Electricians are assholes

[SwampNut]

It is technically correct, the best kind of correct.  I understood it, just found it ridiculous that they published it that way.

 

[fizzy]

When paying for a restaurant meal on the line for tips, write $1.0E-2

[SwampNut]

The customer was the asshole here, not the electrician.  A neighbor stopped by, everyone is out walking since we had almost five days of winter and it's finally nice again.  He asks me what I think about his electrician leaving "a whole bunch" of extra "cable" on the side of his house when installing an extra outdoor outlet right off the breaker panel.  Seems odd, wire is expensive and all.  He's pissed and is planning to call and bitch him out.  

 

Let's go look.

 

It's a drip loop in flexible waterproof conduit.  Which he had to use to get the outlet in the right place.

 

Sigh.

 

"If you call your electrician, thank him for doing it right."

 

[SwampNut]

[CALCXX]

Hope the outlets are on the same phase.

Could be memorable.

 

Whats the story?

Someone had to have an outlet that low to the floor?

Wall stud in-between the two and didn't want to cut the finished Wall?

Suicide cord?

What gives?

[XXitanium]

A generator feeds one receptacle. It extends the circuit.

 

Suspicion. Trepidation. Electrocution.

 

...all the shuns.

[CALCXX]

yup. "hold my beer, I'm going to try something."

Backfeeding stuff can get exciting.

[SwampNut]

I mean come on, plugging a 15a circuit into a 20a plug?  Dummies!

 

[SwampNut]

An allegedly licensed electrician did this.  The breaker is 30a, the EVSE draws 30 (actual).  Aside from all the other fuckery.

 

[superhawk996]

15 hours ago, SwampNut said:

An allegedly licensed electrician did this.  The breaker is 30a, the EVSE draws 30 (actual).  Aside from all the other fuckery.

 

The upside is that the breaker might trip before the outlet catches fire, a 40a breaker might turn the outlet into the fuse in the system.  Yes, I'm assuming that he used a cheap outlet instead of an EV rated one.

[SwampNut]

I'd be (ahem) shocked if he used something UL rated and not Chinesium.

 

[Zero Knievel]

46 minutes ago, SwampNut said:

I'd be (ahem) shocked if he used something UL rated and not Chinesium.

 

You don't think Chinesium items have counterfeit UL stamps?

[SwampNut]

3 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

 

You don't think Chinesium items have counterfeit UL stamps?

 

I've posted about seeing them before, and I said UL rated, not UL stamped.

 

[CALCXX]

Branch circuits should not be loaded greater than 80% of its current rating continuously .

If your gizmo draws 30A continuously, your branch circuit is undersized.

 

Looking back at this thread in ref to 3-way switching, the white wire is used as a "traveler" should be marked with black tape

both in the switchbox and the junction box @ the fixture.

That way, the line feeding the switch is black and the returned wire to the light is also a black wire.

The white used as a traveler is only connected between the 3-way switching. Same as the Red.

 

The black terminal screw is for the line and load at both ends of the 3-way switching.

The White and the Red are just travelers. They terminate on the brass screw and the silver screw.

 

If this is observed, the white traveler will never be connected directly to the light or the neutral.

Think "black wire in - black wire out." 

White and the Red wire are just a travelers with a band of black tape wrapped on the White and should never be connected to a Neutral.

 

 

 

The other question for the gizmo --

(don't know exactly what you have going on there in referance to "continuous load?")

How is it controlled? 30amp @ startup then quickly controlled to a minimum?

 

Perhaps a ph call to discuss?

 

 

Edited June 6, 2025 by CALCXX

[CALCXX]

fwiw, the danger of using a suicide cord to backfeed the Load Center instead of a Transfer Switch can get real ugly if more than one breaker is on the same phase and energized The Neutral will have to carry the current of the another breaker also.  Not good.

 

Careful about doing that. If the neutral is shared with another phase at a load, even if the other breaker is off, it will be backfed 120v at the load

waiting for a ground. careful

 

Thermosatically controlled freezer perhaps or some Emergency lighting might be ok on one breaker.

Careful  I think Arizona is hot enough.

Edited June 6, 2025 by CALCXX

[SwampNut]

2 hours ago, CALCXX said:

The other question for the gizmo --

(don't know exactly what you have going on there in referance to "continuous load?")

How is it controlled? 30amp @ startup then quickly controlled to a minimum?

 

You should know that there's no fucking way I'd do shit like that.  Not mine.  It's an EVSE running at 30a.  I told the guy it's fucked and turn the car down to 24 max.

 

Oh, and also, fire/sue the fucker who installed it.

 

 

[CALCXX]

Thought so.

Glad you didn't.

 

You should also remind the electrician, cord must be plug connected.

Shall not be used as permanent (hard wired) connection into the load center.

That is allowed on machinery when a motor, micro sw. ect,ect needs to be moved for maintenance or adjustment.

Edited June 6, 2025 by CALCXX