[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Electrical advice thread (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 11/18/2015 12:30:10 PM EDT
| Laid up in a hospital bed for a few days. Here is your chance to ask a licensed electrician your questions. I don't have my code book with me so I may not be able to answer every question. |
|
Feel free to peruse this thread I started Wiring a basement for electricity I've decided to ditch re-running the two extra circuits. I may do that eventually, but now, I'm only focused on the new one for the outlets.
As for an actual question, what kind of damage can voltage drop do? I'm looking at adding 25 feet to a 50 foot 20 amp circuit that is run with 12 gauge romex. The calculators I've looked at say you can only stay within 3% of 120v up to like 52 feet. Beyond that, you need 10 gauge. What would you do in reality? |
|
Quoted:
This one I don't know Quoted:
Quoted:
Why is a single leg of 480, 277 instead of 240? This one I don't know It has to do with the phases only being 120* apart instead of 180* in a single phase (technically two phase) system. Looks like I gave you something to research 
|
|
Quoted:
Assume you have an older home with 2 wire service Code says the blk wire goes to brass screw, white wire to silver screw If someone reversed those wires on an outlet or switch somewhere in the house, would it be a problem in anyway? Yes. Reversed polarity will screw with some of your electronics |
I think you missed mine  Is voltage drop a significant problem? I'm looking at adding 25 feet to a 50 foot run of 12/2 NM Romex on a 20 amp circuit. Online calculators show that beyond 52 feet, voltage drop is over 3% and say you should move up to 10/2 which is then good for like 73 feet. What do you say in reality?
|
|
Quoted:
May be better to just add another sub panel Quoted:
Quoted:
My 200 amp panel is full. How many spaces can I put double breakers in? What's the downside to this? What other options do I have? May be better to just add another sub panel How much does that cost? |
|
Quoted:
My 200 amp panel is full. How many spaces can I put double breakers in? What's the downside to this? What other options do I have? New panel boards/residential panels are made now with up to 72 or some maybe IIRC 84 circuits. Easy 4 hour job to change your box and have 20-30 spares. |
|
Quoted:
I think you missed mine Is voltage drop a significant problem? I'm looking at adding 25 feet to a 50 foot run of 12/2 NM Romex on a 20 amp circuit. Online calculators show that beyond 52 feet, voltage drop is over 3% and say you should move up to 10/2 which is then good for like 73 feet. What do you say in reality?I typically try to stay within that 3% voltage drop however anything around 75' or more I start to worry about it |
|
Quoted:
How much does that cost? Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
My 200 amp panel is full. How many spaces can I put double breakers in? What's the downside to this? What other options do I have? May be better to just add another sub panel How much does that cost? Not sure what Home Depot is charging |
|
Quoted:
I typically try to stay within that 3% voltage drop however anything around 75' or more I start to worry about it Quoted:
Quoted:
I think you missed mine Is voltage drop a significant problem? I'm looking at adding 25 feet to a 50 foot run of 12/2 NM Romex on a 20 amp circuit. Online calculators show that beyond 52 feet, voltage drop is over 3% and say you should move up to 10/2 which is then good for like 73 feet. What do you say in reality?I typically try to stay within that 3% voltage drop however anything around 75' or more I start to worry about it You need to tell him what the actual load is on that 20a breaker. Get well soon Sparky |
|
Quoted:
You need to tell him what the actual load is on that 20a breaker. Get well soon Sparky Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I think you missed mine Is voltage drop a significant problem? I'm looking at adding 25 feet to a 50 foot run of 12/2 NM Romex on a 20 amp circuit. Online calculators show that beyond 52 feet, voltage drop is over 3% and say you should move up to 10/2 which is then good for like 73 feet. What do you say in reality?I typically try to stay within that 3% voltage drop however anything around 75' or more I start to worry about it You need to tell him what the actual load is on that 20a breaker. Get well soon Sparky In the summer, the attic fan pulls about 5 amps peak. Other than that, the only time that circuit sees action is when I'm in the attic and turn on a light. I plan on attaching a network switch to it. So, peak amperage will never be over 6 or 7 amps. |
|
Is this legal?
I originally installed a double gang metal box with a #8 run for some future thing (actually a kiln) but never bought one. So I ordered a heater the other day and needed to run some conduit up to the corner of the garage. I went to a couple stores and couldn't find a box extension that would fit the double gang switch box pattern. So....... I bought another box and tapped the back of it for the screw pattern I needed. Put in a box connector and ran the #8 through my makeshift extension. It is basically an extension but not open to the rest of the original box, just used one of the 3/4" knockouts. In the end it looks like below. 8/3 run in the wall to an original metal box with a box connector then ran it through a second metal box to get an extension. 
|
|
I have a real question:
My outdoor shop lights went T.U. so now I need new ones. What I would like is motion activated LED lights. My set up is that there are three lights on one switch, do I buy one light that is motion activated and that turns on all three lights? If so which fixture gets the motion sensor? Or do I put a motion sensor in each fixture? what brand of light fixture should I use? |
|
Quoted:
Is this legal? I originally installed a double gang metal box with a #8 run for some future thing (actually a kiln) but never bought one. So I ordered a heater the other day and needed to run some conduit up to the corner of the garage. I went to a couple stores and couldn't find a box extension that would fit the double gang switch box pattern. So....... I bought another box and tapped the back of it for the screw pattern I needed. Put in a box connector and ran the #8 through my makeshift extension. It is basically an extension but not open to the rest of the original box, just used one of the 3/4" knockouts. In the end it looks like below. 8/3 run in the wall to an original metal box with a box connector then ran it through a second metal box to get an extension. <a href="http://s105.photobucket.com/user/w33b8t1/media/Garage/CBCCFCB4-A100-4E6C-BF33-97071B7BF52C_zpsmtzcwe6f.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/w33b8t1/Garage/CBCCFCB4-A100-4E6C-BF33-97071B7BF52C_zpsmtzcwe6f.jpg</a> <a href="http://s105.photobucket.com/user/w33b8t1/media/Garage/20F731F9-373E-422B-AE93-443C8027ECF5_zpsr8u6tg3c.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m221/w33b8t1/Garage/20F731F9-373E-422B-AE93-443C8027ECF5_zpsr8u6tg3c.jpg</a> No. You need an extension ring |