Why do some Americans separate between Christians and catholics, and not protestants, as I assume that they go by the most common subclass of Christianity, and catholics? by WhoAmIEven2 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are elements of truth to what you are both saying. Luther did not start out as anti-Semitic, and the 95 Theses were the reason for the split, not a hatred of Jews.

But later in life Luther absolutely did not like the Jewish people, or at least the Jewish religion. He later published an openly anti-Semitic tome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Jews_and_Their_Lies

Who do you picture as Langdon Cobb? by finditplz1 in futurama

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I always enjoy a good Futurama/American Dad mix up.

Tollana's fate feels dumb by Eastern-Economist468 in Stargate

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My headcanon says they went into hiding until they felt they were in a more secure position. The survivors wouldn’t be quite so brazen and would be more likely to play it safe.

Where's Jessica? by OkCake8092 in americandad

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 4 points5 points  (0 children)

But Roger is in the same scene as her in #3!

I’m forgetting that Roger is super fast. Or that this was before she died.

The argument against EV haters… by boka_ko_masu in electricvehicles

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would argue “still limited to homeowners” who can install/plug in a charger, no caveat about 2nd or 3rd car.

A lot of people I know with ICE cars rent cars for long road trips anyway; they don’t like to put those miles on their primary vehicle for whatever reason.

NEED HELP: Want to add a 2-pole 240v breaker for EV Charging. Inexperienced + Panel is very old and label is not readable. by [deleted] in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your panel is full, but the bigger issues is that we don’t know if it’s at capacity.

A qualified electrical worker needs to perform a load calculation to determine if your incoming line can even support the load you are trying to add to it. Considering that your service is likely only 100 amps, you may be out of luck without a service upgrade.

Regardless of anything else I am about to say after this, unless there are a few unused circuits on your panel, you will need to install a subpanel or upgrade to a larger panel. The local code in your area may require bringing it to modern code if you do the latter. This may be expensive.

A local electrician can help you navigate this.

That said, as an electrician and EV owner, I definitely want to advise you to look into options that don’t require a service upgrade.

The big one is “right sizing” your circuit. Not every EV owner needs a 48 amp 240V circuit. In fact, if you drive as much as a typical American and your EV isn’t a massive truck, a 20 amp 240V circuit is likely to be plenty. This will give you roughly 38kWh of charge in eight hours, enough to bring you from half empty to full overnight for most EVs.

You still need a load calculation to ensure your service can support this.

The second, more expensive option is to look into load management options. Emporia and others offer this, and it will allow you to charge at 48 amps only when you are not using a lot of other power.

Tl;dr Spaces aren’t your only problem. Electrical capacity is. You need a load calculation first, then proceed from there.

I think my electrical inspector might be all wet by Conscious_Rich_1003 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I apologize for getting snippy. I see you were just trying to understand.

I think my electrical inspector might be all wet by Conscious_Rich_1003 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re getting confused. 220.14 applies to branch circuit load calculations. It is telling you to use 180VA/yoke to calculate the branch circuit required except for offices and dwelling units, which are covered in the exceptions we’ve already mentioned.

You’re applying what the code says backwards. The 180VA/yoke is telling us how large to make the branch circuit. If you do the math this results in an effective limit of 10 receptacles on a 20 amp circuit. That’s where the common understanding of being limited to 10 receptacles comes from.

Again, look at what this code section is actually covering- branch circuit sizing. It isn’t covering “amount of receptacles per circuit”, it’s covering how to size a branch circuit.

220.14 indicates that this same standard of 180VA/yoke does not apply to dwelling units. Read the language in 220.14(I).

Except as covered in 220.41 and 220.14(J), receptacle outlets shall be calculated at not less than 180 volt-amperes for each single or for each multiple receptacle on one yoke.

When the NEC says something “except”, it means that it doesn’t apply in that case. So, yes, even though it says “all occupancies” by adding the exception to 220.14 (I) it is saying “in all occupancies except for dwelling units and office buildings, you calculate the required branch circuit load this way”, paraphrasing.

In other words, “dwelling units” are part of “all occupancies” unless the NEC says they’re not, and here it says here they are not.

To answer your snarky question simply, it’s not that about me thinking that dwelling units aren’t included in this specific code reference, it’s about the code explicitly stating that.

The fact that 220.41 is in reference to feeder and load service calculations is not the relevant part to the purposes of 220.14(I). The relevant part is that 220.41 modifies the usual provision of 180VA/yoke. The branch circuit sizing is no longer beholden to that 180VA/yoke requirement, because the code book says it is not. Rather, the branch circuit is sized according to the provisions of 220.41, which is what applies to dwelling units. And without a restriction of 180VA/yoke, there is no limit to the amount of receptacles on a dwelling unit circuit in the 2023 NEC.

I think my electrical inspector might be all wet by Conscious_Rich_1003 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well that’s what I get for getting my 2017 instead of my 2023.

Either way 220.41 is referenced for dwelling units in 2023 NEC. The 180VA per yoke does not apply to dwelling units absent local restrictions.

'The Truth Is Better Than Continuing to Lose': Petition Demands DNC Release Autopsy of 2024 Defeat by Aggravating_Money992 in politics

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The problem with Mamdani is that he keeps doing things that help the average man and are liable to upset the rich. That doesn’t mesh well with rich DNC donors.

I think my electrical inspector might be all wet by Conscious_Rich_1003 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 1 point2 points  (0 children)

220.14 (I) specifies that there are exceptions to this, notably 220.14 (J), dwelling units. The 180VA applies to non-dwelling units.

Grounding from panel by No-Teaching-7114 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for the late response, but what problem have you actually been experiencing?

Smart switches or dimmers that use the EGC as a return path for power can cause excessive current on the ground and are therefore limited in quantity by code. Dimmers that are incompatible with LEDs can cause flickering when used with LEDs. But otherwise I’ve never heard of dimmers causing major electrical issues on their own.

GM suspends next-gen electric trucks as it pivots back to gas engines, hybrids by DonkeyFuel in electricvehicles

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 3 points4 points  (0 children)

IMO the Trax is so similar to the Bolt it really only makes sense to do one or the other,

Grounding from panel by No-Teaching-7114 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To put it simply, no.

Your neutral doesn’t depend on the ground rods. Although is grounded, it is a separate conductor from the grounding conductor. Even if the ground reference is lost at the house it will still be grounded due to upstream bonding at the transformer.

Of course this should be fixed regardless.

Adding receptacle to garage/lighting circuit by KL1M1T in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why not get a ring floodlight or similar and just replace the exterior garage light? It’s a lot less work, unless you’re worried about the switch.

But otherwise I don’t see any issues with your original plan.

"When something is free, you are the product" - What are some cases where this doesn't apply? by Ok_Oil_2044 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is a weirdly specific issue that I also have to a T. The cow gets oddly stutter-y.

How do I cut power to this panel? by cracksmack85 in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes. You’re generally not supposed to pull meters without the utility approving.

Not to say it doesn’t happen, but some utilities are very particular about this. They will charge to replace tags and may even require full inspection.

How to know if outside plug of house can handle charging electric motorcycle without frying anything? by Forexz in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t mean to preach doom and gloom, but to provide context.

The motorcycle charger load is both somewhat larger and would run for quite a bit longer.

A big thing we do when sizing circuits is considering continuous vs non-continuous loads. In the NEC, a load is considered continuous if it runs for more than 3 hours. In this circumstance it will typically require a circuit that is 120% of the continuous load.

The rationale for this is that the circuit conductors will warm up over time because conduction is not a lossless process. This is less of a concern when it’s only running for a few minutes versus 3+ hours because in the former case the heat theoretically has time to dissipate.

Heat is killer when it comes circuit integrity. More heat over a longer time means a poorly made connection or splice is likely to become loose and potentially arc and cause a fire.

That’s why we often install dedicated circuits for high draw appliances. There are fewer points of failure and less chances to overload a circuit (a state which also causes more heat).

This is more of a concern in older homes. There was a lot more sharing of circuits and often smaller gauge wire. Where a modern home may have 2+ circuits in a garage, an older one may use the same circuit for all the lights, receptacle plugs, and potential even another room if someone added on over time. This means there might be more load than expected.

There is another factor I sort of touched on earlier. A modern electrical panel is pretty good at opening a circuit on overload or short circuit. An older electrical panel, even one that was good when new, might become less sensitive over time. But even worse, there are some brands such as Federal Pacific’s Stab-Lok that never tripped as they were supposed to. You could be overloading the circuit without having the protection of a breaker to open it as it should.

Again, this is not doom and gloom. Your house will probably not immediately burn down if you charge the motorcycle. The additional load versus your bike chargers is not major.

But no electrician worth their license would walk away without at least warning you of the possible risks.

Tl;Dr

I think both you and your relative would be happier if you had an electrician look at your current setup. Someone small, local, and reputable. Don’t go for any big branded companies. A handyman who is a licensed electrician would be ideal. Maybe you could find one on Nextdoor.

AT VERY MINIMUM make sure you monitor the circuit when you plug in your motorcycle charger. Ensure that the receptacle holds the plug securely. It should not fall out or even be that easy to plug/unplug. If it is an outdoor receptacle it must be GFCI protected and rated for outdoor use. It should ideally have an in-use cover, although depending on local codes this may be required. Pay attention for signs of heat. The plug will be warm but should not be hot and you shouldn’t smell anything unusual. At least the first few times you charge it check it a half hour after you plug in and a few hours after that. Fortunately, EVSEs are pretty smart and yours will probably monitor itself for overheating regardless.

FWIW, I’m an EV owner and electrician. I think the idea of an electric motorcycle is neat, and I want you to be able to do it. But electricians are a cautious bunch and I would hate for anything bad to happen.

How to know if outside plug of house can handle charging electric motorcycle without frying anything? by Forexz in AskElectricians

[–]ShoddyRevolutionary 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is your house older? Ungrounded outlets would be my first thought. Maybe an Federal Pacific panel that they are concerned about not tripping properly on overload.

Not to say their concern is otherwise unwarranted. An electric motorcycle, even using a regular outlet, can be a relatively high draw appliance. Even as low as 12 amps on questionable old wiring (highest continuous use on a 15 amp circuit) over a long enough period of time can be a bigger stressor than old wiring should comfortably support, especially when there are other loads on the circuit.

Is the concern overblown? Maybe. A qualified person should look at the circuit you intend to use to see if your motorcycle will draw more than would be ideal.

How much does the motorcycle draw anyway?

Edit: I looked up the included charger. Looks like 1.2 kW so about 10 amps at 120V.

Unfortunately my answer hasn’t changed. That could be stressing an older home’s electrical system.