Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [circuit]

192 questions
16
votes
2 answers

If my 240v cooktop does not have a neutral, is it safe just to cap the neutral and leave it?

I bought a cooktop which has 3 wires: Black Red Green The wiring in my home is 4 wires: Black Red White Bare I saw the instruction for 3-wire to 4-wire connection, it states to leave the white neutral wire alone. Is it safe to do so? Without…
movila
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9
votes
1 answer

One circuit in house losing voltage

One circuit in our house is behaving very strangely, and isolating the issue has proven difficult. It's a house built in the late 60s and the electrician who wired this did add what I think is quite a bit to the circuit, two bathrooms and two…
Brian Hadley
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8
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5 answers

Crossing the neutral wires between line and load on a conventional (non-GFCI) duplex outlet?

I'm replacing a the middle outlet/receptacle on a non-GFCI circuit with two receptacles and I can't for the life of me figure out why the neutral wires are swapped on the middle receptacle. It appears to be deliberate as the 12 ga wire is bent to…
Aaron_H
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7
votes
4 answers

14/3 Wire + Double Pole Breaker, Two 120v Circuits?

I would appreciate any help or guidance. I'm in Canada and renovating what used to be the laundry room in my older house. I had originally planned on adding an outlet from one of the existing receptacles as part of the renovations. At the panel, a…
OldJim90
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6
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4 answers

Is it wrong to run ground wires all the way through conduit to each junction box?

I had a 20A circuit that was run to a work bench built by the previous owner of my home. I ended up replacing the work bench and replacing the circuit, with new THHN wiring all run through EMT conduit. From the breaker box, I have ground, neutral…
ewrjontan
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6
votes
3 answers

Why am I measuring 60v at some outlets?

The house I bought a couple years ago had a couple outlets in a small room in the basement that didn't work. Now I'm troubleshooting them. It's a finished basement so I can't tear down walls. There's a lot of troubleshooting already complete so I'll…
Jason
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5
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3 answers

Does every single ground wire in a box have to connect to every other ground wire within the confines of that same box on one branch circuit?

I have a 3-gang plastic box with six conductors that enter the box; three line-side, three load-side, and they pass through the three switches in pairs of two. The load-side wires are all on the same branch circuit, and they all come from a common…
Ryan Mortensen
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5
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2 answers

How to interpret circuit tester result

Decided to upgrade some of the old receptacles in my basement and garage with GFIs. After installing the GFI I used the test button on the GFI, reset, and then a Kobalt tester (see below) to confirm wiring and proper function. There is a 240v 30amp…
OldHomeonLongIsland
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5
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3 answers

How can I fit a 60A EV circuit breaker in my service panel?

I recently got a Tesla and want to install a wall-mount charger. It needs a 60A double pole circuit breaker for max charge speed so I am wondering what I can do here to free up that space. I have a single pole space at the bottom. Someone suggested…
Rey
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5
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2 answers

Maximum percentage one breaker can take up of a subpanel?

I am living in Ontario Canada so I am dealing with the Ontario electrical code. I am planning on installing a 240V welding receptacle in my garage. The garage subpanel is fed with a 60A 240V breaker from the main panel in our house. Both my…
cam2323
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5
votes
3 answers

Rewire outlet circuit: Location of outlets, wire run alternatives, GFCI best practice, and outlet spacing

I am rewiring a circuit. This circuit is a mix of knob and tube and older Romex. It only has a hot and neutral, so no dedicated ground. However, the outlets are three-pronged. There is no GFCI on the circuit. I want to fix all that by running…
Robert Lugg
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5
votes
4 answers

Should a UPS be unplugged when working on the electrical circuit it is plugged in to?

I need to do some electrical work on a circuit in my home. One of the outlets on the circuit has a UPS battery backup plugged into it. The UPS is tucked away behind a lot of other equipment, so I'd rather not have to unplug it if its not necessary.…
asgallant
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5
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2 answers

What is this component wired into a bench grinder motor?

I'm refurbishing an old Black & Decker 6" bench grinder. It's got a power cord, an On/Off switch, and an A/C motor. The motor doesn't energize, even with a manual start, and I'd like to check the circuit. The motor has three wires, and there's a…
jbbenni
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4
votes
2 answers

Isolate (switch off) 2 units from circuit of several recessed LED lights

I have a lighting circuit with several slim LED pot-lights that are controlled with a dimmer switch. I added a second switch (see diagram below) so that I can independently turn one of the lights off while the others in the room remain…
Andy
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4
votes
1 answer

Can I use a double pole breaker in a slot that allows tandem breakers?

I have a Siemens 200 Amp 30 spaces/40 circuit load center that allows me to use tandem breakers. I am not interested in using them, but I'd like to add one 45 Amp double pole circuit breaker. Would be possible to have the 45A double pole circuit…
cadobe
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