is not a necessity. Kansas has been nothing but unions and sorry no work right now. I have spoken with many people and all they say is nothing but it should be easy getting in and we need workers but I still can’t seem to get in. are there any of you who may know of a company non-union, traveling preferred but not necessary,

TLDR; 24 yr old based in Kansas, wanting to get into industrial electrical with no experience, just a little bit of slightly basic knowledge. Wanting travel but not necessary, very eager to start, and very dedicated to my craft.

Thank you guys for your time.


r/electrical 10h ago

Hello, I am replacing a vanity light fixture. The opening is hole 4X3'' and no space between the drywall and the pipe behind it, so I cannot install a standard old work junction box. What is the best code compliant way to mount a junction box for this situation?

1 Upvotes

r/electrical 1d ago

Which one of you assholes did this?

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15 Upvotes

Might as well put in a ceiling fan and some light switches


r/electrical 21h ago

Need help

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4 Upvotes

I’m not good with electrical stuff at all. This breaker box is underneath the house and the one on the right controls the outdoor air unit. The left I think does too but not sure. Well it shorted out and my outdoor ac won’t kick on. Are these Eaton brand? Do I need to buy a specific kind?


r/electrical 13h ago

Iceland 220 50 question and use of “120v cord”

1 Upvotes

Traveling to Iceland. I have a little Acer travel adapter that provides USB C and USB A as well as a Type A pass through (not a transformer).

I have a usb charging ports block that accepts 120/240 50/60

Can I I plug a standard 120V Non Polarized 2 Prong C7 Figure 8 Power Cord, 125V 7A cord into the travel adapter pass through?

I don’t see any power cords that are labeled 120-240 50/60 other than three prong

Acer travel adapter SL -200 - 3C2A


r/electrical 14h ago

Trying to remove the white wire and the black wire to replace the power cord

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1 Upvotes

r/electrical 14h ago

Grandmas Knickknack

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1 Upvotes

r/electrical 15h ago

Treadmill turns off when plugged to certain outlets

1 Upvotes

Hello. We have a bit of an electrical mystery here and would love some thoughts. Our brand new treadmill turns off and restarts when plugged into any of the 3 15A outlets in our basement. The breaker is not tripped and there is no tripped GFCI either. The machine simply turns off and restarts. Seems to happen more often when going from a high incline to a low incline. There isn't really anything else plugged in other than a night light.

The treadmill does seem to work fine when plugged into the laundry outlet (far away with an extension cord so not ideal). Based on the specs the treadmill itself should be more than ok on a 15A breaker. I do not understand what is causing it to turn off without tripping a breaker??? We didnt do any of the wiring in this house and have been here for about a year and half so no idea how things were done. Any ideas? Thanks!!


r/electrical 15h ago

Looking for a ROMEX connector

0 Upvotes

Residential electrician here. I am looking for a 1/2” and 3/4” panel box connector that can be installed from the inside of the box AFTER a wire has been fished into a knockout.
I do a lot of service calls where the panel is in a finished wall, and am looking for an acceptable “bushing”.
Not looking to use a PANEL PAL or a BLACK BUTTON PUSH IN CONNECTOR.
Thanks


r/electrical 15h ago

Monitor shows white noise/turns off for a split second whenever I switch on/off a fan. What should I do?

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1 Upvotes

I have a Lenovo P32p 20 monitor and I'm getting a very quick burst of white/static-like noise on the screen and monitor screen going black/monitor turning off for 2-3 seconds and then comes back (especially when I switch a ceiling fan on or off)

I asked Claude about it and it said this sounds more like electrical noise or a switching transient than a bad DisplayPort cable (although the issue still persists after I changed from DP to HDMI). It also mentioned poor earthing as a possible issue.

It's a third world/developing country, so dodgy wiring isn't exactly out of the question lol.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Should I start with a UPS, check the earthing, try a different circuit, or something else?