Electrical wiring help

[podz]

But you also have to use that hokey metric system. Ranks right up there with Soccer as the worst ideas ever!

Let me see now...

Water freezes at 32 F and boils at 212 F. Water freezes at 0 C and boils at 100 C.

Your average mechanic does not understand in his head in which order the socket sizes progress (7/32, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16) unless he commits them blindly to memory. A 5 year old kid knows that a 7mm socket is the next size up from a 6mm socket.

Almost every person in the world knows that half a kilometer is 500 meters. Most USA people can not tell you right off the top of their head, without googling or something, how many feet are in a mile and even fewer can quickly divide 5280 by 2 in their head to tell you how many feet are in a half mile.

 

[akthor]

I was only teasing. Now I freely admit I don't like Celcius simply because when someone tells me its 20 below in F I understand how cold that is.

Same with weights, measures, volume.

But I do like metric sockets and wrenches.

 

[PeteNMA]

Fahrenheit is great for talking about weather and room temperatures, you basically get blocks of ten to gauge comfort

 

[akthor]

So I can put whatever plug on want on my control panel so does that mean I can reuse the dryer outlet and just a plug to match?

 

[akthor]

This is the dryer outlet:

 

[PeteNMA]

Yes.

 

[akthor]

Gawd dammit! The stoopid eBay seller mistitled the auction and called the Square D HOM 50 amp gfci I bought a QO one! Now I gotta go thru all the return BS.

I spy a square D spa panel containing a QO 50 amp gfci breaker. Anything preventing me from buying that and pulling the breaker out of the spa panel and just putting it in my main panel?

 

[jeffmeh]

Gawd dammit! The stoopid eBay seller mistitled the auction and called the Square D HOM 50 amp gfci I bought a QO one! Now I gotta go thru all the return BS.

I spy a square D spa panel containing a QO 50 amp gfci breaker. Anything preventing me from buying that and pulling the breaker out of the spa panel and just putting it in my main panel?

You would not be the first person to buy the spa panel just for the breaker. Should work fine, but it is crazy that the spa panel is cheaper than buying the breaker itself.

 

[matt2778]

Your neutral bars on that panel could use some help, I see several double tapped neutrals, you can double tap two grounds of the same gauge (14 an 12 wires only) but not two neutrals. I spent several hours reworking my panel for the same reason.

 

[alha]

Only thing that I can think of, is that you only have a 100a service to the panel, so in the unlikely occurrence that you are full tilt brewing in the warm summer (A/C) while doing laundry (dryer), in the evening while lights and maybe TV on, you might be getting up there in your total amp draw. I know that it will be an unlikely confluence of events, but something to consider. You still will probably have plenty of head room, but thought I'd mention it, as sometimes breakers get a little weaker as they age, and you don't want a nuisance trip on the main.

 

[akthor]

If you could explain more I would love to fix it. The old guy that owned this place was an electrical engineer and has done several jury rigged things to the house that require us to redo them. Some are really like WTF?!?

Your neutral bars on that panel could use some help, I see several double tapped neutrals, you can double tap two grounds of the same gauge (14 an 12 wires only) but not two neutrals. I spent several hours reworking my panel for the same reason.

 

[akthor]

No worries. This is our lake house. We have a holding tank with no leach field first thing we did was remove the washer and dryer. I will also be sure when brewing no running the AC or the stove. As I said this is our 2nd home so I will schedule brew days when nothing is happening here but brewing. Old house, old wiring, plus we are leery of the previous owners "fixes". Eventually we will rewire and replump the whole house. In the meantime I will try not to push any limits on the wiring.

 

[matt2778]

If you could explain more I would love to fix it. The old guy that owned this place was an electrical engineer and has done several jury rigged things to the house that require us to redo them. Some are really like WTF?!?

Neutral / ground bar in several places has two neutral (white wires) going into one lug. Code only allows one neutral per lug, you can however double ground wires providing they are the same gauge and (12 or 14 only) and if the panel allows it (there should be a sticker in there somewhere. You made need to purchase larger neutral bars to accommodate things, they are cheap though. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it but if you're going to get in there and add circuits you may want to correct past sins while you're at it.

 

[itsnotrequired]

although a code violation to have two neutrals under one screw, it isn't a danger until someone loosens that screw with two neutrals (to work on a circuit or something like that). you may have turned off the breaker for one of the circuits with the neutral but not the other. removing the screw could loosen up both neutrals and that other circuit is now an open neutral, basically a live wire.