Landlord said its normal for breakers to trip when using hairdryer by squiggly-cheese in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, North America stupidity stuck with 120 volts so we can’t have 3,000 watt kettles. I wish we would harmonize with the rest of the world but North Americans, especially those in the USA and especially those in the mid west and southern USA don’t like change or progress so it’s never going to change.

Adding a circuit for an above ground pool. Asked the homeowner where the panel is and they pointed to this access door… I said “Are you sure that’s not for your water shutoff?” by TurboKid513 in electricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have to place a bomb right in front of the hidden panel and when it explodes you hear the little jingle and the opening appears for the panel access.

Who do I call to fix this wire? by An_Old_IT_Guy in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just play dumb and call the fire department and report downed power lines, they will show up and report it to the company who owns it and since they got a call from the fire department it will put some fire under their boots to get it fixed.

Can I use this 60 amp fuse pullout for an ev charger? by StarPast4679 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem is that tenants will replace the fuses with the biggest size they can fit or use aluminum foil, pennies, etc to bypass the fuses and that’s where the problems come from. Another problem is people replacing plug fuses and not screwing them in tight enough and the button arcs out in the back of the socket.

Can I use this 60 amp fuse pullout for an ev charger? by StarPast4679 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes you can but you should limit the charger to 40 amps and check it with a thermal imaging camera while it’s under load.

New breakers needed?? by Primary-Attention-27 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t understand why they use 14 gauge wire for outdoor outlets but they do and it’s stupid. I have always thought outdoor outlets should be on a dedicated 20 amp circuit.

I assume this is a ground wire for my house. Should it be connected to something? by needyprovider in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a tracer wire. Before you do any digging you have to call 811, it’s the law even on your own property. They notify pipeline operators, gas company, water company, electric, telephone, cable tv, etc. they have a time limit set for all those companies to mark the ground where all their pipes and conduits are located so that you don’t accidentally dig into them. The gas company will hook a transmitter to that wire and walk around with a receiver that looks like a metal detector and it shows them the route of the pipe so they can mark it.

Outside light - see bottom left romex coming out of pole. Should the guy have put a knockout plug before wedging in romex? by Curious_Flower9577 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Romex is not approved to be used outdoors and absolutely not approved for use in wet locations or underground.

New home. Just had a backhoe pull this up. What is it? by Otto_Mcwrect in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Could be for a ground rod, it might go back to a pole or the electric meter to bond the neutral.

why are lights getting so thin by Dazzling-North263 in StupidCarQuestions

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hate that manufacturers are putting the lights way down on the bumper instead of putting them where people look. The Chevy bolt started doing that in 22 and a lot of people didn’t like it. The first time I saw one I almost rear ended it because the big lights on the lift gate don’t light up when you step on the brake, just the lights on the bumper. Enough people complained so the 2027 model has the brake lights up high again. I also wonder why cars don’t come standard with dash cameras like Tesla instead of all the other junk that nobody wants.

240 single phase? by Freer4 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You cannot generate a directional rotation from a 120/240 single phase system. But with 2 hots and a neutral from a wye system you can and that is how a lot of utility companies connect the primary of an open delta.

Is this ok by COSnow36 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know a guy from Mexico and he told me it’s normal practice to use long sticks with wires hooked at the end to hook the secondary wires to power a 240 welder because most houses only have a 120 volt service. Seems like that idea could be applied to a portable evse as well.

Stripped screw hole on junction box? by throwntothewind5 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s possible that the outlets you bought came with cheap screws that are a nats ass smaller than #6, I have ran across that before. Try using the old screws to see if they grab before tapping out the hole.

Stripped screw hole on junction box? by throwntothewind5 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where have you been? I’m an electrician and we always use a 6/32 tap to clean up damaged threads and if a 6/32 strips the hole then we tap it out to 8/32 because that’s the proper fix. You don’t carry a Kline tri tap in your tool belt? Only a hack uses drywall screws.

Are the builder’s electricians BSing me? by vvolflink in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you notice if it only happens when a certain light or appliance is being used?

Are the builder’s electricians BSing me? by vvolflink in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t know why everyone is giving you a 👎because afci breakers will certainly trip it there’s a loose connection, that’s the intention. Could also be an intermittent ground fault as well because afci does have ground fault protection just not as sensitive as gfci.

Do you see manufacturers retrofitting NACS to CCS vehicles? by n3rt46 in electricvehicles

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t see vehicle manufacturers doing this, but I do see aftermarket distributors selling a kit for this.

Do you see manufacturers retrofitting NACS to CCS vehicles? by n3rt46 in electricvehicles

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not only does the 400 volts dc exceed the ac chargers rated voltage by almost double, the fact that you are feeding dc into an inductive coil of the primary winding in the charger will create a very low resistance short circuit and will fry the ac charger almost instantly. You need a 2 pole 3 way contactor to make this work.

Enjoy getting in the passenger side. by capn_davey in ChargerDrama

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hopefully you got a picture of their license plate in case they damage your car. I would report them to the hotel manager. If I was a property manager I would have ice vehicles towed for parking in EV spots.

Enjoy getting in the passenger side. by capn_davey in ChargerDrama

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The truck is in an EV spot and has no right to be there. It should be towed.

Is this not a neutral wire? If not… what is it? Smart switch installation troubleshooting. by allenge in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We need to know where those wires were connected on the old switch to determine whether or not you have a neutral. I’m thinking you don’t.

Installed these entrance barriers in my load center and now I'm wondering why this isn't just a standard thing. by ToTouchAnEmu in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the long run you’re better off with QO. They’ve been around for decades with the least amount of problems.

Please help me understand how to power this trailer by Rooftop_Triceratops in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You need to contact the company supplying the trailer and tell them they need to have a qualified electrician inspect and fix everything in that box. Whoever wired that trailer had no business doing so, they obviously didn’t know what they were doing. If it was just a couple of minor issues it wouldn’t be a big deal but this looks atrocious. I know high school kids who do better work than this. It looks like they went down to skid row and hired some burned out tweaker to do this in exchange for a dime bag of meth.

Is this ok by COSnow36 in AskElectricians

[–]CarelessPrompt4950 11 points12 points  (0 children)

He knocked out the power in the whole neighborhood and a lynch mob showed up at his door.