r/askanelectrician • • 2h ago

Just received my new Variac, and I'm not impressed :/

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 2h ago

Not sure about a blade connector

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 3h ago

Tried to assemble a lamp and it won’t turn on, this is the spot where the bulb goes, is something wrong with it?

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0 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 3h ago

What’s getting you more leads?

2 Upvotes

Hey guys, curious what other owners are doing to generate more leads for their electrical business.
My first year and the start of my second year went pretty well, and I stayed fairly booked up, mostly through word of mouth and referrals.

Just wondering what’s been working for you guys lately to keep the phone ringing and bring in a steady flow of new jobs.

Would love to hear what’s actually working for other electricians out there. Cheers!


r/askanelectrician • • 5h ago

Struggling to get started

4 Upvotes

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!


r/askanelectrician • • 6h ago

Thought this would be a simple lamp repair. Wrong!

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2 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 11h ago

Lights and appliances flickering in kitchen only?

3 Upvotes

Its a very windy day. This afternoon i had something cooking in the oven and the timer going on the microwave.

Suddenly the overhead lights flickered and the microwave clock/timer flicked on and off. The oven display showed the ° symbol only for a second. The weird thing is when they were done flickering the oven was still on and the microwave timer was showing the correct remaining time and kept running. Our carbon monoxide detector turned off and back on too. It is plugged into an outlet on the opposite side of the room. This happened twice about 3 minutes apart.

The power in the rest of the house was not affected. My kids were watching a movie in the living room and the TV stayed on.

Is this concerning? ChatGPT told me I needed to call the fire department and wait outside....


r/askanelectrician • • 12h ago

Old panel - can replacement wait?

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 12h ago

I need help with wiring a old 80s ceiling fan

1 Upvotes

The thi g was working fine it only had a busted pull chain on the light. When i tookoff the cover to expose the wires there was a blue wire that i assume i pulled out of its home because it was not capped and exposed. Both have seperate pull cords and the fan has a forward and reverse switch. I have 7 wires comi g out of the fan one black one white and one blue that are thick and the 4 smaller guage wires that are beige black brown and red...i have a capacitor that is already connected to the fan pull string leaving a black wire coming out of position 3 and a purple coming out of position L the other two like i said are connected to the capaciztor and those are blue and red. Then i havethe 6 pin forward and reverse switch which has 6 wires coming off of it they are brown and red beige and purple..it is wored ro one light switch on the wall that works both the light and the fan. I have to flip that light to get power to the fan and i can use the pull strings from there its impossible to find a video for this fan with the exact wires i have. PleSe only real advice on how to wire and no call ele trician jokes i cannot afford that right now.


r/askanelectrician • • 12h ago

Splice K&T / Bx cloth wrapped into new J box w/ Romex

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1 Upvotes

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 ?


r/askanelectrician • • 14h ago

Outdoor light fixture doesn’t work - troubleshoot steps

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1 Upvotes

Hi all, I have an outdoor light fixture that won’t turn on. It’s in a box with 3 other switches - that all control the lights in the entry way.

My house was built in the 1920s in upstate NY, so it’s got lots of interesting stuff going on and a good mix of old wiring and new wiring. I know - cloth wiring should be replaced but just not in the cards right now to do a full gut.

Anyways, I attached my diagram of what’s going on in the box. S3 and S4 (one not working) are daisy chained off of S2, with S2 having the stacked wire under the screw (a big no-no I understand). S3 takes the S2 hot via backstab, then the wire from the terminal screw goes to the S4 screw.
Voltage readings go down as the line goes down - S2 (~120V), S3 (~110V), S4 (~95V).

I’m thinking I should fix the wiring with actual pigtails because I’m wondering if that voltage drop is causing the light to not work + safety. My question though is:
1. Is this the first thing you’d fix?
2. If this doesn’t work, what would be the next step? Check the outdoor light wiring? It’s a PAR20 LED.
3. Can you pigtail on a cloth wire safely? Right now it’s spliced with one newer wire in a red nut (last picture).

Thanks in advance!


r/askanelectrician • • 14h ago

How do I install a light on this box?

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2 Upvotes

Do I need additional


r/askanelectrician • • 14h ago

finding some psu or power counter screen

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1 Upvotes

so hello, i have this psu it is ajustable and originaly it wasnt just a psu i modified it a litle bit, i want as you guys, maybe some one know 1. some low price ajustable psu maybe more powerfoul 2. maybe some power counting screen, so i can know the exact power it is emminting for the momment, and maybe some one know how to maybe add some power to it in easy and safe way, the internals are in the fotos, AND PLS EVERY THINK SOME ONE FIND NEED TO BE ON Amazon.it ot better ebay.it, even aliexpress or temu tha IMPORTANT think it is in italy, and with the limits of 25-30 euro, thanks for atention


r/askanelectrician • • 15h ago

How do I ground this

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1 Upvotes

Just moved into a house and the ceiling fan was super loose and actually fell down as soon as I started messing with it. I went to put it back up and don’t know what to make of this. Sorry in advance I don’t know much about electrical work other than hot neutral and ground. I’m thrown off by why the ground wire is split in the middle and it’s an older fan, don’t know where to put the ground wire in there. Thanks in advance.


r/askanelectrician • • 16h ago

Controlling a gfi outlet with a switch

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 16h ago

How to rewire a new light switch

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 16h ago

Ceiling fan wiring help

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1 Upvotes

Please help me understand how to wire the fan based on these pics.


r/askanelectrician • • 17h ago

Safe to Move Old Cloth Wire?

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1 Upvotes

House built in 1939. Need to move this cloth electrical wire (it runs to an ancient outlet box - see first and fourth image) to do some duct work. I’ve heard the inner rubber insulation on these wires can crack easily when moving them and cause arcing if they’re live.

Not sure how to test if it’s live or if it’s safe to just move. I’ve used a non-contact voltage tester on the cloth but I believe the insulation is too thick to pick up voltage.

Thank you so much for any insight!


r/askanelectrician • • 18h ago

Are these pendants compatible with a sloped ceiling adapter?

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 18h ago

Voltage Protector into an AVR?

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 19h ago

Does a second electric meter for a detached garage add a monthly minimum charge (ComEd, Illinois)?

5 Upvotes

Bought single family house with detached garage and 200A service, nat gas service disconnected. Replaced electric furnace with nat gas in 2018. Noticed that Nicor gas bill is a minimum of about $24 each month even though no gas is used during summer.

Recently bought an EV and considering adding another electrical drop with another meter just for the garage. The garage has a single 120Vac feed on a 20A breaker that also feeds some parts of the house. The car charges at a max 48A at 240Vac.


r/askanelectrician • • 20h ago

My backyard pavilion

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0 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 21h ago

How does it know?

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1 Upvotes

r/askanelectrician • • 1d ago

Airconditioner

2 Upvotes

Hey guys recently the airconditioner in my lounge room started tripping the circuit breaker when turned on.

Upon investigation by an electrician they found that someone had wired the airconditioner to the normal 4mm power cable for this section of the house and not on its own breaker either.

The aircon was rewired and put on to its own breaker, but the breaker trips instantly when the unit is turned on.

A quick visual inspection shows nothing obvious wrong with it and the electrician has advised me it's easier just to replace the whole unit.

The unit is still rather new but seeing as I purchased this house at the start of the year I don't have the warranty for it.

Any advice?


r/askanelectrician • • 1d ago

Ceiling Fan/Light Scenario

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1 Upvotes

Any idea how to undo the black capsule? Seems to be stuck. My sister put in new bulbs and it never came on. She put 18w bulbs when the ceiling fan says “13 Watts Max”.

I tested with NCV and there is power there but the light and fan won’t come on.

Looking for any suggestions to get this up and running again. Thanks