r/AskElectricians Jul 21 '23

This subreddit and where we currently are.

181 Upvotes

After much discussion about how the community should be moderated, this is where we currently are.

First I want to get this out of the way. We will not allow hate speech, personal attacks, slurs, bigotry, or anything that resembles it. Okay? Good.

People are going to post electrical questions on the internet, do their own electrical work, and fuck up their own electrical work. This process will happen with or with out this subreddit and its rules. If there is a reliable community where someone can come and get good information on a wide range of electrical topics, then to me there will be a net positive for safety.

We are going to be allowing comments from all users, BUT I urge those who are not electrical professionals to exercise extreme caution when doing so. If information is not blatantly hazardous, it will stay up. The community is going to be asked to use the voting system it is intended. If someone takes the advice of a comment with negative karma, then more than likely, they would have done the wrong thing regardless. Once corrected, leaving wrong comments up can be a learning experience for everyone involved.

I ask you to DOWNVOTE information you do not like, and REPORT the hazardous stuff. We will decide what to do from there. Bans may or may not be given and everything will be at the discretion of the mods. Again, if you are someone who is not an electrical professional, you have been warned.

Electrical professionals: We have an imperfect system for getting a little 'Verified Electrician' flair next to your name. To get verified, send a photo to the mods that has your certificate/seal/card. In this photo, have a piece of paper with your username and date written on it. Block out all identifying information. Once verified delete the image. All the cool ones have this flair.

If we have hundreds or thousands of active verified users, we will once again talk about the direction of this community. Till then, see you in the comments.


r/AskElectricians 6h ago

Is it dangerous to keep using this plug socket?

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31 Upvotes

My parents keep using this plug socket and i tell them to stop because im scared the house is going to burn down. is this something i should be worried about?

It first started on the left plug so i disconnected it and put it on the right one but now both are literally fried. Btw a radiator is plugged into this.


r/AskElectricians 2h ago

What is this? Is it dangerous?

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12 Upvotes

r/AskElectricians 17h ago

Could someone tell me what kind of lamp this is

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129 Upvotes

So I got this lamp from a friend and well, ive never seen a lamp thats more heatsink than lamp. its like 25cm in length. It says 180 Watts on it and plugs directly into 230V Ac. Whats the name for this kind of lamp


r/AskElectricians 11h ago

What am I looking at?

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29 Upvotes

Any idea what this thing attached to the light is? Has power running to it, but the tiny wire disappears into a wall. The light is a pull string and isn’t attached to a switch, but it could have been at one point, maybe? The red and green wires are attached but theres a black and yellow that are both cut at the sheathing.


r/AskElectricians 2h ago

House hit by lightning, HVAC or electrician?

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4 Upvotes

Hey yall, the title says it all. We had lightning bust two holes in our porch roof and follow the gutters to the house. It fried A LOT of our lights out throughout the house, like 22, and killed everything plugged into the master. The thermostat is on the same breaker as the master so we assume it was zapped. The thermostat turns on and says there is no c-wire and we thought the HAVC was fried because the last time it said this, it was the HVAC fuse. We went to replace the fuse and it wasn’t burnt out (still replaced it though) so we are now thinking it’s an electrical issue. Weirdly, we are hearing our fan or ac (cold air coming out) kick on still. Anyone know why this may be happening? Are we looking at the possibility of having to rewire the thermostat through the walls? We had an electrician come but he refused to address it and said HVAC would need to do it, but this seems electrical and I don’t know if we should push the issue for him to look into it. Helllpppp.


r/AskElectricians 2h ago

Do I need to upgrade my panel if I install induction stove?

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5 Upvotes

Our gas stove just died and we'd like to switch to induction. Since the stove outlet isn't wired for an electric stove, we had an electrician quote us to rewire. The actually stove outlet change was reasonable but the guy says we should really upgrade the panel's amperage to 200 (currently 100) which came to $6500... not in the budget. I'm curious to know if there's any wiggle room here. We do have an EV charger which we only use at night (so wouldn't be cooking at the same time.) Is a panel upgrade unavoidable? I respect my electrician's recommendation but also know he has incentive to pitch the bigger project. TIA!


r/AskElectricians 10h ago

Outdoor GFCI outlets do they look new or can they be 20yrs old

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19 Upvotes

Can you tell by looking at these outdoor GFCI's if they are brand new or could they be 22 years old? I was told by HOA that these are original when building was constructed. I talked to electrician that was out here recently and he told me he was replacing the outlet bc it was not done properly. Those outlets are used by HVAC personnel and owners. Location is southwest Florida. Thank you!


r/AskElectricians 13h ago

Found in my grandad’s stuff

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30 Upvotes

Helping my dad clean out my grandparent’s storage building and came across this. My grandfather was an electrician from the 40’s-70’s and the box behind this was full of vacuum tubes and other electrical odds and ends. Obviously it’s a tester of some kind but as far what it specifically is and how to use it I have no idea and he’s been gone a decade so I can’t ask him. Thanks in advance for any insight!


r/AskElectricians 2h ago

Outdoor Electrical Box Mounting

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3 Upvotes

I’m mounting this electrical box outside directly on side paneling and don’t want to use the mounting brackets so that it looks a little sleeker and was hoping these little dimples are meant to push/drill out and use these holes to mount? I can’t find any information on what those little dimples are even for!

PS it’s the first time I’m doing this so any tips are greatly appreciated!


r/AskElectricians 3h ago

Should this have passed inspection? Is this even safe?

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3 Upvotes

Let's just label me as someone who knows nothing about being an electrician.

Just to start with, is 640amps worth of breaks with a 200amp main breaker even safe or recommended?

This passed inspection during the hype of the covid epidemic The 240v 30amp that is off is still aluminum wiring.

I want to add an additional breaker box (not me doing the work) but before I even start calling people, I'd like to hear if anything should be addressed with the current breakerbox

Thanks in advance


r/AskElectricians 4h ago

How dangerous was this?

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3 Upvotes

We have historical flooding here and two of my friends decided to take their kayaks out to my buddies land that is almost completely flooded. They got close to these power lines. How dangerous was it for them?


r/AskElectricians 6h ago

What is this? No signs of burns in the outlet but noticed this black mark when I was cleaning my wall AC. Everything is very dusty where I live and common to find a fine black dust on everything.

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4 Upvotes

My SO thinks it’s arching and is concerned. I think it’s just dirty and hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. What do you guys think?


r/AskElectricians 1d ago

Dishwasher burning up 12 wire and not tripping breaker

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206 Upvotes

Dedicated 120v 20 amp circuit…. no loose connections, no water in the electrical panel box.. they had a different electrician who initially wired the dishwasher pull in a new dedicated circuit yesterday bc the original wire also burnt up. this is today. As you can see the jacket has already burned through plus it’s burnt up on the product side of the panel.

It is a brand new kitchenaid dishwasher.

Couldn’t find UL listing on dishwasher but will come back tomorrow with my meter and run it and see what type of amperage this is pulling at the panel and at the dishwasher.

I am a LLE licensed electrician, but completely stumped unless it’s a faulty breaker and this dishwasher is just pulling an ungodly amount of amperage for some reason. If it’s normal amount of amperage, i will call manufacturer and see if they can get replacement dishwasher..if they can’t I will strip off the factory crimps on the appliance side of the panel and wrap the wire directly around the screw.

Any other ideas?


r/AskElectricians 1h ago

Help with learning how to get a apprentice license (Texas)

Upvotes

Hi I (25m) , moved from Puerto Rico to Texas in the last year and a half. Back in Puerto Rico i attended vocational High School and got a diploma in electricity yet never got a apprentice license. I have been trying to find out how I could get one in Texas, if my old diploma would work here, and if i does, how I would go forward with getting that license, or if not, how to proceed forward. Thanks


r/AskElectricians 5h ago

Would it be safe to use Japanese plugs for our uk devices

5 Upvotes

Bought uk to Japan adapters for a holiday in Japan. The box said it can be used in Japan. We are now there and found out the plug sockets are 2 prong only, our adapters are 3 prong. As we need phones charged for maps, will it be safe to buy a Japanese plug and just plug our USB cables into it? Without an adapter?

Sorry if this isn't the correct place to ask this.


r/AskElectricians 4h ago

Best path to an apprenticeship

3 Upvotes

24 year old male looking to get into the trade. I’m decently handy love working with my hands, love working on vehicles. I’m a pretty smart and capable person, however my resume is lackluster and my last two jobs were delivering packages at Amazon and now I’m walking dogs with a local company, nothing that looks great. What is my best bet getting an apprenticeship? My local tech school has a 1 year program teaching electrical theory and the basics of it all. Is going that route necessary or should I just apply for the apprenticeships and possibly save the 7 grand? Any insight is appreciated as I don’t know how this normally goes. Thank you!


r/AskElectricians 2h ago

Living Room Lights Out - GFCI Outlet Wiring Nightmare (Detailed Breakdown) PLEASE HELP 🙏

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2 Upvotes

Living Rooms Lights Out - GFCI Outlet Wiring Nightmare (Detailed Breakdown) PLEASE HELP 🙏

Hey everyone, I could really use some help from someone with more electrical experience. I’ve been trying to restore power to my living room lights, and it’s turned into a serious headache involving GFCIs, phantom voltage, and what seems like mismatched circuits. Thank you to anyone who reads all this. I’m mentally drained, and I’ve done everything I can think of. If anyone has ideas, diagrams, or has seen a setup like this before, I’d be so grateful. It’s not the lights — they’re brand new. It’s not the switches either. These lights were working perfectly recently and are controlled by two switches: one by the front door and one by the hallway. The breaker controls the hallway light, the living room lights, outlets, and the bathroom light — but only the living room lights are affected. When I put the tester on the switches, outlets, and light fixtures, they all read as having power.

I’ve documented and tested almost every combo I can — here’s the breakdown:

The Situation: • Living room lights stopped working. • The only thing on that part of the circuit not working was those lights — everything else in the house was fine. • I replaced the light switches, light fixtures, and even the GFCI outlet in the attic that I suspected was tied into the same circuit.

What’s in the Attic Electrical Box: • 3 Romex cables coming into a metal box. • Middle Romex: white, black, copper (ground) • Right Romex: black, white (no copper) • Breaker Romex: black, white, green (the white shows no power, the green/black are tied into the hallway lights which still work)

What I Know: • The black wire from the right romex is the true hot — always shows voltage when disconnected. • The white wire from the right romex also shows voltage, so it’s not a true neutral. • The white wire from the middle romex was originally part of a neutral group, but it had previously burned. I’ve stripped and cleaned it. • The white wire from the breaker shows no power and doesn’t work when paired with the right black hot — it kills the power.

Original Neutral Setup (based on old photos): • The white from the middle romex was bundled with a jumper, which then connected to the white from the breaker, which then went to a jumper that fed the outlet. • So basically: middle white + jumper > breaker white + jumper > outlet

Where I’m Stuck: • I’ve bundled the middle white, breaker white, and a jumper to the GFCI all in one nut (clean copper, tight connection). • Tried both the right black and the middle black — neither works when connected. • Right black used to be the hot. Now it shows no power. • Middle black shows power when disconnected, but dies as soon as it’s connected. • GFCI will not reset in any combination — no green light, no power at the outlet, no lights.

Circuit Info: • The breaker controls: • Hallway light (still works) • Bathroom light (still works) • Some outlets (still work) • Living room lights (only thing not working)

Testing Results: • I’ve used a contact tester on the switch terminals, the light fixture wires, and even inside the outlet boxes. • All of them read as having power. • But no matter what I do, the living room lights won’t turn on — even with working switches and new fixtures.

The Mystery: • These lights worked perfectly fine just recently. • Now they’re the only thing on the circuit not working, and everything else that shares the same breaker is fine.

My Question(s): • What am I missing here? Why does the black wire go dead when connected? • Could I have a shared or broken neutral issue that’s killing the power? • Is there any way to properly power the GFCI outlet using the wires in this box? • Should I try a regular outlet just to test the loop? • Any way to trace or restore the original hot if it’s disappeared?


r/AskElectricians 20m ago

What plug is this?

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Upvotes

Hello! I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I got gifted an electric device that has this plug. Does anyone know where this is used? It doesn’t seem to be Europian, cause I can’t plug it in, even though it gives me the idea it should be. Please help!


r/AskElectricians 33m ago

Is this safe, ev charger filling with water

Upvotes

We live in a side by side duplex, our neighbor has her EV pulled up to about 3 feet from our side with it plugged in, to a ev extension box, and an extension cord going through the property into her kitchen window into a regular outlet, non gfci. Oh and it's pouring rain. It's been plugged in for 2 weeks straight but its going to rain for the next week, and the drain spout is spitting all over it.


r/AskElectricians 11h ago

Renting a basement apartment, can i use a light with this ceiling hookup?

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7 Upvotes

I'm guessing this is a 220 connector for a former dryer or something. Anything I can hook into this an use a light of some sort to light up this hallway a little more?


r/AskElectricians 1h ago

Antique German element tester (I think ?)

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Upvotes

Found this at an antique store not sure what year or anything only found one German website that had something close to it. Has anyone seen something like this? Or have any info on it ?


r/AskElectricians 1h ago

Electrician and welding

Upvotes

How common do electricians weld, solder, or brazing And is it worth to get a welding certificate in this field (electrician)? And what kind of work they do?


r/AskElectricians 1h ago

AC and DC loads in same conduit.

Upvotes

Some context: Utility comes into meter on main house, then into main panel. Detached shop sub panel is fed from main panel with 25-30 feet of 2/0 aluminum wire in 2" conduit and a couple of J boxes. Running a second conduit would be difficult because the walkway would need to be cut up pretty bad as it butts directly up against the shop foundation exterior.

Solar PV DC feeds inverter, inverter AC passes through customer owned meter, then into shop sub panel which back feeds the main panel, then surplus feeds the grid from there.

I want to put a larger full house capable hybrid inverter between utility meter and main panel. This would mean running the PV DC from the shop to the main house (solar panels are on shop roof).

So, assuming I can muscle some big copper through that conduit along side the 2/0 aluminum, and assuming the insulations of both are rated for the max voltages in the conduit, is it code compliant (or even just best practices) to do this? Or am I looking at a walkway project. Lol.

Any advice is appreciated.


r/AskElectricians 1h ago

Outdoor patio electrical q

Upvotes

I have a qo main breaker panel and was looking for tandem double pole breakers but apparently that’s not a thing. Now I’m debating if I’m better off adding a sub panel and moving all my outdoor circuits to it. It would be:

1 - 30 amp 240 v breaker for 6000w heater 1 - 30 amp 240 v breaker for 6000w heater 1 - 20 amp 120 breaker for outlets 1 - 20 amp 120 breaker for fan and lights

This would also free up space in my main panel for a future EV charger.

I already have a 100amp sub panel to a shed but my understanding is there isn’t a limit to the number of sub panels I can add.


r/AskElectricians 5h ago

Did 12 gauge wire used to be thinner in Indiana/US?

3 Upvotes

I added some recessed lights in my kitchen and used 14 gauge wire because the existing fixture I connected had what looked and felt like 14 gauge wire. I put my strippers on the existing hot wire too and could easily slide the strippers on the bare copper without cutting into it. Like a true jackass, I looked at the existing wire sheathing after the install was done and saw that it's 12-2 and checked the breaker, which I thought was 15 amp but nope, it's 20 amp. So now to help me sleep better at night I'm going to change the breaker to a 15 amp. There's nothing on the circuit but the kitchen lights, but I don't want to risk any issues.

Was 12 gauge thinner back in the day? My home was built in the 60s but this circuit was most likely added later because the fixture I tapped into has a plastic box.