Popular Post Gunny Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 5 minutes ago, Artie said: I’m hoping you two develop into a mentor/mentee relationship. Well he was waiting for me as I came home from work today, all ready to go. This time in proper attire, old jeans, work shoes and shirt tucked in. Even went and bought himself a nice tape measure. Watching these young people eat a entire pizza and call it snack gives me heartburn. Today's work was in finishing room. Had to take all the dividers back apart and finish each one individually. Mind numbing but as I told him, this is how you get from here to there. No shortcuts exist. We did cheat some, rolled the poly instead of brushing it on. Can't spray yet, not set up for it in finishing room. Wanted to know what time to come tomorrow and suggested 0700. Umm, negative. First day off in 6 days, I plan to take a pain pill, and sleep it off. Told him come after lunch, as in 1400 or so. Larry Buskirk, Thad, Artie and 5 others 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 1:42 PM, Gene Howe said: Well Keith, I didn't know about that requirement. Additionally, even #12 wires are stiff enough to discourage me from wrapping them around the outlet or switch screws. Gene I believe the devices rated for stranded wiring, have the clamp style of termination on them. You strip the wire, loosen the screw on the device, insert the bare copper into the hole, and tighten the screw which tightens the clamp on the bare end of the wire. The ground screw is still just a screw termination. I just twist the strands together real tight and treat it like a solid wire. One can buy the Y crimps (spade lugs) and crimp this on each wire that is going under a straight screw termination. I have done this. Personally I would not use any wire size under 12 gauge in a shop (maybe/probably for lighting).I like having only 20amp circuits in the shop. Larry Buskirk, HARO50, Cal and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 2:14 PM, Danl said: That is the way you should do it where I live. I believe heat build-up is the issue otherwise. Danl Off the top of my head (read that to mean too lazy to go get NEC book) THHN, THWN, THW, have similar ratings as wire insulation. I know they are all allowed to be used in conduits/raceways by NEC standards. Conduit/raceway sizing may be affected. Cal, Larry Buskirk, p_toad and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 2:31 PM, Larry Buskirk said: Never met a mouse that could chew into conduit, but have seen sections of romex stripped clean. Never could figure out why there were no electrocuted bodies nearby. Once, when troubleshooting a circuit that had stopped working, I found a squirrel in the attic with the Romex (shorted out and melted) in it’s mouth. Think I had barbecued chicken for lunch that day . Cal, HARO50, Gene Howe and 5 others 2 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 2:32 PM, Fred W. Hargis Jr said: That is the code, THHN in conduit...the part I was unaware of was Gene' plan to use conduit. Okay still too lazy to get out the NEC, but I did get a roll of the stranded I used in my basement. It’s insulation rating is 4 different ratings on the same insulation. Photo to follow HARO50, Fred W. Hargis Jr, FlGatorwood and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JimM Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 3 minutes ago, Artie said: I found a squirrel in the attic with the Romex A good outcome. I think it was Gene Howe who perfectly described squirrels as "rats with bushy tails", and I consider chipmunks as mice with better paint jobs. HARO50, p_toad, Fred W. Hargis Jr and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 3:53 PM, kmealy said: Working on the theater shop outdoor lights. They just used Romex across the outside of the building (no conduit no UF or whatever is needed). Half the lights were not working. We isolated it to a section where it went above what was at one time a sliding door. There was about a foot of Romex sheaf that was chewed off and a bit of wire insulation chewed off. No bird or mouse carcasses that we could find, though it was about 18' in the air, so we didn't really check. I have used EMT (metal conduit) a few times, but the latest trip to Menards, they had some plastic conduit. Anyone used it or know of its legal use? There are a couple of different plastic (proper terminology-non metallic) conduits/raceways. The only one I have worked with is PVC. Easy to use but if you think wood moves depending on the weather, run some PVC outside, up here in New England without the expansion couplings. With at least a 100 degree fluctuation between the coldest winter night, and the hottest summer day the force of the expansion can tear electrical boxes from the structure they were mounted to. In winter it will pull the PVC out of the boxes/couplings leaving exposed wiring. The new corrugated nonmetallic tubing I have no experience with. It is being used a lot in new housing, but I’ve been out of that game for a while now. We do use a bit of the nonmetallic flexible conduit to go from boxes to lights/devices outside. We can not use PVC indoors due to most of our buildings having return air plenum’s. p_toad, FlGatorwood, Fred W. Hargis Jr and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 11 hours ago, kmealy said: On the topic of electricity. Opinions and experiences with Waco WallNuts vs. twist on wire nuts? Any differences with stranded vs. solid or joining two different gauges, or etc. I believe that both will have UL listings on their containers specifying what size wires they are rated for, what number of combinations (stranded/solid). The Wago Wall Nuts are onetime use, you are not supposed to twist a wire out and add another. Twist on wire nuts can be used (twisted) multiple times. Cal, HARO50, p_toad and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 10 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said: I've used those Wago connectors, and they are great when you're doing remodeling and don't have enough wire for a wire nut. I've only used them on solid wire, and then only if the space or other considerations precluded the wire nut. Sin e it's a clamping thing, I still remember replacing all those "backstab" outlets in a house we had because they all started failing at the clamp...which is a little like the Wago. I have never experienced a Wago nut failure. It looks to me like they are a much better design than the back stabbed receptacles. I have a hard time understanding how UL can still list the receptacles. p_toad, Fred W. Hargis Jr, Larry Buskirk and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Gunny said: This is a good tip. My preference is to solder the tip of the stranded wire making it solid. Often referred to as "tinning". Now you have solid to solid in the nut. Interesting note here on soldering wires. Sure great for lights and connectors at home and such. BUT, for automotive it is NOT always used / recommended. Sadly few do. I am speaking of applications though. For some automotive systems soldering a wire can raise the resistance of that wire on the circuit. This can be a problem so the manual will tell you NOT to solder. Be interesting to hear from @Artie as this is his area of expertise. From a time standard on contract jobs, no one is gonna take the time to tin wires. Solid to solid, and stranded to stranded are pretty easy, solid and stranded together can be difficult. Difficult in getting the splice tight and the wires to stay in the wirenut without being able to be pulled out. The code (NEC) is sometimes not very specific, splices must be mechanically secure(?). Some wirenuts get crimped on, some had a screw in the side of the wirenut, after you made the splice, you tightened up the screw and then screwed a plastic cover over it. My preference is the screw-on type. Easy to use, and reuse, add wires to splice in future. Some will actually stretch out a bit when installed tightly, and then if you remove a wire from the splice they will not secure satisfactory. Most of the time any soldering I have done as an electrician, has been on knob and tide systems. HARO50, FlGatorwood, Larry Buskirk and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 51 minutes ago, Gunny said: Well he was waiting for me as I came home from work today, all ready to go. This time in proper attire, old jeans, work shoes and shirt tucked in. Even went and bought himself a nice tape measure. Watching these young people eat a entire pizza and call it snack gives me heartburn. Today's work was in finishing room. Had to take all the dividers back apart and finish each one individually. Mind numbing but as I told him, this is how you get from here to there. No shortcuts exist. We did cheat some, rolled the poly instead of brushing it on. Can't spray yet, not set up for it in finishing room. Wanted to know what time to come tomorrow and suggested 0700. Umm, negative. First day off in 6 days, I plan to take a pain pill, and sleep it off. Told him come after lunch, as in 1400 or so. I know he will get something (probably a LOT of something) from this. I rather suspect you will too. Larry Buskirk, Gunny, Thad and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Artie Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 37 minutes ago, JimM said: A good outcome. I think it was Gene Howe who perfectly described squirrels as "rats with bushy tails", and I consider chipmunks as mice with better paint jobs. I’ve always referred to chipmunks as rats with better PR. p_toad, Gunny, Al B and 6 others 1 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Gunny Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 2 minutes ago, Artie said: Most of the time any soldering I have done as an electrician, has been on knob and tide systems. Interesting, in automotive we have soldering as a "required application" for certain repairs, others are do not use solder. Reality is that few do it even though it is correct. I suspect my garage engineering projects and such are times when soldering is practical and best option. FlGatorwood, HARO50, p_toad and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Buskirk Posted January 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 10 hours ago, Artie said: Once, when troubleshooting a circuit that had stopped working, I found a squirrel in the attic with the Romex (shorted out and melted) in it’s mouth. Think I had barbecued chicken for lunch that day . I found about 4' of romex stripped clean in the attic of a friends Wausau Home (Pre-Fab). She stated the lights started to flicker. I had to lift insulation to find the mess. Couldn't believe an animal could strip that much insulation off the wiring without tripping a breaker, or getting electrocuted. I've read the reason animals go after the insulation is because it is a Soy based plastic. FlGatorwood, Gunny, DuckSoup and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Howe Posted January 24, 2021 Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 18 minutes ago, Larry Buskirk said: I've read the reason animals go after the insulation is because it is a Soy based plastic. That's what we were told when rodents chewed up our car wiring. THREE TIMES! FlGatorwood, p_toad, Larry Buskirk and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Larry Buskirk Posted January 24, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 ...Guess I should have bought a new Draft Inducer Blower for the furnace. The used one I put on a couple months ago started making the same bearing noise Friday morning. I did manage to find a new unit for about twice what I paid for the used one, so ordered it Friday afternoon. It was shipped out Friday afternoon from Louisville KY. and is already in Oak Creek WI. Should be delivered tomorrow. FlGatorwood, Gerald, HARO50 and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunny Posted January 24, 2021 Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 2 hours ago, Gene Howe said: That's what we were told when rodents chewed up our car wiring. THREE TIMES! I make such repairs several times a week since Covid got started. People staying at home and the vehicle just sits, prime area for critters. p_toad, Thad, FlGatorwood and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Gunny Posted January 24, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 My new helper just texted me, said he knows it is early but anytime is a good time to make sawdust. p_toad, Fred W. Hargis Jr, Al B and 4 others 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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