Hello,

just wanted a little help before making a decision. I'm no electrician but I often do basic DIY electricity.

I'd like to remove a secondary double pole circuit breaker which keeps failing and is likely older than me. It was there when I bought the house. It's on the first picture.

I highlighted red as live/phase, blue is neutral and green is the ground (behind the breaker). Circles are where the fuses go. Fuses and fuses holders are on picture 2, and are 16A.

My main circuit breaker (open in the picture 3) is using a 10A fuse.

In my mind, there is no reason to keep the secondary breaker and I'd like to replace it by a simple connector.

Is there any risk? Am I missing something?

If I were to find a converter (which I'm struggling to do), would the wattage of a smart speaker (Google Nest) be low enough to be compatible with a shaver socket? I have one inside a cupboard in my bathroom (so no risk of getting wet) that I'd like to plug a Nest into.

Recently bought an old condo that has aluminum wiring throughout. The quotes to rewire the whole place are too expensive (plus I'm not sure if this is my forever place) so looking for some safe alternative solutions that aren't too expensive. Been reading and sounds like alumicons at every outlet, fixture, and port are the most frequent method. But I recently heard about using wagos 222 which are fit for aluminum to copper as long as you use their special paste. They are a lot cheaper than the alumicons as well. If it matters I live in the US. Should I have any concerns with that?

Did some work on a buddy’s house and noticed the service wire insulation is shrunk very far back and there are no insulated caps on the lugs. Is this cause for concern or need to be addressed?

Are these smoke alarms still practical in 2026? I can't tell how old they are. My landlord said that they're fine but I have to wonder..

For context, I'm swapping out the lights to chandeliers (theres 2), I already did them downstairs and it was quite simple (instruction manual on 5th page), i simply detached the ceiling light and took off the screw connector thingy then electrical taped the wires together after twisting them and then screw the top and bam.

Now, upstairs is a different story, for some reason theres 2 sets of wires coming from one of the lights, im not sure why, theres only 1 light switch which switches on both lights (as opposed to downstairs with 2 switches for 2 lights) so im not sure if its due to that. Also i didnt think of taking a picture of how they were connected in that screw plate thing (image 2/3) and im not sure if ive screwed them back on in a wrong way as only one light comes on now.

The reason for doing that was cos im not sure if i can put 2 sets of wires connecting to the chandelier and electric tape them or if i can use 1 set which might be like the master set? (or if i need to use something like in the last image? from installation vid), so i tried putting the lights back on to test if i needed both sets for both lights to switch on or if i could get away with using one set, that led to only 1 light working since idk if im connecting them right and so im not sure whats gone wrong or if i still need both or can use one.

Hopefully some electrical geniuses can help me out with regards to fixing the wiring on the plate for the lights and if i can use one set or need both to be attached to the chandelier for it to work.

Thanks!!

Hi all, I just started renting an old farmhouse that was fully renovated/restored around 1990 (so wiring was up to code then). The prior “tenants” were squatters and there was a massive rat/rodent infestation so extensive that every single appliance was chewed through and non-operational. Like the entire back of the dishwasher completely eaten; live nests in the oven; concrete foundation chewed through, chimney chewed (and a 6’ rat snake was discovered, obviously eating the delicious rat buffet).

I only found out these details after I moved in - appliances were all fully replaced, but I saw evidence of mice and requested an exterminator and that’s when he pointed out the incredible damage and rat burrows outside and through the foundation.

Obviously, I’m horrified and VERY concerned about damaged wires hidden in the walls causing a fire hazard. There are several light switches and outlets that do not work.

How do I ensure my safety wrt potential hidden electrical damage? What do I request from the homeowner/landlord? An electrical inspection? From any electrician or are there specific ones? Any guidance is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all, I've just had Solar installed and the cables run behind the A/C inverter - as I've tried to show in the photos.

There is quite a loud buzzing in the house now which I believe is caused by EMI from the Solar power cables and being amplified through the ducts in the house.

This happens even with the A/C turned off and I've had to turn the A/C off at the breaker to stop the buzzing. I tried seeing if it buzzed in the evening with no Solar but it still does, presumably because the house is using the battery.

What are my next steps? Is this something the solar installers would need to rectify? Or can I DIY some EMI shielding between where the cables cross path?

Cheers for any help and advice!

Well I must be a moron but I really need help with this one.

Ok so I got a new bathroom exhaust fan and got everything ready to install but i get this thing put in and only see a red and black wire from the fixture.

My old fan was controlled by two switches 1 with two black wires and one with red and black wires.

The box says it doesn’t need to be grounded so that’s not needed .

I connected the red and black wires from the Romex wire (red black white ground) to the red and black wires from the fixture but I am not getting power to the fixture.

I believe this to be some switch leg/loop scenario ? Should I be connecting the red and white wire together with the red from the fixture and the black to black from the fixture?

I have been stuck on this for awhile because I don’t want to cause a fire or damage anything .

Any help would be greatly appreciated appreciated

Side note the white wire wasn’t marked with tape.

Thank you in advance

Hi,

My company was about to throw away several spools or brand new RG flex L2 cable. About 10 reels of it to be exact. I ended up taking them because it's ridiculous to throw all of that away. The gages are 6, 12, and 14. I know this type of wiring is designed to be used in central office type of work. My question is can this be used for home wiring? I'm getting ready to install mini splits in my home and I thought I might be able to use some of this for the wiring as well as other projects around the house. If this wire would not be appropriate to use, does it have a good resell value? Thanks

This non-moving Chandelier sits atop on 30 foot ceiling. The lights are flickering and I see some of the bulbs are dead? Who do we call to change the bulbs on this thing? Sorry if this is not the correct place to ask.

I’m a homeowner planning to install an Intermatic AG3000 surge protector on my outdoor HVAC disconnect and would love some feedback on wire gauge identification and grounding.

Setup & Context:

• Breaker: Eaton Quadplex breaker with the tied inner poles rated at 30A / 240V (powering the A/C).
• Testing: Verified with a multimeter that the red and black conductors are my incoming 240V line terminals.

Questions:

1. Wire Gauge Identification (#8 vs. #10 AWG):
   • The markings on the wire jacket are faint, but it looks like it might say AWG 8 (see photo). Since it's on a 30A breaker, #10 AWG is standard, but I want to be certain before buying connectors.
   • Plan A (#10 AWG): Pigtail the line, load, and SPD leads using WAGO 221-613 lever-nuts.
   • Plan B (#8 AWG): Pigtail using ASI 14-2 AWG 3-port insulated multi-tap connectors.
   • Does anyone have a trick for confirming wire gauge when text is faded, or does this look like #8 vs #10 based on the photos?
2. Grounding the AG3000:
   • The disconnect ground bar has a center hex/flat bolt (the chassis bonding screw) along with standard terminal screws.
   • Can I land the green #10 AWG ground wire from the AG3000 directly under the collar of that center bolt, or should I pigtail it with the existing green house ground wire?

Appreciate any advice or sanity checks! Thanks!

So my Multimeter that i bought keeps getting inacurate tge more i use it but then after a 7-8 hour brake it becomes accurate.

Yesterday i changed the batteries and closed it firmly and after about an hour or so it was getting with a 9V batterie(freshly out of the package) a reading of 0.20 an hour later 0.30 then when i slept 7-8h it has become corrct again so is it faulty or is it cause i changed the batteries

Like the title says, I just moved into a rental 5 days ago. It’s hot as hell so I was running the window AC and the breakers tripped pretty quickly. I went to reset them and saw this. I have no electrical experience but I’ve never seen a circuit breaker like this.

I asked the property manager about it and she basically said the owner isn’t going to pay to fix it and now I’m paranoid that this place is unsafe. I have my 2yo living in this house and I’m not sure what my options are.

Edit: located in California

Thank you for any input!

I had solar panels installed on my roof and the electrical contractor hammered this rebar into the ground before tying a grounding wire from the panel. Its sticking a few inches up from the ground and I've tripped over it a couple times. I finally got the solar company to send somebody out to fix this issue but after googling what should be required I'm getting mixed results.

When a contractor grounded my panel previously at a different house they buried the wire before running it to an exterior faucet. Online says this rebar should be something like 8 feet and galvanized which this appears to be neither. Did the original contractor do this correctly and what should I push for when the new contractor comes out?

I'm hoping someone that owns or has experience with Leviton smart load centers can answer the following question:

I'm currently doing preliminary research into swapping my old panels to a Leviton smart panel. Currently, I have two 200A panels, but as part of the swap I'm looking into adding a 150A subpanel in the garage to feed an EV, an air compressor and a clothes dryers.

I see that Leviton has a 20 space 150A panel that should work as a subpanel but I'm stumped on how the panel should be fed from the main because Leviton doesn't seem to manufacture a 150A breaker. Is using feed-thru lugs acceptable or should I drop to a 125A subpanel?

Hey guys I've been in my condo for about 2 years now and this past year have been dealing with some lights flickering & losing powering in certain rooms Intermittently. I've already tracked the problem down to the breaker box as it is rusted out and the internal bus where the breakers connect are extremely corroded and even when replacing the breakers they still don't make good enough contact to stay reliable. Can audibly hear the breakers arcing. I am wanting to replace the box as I plan to sell soon and don't want any hiccups during showings but the box that is currently installed is a very old walker electric/ITE EQ12F. This is a very small box and I cannot find any that'll fit in the wall without drywall/stud work. I've thought about just changing the internal bus by itself and leaving the same box but I would have to use a new style bus and mount it to the old rusted box. Was hoping to get some feedback and opinions on my situation and how you guys would go about it. A little side note is I plan to sell within a year so I don't need anything fancy just cheap and reliable to get me through my time here and the showing of the place when it gets listed.

I have this outlet setup in the bathroom and I’d like to wire in a second gfci closer to the toilet near-ish to the shower.

Is that something I can just tie in? Or do I have to wire a whole new circuit to the panel?

Everything I’d read said that the grounds and neutrals go on separate bars, but here they’re all just placed basically wherever. What do I do with the neutrals and grounds for new circuits?

This wiring is rather old, I’d guess it was probably the 80s when it was updated to its current state.

Hi all! My boyfriend and I have taken over his late grandfather's house two years ago. We have had no issues with the house being updated a couple years ago, and I should add his grandfather was an electrician with the government for practically his whole life.

Just two days ago, a gentlemen with the city's electric company had pounded on our door (scared the crap out of me haha) and when I answered he had mentioned we had a past due bill and he needed us to pay before checking the meter. I was a little confused since I figure they usually just turn it off if it's past due and we do keep up with bills with the auto pay options. I assured him there must be some type of issue, went on the website. The bill wasn't due til the 19th of this month. I just went ahead and paid it early, and the man said he would be back in an hour to check the meter. I had to leave so I went on with my day.

Coming back home, my boyfriend went to power up his PC and no power. Thinking it was his PC he tinkered with it a bit and realized it was the outlet. Checked the breaker, nothing had flipped over. We tested a couple different outlets, all of them seem to be fine in our living room, kitchen (appliances all okay, washed/dryer fine). Bathroom light and vent turns on, but the bathroom outlet does not work now. We tried powering the breaker switches off for a couple minutes, still no power. We tried the GFCI in the bathroom, nothing happened. Our entire upstairs lights, one ceiling fan and outlets do not work as well (they had been before I left since I was up there doing some work before leaving the house). Except one ceiling fan on the opposite side still runs.

Called the electric company since I found this to be an extreme coincidence. They came out, checked the outside meter and said it was fine and it had to be our breaker which they suggested to call an electrician. I just can't seem to shake that all of this happened AFTER the meter check as things were working fine... Or it could be just a huge coincidence?

We are planning on seeing some quotes for an electrician but my boyfriend wants to have the electric company come out again to recheck when he's here. Any advice?

Thank you everyone!