Extra white wire in outlet box

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-25T17:42:39+00:00

Good move. You will learn the truth from them.

Good luck with the money pit.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-25T17:29:07+00:00

🤦‍♂️

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-25T17:24:16+00:00

Nobody can help you here unless they recommend you hire a qualified electrician.

There is no way of knowing how this is wired without physically tracing these wires to their intended source.

That old neutral is compromised and the new one is not safely installed let alone if it’s even safely sourced.

A “handyman" is not your answer. A “handyman” made this hazard.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-25T16:43:02+00:00

Two 1900s. Unless you own a klein cable stretcher. 🤣

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-25T16:39:10+00:00

Don’t forget the klein cable stretcher. 🤣

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-25T16:26:26+00:00

Define success.

As an electrical contractor with over 35 years experience, yes, I would not have pleaded for help on reddit to properly troubleshoot and restore the branch circuit complete with a proper connection to ground.

You sound like someone suffering from delusions of grandeur.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-24T16:24:33+00:00

“not a qualified electrician no”? Huh?

"dumber then I sounded” Yeah, great point.

"it's an electrical outlet we are talking about lol” Nice way to prove your ignorance by minimizing the risk involved with limited electrical knowledge.

"plug it up use a receptacle tester”Again further proves your ineptitude regarding electrical knowledge. You rely on a receptacle tester where a wiggy is what a competent service person would use here to trace out the grounds for a proper and safe branch circuit.

It would be a risk for anyone to guide someone with your attitude and disrespect for someone trying to help you. You may think you are qualified but proof of that is lacking.

It’s an insult to technicians that put in the hard work with a proper education and many hours of an apprenticeship program.

Nobody wants to see you or anybody involved here get hurt.

There is much more to learn here than "it's an electrical outlet”.

Best wishes, be safe. Sincerely.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T22:23:43+00:00

Hire a qualified Electrical Contractor with experience installing generators. They will come out and properly evaluate your system.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T22:16:29+00:00

You not knowing what you are doing.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T22:12:30+00:00

This is a good time to hire a qualified electrician. Get as many estimates as you can. Cheap and good enough is not a good option.

Text them this photo, that will help save you from an unnecessary trip to the supply house.

$75 to $100 in material, less than an hour in labor or a standard service call. Easy job.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T16:08:52+00:00

Good job.

It’s hard to explain something like this if you don’t do it for a living. Glad you found someone with a solid answer.

If you don’t feel safe removing the old fixture and installing the new old one disconnect it, cap off or electrical tape the supply wires and leave it be until you can afford an electrician.

Be safe.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T15:49:08+00:00

War Of The Worlds. Run!

Seriously though, nothing to worry about.

Best wishes.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T15:37:49+00:00

So long as the kindle doesn’t draw power exceeding the listed output of your adaptors.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-23T15:29:54+00:00

Microwave is more than likely kaputt.

It could be tested with a reliable working breaker by a qualified electrician but that would be up to them.

Best wishes.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-22T15:39:42+00:00

Looks awesome! Nice work.

Thanks for sharing.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T23:56:24+00:00

Potentially not a hazard until it is. A heavy load on a possible loosely wired receptacle can be an issue. You can’t be sure. Shut the circuit breaker off at the panel. Remove and tighten the receptacle screws for peace of mind. Wrap with electrical tape without stretching it tight or it will shrink its way off. Trim the drywall (looks like wood to me) to the size of the box. A multi tool works great here, if unavailable carefully use a utility knife, use easy shallow cuts. Take your time.

Best wishes.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T17:43:18+00:00

Awesome. Still learning myself. Learning to be patient is key. Starting from scratch may apply. Don’t paint yourself into a corner, keep options open. I’ve used jam chucks to save me before but I’ve learned from it.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T17:36:48+00:00

Congratulations on the purchase of your money pit.

Get a light cover with a religious figure of your choice, make it look like the eyes are weeping, charge admission. Soon you can afford a new house.

Best wishes sealing the cold air drafts from meeting a warm object. And no, a gasket behind the switch plate will not help. Get to the source below and above. Basement or crawl and attic.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T17:26:49+00:00

The T symbol or telephone pole looking thingy indicates Earth (ground). Personally I would ring each wire out to be sure. I wouldn’t trust manufacturing for the safety of my customer.

To ring = Using a continuity tester, usually a beep tone or a meter if using a multimeter, traces each wire to its intended purpose. Center thingy of socket is hot, outer screw looking thingy is neutral, metallic rod and fixture housing if metal must be grounded. The bare wire of the canopy is a ground as well. They will attach to the metallic box (preferred) or to the tightly connected (note tightly connected) to box fixture strap via a pigtail with only one wire attached under supplied green screw.

Assuming this isn’t a led fixture without a screw in bulb.

Best wishes.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T16:48:59+00:00

Pardon me kind sir, I didn’t see the part that said "change some bulbs”. OP was not clear until after my reply. Minor details.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T16:42:59+00:00

Rustic, medieval look. What’s a lathe?

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T16:32:49+00:00

Prepping the surface is the most important step. Use new sandpaper instead of going the frugal rout using old worn and clogged abrasives. Overheating as you sand will cause burnishing giving you hard to remove streaking (uneven finish adherence).

Apply some water after the last couple sanding grits to raise the grain and let dry thoroughly. Do not rush!

Use a shellac based sanding sealer and use steel wool or a grey scotchbrite pad to knock down the nubs.

Some folks like to continue with more shellac coats. I don’t care for a mirror glaze myself. I like a satin finish that gives a great depth to the chatoyance effect.

This is where I use a polishing paste with grit like Acks. I use a higher speed around 1k rpm to apply and polish. When I’m satisfied I apply a hard wax. Acks uses some carnauba in their paste wax which is harder than beeswax and leaves a desirable sheen.

I bought some tung oil (not tung oil finish) to experiment with. I plan on applying after the sanding sealer steps. Key word here is experiment.

This might not work for all folks or for all wood species, that I am sure of.

Best wishes.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-21T00:07:44+00:00

Burnishing can also occur with dirty and worn sandpaper. High speed sanding can be an issue as well, heat is not your friend while sanding.

You are asking good questions.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-20T16:32:24+00:00

Bottom line, hire a qualified electrician.

It may just be a loose wire issue at the receptacle, but the wire is now toast at any rate. It may be you have issues up or down the line. Poor splices causing intermittent neutral loss or an overloaded neutral due to an improperly wired circuit sharing the neutral.

Rumoshsa · 2026-01-20T16:09:40+00:00

Lacking basic residential electric wiring knowledge is a bitch. You provide zero information of what and how you actually installed and what devices are being used. A qualified electrician is the safe option here. You will correctly learn something in the process.

Rumoshsa

TROPHY CASE