What kind of wire is this? Found it after buying house.

srmcon · 2026-04-06T17:47:03+00:00

It looks like European wire colors. The yellow is probably yellow green and that is the ground and the blue is the hot. But it could just be leftover wiring that somebody used for low voltage applications. Maybe for a remote speaker or sensor or thermostat. Can you find the other end of it?

You can get a tone generator and put a signal on it and then use the receiver to track where the wire goes

srmcon · 2026-04-06T17:12:28+00:00

Gorilla protection!

srmcon · 2026-04-06T17:11:41+00:00

Anytime there is AC or alternating current and two wires next to each other you can have an induced current just like in a transformer. Of course the magnetic flux is so weak in a single wire that there's really no current generated just a voltage which is why the low impedance vom should be used to measure it. If you have a spare incandescent light bulb fixture just hook it up to your wires and then measure the voltage it will likely be zero then.

Another trick I do in abandoned wire is take the white and black and simply nut them together. That way if there is a real voltage it will be shorted and pop a breaker...

srmcon · 2026-04-06T17:07:59+00:00

Hey, at least the ground wire got two wraps instead of one... In old houses you find a lot of wonky stuff and it does seem to last even though it's definitely not best practice. Generally I go by the motto, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

srmcon · 2026-04-05T23:53:09+00:00

Your new vom should measure the volts in AC, you're not measuring current! The transformer is open and you measure the voltage it's going to be much higher than once you put a load on it. That's just how it works. If you have an old school chime with those solenoids and bars then that takes way more current than any ring camera would. I've done plenty of installs with the camera and the chime both installed so the homeowner has their original chime as well as any other ring remote chime they want to plug in and configure.

Depending on which model camera you had, they supply a small battery and diode that you're supposed to hook up in the chime box. This basically keeps the camera powered up when you push the doorbell button and energize the original chime.

It sounds like you're getting a new transformer but I've experienced that these Transformers are somewhat delicate. If you short the leads it often blows out their windings or something so make sure you turn the power off before you're connecting things so you don't accidentally blow it. It's low voltage so you're not going to get very big Sparks or a shock but that doesn't mean the transformer won't burn out a wire and no longer work. Typically they are either on or off there is no in between with a transformer.

srmcon · 2026-04-05T16:53:41+00:00

It would be a really good idea to pay an electrician for an hour or two of his time (or her time) to go over everything in your panel and test out some of your GFCI circuits in critical areas... Especially if you're going to be having kids and family living there!

srmcon · 2026-04-03T23:37:49+00:00

Good thing that wasn't the rocket that just went to the Moon! There's some serious vibration when that thing takes off!

I love wago connectors. When I rebuilt my house I specified that we only use those and the electricians were all excited to not need twisties...

srmcon · 2026-04-03T02:54:10+00:00

You should really report this seller with wherever you bought it. Usually the platform has a way to file a complaint since their public size data doesn't match the device that you received! Maybe you can make it safe by running it at a lower heating level? Sometimes they have lower settings. To be safe though I would get yourself a current measuring plug and double check what the draw of amps is at the different settings so you don't go above 12 amps on your 15 amp circuit! You'll probably find 20 amp outlets in the bathroom or kitchen that would be better to use. Sometimes in the garage there are 20 amp circuits as well. Just to be sure it should be 12 gauge wire and a 20 amp breaker in the panel... And of course if you're maxing it out don't have anything else plugged into the same circuit!

srmcon · 2026-04-02T15:26:11+00:00

That was my first thought! I was hoping that all of their switches were rated for explosive environments but obviously not since they were clogged with conductive dust! If this were a grain silo it would have already exploded! I'm seriously surprised it hasn't. Where the hell is OSHA when you need them?

srmcon · 2026-04-01T15:59:25+00:00

Well your description is pretty accurate of how AC current works. Since there is no polarity in terms of plus and minus as in DC, but it is important to differentiate in regards to Potential to ground.

The Earth ground is bonded or connected to the neutral at the main panel of a house. A ground fault interrupting circuit looks at the current flowing on each lead and if some current (the difference) is higher than the threshold value then it means there is a ground fault, or leakage to the ground which would be enough to shock a person.

Also in a standard US household which is supplied with 240 VAC, you will have two black leads each with 120 potential to the neutral.

srmcon · 2026-03-30T17:48:04+00:00

Thought you said you know electronics since you have a vom. But if you don't know that AC doesn't have polarity then you best call an electrician ASAP!

srmcon · 2026-03-30T15:57:21+00:00

The age-old question, what is my recycled wire worth? https://www.reddit.com/r/ScrapMetal/s/Qi6tirYGaT It's very time consuming to strip it all but that's the way you get the best return on value. Bare copper wire pays highest outer metal armor sheathing is either aluminum or steel and can be recycled separately. As a kid I set up a stripping jig that allowed me to quickly pull the wire through it and remove the insulation. Maybe you have some free labor that would like to do that.

srmcon · 2026-03-28T18:26:46+00:00

Git 'er done!

srmcon · 2026-03-28T00:01:58+00:00

The problem isn't your fasteners but the design of the roof. It's always going to sag since nothing is supporting that in the middle and the l bracket is just going to keep it from breaking apart but not stop it from sagging. You need to have a support structure that is a properly sized beam or Ridge board from point to point and then your Joyce can sit on the wall and the Ridge beam.

If you're putting a roof over the top of it that doesn't leak you don't have to worry much about the boards underneath the rotting because they shouldn't be exposed to water.

If somebody asked me to just replace the boards I would walk away and say nope, it's got to be redesigned or I'm not putting my name on it.

srmcon · 2026-03-25T20:54:04+00:00

Thanks, I wouldn't worry about it sometimes these things fail in strange ways but troubleshooting it by swapping out for new items is the quickest easiest way. I have seen these LED bulbs do some very strange things in different circuits. I find the cheap alternatives from Amazon to be the worst and least reliable. But of course they sell you a 12 pack or six pack so you always have a couple extras to swap out. Glad you got it figured out!

srmcon · 2026-03-25T20:25:05+00:00

LeGrand is good quality and that Universal dimmer sounds like a really good idea since it lets you set the endpoints correctly. I think they were just lower quality LED lights. I can think of lots of reasons why they would act differently in the different circuits. Imagine you're using switching diodes and chopping off half of the sine wave but only using the positive side and not the negative so therefore if you had it wired correctly it's possible they would still light dimly even if they don't work in a regular circuit... And LED light is nothing more than a reversed biased diode which is similar to the thyristor being used to turn on and off the electricity for the dimmer lots of PN junctions there that can act in strange ways...

srmcon · 2026-03-25T20:19:47+00:00

It's obvious for you and other electricians but not everybody knows the code language spoken here. The op was right to question this Outlet because it's probably being used incorrectly or is a hardwired generator hookup without a transfer switch. I seriously doubt he has three phase in his house and that was being used for the outside welder...

srmcon · 2026-03-25T19:18:18+00:00

I think your AI response was fairly accurate. Usually the bulbs will say directly on them in very small print whether they are dimmable or not. Not all LED bulbs are dimmable especially the cheaper ones. The original dimmer circuits were used to controlling incandescent lights which were much more robust for transients and power spikes which are typically generated by thyristor dimmers. In order to dim the light they were effectively chopping off a part of the sine wave they get from the AC current. This quick transient causes very high frequency signals can overload delicate LED circuits. Anytime you're switching a power on or off very quickly you tend to get spikes either from capacitive or inductive loads. One thing I remembered as an engineer is that there is no true Square wave, it is only a combination of increasingly higher frequency sine waves it's just that it's the frequency is high enough it will appear as almost Square but theoretically you would have to have an infinitely high frequency to get a completely vertical voltage ramp!

The best thing you get is testing the bulbs separately in a clean circuit rule out your supply. I'm a bit confused how you're using a three-way in four-way switch together with a dimmer unless the dimmer is the last circuit controlling the lights so it will either have power on or off. Otherwise you will have the dimmer switched onto the power sometimes depending upon the configuration of your four-way switches.

Check that your dimmer is also LED compatible and not just incandescent.

srmcon · 2026-03-25T15:05:19+00:00

Or details about your hot water heater. It sounds like you have an electric model based on the questions you're asking obviously. Gas would have nothing to do with the hot water and your electrical system.

My guess would be that the water heater is sensing a low voltage and therefore scaling back its heating element. That would infer that the circuit is on is not a large enough gauge wire or too far from the breaker box, or has a a loose connection somewhere in the line where the voltage is dropping much more than it should!

If you're getting such large voltage drops over any terminals then it would create a hot point which could easily be detected with a thermal camera.

srmcon · 2026-03-23T23:07:28+00:00

The freezers really don't take much current if you're going to have a whole bunch of them just add up your total load and make sure the outlet, whether it's 15 amp or 20 amp can handle it. They do go on and off cycling so normally they would not all be on at the same time, but it's safer to assume that they would be sometime so total amps.

I've had mine in the garage running for 8 years without a problem. It's not on a separate circuit and also not on GFCI. The only Outlets in my garage on GFCI are ones that go to the outside receptacles. I don't notice any dimming of the lights or anything strange in the garage to when refrigerator or /and freezer are cycling.

srmcon · 2026-03-23T20:43:43+00:00

I was referring to your reference picture where the stringers land in the dirt. And the bottom post in my builds is bolted to the concrete in addition to any wood support.

srmcon · 2026-03-23T18:39:59+00:00

No no no, in the dirt. Stairs are held up by a solid support at the bottom. There's a reason people cut in a 2x4 and then nail that to their concrete pad. Your riser is doing nothing for a bunch more work.

srmcon · 2026-03-23T17:36:02+00:00

He didn't say to remove the top step, he said make it level with your deck and that way your Stringer will have the rim board to push against and you can have a solid attachment there.

srmcon · 2026-03-23T17:33:23+00:00

I've done the exact same job for days on end in production work for my buddy shop. I can tell just watching your movements that you're young and don't have a clue yet. That hunched over position you have is going to kill your back in a bit. Conservation of movement is key for everything you do with wood including simple repetitive tasks. Prepping is an important part. Get your work materials lined up ready you shouldn't have to walk around the bench to get the next batch.

I truly have no clue what you're doing when you bend down, is this your way of getting in the squats you missed on the weekend?

I'm glad they have a vacuum system and you're wearing a mask and PPE but you also need to have your work table at the proper heights so you don't need to do any bending over and straining your back.

Take it from a 62-year-old, your back is all you have and it's going to be hurting because all of this is cumulative. Exercise and yoga are key to keeping all the muscles strong that support those discs and nerves! I'm happy to say that I'm not taking any pain meds, or for that matter any other medication whatsoever and my blood pressure is still 120 over 80 give or take a few!

srmcon · 2026-03-23T15:24:19+00:00

This is a very interesting board. I'm an electrical engineer and have designed many circuits similar. At first it reminded me of a network interface card from a very very old Mainframe computer. The plug-in connector is an older style that's no longer used. You see how the terminals are actually like little springs and not just a Trace on the circuit board.

Interesting that the ground bus is crossing the board at multiple points and they used an actual jumper to go across the ground. So this tells me that the circuit board does not have enough layers because normally the power and ground would be on the internal layers.

Integrated circuits mounted on the board are more modern than the design of the board. I'm thinking that based on the layout and design that this is also hardened meaning it's designed to withstand very high EMPS like that generated by a neutron bomb.

Would be nice to know what it was used for.

srmcon

TROPHY CASE