Author Topic: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?  (Read 158011 times)

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #520 on: November 10, 2020, 06:53:52 PM »
I am not sure but my guess is screws take one size, push-in another size but both should be copper.
+1
The stress is on solid, it gotta be solid copper or it won't push in properly.
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Offline lcm

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #521 on: November 10, 2020, 07:47:53 PM »

Thanks, I'm the first picture in this post, you can see the wire going into the circuit board.
Am I correct in assuming that it's aluminium?
Here's some pictures.


Offline yos9694

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #522 on: November 10, 2020, 07:48:37 PM »
I am not sure but my guess is screws take one size, push-in another size but both should be copper.

The screws will take both sizes. Push in is only for smaller gauge.

Offline yos9694

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #523 on: November 10, 2020, 07:50:37 PM »
Thanks, I'm the first picture in this post, you can see the wire going into the circuit board.
Am I correct in assuming that it's aluminium?

The green wire looks like aluminum strand. Cant really see any other wires. You're not referring to the coil are you?

Take the caps off the wires in pic #2 and post a pic of that

Offline lcm

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #524 on: November 10, 2020, 07:51:59 PM »
The green wire looks like aluminum strand. Cant really see any other wires. You're not referring to the coil are you?
The two black wires coming from the right side of the picture

Offline lcm

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #525 on: November 10, 2020, 08:09:23 PM »
I'm noticing in pictures online of dimmer's that come with their own wires have silver colored wires, and they tell you to connect them to copper wires.
For example in step 9 on this page:
https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-install-a-dimmer-switch/

Offline CountValentine

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #526 on: November 10, 2020, 08:34:13 PM »
Silver does not mean aluminum. Those wires are most likely tinned with solder.
See if the switch is stamped CO/ALR.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2020, 08:39:34 PM by CountValentine »
Only on DDF does 24/6 mean 24/5/half/half

Offline lcm

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #527 on: November 10, 2020, 11:41:40 PM »
Silver does not mean aluminum. Those wires are most likely tinned with solder.
See if the switch is stamped CO/ALR.
Aha, thanks.
Does that mean I don't have to freak out that I'm starting an electric fire?
I can't tell if it stamped that at the moment- if I researched correctly, that would mean that it compatible with aluminium.
But if the wire isn't really aluminium, then I won't bother checking

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #528 on: November 26, 2020, 02:41:07 PM »
Anyone have any suggestions / deals on a decent multimeter?


Looking at these two, how do they compare?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISAMUA6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9QW620
« Last Edit: November 26, 2020, 02:48:44 PM by Yo ssi »
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Offline Yo ssi

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #529 on: November 27, 2020, 01:27:12 AM »
I have three, 3-way swiches connected to my lights. 2 of them are working fine while the third has the standard problem, that when one switch is off the other won't work. Usually that means the electrician messed up the load and the travelers.

So, I take both switches apart and find the load then I make sure to have the travelers set up properly, I put everything back together and...voila...low and behold nothing changed  :( :(

I noticed on one of the switches it seems a little broken, the switch doesn't go fully up (pictured below), could that be the issue? I tried testing it by having the good condition switch positioned off and the slightly damaged switch was still unusable. Leading me to believe that the switch isn't the issue..

Any help would be greatly appreciated!



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Offline username

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #530 on: November 27, 2020, 10:38:05 AM »
In a three way switch, both switches need to be in position for the fixture to work. If one is stuck in the middle, the fixture will (should) not turn on. Pretty sure that that could be an issue in a four way switch(three switches).


(You have a four-way switch: an electric switch used in house wiring so that a light may be turned on or off at three or more places)
^^^

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #531 on: November 27, 2020, 10:58:50 AM »
In a three way switch, both switches need to be in position for the fixture to work. If one is stuck in the middle, the fixture will (should) not turn on. Pretty sure that that could be an issue in a four way switch(three switches).


(You have a four-way switch: an electric switch used in house wiring so that a light may be turned on or off at three or more places)
The switch that is "stuck" in the middle functions fully as a regular switch, and again when I take the normal switch and put it in the off position that switch should still work but it doesn't..

There is 2 points where I can control the lights and 2 sides of the room, on each side there's 3 switches hence the three 3-way swiches.
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Offline username

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #532 on: November 27, 2020, 01:22:54 PM »
With a three way switch, just because it turns it off, it may not be making the proper connection necessary in order that the other switch can complete the circuit when flipped.

Three way switches are complicated, ingenious, and simple at the same time.
^^^

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #533 on: November 27, 2020, 01:25:12 PM »
With a three way switch, just because it turns it off, it may not be making the proper connection necessary in order that the other switch can complete the circuit when flipped.

Three way switches are complicated, ingenious, and simple at the same time.
Meaning it's just a faulty switch?
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Offline username

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #534 on: November 30, 2020, 11:33:55 AM »
I hope so.
See here how the switches work. It is important to make  contact on both positions, otherwise the circuit cannot be completed.

If you replace the switch, make sure you connect the proper wires to the proper terminals. Otherwise, you will still have issues.
^^^

Offline Yo ssi

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #535 on: November 30, 2020, 12:19:43 PM »
I hope so.
See here how the switches work. It is important to make  contact on both positions, otherwise the circuit cannot be completed.

If you replace the switch, make sure you connect the proper wires to the proper terminals. Otherwise, you will still have issues.
The reason I thought it might not be the switch, is because it does go fully to one side. I'll switch it and see.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2020, 12:37:02 PM by Yo ssi »
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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #536 on: November 30, 2020, 12:35:32 PM »
pun excused

Offline Shmulie

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #537 on: December 23, 2020, 10:42:18 PM »
I was going to replace a light fixture and I didn't know which breaker went to that light so I was switching them all off till I got to it. After switching one of the breakers off it wouldn't go back on it and just kept on auto tripping. That breaker controls half my house and goes to a sub panel so I turned off every breaker in the sub panel and tried resetting it and it still wouldn't work.
I think that breaker is faulty and needs to be replaced Is there any way to confirm this and is that something I can do on my own or Is it too dangerous and I need to call an electrician




Offline Shmulie

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #538 on: December 24, 2020, 02:27:20 PM »
I was going to replace a light fixture and I didn't know which breaker went to that light so I was switching them all off till I got to it. After switching one of the breakers off it wouldn't go back on it and just kept on auto tripping. That breaker controls half my house and goes to a sub panel so I turned off every breaker in the sub panel and tried resetting it and it still wouldn't work.
I think that breaker is faulty and needs to be replaced Is there any way to confirm this and is that something I can do on my own or Is it too dangerous and I need to call an electrician

I ended up replacing the breaker myself, took about 10 minutes. The old breaker was definitely broken because even when it was disconnected it auto tripped.

Offline yos9694

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Re: I need Electric Help... Any electricians out there?
« Reply #539 on: December 24, 2020, 08:46:00 PM »
If i use a multi meter to test voltage in outlets, is it normal for the voltage reading to drop slightly as I measure further from the breaker? For example the first outlet on the wire reads 119.4V and the next one reads 119.2V but by the time I get to the one farthest away it reads 117.8V. (Yes I know which is first and which is last in series, the wires are running through an unfinished wall)

If its not normal, what might it indicate? Thanks