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Thread: Anyone knowledgeable about electrical wiring?

  1. #1

    Anyone knowledgeable about electrical wiring?

    I have a couple of small electrical repairs that I need to do and have been watching videos showing how to do them. In every video at some point they say to use the correct notch on the wire insulation stripper by choosing the number matching the size of the wire you want to strip, but they never say how you can know what that size is. How do you find out the size of the wire?

    I'd also like to know how one shuts off the power to the breaker box. That is not mentioned in the videos I've seen; they just say that you need to do it and never explain how it's done. Thanks for any suggestions, but please don't tell me to hire someone else to do this work; it's simple stuff that I can do myself and save a ton of $$.



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  3. #2
    Compare the holes in the strippers to the copper core of the cut wire, and use the one that looks closest. If you use one too big, you'll wind up stretching a bit of excess insulation, which you can remove with a pen knife or strong fingernail. If you use a hole that's a little too small, you'll take a few strands of the copper off with the insulation, which won't do any harm.

    If your setup is old school, there's a box next to the meter with a metal handle on its side. Pull it, then make sure it shut down everything before proceeding. You can also remove the meter, but you have to break the seal, and the electric company could make waves about that.



    Older boxes lack the label, and the handle is likely to be a steel rod formed into a loop.



    When attaching wires, make sure they touch nothing they're not supposed to, including the open cover door after it's closed. Have someone watch the breaker box when you restore power--someone loud enough to yell and be heard if sparks fly.
    Last edited by acptulsa; 11-10-2021 at 01:09 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...

  4. #3
    Thank you! I knew it was simple stuff!

  5. #4
    In many homes there is a main breaker that looks like the one in the panel below, if you look at the panel the incoming lines must pass through it before energizing the panel.

    It (the main) can be tripped just like a regular breaker but it'll take a bit more effort.

    Check several circuits to be sure the panel is dead before working on your issues.


  6. #5
    I am assuming the big switch at the top is the "main" breaker. Correct?

    My box doesn't have one of those. I also didn't find a switch outside by the meter.

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    I am assuming the big switch at the top is the "main" breaker. Correct?

    My box doesn't have one of those. I also didn't find a switch outside by the meter.
    Yup the big switch is the main..

    Take a pic and post it.

    [edit]
    Gimmie a call if I can help.
    Last edited by tod evans; 11-10-2021 at 02:52 PM.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    Take a pic and post it.
    I took a pic now just need to find the cable to move it from the camera to the pc. I'll post it later.

    Meanwhile, here's another question: Some of my electrical issues started after a brief trial I did with Mediacom cable internet. It never worked right so I cancelled it and got a refund on the whole thing. (From all the negative reviews I read about that company at the time, it seems like they ought to have figured out HOW to provide cable internet service before taking on customers.) Anyhow their equipment is somehow connected to my electrical system, even though I don't have their service. Would removing it maybe help matters?

    Take a look at this! https://www.electrical-forensics.com...n-Neutral.html

  9. #8
    It might. The ground should be the only possible connection
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    I took a pic now just need to find the cable to move it from the camera to the pc. I'll post it later.

    Meanwhile, here's another question: Some of my electrical issues started after a brief trial I did with Mediacom cable internet. It never worked right so I cancelled it and got a refund on the whole thing. (From all the negative reviews I read about that company at the time, it seems like they ought to have figured out HOW to provide cable internet service before taking on customers.) Anyhow their equipment is somehow connected to my electrical system, even though I don't have their service. Would removing it maybe help matters?

    Take a look at this! https://www.electrical-forensics.com...n-Neutral.html
    Had that happen in a house I was living in. High voltage came in through the cable ground, backwards through the house grounding into anything that was plugged in.
    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
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    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

  12. #10

    Photo of breaker box

    Didn't clean out the cobwebs and dead bugs yet, and forum software turned it sideways:

    Click image for larger version. 

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  13. #11
    I don't see a main breaker either. Those two thick wires are the incoming feed. I assume that's the bottom of the box. Those wires should arrive there in a conduit which you may be able to follow back, to see if there's a box with a switch you overlooked.

    If that conduit just disappears into a wall, you may be down to pulling that meter. Snip the seal, lift the frame that surrounds the glass, and pull the glass globe.

    But first get a main breaker or a switch you can install while the power's off, for next time.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...

  14. #12
    I'm not your momma, but offering a friendly word of caution.

    If you are not sure what you're looking at, I'd suggest doing much more research before pulling your meter head. The angriest of angry pixies live just behind that meter, and there will be no forgiveness granted should you make a wrong move.. There is protective gear (gloves and protectors) and you might do well to wear some proper boots.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmdP3nvzAU4


    Some of those breakers look like they are off - may want to verify that they are on. Use 1 hand, and keep the fingers on the switch and turn it off/on. Just like a light switch. Those big leads on the right will fk you up, so definitely try to avoid those.

    Gulag Chief:
    "Article 58-1a, twenty five years... What did you get it for?"
    Gulag Prisoner: "For nothing at all."
    Gulag Chief: "You're lying... The sentence for nothing at all is 10 years"



  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    Those two thick wires are the incoming feed. I assume that's the bottom of the box.
    No, it's the top.

    Those wires should arrive there in a conduit which you may be able to follow back, to see if there's a box with a switch you overlooked.

    If that conduit just disappears into a wall, you may be down to pulling that meter. Snip the seal, lift the frame that surrounds the glass, and pull the glass globe.

    But first get a main breaker or a switch you can install while the power's off, for next time.
    The wires disappear into the wall. I didn't see any conduit.

    I won't be the one pulling the meter off. That will be city utilities doing it.

    I have no clue how to install a main breaker/switch. I don't even see a space for one.

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by brushfire View Post
    I'm not your momma, but offering a friendly word of caution.

    If you are not sure what you're looking at, I'd suggest doing much more research before pulling your meter head. The angriest of angry pixies live just behind that meter, and there will be no forgiveness granted should you make a wrong move.
    I won't be the one doing that; it will be the utility company.

    Some of those breakers look like they are off
    Most of them are off on purpose. They are not being used. Some of them will be turned back on after I find and fix the wiring errors that are causing the problems I have with the wiring in this house. It's a nightmare.

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    Most of them are off on purpose. They are not being used. Some of them will be turned back on after I find and fix the wiring errors that are causing the problems I have with the wiring in this house. It's a nightmare.
    What issues are you having, specifically?
    Another mark of a tyrant is that he likes foreigners better than citizens, and lives with them and invites them to his table; for the one are enemies, but the Others enter into no rivalry with him. - Aristotle's Politics Book 5 Part 11

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    I won't be the one doing that; it will be the utility company.
    I think that's a good gamble. If the cable company did cause the problems, the power company technician is just the person to find their error, and just the witness you need to stick them with the repair bill.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...



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  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Anti Federalist View Post
    What issues are you having, specifically?
    Light fixtures making bulbs fry, wall outlets that spit sparks when used, terrific magnetic fields, entire circuits that no longer even work. The list goes on.

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    Had that happen in a house I was living in. High voltage came in through the cable ground, backwards through the house grounding into anything that was plugged in.
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    Light fixtures making bulbs fry, wall outlets that spit sparks when used, terrific magnetic fields, entire circuits that no longer even work. The list goes on.
    That certainly strongly suggests Brian put his finger on it. Good luck, and don't fail to gig that cable company.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We believe our lying eyes...

  22. #19

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    That certainly strongly suggests Brian put his finger on it. Good luck, and don't fail to gig that cable company.
    And the biggest hint is when the insulation melts off the coax cable...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
    "Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

    Proponent of real science.
    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    Light fixtures making bulbs fry, wall outlets that spit sparks when used, terrific magnetic fields, entire circuits that no longer even work. The list goes on.
    Whoa...that's some serious, dangerous stuff.

    Did you have or do you have a mouse or rodent problem in the house?
    Another mark of a tyrant is that he likes foreigners better than citizens, and lives with them and invites them to his table; for the one are enemies, but the Others enter into no rivalry with him. - Aristotle's Politics Book 5 Part 11

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    Didn't clean out the cobwebs and dead bugs yet, and forum software turned it sideways:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	breaker box.jpg 
Views:	0 
Size:	822.6 KB 
ID:	8316
    You need professional Help.
    not the worst I have seen.
    Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
    Ron Paul 2004

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  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by pcosmar View Post
    You need professional Help.
    not the worst I have seen.
    Yes I agree it looks bad, although difficult to see the insulation looks very old and may be part of the problems occurring. And I agree, not the worst I've seen either. I caught an electrician years ago in my own box, who had connected 3 breakers together, before the breaker, with standard thickness wire. I found out because I had the weird idea that one of the pvc pipes that we use as conduit was warmer than the others... Took an infrared thermometer and it was significantly warmer... Took the pipe out and found that the wire coming from the main breaker on one of the phases had burnt through but still connected most of the time, arcing of-course. He probably didn't have the thicker wire with him and thought he'd get away with it. (3x16A max through 2.5mm2 wire rated for 16A, The oven, the dishwasher and a socket that that winter was used for a 2kW electric heater, you can see where it slightly overloaded the wire).


    I do think the way we do that over here in Europe looks much neater and I would argue is safer as well... Whats the fascination with metal conduit ?
    Last edited by luctor-et-emergo; 11-11-2021 at 12:20 PM.
    "I am a bird"

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by luctor-et-emergo View Post
    Whats the fascination with metal conduit ?
    It's flame-proof, rodent-proof and pretty-much-everything-else-proof too.



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  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Anti Federalist View Post
    Whoa...that's some serious, dangerous stuff.

    Did you have or do you have a mouse or rodent problem in the house?
    It's all gonna be fixed as soon as I can manage it. In the meantime, the circuits with the worst problems are just permanently off.

    I never saw (or heard) any rodent in the house the first 13 or so years after I bought the place, but 2-3 years ago for some unknown reason the mice moved indoors in droves. They didn't last long with all the cats here. The wiring problems existed long before the mice came in.

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    It's all gonna be fixed as soon as I can manage it. In the meantime, the circuits with the worst problems are just permanently off.

    I never saw (or heard) any rodent in the house the first 13 or so years after I bought the place, but 2-3 years ago for some unknown reason the mice moved indoors in droves. They didn't last long with all the cats here. The wiring problems existed long before the mice came in.
    OK...you know what I was getting at...they raise hell in cars and homes, chewing wiring insulation.
    Another mark of a tyrant is that he likes foreigners better than citizens, and lives with them and invites them to his table; for the one are enemies, but the Others enter into no rivalry with him. - Aristotle's Politics Book 5 Part 11

  31. #27
    I won't be surprised to find some of the wires chewed up. It could have happened before I moved in. I hate the wiring situation here and am set on resolving it a.s.a.p. and do plan on having some more competent help with it.
    Last edited by Suzu; 11-11-2021 at 01:57 PM.



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