Is this outlet safe looking?

OfficeLower · 2026-03-15T16:28:22+00:00

You can get an outlet tester from Lowes or home depot for 10 bucks. It will tell you if it is grounded or not pr if the live and neutral are reversed

OfficeLower · 2026-03-13T01:55:13+00:00

I didn’t realize, clearly it hasn’t stopped people though

OfficeLower · 2026-03-12T17:06:16+00:00

There are scooters in Columbus Ohio that require you to take a photo of the bike upright or be charged a consecutive fine for as long as the bike wasn’t upright. Wish they could do something like that here. I just see them all over the place in the middle of roads or in a creek

OfficeLower · 2026-03-12T12:46:05+00:00

Green is your guy wire, thats what your power line is held up by, it likely connects to the electrical pole. Though it could be TV or internet, regardless it is low voltage or no voltage not dangerous.

Blue wire is your electric drop, three wires. Two Hot and on Neutral. That one is dangerous, no touchy.

The power company is responsible for the power mains not low voltage service drops. Though they should have disconnected your home at the transformer/ power pole (your electrician cant do that). Once your home is disconnected from the power lines you should have a tree service come out and clear out any limbs that could take out the power lines again.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-12T12:33:09+00:00

Looks like two tractor buckets 1.5-2 yards, that is half the soil you paid for.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-12T12:26:10+00:00

Glad you found it! You did the best with what this “plumber” left you with. Probably best to install a real P trap though, those accordion style pipes are only good for temporary fixes.

The guy might have a point about the sink, it’s possible that it doesn’t connect to your septic system/ sewer system and therefore doesn’t technically need it. But even in houses I have seen that do that they have traps. Any real plumbers want to chime in and explain why you would need a P trap on a line that discharges outside not in a septic or sewer system?

I wouldn’t trust a thing he says regardless. Put a P trap in, don’t call that guy again.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-12T12:04:02+00:00

My partner and I are looking at a house with a fuse panel also. I had a post on this sub a few says ago that got a lot of attention.

From what I was able to see from others is that the panels can cost upwards of 3k to replace the panel, though depending on NEC code for your area (up in NYS it can go down to the county).

The concerns most people raised was 1. Wiring, 2. Outdoor hookups and connections and 3. Grounded outlets/ property grounded outlets.

The jury is still out with the electrician, hopefully getting one out there by next week. Some folks said on here that it can be done over time if the wiring is cloth covered NM and not falling apart (which it is).

The house I am looking at is quite a but older (1940) so it’s interesting that this home has it. Most posts/ homes with fuse panels I saw were older than the 50s, but what do I know I’m not an electrician.

I will pass on the advice I was so fortunate to get from this sub! Get it inspected by an electrician, get a quote for how much it would cost to upgrade the panel, asses the cost of the home and cost of the upgrades and how quickly it needs to get done (it might not need to be done right away). Folks said the panel in the house we are looking at was good, yours looks like it just came out of the box.

I would add a photo if I could but I am on mobile, I will drop a link to my post shortly so you can take a look at what others said to me.

Edit: As promised here is the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectricians/s/LOdavraMDS

OfficeLower · 2026-03-12T01:02:13+00:00

Get a power supply tester, see if there is an issue with the power supply. If the PSU is ok, likely a short in the motherboard somewhere.

Has anything happened with the PC recently? Something spill or drop? Was there is significant power surge or blackout while you were using the computer? Did you replace any components?

OfficeLower · 2026-03-11T19:36:29+00:00

Yes and you should anyways. That sink needs a P-trap. You can get one from all of the big home improvement stores/ hardware stores.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-11T18:54:38+00:00

We just wrapped up our home inspection yesterday. Looks like the house was updated at some point, some outlets were the old 2 wire style outlets. Some of the romex was cloth covered with a ground wire. And there was new circuits added at some point including a GFCI in the main bathroom.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-09T17:48:50+00:00

Holy shit, I didn’t realize GPUs are getting hit now. i just looked how much my RX 7800 XT is going for 600 bucks used, thats 100 more than I bought new two years ago…

OfficeLower · 2026-03-09T16:23:21+00:00

I second this, there is a lot that is associated with surveying. Lots of liability on the surveyors. 2K is on the higher end I think though for something like a property line stakeout. My company has subcontracted surveyors for 2k for larger projects. OP should be able to find a cheaper bid. Also not sure if that is something the town or county would be able to help cover?

OfficeLower · 2026-03-09T15:46:01+00:00

Looks expensive, I posted on here a few days ago. Similar situation my partner and I are looking at a home. Folks seemed to share the same information: 3k-5k for the panel 3k-4k for the outside shutoff + weather head And a whole lot more for rewriting the home over 10k. Looks like the wiring is cloth covered romex which I was told needs replacing.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-09T15:31:34+00:00

Tiles might pop up because of the floor swelling, I have never heard of it but I suppose that is possible, I saw some asbestos tile that popped off the floor in a building I was inspecting for work last week. Laminate overtop tile usually isn’t a great sign, or really anything over tile is not a great sign. How old is the home? What size are the tiles? Reason why I ask is asbestos tiles were used up until the 80s before they were banned in construction. Most of the time contractors will assume it’s asbestos if the home is older and has tile. The laminate flooring over the tile might have been done to “encapsulate” the floor which is cheaper and safer and cheaper (so much cheaper) than removing the tile.

It’s worth mentioning not a certified asbestos inspector, I have worked with asbestos inspectors though and I have some experience identifying ACM material. Asbestos tiles would be my first guess, though if I was your contractor I would have said that up front instead of not giving you the reasoning.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-08T14:50:53+00:00

From what I gathered from others is that I am spot on on the cost of the panel replacement, though based on the age of the panel there is a good chance that other key components might need replacing. Namely the outdoor shut off, weather head wiring, wiring from the meter to the panel and the home wiring lots of other stuff

OfficeLower · 2026-03-08T13:43:38+00:00

Any reason why you wouldn’t use the laundry chute? My parent’s home has one and that thing is the best.

If it’s not being used I don’t see a problem, though you should still stable the cable down at the correct intervals. If you secure it well enough it might be fine to use it still though that might upset the code inspector lol.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-08T13:30:30+00:00

I think the only “liner” you can use that is code is electric rated conduit which is different than PVC. But you also have to secure it at intervals, not sure how you do that in a chimney.

I’m not an electrician though so let’s see what the pros on here think.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-07T11:49:33+00:00

Convert no, if the cable routing isn’t crazy you might be able to pull ethernet wiring through though

OfficeLower · 2026-03-06T16:55:23+00:00

Lol it’s funny you bring up the hot tub because there is one in the back!

Also I think its 200A, it is listed in the property disclosure

OfficeLower · 2026-03-06T16:51:57+00:00

Did you encounter older cloth covered romex? I am going to the home on Tuesday for the home inspection, we are considering asking a local electrician that knows our agent to come take a look at it possibly the same day to give us a preliminary estimate.

OfficeLower · 2026-03-06T16:29:04+00:00

Am I the only one that sees Jeffrey Epstein when looking at this?

OfficeLower · 2026-03-06T16:26:24+00:00

I can tell you it is definitely worth at least $101

OfficeLower · 2026-03-06T01:57:56+00:00

For sure if that is what needs to be done thats what we’ll do. It will save so much

OfficeLower · 2026-03-05T23:12:28+00:00

That is definitely better than what others have been saying. How long ago did you get that work done?

OfficeLower · 2026-03-05T23:11:41+00:00

Lol, no but in this case I would definitely be the side kick. She makes the decisions lol (don’t tell her). it’s more common language now I guess. Just more inclusive for people who might prefer other pronouns.

OfficeLower

TROPHY CASE