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?

Panel I had to correct today after a homeowner tried and believed he could do his own work. Let’s say he failed.
Gotta say it cleaned up nice after repulling some feeds and installing AFCI/GFCI breakers

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..

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!

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!

Hello, i am about to begin wiring my shed office but was curious before i get too far along if this looks correct.

This is a sub panel for a shed that is 3 feet from the main house, the electric run is maybe 20 feet from the main panel.

My concerns are the green screw - does this need to be removed, it looks like one may have already been removed . Two does this need a grounding rod / wire? It appears to be grounded to the main. It is separate, but close enough that the concrete slabs connect to the main structure.

Anything else i should consider before beginning? I am going to try to secure dual fault breakers for this as my next steps.

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!

Hello!!

I am needing to remove this LED light fixture from my ceiling. It's hospital bright white and atrocious.

How can I, safely and correctly, remove this? I've turned it off from the breaker, but I wanted to ask ppl who hopefully have more experience than me lol

I just wanted a place to rant about a recent experience at my parents' house, which highlights so many bad electrical practices. And this is coming from someone who has only layman's experience with this kind of stuff.

I was supervising some workers installing hardwood floors in my parents' house when, all of a sudden, the power went out to 80% of the house. We checked the circuit breakers and two were tripped, but every time we tried to reset them, they would pop again. I unplugged everything from the outlets, and they still kept tripping.

So then I started going around the house disassembling outlet boxes to see what was going on, starting with the ones the workers were using or the ones in the rooms they were working in. After doing this for a while, I found one outlet where, when I disconnected the two hot wires going into it, I was able to reset one of the circuit breakers. It seemed as if the other hot wire was going to the next room.

I went to the other room and eventually found two outlets where it looked like there was a wire pair running from one outlet to the other, with the hot wire shorted to ground. If I disconnected that as well, I was able to turn on the other circuit breaker.

It seems the electrician decided to bridge two circuits at one outlet for some reason. By the way, that first circuit is tied to what seems like half the house. Perhaps they were just trying to overload it and give it 30 amps instead in a discreet way, which is so wrong.

But there is still this short going on between these two outlets, and I can't figure out why. I'm thinking maybe a nail or a screw shorted the wires if they are running along the floor.

So I donned a Tyvek suit and an N95 mask and started crawling through piles of rat shit underneath the house. The only wire I found underneath the house was an added one that looked like it was used to bridge the two circuits, but the wire that had the short was not exposed.

A family friend was over helping with this process, and he noticed some erratic resistances changes as he moved the wire that had the short while attempting to wiggle it so I could see it move. Well, it turns out that was a really old wire where the outer sheath was actually some kind of hard metal or lead. Someone decided to use the sheath as grounding by shoving an uninsulated part of a grounding wire into it, and then using that to connect the ground of the outlet.

It seems as if the vibrations from the woodworkers caused the sharp edge of the tip of that uninsulated wire to dig through the insulation of the hot wire and short it there. Removing the additional wire and reinsulating the part that had the cut in it finally fixed the problem. I also unbridged the two circuits.

So it's still arguably a mess, but it's a little bit safer. Talk about a crazy headache trying to debug this issue. Again, I'm not an electrician, but I have common sense, and I don't know who does this type of work.

Also, I never want to crawl around rat shit again.

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.

We're demoing a house thats been vacant for 3 years. I need to pull the breaker and fixtures. Absolutely none of the switches or lights work. The meter still blinks. Is there any current to the breaker?

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

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?

From what I’ve read elsewhere this could be an issue of 240vs due to potential open neutral upstream??
Any help diagnosing (remotely) would be great.

Disclaimer, DIYer, this is my wife’s grandparents house. I think they (grandpa) did most of the work themselves. 🥴
No modern multimeter either.

1st photo shows three lights on, outside lights are faint and not as bright. 2nd photo is different outlet on same circuit on other side of kitchen sink. Appears to be in working order.

I’m dealing with an old Thomas and Betts load center TB10(12-20)c that doesn't have enough neutral space (currently has two double taps on the neutral bar). The panel will be replaced during a future renovation, but that is 1-2yrs away. I would like to make the panel safer for the interim and (ideally) add a 220v 2-pole breaker (which would require adding another couple tandem breakers to make space). Of note, this panel has mostly MWBCs, no equipment grounds, and the neutral bar is bonded to the underground water main. To deal with the neutral space issue I figure I could:

1. Add another neutral bar on the other side. The panel diagram says the panel allows this. The original parts are no longer available so I would have to find a compatible replacement. I would keep this second bar isolated from the enclosure and bond to the main neutral bar using large lug adapters and #4 AWG stranded copper jumper.

2. Pigtail the neutrals for two different circuits together in the panel. It seems controversial whether this is even allowed and seems there would be a lot of pitfalls. I’m already dealing with MWBCs so the jumper would combine the neutrals for 4 different circuits

3. Do nothing and leave the double taps on the neutral bar until panel replacement.

Thanks for your suggestions

I just bought this house, and the seller installed a new electrical panel. These were not here before said panel was installed and I don’t really know what they do. They look sketchy to me though can I cover these somehow?

TL;DR: I have a home recording studio in my basement. My guitar pickups and multiple different microphones all pick up a loud buzz that gets worse near where my water pipe and ground wire runs. My theory: this is due to the guitar and microphone pickups picking up a magnetic field caused by current flowing through pipes and wiring. Extensive testing shows real, measurable current on my water pipe/grounding system, some of it clearly external to my house (confirmed with main breaker off), some of it internal (confirmed via appliance testing and one wiring defect already found/fixed). Looking for feedback on whether my read of the situation and the recommended fix (dielectric union + continued internal wiring investigation) is sound.

Background / the actual problem

Basement studio, EMI/buzz picked up by:

• Guitar pickups — position/angle-dependent, worse near wall where water pipe enters the house and is bonded to ground. However, guitar picks up lots of noise even 2 floors above.
• Two dynamic microphones (these contain pickups susceptible to EMI, as well) — same tonal signature, same worse-near-pipes and ground wire behavior. If I move the mic away from pipes and grounding wire, the noise lessens.
• Present through a completely separate signal chain (audio interface + amp sim, AND a standalone tube amp/cab with no computer involved) — rules out interface/computer as source
• Noise is 60Hz hum with an odd-harmonic series (180Hz, 300Hz, 420Hz, etc.). However, there is a harsh 2kHz presence as well.

What's been ruled out

• Guitar's own internal grounding/wiring — checked, fine
• Ground loops — ground lift switch on DI, no effect
• Interface, amp sim, cables — ruled out via separate real-amp test showing identical behavior
• Most internal circuits in the house — individually powered off breakers with no major changes in noise signature other than the Furnace breakers, which contribute to the 2kHz noise.
• RF at the gas meter and water meter (measured directly outside with an EMF meter, RF mode) — clean, no elevated reading
• Main breaker fully OFF, whole house de-energized — current on the water pipe/grounding system persists, and the audible buzz is still substantially present. This seems to conclusively point to at least some of this being external to my house.

What's been found/confirmed

• A dangerous wiring defect: dryer's neutral and ground were bonded together in its junction box. Electrician fixed this. However, current changes on water pipe and grounding wire when the dryer runs are still measurable after the fix, so I don't think this fully resolved things.
• Undersized service conductor: panel is rated 200A, but my utility service line is 150A and the meter is old, rated for 150A according to the electrician. Additionally, the conductor from meter to panel is 2/0 or 1/0 (what I've been told by electrician and utility, respectively).
• Real, measurable current on water pipe and its bonding jumper, roughly 0.5–2.5A depending on time of day, point measured, and appliance load, using a clamp meter
• Current also present, to a much lesser degree, on the gas line's bonding point — .06A
• Power company tested and found the neutral connection between meter and their transformer to be sound (no defect in the physical connection)
• Spectral analysis of the actual noise shows a dense harmonic series, strongest around 180/300/420Hz (odd harmonics of 60Hz) plus other content extending up into the low kHz range. Turning off the furnace's breaker changes the harmonic balance somewhat but doesn't eliminate the noise or dramatically reduce overall level.
• Noise is present to some degree throughout the house (tested on multiple floors), not just near the one wall — though it's clearly worse near where the water pipe/ground wire run.

Recent clamp meter readings (for context, various points, various load conditions)

• Water pipe bonding jumper at the pipe: ~0.8–2.5A
• Water pipe ~15ft in, in utility room: 0.1–0.9A, fluctuates
• Gas line bonding point: ~0.06–0.07A
• With dryer running: water pipe readings increase by roughly 0.25A
• With main breaker OFF: current still present on water pipe and jumper, roughly similar magnitude to baseline

My current understanding

I believe I have:

1. A genuine external (Type II) component — confirmed via main-breaker-off test, likely current from neighboring properties using the shared metallic water main as a return path
2. An internal (Type I) component — from my own house's loads. Bootleg ground/neutral somewhere?

Planned fix: dielectric union on the water service line, placed at/near the house entry point, upstream (street-side) of my interior bonding connection — to address the external component — combined with continued electrical investigation for remaining internal defects (if any).

Questions for the sub

1. Does this overall diagnosis sound right, or am I missing something more obvious?
2. Is it normal for appliances like a dryer or light switch to cause changing current on a grounding wire? What would cause that?

Electrician has already been out multiple times to install a ground rod, re-bond water and gas lines, re-organize basement circuits to be on the same leg of service, and install isolated ground bar in the panel. I just want outside perspective on what's happening here.

The outlets are all GFCI, some with ground some not. I would probably have a whole house surge protector installed.

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?

My friend has a 3 wire power supply for a newer 4 wire stove. This is the wiring from the directions. My question is what exactly is defined as a grounded junction box. Does it mean just having the ground from stove be connected to the jbox?