A few years ago I read a post on here asking everyone if they vertically aligned the screws when installing a light switch plate. About 90% of the responses were emphatically yes the rest were "eh, I don't care." Except one dude. He responded with "I'd make sure I tighten them to the specific torque recommended for the screw." He was dragged in the responses.

To that one dude: I chuckle and think of that comment every single time I put on a light switch plate. And if you're reading this, I hope you're having a good day, man.

This is totally based on assumptions but I’ve had issues with my college roommate, and he would complain about the rice cooker smelling when it’s getting cooked. I always check if the cooker is on, but when I came back today, it was off. I checked the cord, this is what it looked like. I just have a slight feeling it might have been him.

But maybe it’s that I’ve never checked the cord and it eventually got like this. I’ve used it for around 1 year now.

Also, how do I even prove it was/wasn’t him ? Is this something you have to just deal with?

Hello, plumber here (don’t be mean, I love you)
I had a question of why this time was different, I’ve been shocked many times by 120 but this one was weird.
As I understand it’s almost impossible to be hit by true 240 so let me lay out what happened.
I was too trusting and had a mislabeled water heater breaker off.
Took the nut off the black wire and went to untwist the wire, and surprise it was live.
I had my left hand on the heater and my right on the wire and I got stuck for a second or so but it went up my arm and straight to my right eye and I saw an electric like flash through my right eye for like 10 seconds.
It didn’t hurt too bad but was a lot of pressure and for 30 minutes or so it felt like someone poured bleach in my eye.
Pressure is still there a few hours later but going away.

Why was this one more extreme than any other time?

An inspector claim 40 years experience, but say it needs to keep the clamps to hold on the romex wire. But the truth is most single gang box’s clamps can not hold anything, when pushing 12/2 cable wire it will be pushed off. The NEC code has such exception for single gang box.
Inspector pointed 4 problems, 2 of them are not corrected, spent a lot of time to check with state and get back the inspector.

Asking for a friend.

It’s been in use for about three winters now and I only noticed it when moving things recently. My intuition is to not plug the space heater back in, but what else should I take away from this and be concerned about? Should I not plug the space heater in anywhere else? Should I stop using this plug entirely? Is there anything I or a professional should inspect?

Other context - space heater was plugged directly into the wall per the product’s instructions. I always use the timer setting and it runs max 9 hours a day. Plug below it is a power strip but currently only has a TV plugged in that isn’t used often.

I went to unplug my microwave today and there’s this orange mark on the outlet and the plug looks like this. Is the microwave plug/outlet still safe to use?

I am at my wits end. How do i disconnect the wires going to the right in this picture? Ive tried to push a small screwdriver in through the holes next to the texts( 1, 2, ground, N, 3) and nothing. Nothing feels like moving and the wires wont loosen. I also tried to stick a pin in the holes right above the wires coming out(on the right) and nothing.

These tiny cables used to carry live and neutral seems too low quality and unsafe, they claim 13A 3250W and surge protection. what so you think?

Have 1 live old Bx box with Hot and Neutral. Would like to Splice into a new J box > Switchboard > Wall Sconce + Ceiling Fixture.

Any advice on what to do? What to avoid? When you splice the old wires into the Romex, where will the final ground terminate at ?

When I turned off the TV to go to bed last night, strange things occurred. On the main living room the lights started flickering off and on. They are LEDs on a dimmer. I looked behind my equipment rack and the surge protector was showing 61 volts. My amplifier wasn’t working and just made a low throbbing noise. The oven said “line fault” and was only getting 120 volts. No changes were made prior to this happening. I can’t figure out what could cause something like this. Some parts of the house are fine and few others are behaving strangely and only showing 60 volts. I do plan on calling an electrician, but I was looking for any insight. I had read it could be a neutral failing, but one two circuits at the exact same time? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Please help Is this simple enough to do by myself i am tryingto connect new to old but old wiring has me stumped

Hi all -

I recently did a full exterior renovation on my home. New siding, roof, etc, etc. The contractor that did my roof did a fantastic job and he ended up adding in the soffit vent shown in the photo.

The issue I'm running into is that the facia now touches the electrical riser and I have no room to put in a gutter. Is there anyway that I can bend the riser around the gutter?

Someone suggested that I go through the vent and come out through the roof but I don't love that option esthetically. Plus, I was quoted $2000+ to do that which to me feel high.

Any advice appreciated!

I’m 20 and live about an hour south of Tacoma, WA. I’m trying to get into the electrical trade, but I have limited experience. I enjoy working with my hands, learn quickly, and don’t mind hard work.
I’ve reached out to over 30 electrical companies and contractors in my area about entry level helper positions, apprenticeships, or trainee opportunities, but almost all of them have said they aren’t taking on beginners.
I’m serious about making this a career, but I’m struggling to figure out how to get my foot in the door.
Should I focus on applying directly to apprenticeship programs? Are there any programs or contractors around Pierce or Thurston County you’d recommend?
I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks!

We recently moved into a rental house and I noticed in the new water heater closet that there's what looks like a orange extension cord wire feeding power to the receptacle which the water heater big gray #8 cord is plugged into. I feel like this is a fire waiting to happen. I did install a smoke alarm in this closet because it doesn't look right. I say it's an extension cord wire because I have a extension cord that looks identical to it. The landlord said his maintenance guy just built that room and he trust him it's done right

Powerline adapter and wifi extender dont work in my basement rental room very well. Router on coaxial cable had moca option so I got a moca adapter but the coax port doesnt work. The box is shut, the ISP (Rogers, Toronto) said they wont help and I doubt my slumlord and my broke self would be able to afford an electrician. Any way to access it so I can either install a new splitter or attach the wires if disconnected? The black wire goes down to my basement room and there are like 6 coaxial cables but none of them are responsive to my adapter.

This is a house we inherited in southern California (San Diego).

The house was built in 1968, is about 3000 square feet and has AC, electric oven, range top, etc.

I'll eventually get an electrician to check things out, but does anything look like an imminent danger from this view of the panel? I don't like how the bottom part looks open and I can see cables inside, but anything else?

Thanks!

Hi all,

How old/fucked is this? Electrician has said he wont sign off on work done to it without replacing the fuseboxes because its all old and non-compliant with modern regs here in the uk.

My smoke alarms have aged out. I previously had wired smoke detectors and am moving to a 10 year battery version. Do I need to cap this male end that goes into the alarm?

Just yesterday, I got a Sharp WD-520H Japanese word processor. The only written voltage on the unit is AC 100V, the power consumption is 50W, and it runs on 50/60hz. What kind of cables or power generators would I need to keep this thing safely running?

Can somebody hold my hand and give instructions as to bypassing exiting ballast? I’ve included several photos.

Hey everyone,

I recently got a offer for a solar installer position in Pennsauken, NJ.

The pay is $23/hour, but they don’t guarantee 40 hours per week.

My wife and I are planning to rent an apartment in Philadelphia. We have limited savings, so I’m worried about inconsistent hours, especially during the fall and winter when solar work might slow down.

For anyone familiar with the residential solar industry in the Philly/NJ area:

How many hours per week can I realistically expect during fall and winter?
Does work slow down significantly in the colder months?

I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from people who work in solar installation in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

Thank you for all advice!

I bought this cute lamp recently and should have known by the discount it would have some difficulty behind it. I searched on Google lens and it initially told me to use a GU24 light bulb. I bought it and it didn't work. I tried again with Google lens, it said GU10. That didn't work either. Now it says E26 or E27? There is no labelling on the lamp whatsoever and the Internet isn't giving me a straight answer. I'm tired of returning lightbulbs 😅 can anyone tell me what this lightbulb base is please?

I am looking to reframe my basement, my old framing was 1x1 fir strips. I want to bump it out to 2x2, I am limited because of a water drainage system called a beaver system and don’t want to lose that much more room.

I’m not really familiar with the resi side and I’m not seeing a plastic boxes that are shallow enough and my supply house doesn’t seem to know of any either.

Do any of you have a plastic box or a metal box that can be mounted to the stud that’s going to fit in a 2x2 wall space for outlets and switches?

I’d hate to have to mount to the block, because the original issue was water getting in. So I’m trying to patch all holes and redo.