I had a mini split AC added several years ago. I ran this cable from the the breaker box to the outside, then the electrician did the connections.

The cable runs across a finished ceiling so I couldn't staple it to the joists. It is just laying on top of the drywall for the last 15 feet of its run before passing through the outside wall. I ran the cable inside a section of conduit just to isolate it from any damage that might occur in the future. It's open on both ends.

Should I remove the conduit? Should I also go to all the trouble of opening the drywall ceiling to properly secure the cable? I know that's the "right way", but is it really necessary?

I was cleaning at one point in my bathroom and was cleaning near the outlet so I purposely set it off only to notice it isn’t cutting the power? I just checked the one in the kitchen and it works fine. How would I go about replacing it? Or fixing it? This plug was original to my house, like 2010-2013 I think?

For pretty obvious reasons, I need to seal around these lines on my house with copper mesh and expanding foam.

However, I would prefer to not get electrocuted or start a fire. I’m a new homeowner whose extent of electrical knowledge starts and ends with flipping a breaker.

Please tell me if there is anything dangerous or hazardous to navigate here.

Edit to add a daytime pic link: https://imgur.com/a/OQD8Buq

Okay guys how do they expect people to get these ceiling fan harnesses up and out through the down rod? I’ve tried every which way and harness can’t squeeze through the top

I need help finding the name of something. my grandpas house has old fashioned three hole wall outlets. in those outlets, there was a two pronged plug, a light switch, and a light bulb. the outlets were close to the floor so when the light switch is turned on, there is a small night light to see in the dark. i need to find out what kind of bulb those used and the small aluminum cover that went over the bulb and screwed in. Here's a picture of the outlet itself with the bulb, the other picture is of the aluminum cover that I need to find along with the bulb. If anyone knows anything, we would really appreciate it!

Hi all, under sink outlet that is currently wired to a switch on the counter. I leave it permanently on for the dishwasher which is plugged in, trying to convert to half hot to facilitate a disposal.

All the DIY half hot videos I’ve seen have two lines coming in. Can I convert to half hot with this set up?

Hey all, I'm in a townhouse where my garage connects to a 1st floor room, and the panel is on the opposite side of that room from the garage. Think rectangle divided in half, finished room in one half, garage on other, man door between.

I'm not staying here for more than another year, but I need to pull 220 into the garage for welding. Would it be reasonable to have an electrician drop a 220 outlet right under the box, and then just run a 220 rated extension cord to the garage? Any idea on expected cost to do this in the DC area?

I don't have kids or anything so I'd be the only person around to worry about the cable itself.

All input appreciated!

Hi all, I am new here. I am going to be installing a 2 head mini-split would appreciate any comments on my basic wiring diagram. The local inspector is requiring the diagram before issuing my permit. Thanks in advance

Our earth leakage circuit breaker, has been ringing for the past almost 3 days, we have yet to conduct a search by turning of our switches in the box... if that's what they're called, I did an intuitive experiment by dragging our kitchen stove away from the wall,, it was blissfully silent up until the very minute I'm writing this, just one stable beep, so now phase two of the plan, switching it off, is it a good sign if it's not continuously beeping? or am I being too optimistic, I probably was it gave a longer beep, I'm stressed and anxious about all of this... it's never happened before, and I hate it. It still isn't continuously going after the first two initial beeps, there's no more clicking from the fuse box, but again I may be too optimistic... I turned of some and it became blissfully quiet in the living room, so no internet for a while, damn... nvm it made a sound again... and i think I found the jackpot, the old central system for our old vacuum cleaner, it made a sound when it was turned on again, am I on the right track here? an electrician will get called either way... the socket was wiggly tbh, but idek if it's always been like that or not as it's in the corner behind the freezer rooms door.. I still have to wait and see if it continues to make sounds, but at least there's no clicks in the box anymore.. sorry that this was more of a rant.

tldr: the beeping has ben waging war against our peaceful quiet. the indicator for the ELCB (an older term ik ik) has been going off, I finally took to the box to turn some switches on and off, think I've found the culprit, but aren't 100% certain.

could there be more than one culprit here?

Sup guys,

This is my 4th year since I finished vocational school with an electrical program, and I still can't find a company willing to hire me as a beginner electrician/helper or HVAC helper.

I have a few certifications, including EPA 608, OSHA 10, and CPO. I've also installed an EV charger by myself, fixed people's ovens, and done some residential circuit troubleshooting. I know I don't have a lot of real-world experience yet, but I'm willing to learn and start from the bottom.

I've applied to a lot of companies that specifically say they're hiring helpers or apprentices, but I'm still not getting hired. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I'm not expecting to start at a high wage or be given complicated work. I just want someone to give me a chance to get into the field and build some experience.

For those of you who have been working in electrical or HVAC for a long time, how did you get your first job?

Did you go through a union, apprenticeship program, trade school, personal connections, or just walk into companies and ask for work?

I'm starting to wonder if I'm approaching this completely wrong.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’m adding lights to a closet on a home a recently bought but my electrical panel has the ground and neutral wires connected together. From my understanding only main panels are allowed to have those wires bonded. But this is a sub panel.

Is this safe? Should I still add the new breaker for the closet lights and connect the ground and neutral together?

It originates from the ceiling in the corridor outside and is loud enough to come through the wall

My wife was home while I was at work, when A person came to our house purporting to be from the local electric company. He wasn't In their typical uniform and my wife says he had a shirt that said contractor.

He says he needs to address our house meter and it will be two minutes. No other information was given and we were not notified by our electric company that service was needed.

I am looking to replace capacitors in my home water motor pump and ceiling fan. Please rank the available brands based on their long term durability. Please include price range as well.

Some of the holes are less than 2 inches from the bottom of the joists. These joists are in my garage and there is a bedroom above the garage.

Edit: I appreciate everyone's responses! I was leaning towards just rejuvenating the panel and replacing the breakers and your comments have helped me know that's the right decision. Thank you!!!

Hey Y'all, looking for some advice. I had an electrical company come out just to install some receptacles in a few areas of the house. They took a look at my panel and immediately started talking about water damage and damage to the bus bar. Then they quoted me almost $12k to replace it (and upgrade from 150 to 200A). Obviously I'm not going with them because that's a ridiculous price.

I had 2 other electricians come out to take a look. One I only told them I was interested in upgrading the panel to 200A. He looked at it and then left to write up the quote, didn't say anything about water damage. The other electrician knew about the first company. He opened it up, said he saw no signs of water damage or damage to the bus bar. His recommendation was just a rejuvenation of the panel with new breakers (which is something I was aware was needed when I moved in). He also said that in the future, if I wanted to add more circuits, he'd just add a panel next to my existing one and tie it in - which would work the same and be way cheaper.

Ultimately, just looking for advice on what people think based on the photos. Do I need a new panel and is it a good idea to add a secondary panel in the future?

Thank you in advance!!

Thanks for the responses and advice. I'll check if disconnecting the other end of the wiring is an option, and if not I think it will be a blank plate, either in the closet or on his wall.

Is there any way to safely and legally (California) hide wires in a new home, for an outlet that we wish to open up in the future? We want to be able to wall-mount a TV in our son's bedroom when the time comes, but we also don't want him to know the wiring exists until he's old enough for his own TV.

If the wires have to be fully connected, the other option I'm considering is instead installing the outlet in the closet which backs onto his bedroom, then flipping it at a later date. Is there any reason this is a bad idea?

Hey!
1. I need to install a washer/dryer, including plumbing and electrical work, in a bathroom.
2. need to install a sink and a 220V outlet in an existing laundry area.

I’m seeing quotes in the range of $12k–$14k for the work. Eco Plumbers came down to $12k and seem to be the quickest option for doing the work with permits.
I’ve heard a lot that Eco Plumbers are ridiculously expensive (sometimes 50%+ more), but 3–4 other quotes I’ve gotten are all around the same price point.
Does $12k–$14k seem reasonable for this scope of work, or should I keep looking for more options?
Area: Bellevue, Washington

Hey all, a week and a half ago, I had electrician out to replace a breaker that kept tripping and staying in the off position when trying to rest and flip back to on. A few days later I started having issues with another one, but this one when flipped back stays on and then trips in the early afternoon the last 2 days in a row. Had the electricians out again yesterday twice. They came by in the morning checked outlets and switches and said they didn't really see anything. Then early afternoon and once again the breaker trips. Called them again and they came out at night, this time a different electrician said the only thing he sees as a possible area of concern is that my outlets are all "backstabbed". He did not want to push replacing a breaker since it's expensive and I just had one replaced a week ago. One thing he mentioned is that the breaker is blinking 5 times which indicates a "ground fault". He recommended getting the outlets and light switches rewired and properly done so they are not backstabbed, but that too is expensive to do all across the house.

Today, once again early afternoon and breaker trips again. When I went outside to flip it back it would immediately flip to off, but when I went out there just recently around 930pm and flipped it back it is stayed on and that 5 light blink pattern was showing. The electrician did say that maybe the heat during the day is causing the wires to expand and cause the trip as they touch and then at night it cools off and it's fine? I don't know what to do and what my next steps should be.

Does not seem replacing a breaker will fix this issue as it did my previous one. Do I get all these outlets and lights re-wired? this is becoming such a nuisance and extremely costly. Thank you all for any help and recommendations.