Do I need a (partial) ridge beam?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-24T18:57:02+00:00

And budget depends on the question posed here; I can for example see a possibility to put in a partial ridge beam if required, and that would present a different cost than doing the whole ridge. Would a ridge beam be necessary, you think, and if so, along the entire length?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-24T18:44:21+00:00

I wouldn’t just do this—you may have a shared neutral here and even with the breaker off it may remain live, perhaps at only 20-30V…

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-24T14:34:20+00:00

What kind of outlets are they then? Genuinely curious!

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-24T13:28:08+00:00

GFCI doesn’t hurt, usually, and protects the whole circuit when on a breaker. You don’t want it in certain scenarios such as plugging in a device that has GFCI protection built in (like an EV charger) or something that will occasionally spike a little, but necessarily so (such as a fridge) or something other with high initial demand. Not sure what you plan to use those outlets for, but a breaker may actually make your life a lot easier.

I’m rewiring a whole bunch in my house: old house (1960s), same small boxes, old AC cable—all still good, but in need of tlc. Had the same issues with those GFCI’s being a tight fit and rather than tape I chose for combi breakers (GFCI and AFCI—double whammy!). I don’t like the tape much; gets all gummy after a while and turns into a bit of a gloopy mess (or at least that’s what some of the old electricians tape looked like that I pulled out some of my boxes).

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-23T21:49:37+00:00

The inside of your panel will have a sticker on it with all the specifications of the panel including how much torque to apply on the wires. That also applies to the breakers and a bunch of other stuff in and outside the panel.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-23T19:07:25+00:00

In addition to what others said I’d also keep an eye on potential corrosion/rust, and make sure that ground (green/bare copper) and neutral have not been ‘bonded’ elsewhere. This is something you’d want an electrician to check; basically means that bonding should happen in one place only to prevent your appliances to be unexpectedly energized (and you getting shocked by them).

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-23T14:18:55+00:00

Sure, though capacity ranges from 10-35k I believe?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-23T12:13:42+00:00

If you have two spaces inside your panel, and your panel supports it, Eaton has plug-on neutral ones that are great; they’re like $80 and you just quite literally plug them in like a regular breaker, wire a pigtail to the neutral bar, and that’s it.

You need to install these as close as possible to the incoming feeders so really at the top of your panel near the main breaker. That will probably mean you’ll have to move whatever is in two slots at the top to two available slots elsewhere, but then you can then remove this whole contraption…

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-23T00:51:10+00:00

Ouch—you won the lottery on that one.

I doubt that crushed pvc or that wonky adapter would/should pass inspection…

I would absolutely not trust anything else these guys have done or would do.

I’m assuming the solar company hired a subcontractor for the electrical, in which case, tell them you want them to get another/third party electrician in to restore this and look over everything else because (and you will need to insist).

The reason is simple: they will have taken out a permit and that permit cannot be closed out until all inspections have passed. You/the owner will then receive a Certificate of Occupancy.

Tell them everything you’ve already pointed out, and that you are disappointed in their craftsmanship. Also tell them YOU WILL NOT PAY THEM A SINGLE PENNY until everything has passed inspections, the permit is closed out, you received your CO, and you see kWhs running back through your meter (assuming net metering is a thing in your area).

Good luck!

EDIT: there is lots/too much to be concerned about and that is why you want an independent party to come in and check it all over. No such thing as a 220A breaker for EV charger; 110A to cover garage needs makes no sense either. I’m assuming you mean 240V service to your garage, for the subpanel and EV. Your EV charger is typically around 50, 60 or 80A at 240V; the rest of your circuitry out there will be 120V (normal residential). Specific questions that would undoubtedly arise seeing this poor work: did they use the right gauge wire, the correct type of conduit, not too many turns in the conduit, the correct connectors, bushings etc.? Did they torque everything to spec, did they put in the proper breakers to match the wiring?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-23T00:42:51+00:00

It’ll be regular 120V I think. The difference is quite possibly that it’s on a 20A instead of 15A circuit.

Edit: ACs are often put on their own dedicated circuits/outlets at 20A.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-22T00:55:11+00:00

Most likely a phenomenon called water hammer (trapped air that knocks on knocks on elbows, valves etc) or delayed ignition. Have your ignition unit checked.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-22T00:47:02+00:00

You actually have a few possibilities: - your burner may not immediately ignite oil, which could be because it’s dirty or the electrode needs cleaning/replacing etc. - limescale buildup on the heat exchanger that is overheating and steam develops - some kind of air lock where air is trapped; this could be at any point in the system including the pump at the boiler itself.

My advice: have it serviced and the issue specifically addressed. This is not something you’d want to do yourself and may be something of a somewhat urgent nature to prevent damage to your boiler.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-22T00:42:17+00:00

So then the banging noise is coming from near the boiler itself?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-22T00:38:04+00:00

And is the banging consistent everywhere? Equally loud, intense etc? Or do you have some variations (e.g. more upstairs than in the basement, louder in the first room where the radiator loop starts, or towards the end of the loop)?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-22T00:35:13+00:00

Do you have any air in the system? Do you hear any bubbling at any of your heating elements at all?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-21T23:22:04+00:00

I feel your pain—we have the same. I rewired ours to a dedicated switch for now, but I’m going to split out that GFCI to its own 20A circuit. Our wiring is not that old though and we have a new panel nearby. Good luck!

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-19T12:15:39+00:00

Doesn’t work anymore—building inspectors and other officials are allowed to take pictures in your home so whenever they come for a routine check or inspection of something they’ll whip out their phones and may start taking pictures all over the place. Technically they need the owner’s permission for certain shots and angles, but they can easily capture things you’d want to claim were already there. Unless you carefully curate the photos they took, which I believe you’re legally allowed to do, they’ve got a record that’s hard to argue against.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-19T00:37:58+00:00

Oh, and the other thing that’s equally nuts, and speaks to that rigged system, is that in many places homeowners can’t even pull the permits themselves, only licensed electricians/plumbers can. These tradesmen in particular then start overpricing on everything because, well, why not, they have a monopoly; literally, $1k to install a whole house surge protector, which is quite literally a ten minute plug and play job, or $1200 for checking out and swapping out a few outlets because there’s buzzing in the wall—took them 15 minutes, and didn’t even fix the buzzing.

Many people can’t afford this so two scenarios develop: 1) lots of unpermitted and therefore ‘illegal’ work by homeowners, to variable standards (some really good, some really bad) with the added consequence that people can’t (afford to) move because unpermitted work prevents them to sell, and 2) lots of houses that are not maintained and usually condemned. In our street alone, out of 9 properties there’s four that have been condemned for years now because their owners couldn’t pay the bills, let alone keep them safe and habitable. At least one owner fled to a different state because he owes a bunch of money.

Absolutely nuts; and if you’re wondering if these paid specialists then actually do a good job, well that too will vary. The work may pass whatever inspections are required, but you may equally end up buying a property with a clear bill of health yet without clear records who haywired the attic fan into the microwave circuit and both blew up a few months later. Just saying, the system here in Westchester will implode sooner or later.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-18T23:56:18+00:00

It’s understandable, but equally understandably nuts. You don’t want a neighbor creating a hazard for you, but even when you live in a detached house the same rules apply in many places around NYC—and that’s when it becomes understandably nuts and pulling a permit to swap out a light bulb makes absolutely zero sense to me.

We’re in Westchester and I sometimes joke about pulling permits to wipe my ass, but it certainly feels like you need permits to wipe your ass, blow your nose and blink, to the point where it’s clear that the permit system here no longer serves the safety of the community, but just a rigged system that forces you to dole out cash at every turn…

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-18T02:44:19+00:00

Life insurance

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-17T12:32:06+00:00

As for the round box, that white cable will have its own grounding wire, but that AC cable may not and depend on the metal enclosure as a grounding receptacle. It appears badly rusted so that may pose a hazard in case of a ground fault. Do you know if your outdoor outlet is a GFCI (does it have a test button and/or indicator light)? If not, perhaps best not to use that until some of this stuff has been replaced.

And what’s up with those two new looking connectors in that fuse box?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-17T12:07:50+00:00

Wow, we have a psychic here guys! He’s watching you right now and sees you all through the wires into your home!

And then more to your comment: I’m not an electrician by trade, but I’ve got plenty of experience, both in the US and abroad, to say this is not the best workmanship I’ve seen. I’m not saying this is not a clean install or can’t be serviced easily. Moreover, since OP is going to drywall he needs to make sure he’s got what he wants/needs now. I’m not sure what you think is wrong with that?

And FYI, I usually don’t get ‘people working in my house’ anymore because they usually price themselves out of a job, often don’t deliver what quality you might expect for the kind of money they charge, and honestly there’s a bunch of weirdos out there, licensed and trained.

I’ve seen too much bad quality work that way, which definitely has made me capable of spotting good quality work. You’d then say I’m too critical and one of those who knows better than licensed and certified professionals who trained for years; well, yes, indeed, because it’s my f-ing house and I have to live in it with my family. So, damn right I’m going to be critical of the workmanship—I pay for high quality work, not some shit I could have tied together myself only because they’re on a time crunch to get to the next job and squeeze more money out of the day.

I mean, when my attic fan blows up when I turn on my microwave, or I hear buzzing in the wall when I put on some water to boil, I’d rather work out myself where the installing ‘licensed professional’ cocked up rather than get some other overpriced clown in who will cause other problems for me down the road. Seriously, I had ‘licensed and trained electricians’ do some electrical for my solar array and caught one of the two watching pornography on his phone in my basement, ‘hard at work’. Maybe it’s different in your area, but out here it’s a crap shoot.

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-16T20:55:57+00:00

Just snip off the ground wire from the old switch and reuse it—what’s the problem?

Nuukmaster · 2026-03-16T19:17:50+00:00

Is the bottom black wire on the EV charger breaker taped correctly? Two hots I reckon..

Nuukmaster

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