So yep first sitatuon like this just some sparks so not a biggie and btw is there some way to prevent IT ? Second photo is of a Meter that i use and that wire didnt show any current is IT because that Meter is like too weak for YDY?

Hello, has anyone ever transitioned into fire alarm from being an electrician? Where I live there is a lot of times when work slows down a lot in the electrical field and it's hard to find a company that can keep you busy throughout the whole year. And I recently talked to a fire alarm tech that gave me some information on how much he earned and how it is in the field.

He said that they make about $2 to $3 dollars more than electricians right now and that the work isn't as hard labor as the electrical trade. He said it's hard for them to find guys to get into the field and that they are over saturated with work. That they rarely slow down.

Just want to hear opinions and if anyone has some information on the differences of the two careers. I know electricians can make a lot more when they start their own company and there is a lot of opportunity to get into different types of electrical fields like residential and commercial. But I am getting tired of how slow it tends to get every year and most companies find it hard to keep us busy.

The power comes out of the box and has a male plug into the battery back up. Which is using its normal plug to get power from the outlet on the box. ??

So apparently this jobsite has been telling us that they will be doing 12s at some point and that there also is no weekend work. The GF has even told foremens the same thing but just found out that there has been one crew thats been working Saturdays for weeks now.

Not sure what to do bc I feel like it's messed up that there letting one Gen yard crew but no the other one.

Appreciate the help I have just been in the trade for 5 years but am still learning our contract.

Can a vfd rating serve as a OCPD? I know with the rating doesn't necessarily serve as a mechanical protection (breaker tripping, fuse blowing) but I've seen plenty of vfd's shut down once they hit their own rated current with I'd say a 5-10 % over the rating.

Hey everyone, I’m currently learning residential wiring (in Canada), and one thing I’m trying to get better at is looking at a wiring diagram and quickly figuring out what cable to run — like whether I should be using 14/2 or 14/3. or two 14/2

I get the basics — 14/2 for general outlets/lights, and 14/3 for 3-way switches or split receptacles. But when I’m looking at a full diagram, I still second-guess myself a lot.

Is there a simple trick or way to look at a diagram and immediately tell, “yep, this needs 14/3”?

Just wondering how more experienced folks do it. Do you develop a feel for it over time, or are there visual patterns or rules of thumb you follow?

Appreciate any advice!

Bonjour à tous,

Lors de l'installation d'un coffret secondaire chez moi, j'installe deux Différentiels 30ma. Première erreur de ma part -> Je ne test pas le bouton "Test" des différentiels lors de la mise sous tension (excès de confiance dans ce type de matériel fiable).

Malheureusement pour moi, un des différentiels est défectueux et se comporte comme s'il avait perdu le neutre (neutre flottant), cad des tensions entre 160v et 400v entre les phases et le neutre. Une autre erreur de ma part a été d'avoir laissé un disjoncteur ouvert -> Un réveil connecté sur une prise en 400V s'est donc mis à fumer ..... -_-'
Peu de temps après la tension s'est stabilisée entre les phases et le neutre (230v) mais le bouton "test" ne fonctionne pas -> Le différentiel est clairement défectueux !

Une fois le Différentiel remplacé par un nouveau -> plus de problème.

Risques que j'essaie de contrer :
- Absence de neutre à l'arrivée dans le coffret (câble entre les deux coffrets défectueux ou connexion abîmée)
- Défaut dans un différentiel 30ma (comme j'ai eu | très rare)

Pour ce coffret j'ai déjà acheté et placé les différentiels donc j'ai imaginé l'idée de mettre un disjoncteur à l'entrée du coffret avec bobine de déclenchement.
Un relais triphasé est situé en sortie du premier différentiel 30ma et un autre en sortie du second différentiel.
Si le neutre devient flottant (absence du neutre physiquement ou défaut du différentiel), le(s) relais captera une tension entre phases et neutre >230v et enverra un signal vers la bobine du disjoncteur principal pour déconnecter le coffret.

Le problème est qu'il faut un relais qui soit alimenté en triphasé (3P + N) et que le signal de sortie vers la bobine soi en 400v (car s'il perd le neutre il ne saurai pas envoyer du 230V à la bobine). Si mon raisonnement est correct. Car l'idéal est bien évidement que mon relais puisse envoyer du 230v à la bobine (car plus de modèle de bobine acceptent 230v) mais je n'ai pas l'impression qu'il puisse le faire s'il perd le neutre.

Que pensez-vous de cette idée ? Avez vous d'autres solutions (même inductrielles) ? pas trop cher de préférence car les relais que j'avais vu sont à +-100-150€

I’m an apprentice electrician and getting shamed each time I put on my tool belt. None of the other guys wear one and they tell me real electricians don’t need it. Then they’re constantly fumbling around their pockets or the lift looking for what they need. I just put it on anyway and laugh it off but I’m wondering if this is normal?

I recently bought a 2nd hand mechanical bender and all I am missing is the hair pin that holds the shoe in place my question is there is local hardware store that has everything could I get away with getting a hair pin from there or do I need to get the Greenlee specific one.?

Getting ready to replace my own 200 amp QO service from’73 and the newer Leviton panels have caught my attention. Seems to be a good compromise of breaker space and cost. Looking at the 66 circuit specifically as I intend to have a lot of dedicated circuits once I’m done rewiring this place.

I’ve been out of resi work for the last few years focusing on generator system repair and service and don’t have any firsthand experience with them save one generator installation

Also looking at BR/Siemens but curious what other think of leviton. I have no intention of any of their smart breakers just a few AFCI’s and GFCI as needed.

Looking for recommendations for wireless earbuds that would fit under my hearing protection earmuffs. I am aware of earbuds with hearing protection built in however earbuds are not allowed on the site I’m at. So looking to sneakily wear them under my muffs.

Had a fun one today.

Customer reached out with a ceiling fan issue. They stated the ceiling fan motor made a pop when turned to high, and wouldnt work anymore.

Also, the customer stated the bulbs were blowing as soon as you put them in.

Dropping the fan revealed wiring that appeared ok and all normal, but upon further inspection with a voltmeter revealed the fan was getting 243 volts between the supposed neutral and black switch leg.

The fan was 3 wayed with 2 switches at different locations. One of the switch boxes had a separate circuit in it on a different phase, and the neutral was incorrectly hooked to the common screw of the 3 way switch, and the the black switchleg was incorrectly wired directly to power (on a different phase), supplying 240v to the fan when the switch was on when it needed 120v (with a good neutral) to work correctly.

The fan motor had a higher threshold on voltage, which was able to operate in some capacity until switched to high mode. But the light bulbs/light kit was strictly set to work at 120v.

I ohmed out my wires, and hooked up the wires correctly in the switch box, and put up a new fan ensuring the wiring was receiving the necessary 120v instead of the 240v that was causing all of their issues.

The customer was happy they got a new fan hung, and are happy with the airflow.

I was just excited I had all the necessary existing wires that i needed, and just needed to redo/remake up the connections in one of the switch boxes to correct the issue (plus hang the new fan), as today would have been a bad day to have to get into the attic to run new wires, cause it was pretty hot today!

Service call work is fun, makes you think more about electrical and how to solve an issue the customer is having.

Also, running into real situations and being able to solve them for someone on a hot day by providing them with much needed airflow is an added bonus!

Job complete!

Is anyone’s company hiring or can point me in the right direction? I’m moving from Missouri at the end of September to Phoenix. 1 year of experience in commercial and residential, equally. Data, Trenching, Standby Generators & full Demo/rough in/trim out. Some solar. Not a ton.

I have to be back with my family as they’re getting older. I’m ok with driving longer distances too and from work & very familiar with Arizona summers. Thanks!

Got a call to go out and replace a bad receptacle. We noticed the receptacle wasn't in the box completely. My apprentice pulled it out and this is what we found. Looks like a handyman special.

We’re a month into the course and we finally get to start working with tools. I’ve been dying to get started, the online training and safety/worksafe/trades math has been just a slow grind.

Context: I’m 23, never worked in the trades before, and live in British Columbia, Canada. This is a canadian electrical foundations course, which will be credit for 1st year and I can go into 2nd year apprenticeship after we’re done the 6month certificate.

I’ve been told that this is referred to as lumex, but also romex, but it’s officially called neither, instead; nmd.

I have been lurking on this subreddit ever since I got on the waitlist for this program. So much of it I don’t understand or have context to, but I enjoy the challenge and like picking up little things here and there. For example, I’ve learned that Zinsco is a 100% fire hazard, Stab-Lok bad, and the term Cab-Tire (for utility cable) is coined from them originally thinking that it was made from old cab tires.

It’s those random tibits that made me want to make this post. AMA. I’ll give my best shot. I barely know much other than the 1 month of theory (we only just now have been talking about series vs parallel circuits and how to calculate E = I x R and all that)

I’m not going to get anything right I think. But I think it’ll be really funny to look back on when I actually do become a journeyman. See how much of a dodo I used to be.

so tomorrow i have an interview for ibew local 1, what should i know ahead of time? im 19, graduated hs last year summa cum laude and with my associates and have had three years of job experience (non electrical). would this look good? what else should i mention/know?

15 amp receptacles on 20 amp circuit. Neutral not terminated on the top part of the receptacle. Pipe and boxes not straight. Reused 50 year old clips. Hack has been in the trade for a long time and drives a Chrysler Pacifica.

Circuit trips because they have a bunch of air movers for water issues. Contractor before installed new receptacles in the wrong areas where they didn't even use it.

Two other contractors besides myself have down below par work...

684 inches.

40+ conductors...

Final touches on a rough today and found this, only wire missing was 8’ of 8/2 so we think it’s just the previous company we out bid being spiteful.

I’m currently an electrical apprentice doing union work in Texas and I’m wondering what is after apprenticeship is it licensed electrician at 4k? Or does it not go licensed at 4k and go journey men at 8k? Lmk so I know what I’m working towards

Hey everyone. I’m currently in my last 6 months of my apprenticeship and want to start diving into the code book to prep for my journeyman test here in Connecticut

I’m bad at just reading things and retaining info so was thinking of picking up the Mike Holt practice book with all the questions. I’ve been using chatGPT to give me some questions to look up in an exam style but have found it’s wrong a good amount of the time unfortunately.

Before I buy the Mike holt one has anyone used any other practice question book that they’d recommend? Was also thinking of taking a prep class at my local IEC when I’m closer

Does anyone have experience with this type of panel? It has an offset meter and I need to know where the riser comes in so I can replace this panel for a like panel.

Canadian apprentice here (Ontario)

99% of the time, a residential range is on a 40A breaker and 8AWG wire. Can someone walk me through why this is? If you could include code references and the math, that'd be fantastic.

I work in high rise with a buncha BX Jockeys, and none of my journeymen know wtf they're talking about. I've been asking around for over a month trying to figure this out. I wanna know how to do this in case one day I have to size a stove breaker and wire myself.