Mixed electrical questions
#1
11-29-14, 07:42 PM
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Mixed electrical questions
Hi.. My apologies for the mix but I think it better to do it this way instead of creating a bunch of threads. Here we go,
1. I'm trying to mount a IKEA furniture for my tv but in one section the electrical panel is mounted on the other side of the wall. Is there any problem if I proceed? Anything I need to keep in mind?
2. I have an outdoor outlet that seems to be connected to an indoor one. Even though it is well mounted (according to the gfci instructions), it goes bad often. The outlet inside is not gfci. Any clues about what could be causing this?
3. How do you trace electrical wires in your house to ensure you are not doing something wrong. Many times I follow instructions but at the end I don't even know if my breaker can support it.
4. In one of my rooms, if I turn a device on and off quickly the ceiling light flickers.Any ideas?
Thanks in advanced.
1. I'm trying to mount a IKEA furniture for my tv but in one section the electrical panel is mounted on the other side of the wall. Is there any problem if I proceed? Anything I need to keep in mind?
2. I have an outdoor outlet that seems to be connected to an indoor one. Even though it is well mounted (according to the gfci instructions), it goes bad often. The outlet inside is not gfci. Any clues about what could be causing this?
3. How do you trace electrical wires in your house to ensure you are not doing something wrong. Many times I follow instructions but at the end I don't even know if my breaker can support it.
4. In one of my rooms, if I turn a device on and off quickly the ceiling light flickers.Any ideas?
Thanks in advanced.
#2
11-29-14, 07:54 PM
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1) Is the panel recessed in the wall.... if it is then it's mounted between two studs. You'd be best advised not to put any fasteners in those two studs or between those two studs. You need to be very careful around the panel area. A lot of wires are present in this area.
2) So.... the outside receptacle is the GFI ? Goes bad often..... do you mean it trips often with nothing plugged in ? That would suggest water getting into the GFI receptacle or box and causing it to trip.
3) Turn off the breaker and see what turns off. This will tell you what is on the circuit. This is good to know anyway for those problems that crop up. Make a list what's on each circuit and keep it by the panel.
4) Some devices have a high inrush current so what you are seeing is not uncommon. What item are you turning on ?
2) So.... the outside receptacle is the GFI ? Goes bad often..... do you mean it trips often with nothing plugged in ? That would suggest water getting into the GFI receptacle or box and causing it to trip.
3) Turn off the breaker and see what turns off. This will tell you what is on the circuit. This is good to know anyway for those problems that crop up. Make a list what's on each circuit and keep it by the panel.
4) Some devices have a high inrush current so what you are seeing is not uncommon. What item are you turning on ?
#3
11-29-14, 08:36 PM
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1. Yes, it is. Thanks for the advise.
2. It doesn't have any signs of water but it just stops working after awhile. When good, it doesn't trip the breaker just the receptacle one. If I reset it, it doesn't come back to live but if I install a new one it works. I bought a Weather resistant version to see if something changes.
3. I know what's in the circuit but sometimes when inplug a power tool it trips the breaker. It is a 15 Amp but I'm curious about knowing the exact utilization. What happens when the current peaks. I'm always going to have this problem, I guess.
4. It is just a white sound device. Very small with low consumption.
2. It doesn't have any signs of water but it just stops working after awhile. When good, it doesn't trip the breaker just the receptacle one. If I reset it, it doesn't come back to live but if I install a new one it works. I bought a Weather resistant version to see if something changes.
3. I know what's in the circuit but sometimes when inplug a power tool it trips the breaker. It is a 15 Amp but I'm curious about knowing the exact utilization. What happens when the current peaks. I'm always going to have this problem, I guess.
4. It is just a white sound device. Very small with low consumption.
#4
11-29-14, 09:03 PM
Group Moderator
When you removed the GFI receptacle... did it show signs of water or water damage ?
Some power tools come close to the maximum limit of a 15A breaker. What else is on the same circuit.... any heavy current consumption items ?
I can't explain the white noise device. One would think that it would be very low consumption with no inrush current draw.
Some power tools come close to the maximum limit of a 15A breaker. What else is on the same circuit.... any heavy current consumption items ?
I can't explain the white noise device. One would think that it would be very low consumption with no inrush current draw.
Last edited by PJmax; 11-30-14 at 10:44 AM. Reason: typo
#5
11-30-14, 10:35 AM
Member
3. I know what's in the circuit but sometimes when inplug a power tool it trips the breaker. It is a 15 Amp but I'm curious about knowing the exact utilization. What happens when the current peaks. I'm always going to have this problem, I guess.
#6
11-30-14, 11:16 AM
Group Moderator
I know what's in the circuit but sometimes when inplug a power tool it trips the breaker. It is a 15 Amp but I'm curious about knowing the exact utilization. What happens when the current peaks. I'm always going to have this problem, I guess.
While 20 amp circuits will help reduce this issue, it is still not fool proof. This time of year we get quite a few service calls about overloaded 20 amp circuits only to find people using multiple space heaters. They draw 12 amps each @ 1500 watts.
#7
11-30-14, 08:22 PM
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I don't have a lot in that circuit (that I know of). Three energy saving lights, tv, gfci receptacle and an outdoor light that has never worked but I have no clue of how is connected. How can I trace this light? I love to learn how to do this as Sade as possible.
Can I ask the city for the original electrical blueprints or that's too crazy?
Can I ask the city for the original electrical blueprints or that's too crazy?
#9
12-01-14, 12:00 AM
Rgarcia1801 - outdoor light doesn't work...put a new bulb in, I presume?
There should be a switch for it. Getting back to that panel...a good idea, if not labelled, is to label each breaker. Where I come from, that is code. When you know what load is on each breaker, you can usually figure out which one your light is hooked up to, unless it was never hooked up.
I would never use the GFCI outdoor outlet, if you have your TV hooked up to the same circuit. Power tools can draw more amps than rated at startup (inrush current - induction), but once going, the amperage draw drops. The inrush current will cause lights on same circuit to flicker. Having sensitive electronics on same circuit as power tools is asking for it...
Be careful about putting nails or screws in wall with panel...all your house wires are exiting that panel.
There should be a switch for it. Getting back to that panel...a good idea, if not labelled, is to label each breaker. Where I come from, that is code. When you know what load is on each breaker, you can usually figure out which one your light is hooked up to, unless it was never hooked up.
I would never use the GFCI outdoor outlet, if you have your TV hooked up to the same circuit. Power tools can draw more amps than rated at startup (inrush current - induction), but once going, the amperage draw drops. The inrush current will cause lights on same circuit to flicker. Having sensitive electronics on same circuit as power tools is asking for it...
Be careful about putting nails or screws in wall with panel...all your house wires are exiting that panel.
#10
12-01-14, 06:28 AM
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Can I ask the city for the original electrical blueprints or that's too crazy?
#11
12-01-14, 07:02 PM
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Thank you for everyone's feedback.
Melliam - I do troubleshooting every day at work so yes, I installed a light bulb that I tested prior, I looked for the switch and I try to measure the voltage with a multimeter with no luck. That's why I'm asking for more advanced tips.
Why wouldn't you use a gfci outside if a TV is in the same circuit? Can you elaborate more?
Here is the deal, I bought the house and I'm trying to do a lot of stuff myself since I like the actual profession, however, where I live contractor are not very reliable nor go by the code. This is a whole different conversation for another time. Anyways, I have been doing things as close to code as possible and I hope I can continue doing it with everyone's help.
Here comes another question 😳 : I want to extend an outlet I have in the bottom of the wall to where I'm going to mount the TV bracket. What's the best way to do this? I've seen tha Home Depot sells wires with an aluminum cover that are often use to run them outside electrical conduits. Am I in the right track?
Melliam - I do troubleshooting every day at work so yes, I installed a light bulb that I tested prior, I looked for the switch and I try to measure the voltage with a multimeter with no luck. That's why I'm asking for more advanced tips.
Why wouldn't you use a gfci outside if a TV is in the same circuit? Can you elaborate more?
Here is the deal, I bought the house and I'm trying to do a lot of stuff myself since I like the actual profession, however, where I live contractor are not very reliable nor go by the code. This is a whole different conversation for another time. Anyways, I have been doing things as close to code as possible and I hope I can continue doing it with everyone's help.
Here comes another question 😳 : I want to extend an outlet I have in the bottom of the wall to where I'm going to mount the TV bracket. What's the best way to do this? I've seen tha Home Depot sells wires with an aluminum cover that are often use to run them outside electrical conduits. Am I in the right track?
#12
12-02-14, 12:51 AM
You want your TV/Stereo/Computer on a clean circuit. If you use the outdoor GFCI for power tools, you will put that circuit under duress...the transformers in those devices (TV etc) can burnout.
#13
12-02-14, 07:39 AM
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I want to extend an outlet I have in the bottom of the wall to where I'm going to mount the TV bracket. What's the best way to do this? I've seen tha Home Depot sells wires with an aluminum cover that are often use to run them outside electrical conduits.
#14
12-02-14, 06:34 PM
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My boxes are not plastic so I can use NM-B. So I would like to throw the question again, is there any suitable way to trace wires back to the panel like in networking I can trace from the patch panel bak to the data outlet?
