Questions tagged [home-installation]

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Equipment to throttle energy consumption of 220V AC device (Solar+grid)

(This is my first post in this community, hoping it's the right place) I'm looking for a simple way to prevent a 2kW house water heater to draw too much current at once. Mostly because solar power ...
PPC's user avatar
  • 113
2 votes
2 answers
563 views

Stray voltages on home appliances in unearthed electrical system

Using a simple multimeter I have discovered around this home (what I may be mistakenly calling) "stray voltages", i.e voltage potentials across appliances' metallic parts that should not ...
Robert Lee's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
59 views

Easy to use jumper cable to bypass lighting ballast

I am trying to retrofit 22 high bay LEDs in an armature designed for tungsten halide bulbs (400 W). I understand that I need to cut the capacitor and bypass the ballast. These fittings are in a hard-...
Floris's user avatar
  • 1,072
1 vote
3 answers
136 views

Simplest way to compare two voltages and output the one that last changed (by a small %)

I am working on an installation in a living space where there will be two wall mounted volume controls. Whichever volume control is last operated, should be the one that sets the volume of the audio. ...
Smashing's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
99 views

Circuit breaker pops when flipping switch

The circuit powers an LED light. Using a multi meter connected to the two screws which hold down the white and black cables, the switch reads as "OL" or as "_/__" when checking for ...
TeckFudge's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
306 views

Can an RCD detect a fault on an isolated circuit?

I was installing a new plug socket today in an outbuilding of my house, which is wired up to a small circuit breaker box which houses breakers for the lights and plug sockets in this outbuilding. This ...
S.Stevens's user avatar
  • 111
0 votes
3 answers
129 views

Two switches and two light bulbs at home

I want to wire two light bulbs with two switches so that one (only one at a time) of them is always on. This is the idea: Switch 1 Switch 2 Light bulb 1 Light bulb 2 Up Up On Off Up Down Off On ...
Ivan's user avatar
  • 101
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Use of multiple earthings for single installation

For a home electrical wiring, is it acceptable to have to multiple earth rods on different (reasonably apart from each other) locations? In good practice, to keep earth resistance low, we use multiple ...
Salitha's user avatar
  • 123
1 vote
2 answers
164 views

How to protect home from the main connection line short circuit?

I am living in a village and we often face issues with main connection input neutral getting shorted and having good amount of current/voltage. The transformer often gets issues, disrupting supply and ...
Milind Singh's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
122 views

12V-only (and no 110V/220V) household electrical installation [closed]

Power outlets are in 220V/110V in houses for historical reasons (light bulbs and other appliances probably required >100V voltage) but nowadays as: we use a USB charger 220V->5V for phones, ...
Basj's user avatar
  • 1,886
1 vote
3 answers
161 views

Why are Fuses on space heaters necessary?

Why does a space heater (electric fan heater for home use) have a fuse? Isn't the house itself connected via a circuit breaker? Wouldn't that stop potential safety issues? PS: First post on here :)
Hegus's user avatar
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1 answer
88 views

How bad of an idea is it In an emergency to use my PV solar and propane generator together?

Set the stage: Say there is a massive grid disruption like what happened to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. I live somewhere were air conditioning may be needed for some groups to remain healthy. I ...
user2115867's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
546 views

Will connecting LED strips of varying lengths in parallel cause different levels of brightness?

I'm new to electrical engineering and I've studied the basic elements like resistors, capacitors, and inductors in DC and AC circuits, but I haven't studied LEDs or diodes in general. Right now, I'm ...
Jamie's user avatar
  • 1
0 votes
2 answers
3k views

What happens if an inverter neutral is bonded to earth?

My question is similar to this question. Let's say I bond a true sine DC to AC inverter's neutral wire to my subpanel's neutral (which is bonded to earth in my main panel). I know most DC to AC ...
Seb's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
2 answers
63 views

Does different bulbs in one circuit lead to shorter lifespan? [closed]

I had a conversation with my family regarding lifespans of bulbs. They claimed that they had observed that when different wattage bulbs are plugged in the same hanging light, the bulbs would die ...
N. Boumakis's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
223 views

How can I ramp up the start of a motor?

I recently have had electrical roller shutter installed on my windows. They are wired (I put a home automation system behind, based on Shelly 2.5 (wiring)). It works great, except that the motor, when ...
WoJ's user avatar
  • 517
1 vote
1 answer
77 views

Are most home circuits able to handle 12V 50 amps on a 10/20/50 Amps? [closed]

My dad is saying that most home outlets can't handle 12V 50 Amps, is this true, or false? What I'm doing it for is to charge my car battery.
a coder's user avatar
  • 175
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is printing a PLA box for electronic components safe?

not sure I'm in the good place. I'm working on a small project, building a connected light dimmer for my home. I'm using a raspberry pi zero and an AC dimmer (this one : Universal AC MAINS Dimmer - ...
Milodupipo's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
133 views

How to check if Neutral is grounded properly?

I was thinking of buying a Residual current device but I don't know if the power supply to my home is grounded properly or not. For initial testing I used my multimeter to check the voltage coming to ...
Hemant Yadav's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
46 views

How do I know if it's safe to connect the common grounds of the input signals of two garage door openers?

I have two Hormann ProMatic garage door openers, identical ones, both have a pair of built-in input connectors where anyone can use an external switch to trigger the garage doors to open/close. My ...
adamsfamily's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
106 views

Can I avoid tripping my breakers with an superinductor?

I was thinking about creating a circuit with a large inductor to avoid tripping my breakers when I turn on an iron. When I use the iron, if I slowly start it with minimum heat and gradually increase ...
Napster's user avatar
  • 507
0 votes
1 answer
100 views

Hallway light switch makes bedroom light brighter [closed]

In an older North American home, when I turn my bedroom light switch on, the ceiling light turns on and seems fine. When I then turn the switch for the hallway light on, then the bedroom light becomes ...
jordan's user avatar
  • 199
1 vote
0 answers
286 views

Why are so many old lamps switching the neutral wire?

So I am deconstructing old houses and I noticed that there are many Lamps that are switching the Neutral Wire instead of the Phase. Why was this done ( Especially as it has no advantages afaik)
PLASMA chicken's user avatar
11 votes
6 answers
8k views

Designing home DC wiring

I've been thinking about this for a while. Now that we have means to generating electricity in DC, what would it take to do a DC wiring for an house to work along the traditional AC wiring. ...
Snick's user avatar
  • 243
5 votes
1 answer
5k views

Why does the UPS mode of an inverter have faster switching times?

Of all the sinewave inverters I have used, they contain a switch at the back labelled Normal and UPS. When you put the inverter in normal mode, there is some 40-50 ms switchover time, enough to make ...
Bagho's user avatar
  • 91
0 votes
1 answer
96 views

Electrical installation diversification

I have an exam in three hours and there seems to be a recurring question in all previous years questions: Why are cooker units diversified while air conditioners are not? I've searched a lot but ...
lekarane's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
570 views

Why do we still use high voltage at home (on sockets) in the 21st century? [duplicate]

Just wondering, most of all equipment at home have components/circuitry inside to transform high voltage (AC) into lower voltage (mostly DC), also all modern LED lambs. Modern products become more and ...
Codebeat's user avatar
  • 1,326
2 votes
1 answer
954 views

Control one light with two buttons

I have a lamp in my flat that can be turned on and off with two different buttons, how does a circuit look like to realize that?
po.pe's user avatar
  • 2,546
0 votes
1 answer
152 views

LED lights with a dim light in open circuit [duplicate]

I was installing new LED lamps on my kitchen, which seemed to be functioning well. After turning off the lights, the newly installed lamps still had a dim light, that kept itself for quite long. I've ...
Mefitico's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
1 answer
171 views

What precautions should I take to setup a home electronics lab? (Living in the UK) [closed]

I'm soon to be buying a house in the UK and would like to setup an electronics lab in the garage (attached to the house).The type of equipment I'll be using is nothing out of the ordinary: ...
andowt's user avatar
  • 988
-2 votes
1 answer
49 views

Electrical wire decision [closed]

Please gudi me which cable will be bedt for my house electrical wiring. And also guide me which cable will be used for low electricity bill. Thanks
H A's user avatar
  • 5
4 votes
6 answers
8k views

Why plug is polarized in the US? What are the benefits?

I could not get a good hold of it, I searched online quite a bit. This must have to do with safety but then non-polarized switches are used through out the world with no issues are risks, so my ...
TheTechGuy's user avatar
6 votes
6 answers
969 views

Grounding conductor meant to protect electrical devices?

I had a home inspection performed on an old house recently. The inspector noticed that some of the outlets had an unconnected third prong. He told me that the absence of a grounding conductor on the ...
pr871's user avatar
  • 1,167
0 votes
4 answers
30k views

Electric wiring color codes: BROWN, BLUE and BLACK

31.01.2018 16:40 start / Thank you all for the answers, because this is not a standard wiring plug, i need assistance wiing the wifi adapter in the middle of cable which connect the energy master ...
ZMEU.NET's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
65 views

Determening some home appliances. Based on their power consumption behavior

I placed a current sensor on the main power line going into my household and I m trying to use that data to determine if an appliance is pluged in such as a fridge or heater. It should be easy since ...
georges's user avatar
  • 33
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

How to wire this transformer? I am not clear on what these wire colors mean and where they go

I read several color coding guides but I am not sure which wire goes where... My guess is that the black is the L wire, which stands for Live, and the white wire is the N, which stands for Neutral, ...
Edy Bourne's user avatar
-2 votes
3 answers
264 views

why a hot wire isn't grounded by a separate ground [closed]

I'm a beginner but wouldn't it bring more safety if the neutral is grounded through a different earth connection(2 grounds each connected separately the earth). We would have two neutrals that could ...
habibhassani's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
66 views

Which connector would I use for a non standard low voltage wall connection? How can I label it?

(Please see this question for background info) In my pantry, I'm going to be connecting a door jamb switch across a low voltage application. I'd like to (instead of fishing the bare wire through a ...
Sidney's user avatar
  • 217
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

Measure electrical consumption from electric panel

I want to hack my electrical distribution board a little, to measure the energy used by each circuit. Thus, I want to use a little arduino or maybe a raspberry pi and plug it to my circuits to take ...
Dan Chaltiel's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
296 views

How to discern earth from neutral?

I have a three cable circuit in the kitchen1, I know that one is live, one neutral and one is ground. However, there is no colour2 matching between the standard and the real cables, so I can't use the ...
Ziezi's user avatar
  • 208
0 votes
2 answers
237 views

How do I remove the excess wires from this 2/3 way lighting switch?

I have two sets of lights in my bedroom. There are also two light switches. One double light switch is by one door, and turns both sets of lights on or off (one switch does one set, one does the other)...
Archie Roques's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
672 views

How to select a home automatic circuit breaker?

A room contains electrical devices which has a max demand of 10A (may be more than that in the future). The mains cable from the electric panel (distribution board) is 4 mm2 which can handle current ...
Michael George's user avatar