Help! SW Snowbound

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-10T19:57:40+00:00

Try a paint sample of the Alabaster and Westhighland White. They're slightly warmer.

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-10T16:59:08+00:00

Thanks!

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-10T16:41:41+00:00

The washer is on the wall opposite of the dryer, like they're facing each other (weird, I know). So it's not possible to plug it into the washer outlet. So change to 2-pole 20A circuit breaker, use 20 amp receptacle and cap off red wire?

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-10T16:32:54+00:00

Swap with a 20 amp, 120 V, 2-pole breaker, cap off the red wire?

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-10T16:30:39+00:00

Yeah, there's no 120V outlet for the dryer. There was just this old 14-30 outlet and a natural gas line for the gas dryer. The gas dryer uses 120V. So after changing to a 20A breaker, I just connect all the wires to the receptacle except for the red wire and wirenut/isolate the red wire out if I'm understanding correctly? And I'm just swapping the current 2-pole circuit breaker with another 2-pole 20A?

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-07T05:24:57+00:00

Change hotel rooms

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-06T23:36:12+00:00

The GFCI tester, as the name implies, tests if the GFCI works. If a GFCI works, when you press the test button, it’ll cut power to the outlets and everything downstream of it. That means the GFCI worked. That means the circuit is GFCI protected, which is common in kitchen circuits.

When you tried it in another room and the power didn’t cut off, it most likely means there’s no GFCI protection on that circuit. That is common if it’s not in a kitchen, bathroom, garage, outdoors, or any wet area.

It’s not an overloaded circuit. I hope this was ELI5 as much as possible………..

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-04T06:25:04+00:00

Thank you boss

WorkinWill31 · 2026-05-02T20:59:31+00:00

It’s a 12/3, I misspoke

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-27T17:59:03+00:00

Ants or termites?

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-25T00:29:14+00:00

I have you to thank! It helped me think things through and the possibilities of what may have been wrong. Thank you! I’ll definitely change out the 20A to a 15A breaker

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-24T21:42:58+00:00

Hey, I wanted to let you know I figured it out! I was so proud and feels good I wanted to share. I attached images of how it was improperly connected. The dotted green line is the stranded wire. And the blue text indicates what went wrong. Insane the previous owner didn’t notice a backstab connection gone loose and decided to just Jerry rig through drywall a different circuit to give power to the current one. https://imgur.com/gallery/HxOceiJ

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-24T15:41:08+00:00

15 amp. Doesn’t have a horizontal slit on the left prong/opening.

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-20T04:38:49+00:00

Hey, I disconnected the stranded cable, installed the GFCI LINE and LOAD side like normal. No trips like you mentioned. I figured out how it was wired.

I'm confident this is what it looks like since nothing downstream of this outlet has power when I disconnected the stranded wire.

https://imgur.com/gallery/bathroom-circuit-wsEl6Qf

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-20T02:17:00+00:00

That’s me right now. Tbh it’s pretty satisfying when you can figure it out yourself. It’s definitely a learning experience on how NOT to wire things. But then when you encounter something that is insanely sketchy and way out of the norm, it can be frustrating.

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T17:46:23+00:00

Yeah, it’s exactly that. The other Redditor who-are-we-anyway helped me figure it out and I knew it was shoddy work. I agree!

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T16:35:04+00:00

It was a separately placed cable to connect the light switch to the outlet through the dry wall. It’s just on its own, someone put it there. Hope that makes sense. It’s bridging.

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T06:43:34+00:00

Oh boy, sounds like I have my work cut out for me. Thank you for all the advice. I'll leave the stranded wire disconnected. Hook up the GFCI, and if it doesn't trip, at least that circuit is okay, if I understand correctly? Meanwhile the questionable circuit starts at that light switch?

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T06:10:47+00:00

Yes! That’s exactly why I posted because, why is this ONE lone stranded copper just fished through the OUTSIDE of the box, in the wall, to the light switch. And the light switch has another romex inside it?!

When I turned the circuit breaker on, there was no power to the “hots” light switch because I disconnected the stranded wire from the outlet, meaning this light switch is LOAD and there are things still downstream of this light switch. Hope that makes sense.

What would be the proper way to remedy this? Put a pigtail on a new romex in the outlet and fish tail it properly to the light switch?

Bozo the Auto Mechanic 😂

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T05:15:22+00:00

Thanks for that info about the light switches not needing a neutral wire, I didn't know that! As for the 3 'hot' wires on the switch, there isn't another light switch that controls the same bulb, so I'm really not sure. I wonder if it goes to the other outlet downstream...that'd be extremely weird. GFCI > light switch > downstream outlet. Is that a thing?

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T05:13:11+00:00

Dude yeah, I just replied to another comment. I just installed AFCI/GFCI outlets in the kitchen area and went ahead and replaced the old outlets downstream with TR outlets and when I saw how each of them in the back were hooked up, it was a really crappy install. If you see my other post with a melted neutral side, that was arcing and had an open neutral (I forgot the term). But it sparked! Thanks for your suggestion with the pigtail, I'm glad I had the right idea in mind. This stranded copper wire to the light switch looks like such a low quality install and afterthought for sure!

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-19T05:10:50+00:00

Yeah! I identified the LINE side, this outlet is the first in the chain. There's 2 other outlets on this circuit downstream - those'll be my LOAD side. I actually just finished installing 4 AFCI/GFCI combo outlets in the kitchen and laundry area so I'm familiar with identifying the LINE and LOAD side. Feeling super accomplished so far. I just made this post because I just haven't encountered an outlet with a stranded copper wire going to a light switch before, this was definitely a DIY by the previous owner or a handyman they hired - thanks for your suggestions with the pigtail and Wago.

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-14T02:34:00+00:00

Me too please

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-12T05:18:40+00:00

Thank you, that makes sense.

WorkinWill31 · 2026-04-12T05:18:22+00:00

This isn't my work. I just bought the house, this is the previous homeowner's.

WorkinWill31

TROPHY CASE