"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
08/03/2018 at 15:45 • Filed to: My wallet is crying
6
32|
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
08/03/2018 at 15:45 • Filed to: My wallet is crying | 6
| 32 |
My dad came over Tuesday and ran three new circuits for my kitchen. This morning I completed wiring up these outlets. I’ve run conduit before, but I’ve never pulled wire. My hands hurt like hell from yanking wire through flexible armored conduit. You people who live where Romex is legal have no freaking idea how easy you have it. I would’ve been completely done with electrical yesterday. Instead, I still have lights and outlets on the other side of the kitchen to. No worries though, I lost an entire damn week of summer due to meetings ... Wait, scratch that no worries part. Because there is no way in hell I’ll have all the cabinets in before Wednesday, when the meetings begin.
For those in the know, don’t worry, those are temp outlets. I’ll install the proper GFI outlets once paint and tile are done.
Update:
I got the other outlets powered up before I go to bed. Again, just cheapie temp outlets.
Tomorrow I have to wire up two 3-way switches. I’ve pulled the wires according to the diagram my dad drew me, but frankly I am a bit confused as to how to connect them. I’ll figure it out though!
Hopefully I don’t end up looking like Doc Brown :)
Further update!
I done did it! Only one tiny stupid mistake was made, no sparks flew, and they worked!
I can now officially mark off “wire 3-way switches” off my “stuff I need to learn” l ist . I still need to get the power from here, to where the lights are actually going on this wall, but that won’t take long.
I am freaking stoked about conquering this brain bender!
Nibby
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 18:35 |
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lone_liberal
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 18:37 |
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I honestly didn’t know conduit was required anywhere anymore. You would have had to use nail plates on the studs to protect the wires from nails or screws and staple it where it runs down the stud but I think romex would have been fine here . Then again, s ince you were running new wire and couldn’t put nail plates I wonder if romex really would have been legal here?
LOREM IPSUM
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 18:43 |
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Wait, running wire through the flexible conduit? That’s a thing?
I always just bought the appropriate armoured BX with the wires already inside. Installed a light sensor for my landlord a few months ago an d used the stuff for surface mounting. Ezpz.
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LOREM IPSUM
> Nibby
08/02/2018 at 18:52 |
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Worst case scenario:
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 19:20 |
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That code is dumb and Michigan should feel dumb for making it. Like the liberal said standard practice is to put nail plates on the studs to prevent a nail or screw hitting a wire.
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shop-teacher
> LOREM IPSUM
08/02/2018 at 19:22 |
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It is a thing. A thing which I tremendously regret. I’m strongly considering buying a roll of BX for the light wiring. The wires are already pulled for the outlets.
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shop-teacher
> lone_liberal
08/02/2018 at 19:25 |
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In Chicago and surrounding counties, all wires need to be run in metal conduit, be in flexible or rigid. Most of the country, and ev en in most of Illinois, Romex is fine.
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shop-teacher
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/02/2018 at 19:27 |
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I’m in Illinois. Dupage (where I live) , Lake, and Cook counties all require conduit. It's such a PITA.
Urambo Tauro
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 19:41 |
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Oof, I do not envy you on that.
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shop-teacher
> Urambo Tauro
08/02/2018 at 19:43 |
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Yeah, it sucks.
XJDano
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 21:43 |
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So when you’re done the bathroom switch won’t turn on the garbage disposal and the kitchen switch won’t control the bathroom fan?
glemon
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 21:56 |
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I feel your pain, though we can use Romex here, I just got done redoing a large bathroom where we put everything where we wanted instead of replacing things where they were or doing modest shifts. Every little wire run or pvce vent ended up running into something, making two hour projects into one day, etc.
In addition had to learn a lot about plumbing code and venting. But does feel good when all done and done right.
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shop-teacher
> XJDano
08/02/2018 at 22:15 |
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More or less, yeah. Also adding 5 outlets and 4 lights. Tomorrow I have to figure out how to wire up 3-way switches. I've never done that before. I've pulled wires according to the diagram my dad drew, but I'm a but confused how to hook them up. I'll figure it out though!
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shop-teacher
> glemon
08/02/2018 at 22:16 |
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Fortunately I don’t need to move anything. I’m adding 5 outlets and 4 lights though, and I also had to cut in a vent for over the stove.
AestheticsInMotion
> XJDano
08/02/2018 at 22:35 |
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I’ve always wanted a master switch that would shut off all lights in my home, somewhere near the front door. And then another, more masterful master switch, that would literally shut off everything other than the fridge. I mentioned this to an electrician at a job site once and I genuinely thought he was going to run
MM54
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 22:36 |
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I spent all evening rewiring the lights in the garage to be on their own circuit (as opposed to being on the same as the outlets). They are three-way’ed and also closely tied into the outside lights. Managed to do it without having to pull any new wire through the walls, just one from the box up to the attic and into a pretty-full j-
box. Rewired some stuff on the bottom end, and all is well.
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shop-teacher
> MM54
08/02/2018 at 22:40 |
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Nice!
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 23:15 |
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Could be worse. In Australia, all electrical work like that requires the used of a licenced electrician. Absolutely no DIY allowed. And yes it does get spendy...
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shop-teacher
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
08/02/2018 at 23:29 |
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Well that sucks!
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XJDano
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 23:47 |
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Just like a 2 pole, but there is another wire that connects both switches, which is the 3rd pole. So regular 3 wires go to switch 1, hot, neutral , and ground. Then you add an additional wire (red usually) to join those 3 to the light box. Only connect the 3 to light, then all 4 go back to other switch.
That 4th wire sends power to the second switch when the first switch is off. So when you turn on switch 2 it sends power to the light.
There is some witchcraft going on and that’s how both can be on and it’s off and both off and it’s on.
And that’s my limited understanding. And it’s probably all wrong after I watched this video
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XJDano
> AestheticsInMotion
08/02/2018 at 23:53 |
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I think it’d be possible, not sure how.
Essentially a relay that controls all breakers ore lights and one that does all breakers except fridge.
I think your step down would be like this.
Main breaker that has your 20 amp breaker and the main relay. Main relay has all the other breakers and another relay for lights. All light breakers from the relay.
His Stigness
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 23:53 |
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Why isn’t Romex legal everywhere?
And three-way switches are confusing as hell. My friend, an electrician, spent a few minutes trying to explain it to me because I wanted to just install new switches. I think I got it, but in the end, it was plug and play.
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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> shop-teacher
08/02/2018 at 23:53 |
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So does a blast of 240 volts AC. So frankly I don't mind...
Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
08/03/2018 at 00:12 |
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Fun fact: the death rate of electricians in 115V countries is much higher than it is in 230V countries.
Reason is that people take 230V seriously, whereas sparkies tend to get casual about 110V thinking a zap won’t kill you. Which is true right up to the moment you’ve got a cut finger , sweaty ha nds, a badly placed puddle, or any of the many, many other ways of reducing your body’s impe dance ...
I’v actually had the fun experience of watching a technician twist live wires together with his bare hands, one zap per twist. Admittedly, it was in Mexico not the US, and attitudes to safe ty are a bit different there...
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> shop-teacher
08/03/2018 at 04:32 |
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3 ways just add a traveler to the mix. That traveller hooks to each switch via an other terminal. Shouldn’t be too crazy. Check online too if you need to, good diagrams out there. You’ll be fine.
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merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> XJDano
08/03/2018 at 04:35 |
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Nope, you’ve got the right idea. Same reason you can wire a 3 way switch as a regular single pole switch, just eliminate the traveller wire.
RacinBob
> shop-teacher
08/03/2018 at 07:48 |
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This is the most wonderful book for the home electrician. It has connection instructions for almost any combination of 2 or three way switches. Really well done.
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shop-teacher
> XJDano
08/03/2018 at 15:48 |
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I did it! That little video and simple diagram helped. Thanks!
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shop-teacher
> His Stigness
08/03/2018 at 15:52 |
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I dunno man. Certain areas just don't allow it. Building codes can be weird. There's one town, near where I grew up, that still doesn't allow the use of PVC for plumbing drains. They still make you use cast iron!
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His Stigness
> shop-teacher
08/03/2018 at 16:00 |
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Oh that’s a brilliant idea! I’ve seen what cast iron pipes look after years of use. That 6" pipe is maybe an inch after a while. That sounds much better than PVC.
vondon302
> shop-teacher
08/03/2018 at 16:54 |
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Say what!?! Crazy I thought my city was bad
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shop-teacher
> vondon302
08/03/2018 at 18:27 |
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I know, right!