we have this waffle machine in our store that keep breaking after a month of use. anyone care to explain to me why this switch keep burning? i had to replace it every now and then

Client has a 400amp panel with integrated meter with 200 subpanel on the backside of it in the garage. He also is running a solar system but without battery. He is looking to install a 24kw generac generator. I have done generators before with transfer switches but not for a 400 service. Since he has bought the wrong transfer switches that is rated for 200 amp i was thinking maybe i can do 2-200amp transfer switch system. My idea is to run each of the 200 amp wires to each switch and tie in the solar to the supply side of the switch as well(maybe in a junction box). Basically putting the 2 transfer switches between the meter and the main200amp breakers. I know i have to splice the generator power to both switches and run the control wires to both as well. I just got couple of questions for you guys.

1. Can i still install the switches in the garage next to each other using EMT conduits? In LA county

2.Do i need to run the main ground to both transfer switches? Or do i need additional grounding electrodes for the switches 3. Assuming i have to run a separate neutral from the meter to both switches, correct t? 4.do i need to tie in the solar to both switches?

Hello!

I’ve realized after writing this post that it’s very long. Thanks in advance to everyone who reads it! I’m also having a trusted, licensed electrician come out to doublecheck my repairs.

I write this post feeling pretty fortunate that the breaker tripped before a serious fire started, and glad that no one in my house was injured. Yesterday, what I consider to be a small electrical fire started in my son’s room while we were out of the house for the afternoon. From what I can tell, the breaker tripped around 1:53 pm which is when I saw a spike on my Sense monitor logs, and when some IOT devices on the same circuit lost power. The tripped breaker prevented the small fire from spreading or becoming a much larger issue. Now that everything is done, it would appear that the damage is limited to about 2 feet of baseboard, a few inches on the edge of the carpet, and some scorch marks on the drywall around the receptacle. After removing the burned/melted receptacle, the wiring appeared to be mostly intact with no burns on the insulation. I trimmed about an inch off of the hot, neutral, and ground wire and then made a pig tail with the same gauge wire so that I could use the screw terminals and single wires.

The original setup was a backstabbed 15 amp receptacle with the incoming line, and then two downstream loads fed by the same receptacle. The circuit is fed by a 15 amp circuit breaker, and powers some receptacles and some lights in what appears to be three bedrooms in my house. The receptacle was powering a small aquarium with a circulation pump, led light, and heater. After making repairs, I plugged in a smart energy monitor and measured only 21 watts drawn with everything turned on.

I figure the failure is probably one of a few possibilities:

1. Worn out receptacle that had poor contact which resulted in overheating and eventual fire. While the front of the receptacle is pretty damaged, the backside is mostly okay, and the wiring also seemed mostly okay though I did trim it back to get clean copper.
2. Faulty power strip that failed at the plug or somewhere in the cord. Most of the visible burn marks are on the wall, carpet, and baseboard where the power cord was touching. The most damaged area appears to be the actual plug.

What do the professionals here think?

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/0YpZZKb

Edits: My Sense home energy monitor detected the spike in current, but did not flag it as a possible danger. I also have a Ting energy monitor which is supposed to monitor for unsafe conditions in order to prevent fires. It did not detect anything here at all. I am located in the United States for those that may wonder.

Hi everyone,

I recently had a Bosch 800 series dishwasher installed, and the installers replaced the existing outlet with a new GFCI outlet (pictured at the top). Below it, I have a standard outlet that has been used for my garbage disposal for the past four years without any issues.

However, after the GFCI outlet was installed, I noticed that the lower outlet melted where the disposal is plugged in. This happened while ONLY the dishwasher was running—the disposal was NOT in use when the melting occurred.

Some details: • The disposal unit has not changed in the past four years. • The GFCI outlet was installed at the same time as the new dishwasher. • The lower outlet (which melted) is labeled “DISPOSAL” and was previously working fine. • There are visible burn marks on the outlet and wall, indicating a possible overload or faulty wiring. • The melting happened while ONLY the dishwasher was running.

Questions I Have: 1. Could the new GFCI outlet have been wired incorrectly, causing this issue? 2. Could this be due to an overloaded circuit or improper grounding? 3. Is there a fix beyond replacing the burnt outlet, or should I get an electrician to inspect the whole setup? 4. Should I be worried about further fire hazards from this wiring issue?

I’d really appreciate any insights from electricians or anyone who has experienced a similar issue. Thanks in advance for your help!

Anybody have any ideas on how to get this screw out of an electrical box on the ceiling for a ceiling fan? I tried a screw extraction kit and it didn’t work. The head of the screw broke off while screwing it in.

Hi everyone! I’m planning to build a detached 3-car garage with a 900-sf ADU above it on my 2.4-acre property in Oregon. I know I’ll need to address power supply upgrades or relocations and want to make sure I approach this correctly when reaching out to electricians for an initial consultation.

Here’s what I’m trying to understand:

1. Initial Consultation: What’s the typical process when an electrician comes out to evaluate the feasibility of extending or relocating power to a detached structure? Is it common to be charged a flat fee, and what’s a ballpark range for this initial visit?
2. Deliverables: What should I expect after the consultation? Is it typical to receive a written assessment of the required work, rough cost estimates, or just verbal guidance during the visit?
3. What Information Should I Provide: Before scheduling a visit, are there specific details about my property, panel, or usage needs that I should be ready to share to make the consultation as efficient as possible?
4. Ballpark Cost Range: I know it varies, but any general guidance on the following would be helpful: Trenching and extending power 50-100 feet from the main panel; Potential panel/service upgrades if necessary for the ADU’s kitchen and bathroom load (currently have 200A service)

I appreciate any advice on how to approach someone in your field and set realistic expectations. Thanks in advance!

I bought a house and noticed that my furnace humidifier was not working. I opened it up and saw it was very crusty with lots of sediment so I changed the supe crusty filter and cleaned it up. I thought it was not working because of the fan so I tested the fan's continuity and it was fine. Later I found out it was a solenoid. I replace a solenoid and it worked for a minute before the fan started to smoke and the fan was very hot to the touch. I immediately unplugged it. Why did the fan smoke? Did I switch the polarity accidentally when I unplugged it ? I thought this didn’t matter. Did it have to do with all the sediment that was in the whole system insulating the motor? I wanna learn! Thanks. Ill add a video if this lets me.

https://reddit.com/link/1igffp4/video/o0v8bb3bcuge1/player

I need to add a ring camera to the front of my garage facing the driveway, and I need to run cable to a box. This is the outlet in the ceiling of my garage, can I add another pigtail to it ?

What's resistors in easy words?

Hey all,

Just wanted to see if this looks good and up to code... any help appreciated before I finish the rest. Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/45mp892rstge1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a0e22d10b50f9fb0a0f67bd29fadb2b36c14aa4

https://preview.redd.it/638drm1rstge1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=845b92732178dea8fd51b2a9e859ce0c913e0de9

Ok so I don’t expect many to know what I’m dealing with here as my industry is very specific, but I need help with a power management issue, I run what’s called a Digital Real Time Radiography system, and most of this stuff is just slapped together by non professionals. I’ll explain it to some degree and then give some specifications,

So essentially this system is run through a 5000 watt inverter connect to truck power (ford f250 power stroke) using a 4 awg power cables, this is operating a 24v motion control system, with 2x stepper motors, that’s moving a photon counter at immensely slow speeds (1.0 mm/s) for cooling it uses a Koolance industrial pcb cooler and peltier system, also on this system is a 900watt xray tube with its own cooling system that cycles antifreeze through it.

My issue here is, after long run times, 25 minutes or more, I begin to experience momentary power slips to the inverter which causes the system to shut down causing me to have to restart everything.

Would a UPS battery backup connected into the power inverter solve these momentary power slips?

Had some recessed lights put in between the first and second floor. Some rewiring was needed, and they left some drywall patches looking pretty bad. Are they normally supposed to match the paint or make it look better?

Looking for some help getting a 3 way switch wired right in my basement. I wanted to add a small sconce on the wall of my basement stairwell due to the poor lighting. I added in the new sconce and ran the 14-2 wire down to the switch box from the new light. This switch is a 3 way switch wired to another 3 way switch in my basement that has a chain of canned lights that the switches control (the switch in the basement is a paddle dimmer switch, not sure that matters). The power is coming in at the switch box at the top of the stairs along with the wiring from the switch in the basement and, unfortunately wiring that leads to my laundry room to give the lighting power there. My question is, is there any way to wire the new light so that the 3 way switch controls it? I have tried a few different ways to wire it and every time something wasn’t working right. I am generally pretty good at wiring around the house, but this has me stumped. The only other thought I had was taking out the old box and putting in a double gang box, and adding a single pole switch to the light while keeping the 3 way switch separate.

Just married and moved into a new house and trying to get the landscape lighting back online!

Several trees that had lights in them were removed and the wires were left buried in the ground. None of the remaining lights will come on. Is it because of the disconnected wires? Does this transformer box look correct?

I was thinking of disconnecting all the wires here at the transformer low voltage terminals and then trying them one at a time?

The wires are all still nicely buried from here and I was hesitant to dig them up or cut any of the lights up in trees to test them there.

Thanks in advance!

Here's what the install looks like

Basically the 6/3 NM will run about 5' up into the attic from the panel behind drywall, about 20' across the attic, and less than 5' back down to the charger behind 1/2" plywood and entering the charger from the back. Can I get away with throwing a clamp type service entrance connector on the back of the EVSE and running the NM bare behind the plywood?