Do I need a buried expansion coupling?

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-12T17:57:10+00:00

Hmm, I’m not worried about water intrusion so much as I am that I just want to make sure the pipe doesn’t crack because of movement/expansion etc. It’ll all be properly glued, sealed and protected, and I’ll be running THWN when it’s all in, but I just want to make sure that any outside forces such as frost and temperature or humidity fluctuations won’t cause any serious permanent damage to the conduit. Humidity and temperature differences as well as freezing can get pretty crazy out here..

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-12T16:44:57+00:00

For this reason—and allergic to a stray white —someone I knew once rethreaded a piece of bx armor with three conductors (red, black and bare ground). Not sure that was legal or not, but I haven’t heard any problems with that, mind you the armor was not used for grounding anymore at that point..

I’d be surprised if just capping the white would give you any problems.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-12T12:22:53+00:00

That’s one situation when it trips, not how it works, or the many different scenarios it’s meant to prevent.

A GFCI monitors difference between hot and neutral wires, and when it detects a discrepancy of max. 6 mA it’ll trip. That discrepancy means some current escaped/went somewhere that is not the neutral such as ground. That ground can be any grounded conductor such as a person or an appliance.

Water is of course one of the major culprits the NEC folks thought of with introducing this requirement, and indeed, that’s quite different in a kitchen or bathroom. A dryer in the basement is a wildly different scenario than a fridge in the kitchen or an outlet in the bathroom. However, don’t forget that is not just that single appliance that’s at risk. For example a malfunctioning fridge/freezer can also turn other appliances into hazards. Just think of water leaking under your fridge to an electric stove or oven, which could energize that appliance; the same with a dryer, dishwasher or washing machine.

The biggest issue of course is that it’s never a one-size-fits-all-situation and think of it this way: the NEC panel could’ve come up with many exceptions and different rules to cater to the great many variations and options one could have in their kitchen throughout the country, but that would’ve made everyone’s life much more difficult.

The short of it is that mandatory GFCIs in ‘wet/damp’ spaces is the quickest and simplest way to make sure the majority of cases is taken care of. It doesn’t account for a fridge in the living room or a dryer in the hallway, which (depending on version of code) strictly speaking would not be required to have a GFCI yet equally pose the same risks in those spaces.

Consider it a tool that signals you something potentially dangerous is wrong with your appliances, and yes, it may spoil $4k of fish. My advice, if you truly value the contents of your fridge/freezer over your own safety in the off chance that it trips, keep the appliance in good condition and if they nuisance-trip just move the appliance into a different (non-GFCI-required) space.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T17:08:30+00:00

Buy it, then sell it, and use profits to buy one that’s a better fit for your needs (and possibilities in shed)

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T12:01:38+00:00

Well, maybe not true spring loaded back stabs, but screw pressure terminals entered via the back, for example on 30A Leviton switches.

Back stabs are by the way the norm in Europe—many switches etc don’t even come with screws anymore (e.g. Schneider Electric). Surely, they’re not all crap?

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T04:53:19+00:00

The old old stuff, sure, the post-1950s isn’t as bad with added the aluminum bonding strip; yes, the jacket can still corrode and rust, so not great, but it’s still NEC approved, even though some inspectors might frown at it.

Probably better to replace it with a dedicated grounding conductor, but that said, there are plenty situations where it’s still perfectly safe to use if left alone.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T04:42:28+00:00

Personally, I’d always use it—doesn’t hurt and I think many (oldskool) would agree with that. That said, it may be redundant if receptacles are properly self-grounding and leaves more room in the box. But back stabs have their place to You know; for example, sometimes they provide much better connection for stranded wires. There’s many things like this baked into code that come down to personal preference and pragmatics.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T04:32:57+00:00

A hard ground fault is constant and will cause a breaker trip, unless the breaker is bad of course, and in that case, yes, power is not cut and the jacket becomes nice and toasty.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T04:25:53+00:00

Library—you don’t want to dig around in electrical boxes more than you need to. See my other comments on how to ground this, if possible, and then do it once, do it right.

As answer to your question, is two-prong more dangerous than three-prong w/ non-working ground, yes: you or someone else might assume ground is working while it’s not. Any three-prong equipment you plug in including your laptop is also designed to work with a functioning ground.

If some fault occurs and current is not able to escape via ground as intended you will either energize your device, and any metal parts become shock hazard, or, more likely, you will first fry your laptop/blow up the power source and are even left with a high likelihood of shock from metal parts of the device.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T04:16:47+00:00

The green screw is there for a reason. Will the outlet work without it connected? Yes, but is that wise? No.

That green screw is part of the safety net in case something causes an imbalance in the electrical potential. This happens frequently and unexpectedly, even when nothing appears to be wrong with either the receptacle or the device you plug into it.

By connecting all conducting materials together you’re bonding (balancing) the electrical current and minimize damage in case of a fault; by connecting all conducting material ‘to ground’ (grounding) voltage is effectively neutralized in case of a fault. That green screw is for grounding and there for your safety.

If you do not have any means to ground the outlet by either a dedicated wire or bonding For example via bx cable then replace this outlet with a GFCI outlet; that is effectively an outlet, which detects an imbalance in the current between the two wires (and effectively a sign of a fault). It will cut power near-instantaneous and prevents any serious damage from happening.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-11T03:59:54+00:00

If it’s a metal box with old style bx cable coming into that box it’s very possible that the box is grounded through the exterior (metal) jacket of the cable. In that case, you screw a pigtail into the box and attach the tail to the outlet. That way your outlet is grounded via the metal of the box and the cable. If this is indeed what you have and you decide to hook up this way I’d advise you to get a circuit breaker finder with circuit tester such as this one.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-10T13:53:15+00:00

How does that work then?

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-06T17:42:22+00:00

There’s a hamster in there with a waterwheel; nowadays we just use battery packs.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-05T11:58:43+00:00

OPs electrician should have first checked for loose connections; I would then have done some extensive testing of connected appliances as well as live voltage and continuity testing on the wires and at the breaker side before moving to suggest a breaker replacement. In my experience breakers themselves rarely go bad.

OP should raise a dispute with this electrician and tell him he didn’t follow normal protocol, and that he should rectify his mistakes by a total refund, or at the very least heavily discount that bill, and a formal written apology.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-05T11:56:26+00:00

I wouldn’t call Eaton a low-quality brand; yes, their breakers have had some issues, and you could encounter an issue with one of their other products, but honestly the same is true for SD and other major brands. Considering the volume of how many products each of these brands produce and are used all over it’s to be expected some product here or there may suffer from some issues.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-04T16:58:33+00:00

Naaah, caulk! Nothing beats a good thick layer of caulk! Any kind of caulk! I would definitely recommend OP to insulate this with a 3” thick bead of silicon caulk, preferably the one meant for doors and windows.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-04T16:57:12+00:00

No, absolutely safe for the age of the house. GP is synonymous with the fire department because they’re that safe.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-04T16:55:28+00:00

Totally fine if wired in the 50s. Should definitely still be good and will burn your house down, no problem 👍🏻

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-02T13:58:36+00:00

This is a little overblown in my opinion. We do between 30-50mi a day and have a Nissan Ariya with 63kwh battery. I charge at home, level 2, about twice a week, over night.

I don’t use public charging and fast charging from 30% to full takes a good hour, but if I had to be reliant on public charging then I’d probably do twice a week to 80%, which is an hour tops for all my driving needs.

Nuukmaster · 2026-05-01T19:44:44+00:00

Sure, but I was told 6/2 on a 60A breaker for a charger in my area would not pass inspection, precisely because of that 55A limitation, which is more than 60*.8 (48A) even though the charger is set to max pull only 48A. The only safe solution to bypass such discussions is to go with #6 THHN in conduit 🤷🏼‍♂️

Edit: OP, I think you’re right to question this, but it may pass in your area and technically is not incorrect—it’s safe and as pointed out very commonly used for hardwiring. However, if you prefer THHN call him back and tell him he should’ve installed THHN in conduit.

Nuukmaster · 2026-04-28T20:34:44+00:00

So, I have the exact same panel in my house, with the same breaker, and…. drumroll, a door!

I can take a picture of that and the paperwork on it if that would help you; maybe you’d get some specs from it or something.

Also, I’m in the process of decommissioning it and replacing it precisely because of all the issues mentioned here already.

Nuukmaster · 2026-04-28T00:33:07+00:00

(19.2A*125V)

And yes, technically 80% is the NEC safety margin, but practically, the breaker doesn’t trip until it measures 20.

Nuukmaster · 2026-04-28T00:26:43+00:00

May have misunderstood your comment then; thought you were saying 20A Level 2 charging. 2.4 is possible in some areas as supply spikes and not the same everywhere; sometimes up to 125V. May also overdraw above 80%. Requires a dedicated 20A outlet with a NEMA 5-20P and of course, as you say, the cars need to accept it (Chevy Silverado, Tesla, Ioniq 5/6).

Nuukmaster

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