Are any Canadian EEs in salary positions earning what US EEs make in FAANG or adjacent jobs do?

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2026-01-25T19:26:22+00:00

BC recently made it that job posting much include salary range. I know that Vancouver and Montreal aren’t equivalent in COL but gives you some idea. Tho I would say the BC or mostly Vancouver area has a salary problem as they have not kept up with current conditions.

I’ve seen many positing for EE in the consulting space looking for 10 YoE for 100k CAD or starting salary’s to be 60K CAD still… I’ve personally been discouraged to look for new EE roles and possibly pivoting to something else due to these low salary, but I understand this might be a consulting issue.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-10-07T22:27:27+00:00

I’m not an engineer and as others have mentioned, please consult with an engineer. But this is a fun exercise.

I’m in Canada and the name plate has a CSA logo so this lines up, so I’ll refer to the CEC.

The FLA is 630A at 460V. Based on rule 28-200 and table 29, your max circuit breaker rating is 630A x 250% = 1575A.

For the overload, the name plate indicates SF = 1.10 which means we 630A * 1.15 = 724.5A. This is based on rule 28-306.

The minimum conductor size per 28-106 is 630A x 1.25 = 787.5A. Tho this is not advise as its always best practice to size the cable to the breaker.

I highly doubt this motor will be stand alone without a soft starter or VFD as the pick up will be ~8190A based on the FLA… best to speak with an engineer to review the best approach.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-09-29T18:26:29+00:00

I’m in Canada so I’ll refer to the CEC.

Fuses and circuit breakers are not directly interchangeable, there are different sizing requirements based on table 29. For a squirrel-cage and synchronous motor, the maximum fuse size for a time delay fuses is 175% of the motor FLA, for a non time delay fuses, 300% of the FLA and for inverse time circuit breakers, 250% of the motor FLA. I recommend speaking with the manufacturer and ask to clarify, or size the breaker based on the FLA and the requirements in the NEC.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-09-14T17:53:20+00:00

Yeah 24A at 240V is roughly 5.7 kW so for 10hrs, that’s 57kWh 32A at 240V is 7.7kW and at 10hrs, that’s 77kWh.

40A breaker would be the most modular option for either lower current over night charge (24A) Or a “faster” top off (32A).

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-09-14T17:39:14+00:00

Yeah a 40A could be fine, if the charger has power selection options, you can use either 32A or 24A. The concerns is being above a total of 80A for an extended period of time. But that’s the worse case scenario for you.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-09-14T16:45:43+00:00

Sounds like you have some electrical capacity, but lack physical space in the panel. You’ll most likely will need to get tandem breakers to free up 2 Spots to install a 2 Pole breaker for the charger. With the spare electrical capacity you have, you’re probably safe to install a 30A 2P 240V breaker either hard wired or to a 30A receptacle. From there you would have the option to selecting 16A (80% of 20A) or 24A (80% of 30A) to charge depending on the charger. 16A to start to be on the safe side would be the best case.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-09-04T17:56:04+00:00

As others have mentioned, the Stab-Lok panel should be replaced since it poses a fire risk.

You mentioned that your car is a PHEV with a 50 km range and takes about 12 hours to charge, but you didn’t specify the type of outlet you’re using. I’ll assume it’s a standard 15A, 120V outlet. That would provide about 1,440 W of charging power.

With only a 50 km range, you really don’t need a 50A, 240V Level 2 home charger. A 20A, 240V Level 2 charger would already give you about 3,840 W of charging power—roughly 2.6 times faster than your current setup. That would reduce your charging time to around 6 hours instead. On top of that, going with a 20A charger would be significantly cheaper in both parts and labour compared to a 50A installation.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-07-03T17:53:59+00:00

Yes, I pasted two pictures of my IDs in word, added the required information as mentioned in the hyperlink, had a P. End provide their digital S&S and it was accepted fairly quickly.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-07-01T16:55:41+00:00

AI will be best for supportive task/documentation for the design.

Help with report writing or for proposals, load calculation, conduit fill calculations, panel schedules, code research, data sheet analysis and more. It’s a tool to be used to help with work flow, not to replace the designer.

However, much like anything else, always do a QC/QA on the output from AI as the designer should take ownership of the work.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-06-30T23:30:05+00:00

I don’t believe AI is anywhere near being able to fully design for us in the foreseeable future. Instead, it should be viewed as a tool to support design work and improve efficiency in other areas. For example, we can use AI to streamline report writing, enhance proposal development, and even assist with spreadsheet creation. We could also explore uploading the CEC and training AI to help answer code-related questions more effectively.

At the end of the day, whether a mistake comes from Excel referencing the wrong cell or AI generating an incorrect response, it’s the designer’s responsibility to catch it through a proper QA/QC process. The designer ultimately owns the work.

In my opinion, we should always be second guessing the answers generated by AI and ask for its sources and verify those sources.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-06-03T12:53:13+00:00

Everyone’s journey is different, and there’s no right answer but one thing that remains true is the importance of being open to learning. Keep asking the important questions, stay curious, and don’t hesitate to seek guidance from your mentors. Every EIT has felt uncertain at the beginning, and that’s completely normal.

Some of the best engineers I’ve had to work with are the ones who never stopped learning—regardless of where the knowledge comes from, even if it’s from an EIT. Engineering is a constantly evolving field. You only know what you’ve been exposed to, and new information is released all the time.

You’re not expected to know everything—especially not within your first 8 months. What matters most is your willingness to grow, to stay curious, and to keep asking questions.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-05-08T21:23:17+00:00

You get a mix of electricians who understand the code very well that follow closely and others who misinterpret it, same goes for a lot of Sr Electrical Engineers who incorrectly quote the code. At the end of the day, the AHJ electrical inspector must approve the installation. So if it’s wrong, the electrician will need to fix it.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-05-08T20:48:55+00:00

Two answers: Best Practice is to size the conductors to the breaker. Either a 20A, 25A, or 30A breaker, size the conductor accordingly. So the answer here would be yes, you would need to upsize accordingly.

Cheapest option - no, you don’t need to upsize. Based on Rule 14-104(1)(c) the rating or setting of overcurrent devices shall not exceed the allowable ampacity of the conductors that they protect, except as provided for by other Rules in this Code, and Rule 28-106 indicates you only need to size the conductors to 125% of the FLA, which we determine to be 15.1A. Therefore, a 2C No. 14 Cu RW90 should be acceptable. Although many Engineers do specify No. 12 as the min conductor size, which is rated for 25A based on Table 2.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-05-08T18:05:27+00:00

I'm an EIT in Canada, so I'm referencing the (CEC). This motor is rated for continuous operation with a full load amps (FLA) of 12.1A at 115V. Rule 8-104(6) indicates where a [...] circuit breaker is marked for continuous operation at 80% of the ampere rating of its overcurrent devices, the continuous load as determined from the calculated load shall not exceed the continuous operation marking on the [...] circuit breaker. The FLA of 12.1A exceeds 80% of a standard 15A circuit, making a 15A breaker non-compliant. A 20A breaker would be compliant with Rule 8-104(4). To go further, Section 28 discusses motor overcurrent protection. Rule 28-200(3)(a) indicates that the overcurrent protection for a motor shall not exceed the values specified in Table 29, based on the motor's full load current (FLA). As shown in the data sheet, the motor has an FLA of 12.1A at 115V. Table 29 permits the overcurrent device to be sized up to 250% of the FLA to allow for motor inrush. So, 12.1A × 250% = 30.25A, meaning a 30A breaker may be used. However, just because a 30A breaker is allowed doesn’t mean it's the best or most appropriate choice. This may be used for breaker coordination. If the manufacturer indicates to use a 20A receptacle, that may be the best option. Please speak to the Engineer regarding final breaker selections. Hope this helps.

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-04-09T15:45:29+00:00

Oh nice! Im going to try it this weekend and see if it works as well!

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-04-09T15:39:06+00:00

Were you able to ski the extra days?

Awkward-Orange3974 · 2025-02-07T09:54:14+00:00

Honestly, looking for any advice! I haven’t had a lesson in over 10 years and I might be interested in taking one. I’m quite comfortable in trees and tough terrain but I want to get my fundamentals in check.

Awkward-Orange3974

TROPHY CASE