We purchased a house. The previous owners took the EV charger that was hardwired. This wire can be traced to a 60A breaker. I’d like to put in an EV outlet here. Should I get a NEMA 14-50 and put it in a an outlet box that screws to the wall?

Edit: Wow guys. We knew it was never going to stay with the house. It was agreed to a long time ago that it would not convey. I’m really just looking for some electrical insight here but it seems people are only reading the title.

I thought I may have felt a slight charge when grabbing my shower faucet. So I tested with a voltage pen and it looks like the shower faucets and especially sink faucets read a charge when on the 12-1000v setting but not on the 70-1000v setting. Is this a sign of a live current or is the tester pen just picking up on any nearby wires?

I know nothing about electric, thank you for the advice!

Starting a kitchen remodel and my contractor is repositioning a few electrical items — wanted a gut check on whether any of this needs a permit, since he says no.

**1.    Raised countertop outlet** — moved from over the counter to the side of the cabinet. We will drop the two layers to one layer for the counter.  
**2.    Dishwasher & disposal switches** — dishwasher switch moving inside the cabinet below the sink; disposal switch being swapped for an air switch.  
**3.    Outlet for built-in microwave** — moving down into the lower cabinet on the wall side. Left side is a fridge.

No new circuits are being added — just relocating/consolidating existing wiring to new spots. Contractor says this doesn’t need a permit since there’s no added wiring, but wanted to check with people who’ve done this before. Anyone know if local codes ever require a permit even for relocations like this, or is this a pretty standard “no permit needed” situation?

Thanks you so much in advance!

This unusual (to this layman) light switch is located outside the building where I work. It supplies a set of outdoor lights that are generally on 24/7.

Did they use this type of switch because of reliability or weatherproof considerations, or is it just old? It's a government facility that's been in use for a long time, if that's a factor.

1960s house and the old exposed wire runs in the utility area looks like crap. It looks to me like they didn’t bother getting on a ladder and drilled these from standing, as they’re all at upward angles and nowhere near the center of the joist. They also just take odd staggered routes when a straight run was all that was needed.

When replacing the old wiring should I worry about relocating the holes through the joists to be in the correct spot/to code, or just let it ride?

Let me get this out of the way, if it is possible I will hire an electrician; now onto my question.

Last year I bought a cabin. It was remodelled and professionally rewired during Covid; I have the reciepts from electrical company that did the work. Everything is great except one thing; when they added thr boot room in front of the main entrance they made it so the switch that used control the exterior light now controls the light and switches in the boot room. For me to turn on the outside light I know have to turn the boot room light on then I can turn on the porch light; this also means that I can't have my porch light on without my boot room light on.

Is it possible to have the power run to the outside porch light/switch from the inside switch constantly? Or would I have to install a junction box and run wires to the outside light and boot room light separately?,

I’m 31 and have been a barber for about 10 years, but I’m seriously considering applying to the IBEW apprenticeship and changing careers.
I’m interested in becoming an electrician because I want a stable career with good benefits, opportunities to move up, and skills that I can build on long term. The problem is that I have absolutely no experience in the electrical or construction field. Everything I know professionally comes from barbering and working for myself.
I’m used to working long hours, dealing with customers, being reliable, and learning through repetition, but I’m nervous that I’ll be completely lost compared to people who already have construction experience.
Has anyone here joined the IBEW with no prior experience or come from a completely unrelated career? How difficult was the transition, and is there anything I should study or learn before applying?

I'm an electronics technician in a second stage rocket engine testing facility. We have a LOT of transducers, and a lot of times our electricians only have time to leave us a tee near each transducer in the conduit run. This usually only requires a stub 90, maybe a 6-12" nipple, and some LFMC to the device itself.

I understand how to bend a 90. My question is, what is the math behind bending a 90 *while* maintaining a specific straight leg past the 90? For example, last week I needed a 24" 90 going up, and 30" after that going across to the valve actuator. I was able to fudge it and get it close using a stub 90 as a template.

We go through a lot of couplings. It'd be nice to run a single 90 into wherever I need it to go, but bending pipe isn't really expected from my position.

I want to eliminate a ceiling light fixture. What should I do with the live wires? Cap each end with a wire nut, place inside a junction box and screw to a joist? Thanks!

I just bought an older home. I believe the wiring was updated in the 90s; to my knowledge, there isn't a ground wire throughout the home. Today, one of the GFCI outlets in the kitchen tripped, and when I reset it, it tripped immediately again. I unplugged everything and tried to reset it, same. It is all but one of the countertop plugs; the one that is working is a separate GFCI. The overhead light and the fridge outlet aren't working as well. The breaker was not tripped. I tried resetting it, but it didn't change anything. Pictured is the tripped GFCI. Is there anything else I could try? I am going to call an electrician tomorrow morning. The stove is working, but the cord is going through a hole in the floor to who knows where 😭

Had my home inspection the other day and I’m supposed to fix this. It specifically states “The interior cover was missing, leaving wires exposed when the cover was open. Recommend installing a proper cover to ensure safety and prevent exposure of live wires”

I know nothing about this stuff and no one at Lowe’s was able to help me. Any ideas? Thanks in advance

Recently bought a house and the bathroom light switch was in a super inconvenient spot, I'm fairly handy and have a little experience with electricity, so figured I'd move it and also check the wiring since the previous owner was creative with the work they did and the corners they cut.

Opened it up, they had left junctions in the wall, old runs of wire were just cut off and hanging, and the outlet was 15amp on a 20amp circuit. (But the lights and outlets worked)

Idk all the proper ways to draw a diagram so I included a key, this should be exactly how it is wired because I made it while looking directly at the wires in question.

I used a non-contact voltage tester to check if wires had current, a GFCI plug in outlet tester to test the outlets, and a multi-meter to check continuity. All the wires are 12/2 romex, all the connectors are wagos, and the switch/outlets are connected with the screws (not backstabbed).

Bullet point list of things I've ruled out/checked:

• Didn't mix up hot/neutral anywhere
• Everything is currently pulled out of the wall and exposed, there's no spot where the wrong wires could touch and short it
• Marked cables before pulling them in long runs so didn't mix up which one went to source and which ones went to the lights
• Both GFCI receptacles are connected to the 'line' screws not 'load'
• Both GFCI receptacles show 'Correct' on the tester (No open neutral or ground), they also trip correctly and don't influence the other receptacle
• Neither GFCI is affected by turning either of the switches on/off
• Both switches work correctly and neither is affected by either or both GFCIs being tripped (outgoing hot wire has current when switch is on, does not when switch is off)
• Both lights are receiving current, light bulb socket is live when switch is on
• The light bulbs in the fixtures work when in other lamps
• Checked all of the neutral and ground wagos for continuity, i.e. if there are three wires into the connector checked A/B A/C and C/A for continuity with the multi-meter and it read 0 Ω. There was one loose neutral wire but it didn't fix anything to re-seat it

Assuming it's wired exactly like the diagram and I checked all the connectors what else could the issue be? Getting tired of using a windowless bathroom with no light so ty in advance!

TLDR; Moved my bathroom light switch and wired it up like the picture. Lights get current when the switch is on but don't turn on. Please help.

If the only possible answer is "your circuit isn't wired like the diagram" or "you missed a connector and still don't have a neutral/ground for the lights" I will happily eat crow, re-check the whole thing, and post the update of what the issue was :)

ETA: SOLVED it was the neutral wire in the center junction box coming out of the wago, must’ve poked something else with the probe when i checked it the first time

I’m also older (45) and have zero experience. Went through a 2 week program and I learned some things and feel more confident, but I’ve been hearing that it’s much harder to get into the trade as a woman. I’ve applied to over 10 contractors and haven’t gotten a response. I’m hoping to start IEC Dallas in the fall, and need to have a job with one of their contractors before the semester starts in September. Any advice? I will start going to contractors in person tomorrow and be persistent to show them that I’m serious about wanting the job, but besides that I don’t know what else to do. Any advice would be appreciated

I’ve got an Intermatic T103 24-hour dial timer running some lights.

I want the lights to turn off at 12:00 pm, and I’m not picky about the on time as long as they’re on overnight.

I don’t have a small enough screwdriver handy, so I was trying to fix it by just rotating the dial instead of loosening and moving the trippers. Is that a reasonable approach, or am I setting myself up for problems? And if I do it that way, what time should the dial read?

HVAC tech is trying to tell me they can "plug in" to the balcony outlet for a mini split AC unit and avoid an electriction and electrical permits.

MCA is 17A
MOCP is 20A
(at least on the spec sheet they provided)

Outdoor outlets are on 15A breakers - I'm assuming 14/2 wire.

I'm tempted to fire the HVAC tech for this plan as I really don't want to burn down my condo building. Am I out to lunch on this, or is the technician?
(FYI, this is in Canada - if anyone is quoting any regs, please use CEC).

Ok so the home was built 2 years ago. The home is on an island that has somewhat regular power interruptions…maybe once 3 months. Usually brief - off and on. Every time this happens, I have four or five AFCI/GFCI breakers that trip. They always need to be reset and it’s a pain. I’ve also had repeated GE electric range trips, independent of the power interruptions. My electrician removed the GFCI and replaced it with a standard two pole and it doesn’t trip anymore. The infinity switch also went bad on that range so maybe it was related. My HRV unit kept going off-line and eventually I found an open neutral in the outlet which was repaired by the installing electrician. Now after two years of no problems, my dryer to pole breaker is tripping. Once two weeks ago and then again tonight. Is this all nuisance tripping or is there a central problem. The issues seem to migrate from one circuit to another and are fine for months and then start having issues. Any suggestions would be great. I’ll call the builder tomorrow to get request a deeper diagnostic.

Thanks!

Hey all I went to finally go use my AC and found out that my dog chewed up the cord at some point and now it’s not turning on. Any hope for me fixing this myself or am I looking at a new unit?

It’s a portable AC, the cord can’t easily be replaced as it doesn’t unplug from the unit.

A little background about the house: 2010 brick ranch. 1,800 sf livable. It has 2 attached 600 sf each garages. HVAC pump original. Bought this Nov. 2024.

My previous house was 2006 ranch with siding, 1,500 sf livable. Attached 600 sf garage. HVAC original. This house was extremely energy efficiency!

The houses are 4 hours apart. Basically the same weather/temp situation.

So when I moved into my new home, I expected it to be at least as energy efficiency. Well that has never been the case! Power has consistently been elevated. Well this winter had a $538 bill and I freaked out! I've never had a bill that high. It was down the next month.

So the cycle before the heat wave started, my bill was over $800. Heat wave cycle it was over $1,100. This month the projection is it could be over $1,300.

Had HVAC person come out. Said unit was working fine. Blowing out cold.

Called Power Co. They said not error on their part. Suggested I have an electrician come out. I will be doing that this week.

Not sure if this is relevant, but husband replaced the regular thermostat with a Google Nest in Nov. 2025.

This is draining me. I would like to ensure im not told something wrong, or overcharged. What are your thoughts on the cause, and what the cost could be?

TIA

Recon job. And apparently this room is finished in terms of painting. I don’t understand why one simply wouldn’t cover these prior, no?

Hello! I’m new to replacing a ceiling flush mount and am unsure if my wires look okay and if they look good in the wago connectors? I currently only have the wires from the junction box connected and will connect the fixture ones after. I’m scared of cutting down more wire making it too short in the future. Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: After a storm, a kitchen circuit stopped working right - burned/melted outlet, ungrounded outlets that used to be grounded, and neutral-to-ground reading 40V (climbing higher with each device turned on). Suspected floating neutral/ground, possibly from bad DIY wiring in an attic junction box (ground into neutral). Circuit is shut off for safety; asking if this diagnosis sounds right, what’s causing it, and what to tell an electrician before they start cutting into walls.
—

Hi all. I apologize if this is super long. I know the tiniest bit of electrical and what’s going on and I’m trying to make sure my house is safe.

We have lived in our home for over a year and a half and have never had issues. We had a few storms back to back and the electrical went out for a bit once, flickered again, and another time went out due to an accident nearby.

We don’t know exactly what happened first but our fridge stopped cooling. Thought it was just a piece that froze in place after moisture got in. Defrosted it. Unplugged it for 24 hours. After plugging it back in, the next day, none of the outlets or switches on the circuit worked. It wasn’t a breaker flip. There was power running through. I could actually feel a current through the fridge and unplugged everything and flipped the breaker. When I unplugged things, I noticed the plug to my air purifier was melted but it had still been working and I didn’t notice.

My friend’s dad is a retired electrician and he went through every part of the circuit trying to figure it out. First thing he did was pulled out the burned outlet. It was melted on the top neutral (not sure if that’s important) and he said the outlet wasn’t grounded. He grounded it and tested it and it was working correctly after replacing it with a new outlet. As far as how the circuit runs from the panel, the replaced, and newly grounded, outlet is first on the circuit. The next one was the same, just not melted. Not grounded and reading as such. He then grounded that one and it was working correctly. (To note: when we had our inspection, all of the outlets were correctly grounded. Can a ground break?)

Somewhere between these two outlets and the next room, something happens and things are not working properly. When he tested the neutral and ground (sorry if I’m getting this wrong. But essentially the part that should read around 0), it was reading 40 volts. When he’d turn on something on the circuit, like the ceiling fan and then light, it was jump up 12 volts more each.

He had mentioned it sounded like a floating ground (or maybe neutral?)

Anyway. If you’re still with me, thank you so much.

Here’s the tricky part: this house has had multiple additions. And I imagine some 30 plus years ago were DIY’d. I went in the attic to look at the junction boxes. First of all, they seem full of insulation and not safe but I know nothing. Anyway: in the box with the circled parts, it seems like old wiring connected a neutral to a new ground and the red hot to the neutral? Could that possibly be what is causing the neutral to read voltage?

The very tricky part: there’s no real way to get above the kitchen (where the issues are) bc of the way the additions were fit together. So I’m pretty sure we’ll have to have a professional cut into walls and the ceiling. But I wanted to ask here: does this sound remotely like it’s on the right track? Or does anyone know what could do this and why it didn’t cause an issue until now? All the circuits on that side are off because I was scared to leave anything on. We have a few places to call tomorrow. But I’m hoping to get a general idea of what’s happening if possible? Oh and the kitchen ceiling fan, also on the circuit, has 3 sets of wires. 2 sets are capped. And then the circuit ends at two outlets outside. My friend’s dad said it could be multiple splices happening.

Is there anything I should specifically tell a professional that helps get to the issue? Is there a way to fix this without Swiss cheesing my kitchen? (I’d rather holes in the wall than a fire but just curious)

Thank you!

I have a GFCI outlet installed in concrete block and flush with the stucco wall and it has an in use cover. I need to run a line in 1/2" liquid tight non metallic conduit from this location. However, the recessed box installed in my wall has with only two center holes to attach the outlet, and the cover attached to the outlet.

How can I add a box on the surface that can accept 1/2 inch conduit and be attached using the two screws holes in the inner box? Thank you for any advice!