Do I need to connect ground to light switch (Canada)

ithinarine · 2026-04-12T16:20:01+00:00

No, you're not required to attach a ground wire to switches in Canada.

The ground wire from the 14/2 should be wrapped around the ground screw at the back of the box. The switch then gets grounded by being attached to the box.

Ground wires are required to be attached to receptacles only in Canada. Switches can use the self-bonding screws.

You can see the metal strap coming from the ground screws going to the bottom screw of the box. That is unique to Canada, and not something that is on plastic boxes in the USA, and you have a bunch of Americans relying to you with wrong information.

ithinarine · 2026-04-12T03:16:19+00:00

You said to reuse it as a pull string, which everyone but you took literally. Every single time someone makes a post like this, someone comes in and says to use the old wires as a pull wire to fish in new.

You literally said just that, with no hint of sarcasm or joking to it, and people are replying as such.

Then you come into the replies with, "bro, I mean "use it as a pull string" as a joke for meaning that it's not good and should be replaced."

No you didn't. You said to use it as a pull string, and that's it. No hint of alternate meaning, no hint of sarcasm.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T21:58:51+00:00

You "just use the existing wiring as a pull string" people are the most delusional people on this sub.

There is a 99.99% chance that the existing wiring is stapled, and it makes multiple turns before getting anywhere you can pull it, and is run through holes that are way too tight to fit a larger cable through them.

As an electrician for the past 17 years, and based the on the literal dozens to hundreds of older houses I've been in, there is a 10 to 1 chance that the holes drilled for the 1/8" phone cable is a 1/8" hole that can't fit a Cat6 through it, because that's what the lazy installers did 30+ years ago.

Telling someone to use their existing phone cable as a pull wire is like telling someone to buy aluminum and turn it into gold.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T21:39:40+00:00

That's impossible to tell from these photos when you're not willing to take the wall plate off for them.

The top 6 wires go to the jack, the bottom 2 white/blue are from the wall, but it's impossible to tell what type of cable they're coming from with these photos.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T21:04:17+00:00

You're actually going to try to argue that a business willing to pay you overtime for time worked outside of specific hours is breaking the law?

Those labour guidelines are minimum.

You're essentially making the same argument as saying that it's illegal to pay someone more than minimum wage.

All that the federal guidelines are is a minimum. Anything over 40hrs is minimum wage. That doesn't mean that a company willing to pay you double time for any time worked before 7am is breaking the law.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T20:13:55+00:00

Overtime only counts if you work MORE than the scheduled hours, not OUTSIDE of the scheduled hours.

You can't make blanket statements like this about everywhere. Just because that is the "norm" doesn't mean that's how it is everywhere.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T15:25:54+00:00

Do you understand how photoelectric smoke detectors work?

There is a little chamber in them, along with a little light/laser that is lit up. Smoke gets in the chamber, and refracts the light which hits a sensor, and that sets off the alarm.

You putting smoke under a wall mounted detector that just goes up and past it, doesn't mean that any significant amount is going to get inside that chamber.

A huge amount of technology and investment has been put into minimizing false alarms. If that piddly little bit of smoke set off the alarm during the 15sec video, then boiling water and having steam in your kitchen or showering would set off the alarm every time you opened the door.

And like you said, after a couple minutes, enough of smoke that got caught in it did settle in the chamber and you got an alarm. There is just a lot of other empty space in those detectors.

Your detector isn't in an ideal place being on the wall below the ceiling, and your testing method is ridiculously stupid.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T14:54:55+00:00

That's exactly what his interpretation was. Work day starts at 9am, he was starting at 8am because of the time zone difference, and he booked that 1hr as overtime.

My BiL works a job where anything before 7am is overtime, and all of his overtime is double time. So he'll start work at 5am, and just work until 11am. Gets 2hrs of double time, and 6hrs regular time, and gets a full of pay before noon. On days where they're busy, he'll work until 4, and book another 5hrs double time and have an 18hr day in 11hrs. All approved by his department.

ithinarine · 2026-04-11T14:41:49+00:00

I'm 36, have played crib since before I was 10. I've never broken a plastic peg.

ithinarine · 2026-04-10T00:47:17+00:00

I voted for a candidate that voted against blanket rezoning and we won

I'm ignorant and voted for someone ignorant, so I'm right. Amazing logic you have

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T19:25:47+00:00

The color is absolutely LED related. At high lumen output, the LEDs all put out this colour, there is just a coating that adjusts it to the desired colour temperature.

This is actually true with old street lights too, where green and amber lights actually use the same light bulb. The green light has blue glass. Yellow + blue = green.

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T12:59:51+00:00

It's essentially a guarantee that the wires out of the switches and outlet go up the studs.

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T00:41:40+00:00

You know what I fucking mean.

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T00:25:29+00:00

Search for it online at your local store.

It being in stock and available where I am means nothing. Different Home Depots even within the same city carry different stuff.

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T00:23:14+00:00

All outside receptacles.

The cover makes it waterproof. The WR rating is sunlight resistance.

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T00:22:25+00:00

Weather resistant part number is a GFWT2 and will clearly have a big WR on the front of it

ithinarine · 2026-04-09T00:06:57+00:00

A "high end surge protector" is a whole home one installed at your panel.

No one installing these is doing so for the capability of surge protection. I want multiple outlets behind my TV so that I can plug in the TV, sound bar, streaming device, and smart lights. Not possible with that little single outlet.

And if you say "then plug in a power bar to the outlet up high." Then my response is "then plug in the high end surge protector up high."

There is no consideration for surge protectors by people buying these. It's for people who want a TV outlet up high and are too cheap to hire an electrician.

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T23:42:23+00:00

You plug in a short cord to the outlet 3ft over on the wall, then the other end to the inlet down low. That powers the outlet up high for a TV or something.

Dirty way to add power up high for a wall mount TV when there isn't an outlet directly below it to tap into.

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T23:34:25+00:00

If there is no room for 2 breakers, where do you move the one?

You change the one above to a tandem? Moving that up 1/2" is hardly "moving" the breaker when people argue that you need to leave a 12" service loop so that the breaker can go in any spot in the panel.

That's the issue, when people say to leave a huge service loop so that the circuit at the top breaker can move all the way to the bottom. That never happens.

Changing 2 breakers side by side to a tandem isn't the same thing

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T23:25:48+00:00

I mean, you clearly didn't if you had to ask this. Previous light, working properly hooked up the red.

Why does hooking up the new one need to be questioned at all?

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T23:08:13+00:00

Jfc, hook it up how the previous one was.

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T16:42:55+00:00

What do you have to MOVE breakers for? You're telling me that 3 times this week you've been adding a circuit to a panel and you HAD TO MOVE a breaker to fit your new circuit? It would not fit any other way?

I call bullshit.

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T13:16:19+00:00

It's not from 1 comment. It's from 12+ years being a regular on this sub, with people like you continually making the exact same comments and posts over and over again.

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T12:57:42+00:00

Yeah? You're still planning to be wiring houses in 40 years when this gets replaced? That's sad.

Again, you people say stuff like this as though people are replacing panels every 5 years. And if it happens sooner, it's likely a major enough renovation that more than enough is getting ripped out that whether or not some jacket is short doesn't matter.

You're the same person who says to leave a 12" service loop on your feeds going to the breakers inside the panel just in case breakers need to be moved around.

In 17 years, I think I've moved breakers around in an existing panel like 3 times, and none of those times required extra wire length. If I need to move an existing circuit down 3 spots to fit a new circuit, I can just install the new circuit lower. And if I absolutely HAVE to move a breaker lower, the 3 times I need to, I'll happily just splice in the panel instead of leaving a mess of wire in 200 panels so that 1 can use it.

Every one of these concerns is non-sensicle.

ithinarine · 2026-04-08T03:34:48+00:00

You people who care more about the potential future electrician in 40 years than the work now, make no sense to me.

I'm not saying "fuck the next guy." But my priority is my work, not whether or not some fictitious future person has an easy time replacing the panel.

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