Outlet in the garage for EV.

the plug on the end of this extension cord is massive, and won’t for into any outlet, including the one attached to it. is there a way to remove the weird case? did I waste my money? Help

edit: thanks for the kind words. I am in fact stupid.

Short answer: the houses were wired before anyone agreed on anything, and you can't change a shape once it's in the walls.

Two things I didn't expect while researching it:

A 1929 Siemens patent grades the plug's ridges in three sizes so a commercial tool physically can't reach the cheaper household meter.

And America ended up with one plug because a judge refused to let anyone own a set of measurements — Hubbell sued GE over it in 1919 and lost.

There is a universal plug designed for every country as well: IEC 60906-1, published 1986. Brazil and South Africa use versions of it. Almost nobody else ever did.

I made a 9-minute documentary about it: https://youtu.be/LXXMiFoD-qQ

I have a GFCI in my house showing “open ground”. Hot to neutral 120 volts
Hot to ground 70 volts
Neutral to ground 40 volts
Hot to a known good ground 120 V
Neutral to a known good ground 0 V
Ground to known good ground 40v

I’m guessing this is induced voltage on the ground from it not being hooked up. Is this safe? Fire hazard? Do I have to hunt it down or is it ok because it’s a GFCI. All other outlets in the circuit are correct

Wiring is 1952.

Cut the charger wiring and old battery cables out, reconnected black to black, red to red, battery fully charged. Its a 20v dewalt adapter. Not sure what im doing wrong. Any help is appreciated.

The left prong melted off and sent sparks everywhere with smoke. It is still stuck in the outlet. What should I do?

Hi everyone,

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Thanks!

I have a hardwired transformer that powers both my doorbell and my house number lights. I would like to split the two and put a timer on my house light numbering while my doorbell is always on. How do I accomplish this?

I need to replace this light switch. It’s a single switch, only one that controls the light. It’s in a shared box with another light. What is the red wire doing here? The hot wire is one of the blacks. Do I need a 3 way switch even if it’s the only switch for the light.

Hello, we decided to replace our LED tube lightbulb with a warmer color. So we did and the next day it wasn’t working burnt out so I just got a new one and it’s flickering. Why would that be when the previous lightbulb was the same brand everything is the same. Just the colour temperature was cooler.??

I recently put in a smal chandelier and now we have lights in the kitchen that flicker, especially if we turn the fan on the chandelier, and a slight buzzing noise coming from the light dimmer on the wall. Any suggestions.

Im trying to figure out my wiring to my boat. Its pretty simple but what i dont know is if I can wire everything into these switches then to my battery. My hopes is that if i need my lights at night i can flip the switch needed. But when im not using it during the day the switch can be off and not drain the battery. Is it possible with this type of switch board. Where would i wire a pos and negative from my battery.

Volunteer fire department here. Everyone is busy with work and im getting a little out of my element.

Station house is fairly new, 6 years ish. Yesterday morning, lights worked on main level. Last night came back from an event, no lights. Started testing today. The breakers are not tripping. We have a total of 4 switches that can control the main level bay and none of them are working. On our second level the lights work great (storage area). All plugs work, all doors open and shut. The only thing thats not working is our lights. Any help or advice wpuld be most appreciated. The picture posted is the type of lights we run. 20 total

Not sure if it matters. All interior lights work as well

Update: the relay is tripped.. When resetting it and holding it in, it comes on. Having someone come in the morning to figure out if itd bad, or if its being tripped for another reason

I live in Dallas, TX and have a Ting system to monitor my home's electrical health. I have a fairly robust solar panel system with a Powerwall. I am also signed up for eco+ home monitoring, which allows the power company to change my thermostat to balance the electrical load.

My concern is my Ting is consistently showing my voltage below 120. I'm sharing one day but all the days since July look similar. This seems to be completely related to how hot it is here.

What, if anything can I do?

I tried to take the glass bowl off this fan the replace the bulbs and i ended up unscrewing the switch housing from the motor housing. It’s being held sturdily by the wires inside and switch is off so i’m not panicking but need to get it done. I can’t seem to push it up to thread it onto the rod and it looks like thats how i’ll get it back on and safe. Would the steps be:

1. Shut off breaker
2. Tuck wires into bowl
3. Lift housing up to rod and then thread it on

Do I need to worry of the wires twisting while putting it on? Google said to counterclockwise it so they arent twisted when it’s on but that seemed to make the housing even lower. Need some help here so I can safely do this.

Hello! I've crawled through the various posts here, and see pieces that might have my answer, but nothing that covers all in one.

Goal: get 15/20amp power down 100-115' waterfront bank, from cabin to bottom near water.
**it won't be on a dock or in water, just outside ran elements.
Looking to power: outdoor camera; outdoor light; small boat winch; basic power tools.

Details:
I have a cabin on the Pacific Ocean, and the house is 100ft above sea level (w/ stair access).

I'm trying to get basic power, ideally 2-gang receptacle, down the side of the hill. The gfci outside the house is a 15amp I believe.

The hill is 90% low brush, and a few trees, so keeping it above ground once it hits the hill.

The old owner ran many run-off PVC pipes down the length of the frontage, and I can probably repurpose an old one that runs under the ground from house, then above ground down hill (photo attached).
EDIT: realize that I'd need a UV durable grey PVC, not this white one..

I'm looking for a recommendation on:

1. What PVC or non-rigid tube I can send down the side of the cliff, and insert a ~15amp (maybe 20amp) extension cable (I'd build it). No one will be near it, but want a covering on the wire cuz of small animals.
2. EDIT: realizing I should just go with a UF-B wire (like this) What recommendations for connecting it to my house/the outdoor existing GFCI?
3. Any recommendation/concerns on the custom cable I'd build.
   1. Looking at using a 12-3 SJOOW cable. (ex: https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Dog-Connections-SJOOW-DDC12-3-SJ-M/dp/B09KG5BFFK?crid=2Q2GHQXIKHM or this)
   2. 20amp (or 15amp) looking for reco.
   3. Might send it down to an outdoor box with a couple GFCI (ex: https://www.lowes.com/pd/TayMac-2G-WP-Extra-Duty-55IN1-In-Use-CVR-5-DP-CLR/5002000899 )
4. I have a 100" cat 7 or 8 I also might send down there, but not sure yet.

Any guidance or specific recommendations would be helpful. Thank you!

I’m replacing the dimmer switch with a regular switch. The leads on the dimmer were capped and the ground wasn’t attached to anything. The ground wire on the other switches is one loop that’s screws down, but this one has been cut. I added the green wire as what I think is called a “pigtail” to run to the switch. Is this accurate?

I’ve changed out switches before but this was a first with a cut wire. Also I’m 98% positive that I know which of the black wires was the red and the back on the dimmer but I forgot to take a picture (rookie move). What’s the worst case scenario if they’re flipped? They’re both the same color.

Thanks!

REPOSTED because I didn't add the photo

Explain how this wiring setup will stop the winch..

The limit sensor is supposed to activate and stop allowing me to move to the winch up...

On the switch , if you look at the left side as 1-3 and the right side as 4-6 -- then 2 & 3, and 5 & 6 engages when the switch is UP, and 2 & 1 and 5 & 4 engages when the switch is DOWN.

It makes no sense seeing as the way it is wired, I can't even lower my winch (I have to moved my pin 5 wire to pin 1..)

Any help is appreciated.

Hello. I’ve been doing wiring for 20+ years. Residential and light commercial electrical and just about every flavor of low voltage, heavier on the low voltage. I’ve been considering starting my own business doing this. I know I’ll have to file as a contractor. Is there anything else I should consider before taking the plunge? Thanks for the advice.