Circuit Breakers - Ceiling Fans - Outlets and Switches - New Wiring and Rewiring - Home Wiring - Light Switches - GFCI Wiring - General Electrical - Power and Voltage
Q. Is it OK to paint the exterior of a circuit breaker box, and the metal portions of the utility company meter?A. You might check with your local inspections or code enforcement department. Other than that, keep the paint out of the box and off the meter itself. Also be aware that all latches, tamper seals and doors need to remain in working condition so the boxes can be easily opened if needed.
Q. When installing a CO detector, is it better to place it high or low in a room? In other words, is CO heavier or lighter than air and where is the best place to first detect it?
A. CO is actually about the same mass as normal air (about .97 of air's Specific gravity). However, it is generally carried in heated air, and will tend to be high up in the room. So a high mount is best. In a residence, your best placement is close to the sleeping areas. Putting a CO detector next to the fuel burning equipment will just get you a lot of false alarms, because a lot of furnaces, water heaters, etc. will kick out a small amount of CO on ignition of the burners. You also want to avoid high humidity areas, like right in front of a bathroom or kitchen door, as this is also a source of false alarms for both CO and smoke detectors.
Q. This is going to sound weird, but when we moved into our house a few months ago we noticed that when the bedroom light was turned on, we could smell what I can only describe as a horrible fishy smell coming from it. We would turn the light off and the smell would eventually go. What can this smell be and how can I get rid of it?
A. It can be the type of plastic used in the fittings was reacting to either heat or the metal screw of the bulb or both. Try changing the entire fitting for ceramic ones.
Q. I need info for cleaning and deodorizing the garbage disposal.
A. Run the disposal with hot water flowing, and squirt in a little dish liquid to foam and wash the interior. A little bleach can be added to disinfect and deodorize. Tossing in a few cubes is often recommended. Orange or lemon rinds provide a pleasant scent to the kitchen. With the disposal turned off, of course, you can use a small brush or cleaning rag to clean under the rubber flange.
Q. Now that the heat is on I guess the house is a little dryer than usual and the static shocks that I constantly get are starting to wear out my fingertips. The shocks are strong, although the blue color is kind of nice. I have no rugs; it's al wood floors. Anything I can do to eliminate this or do I need to wear rubber gloves?
A. Static electric shocks can be minimized by what you wear, by the type of flooring installed, and by the amount of moisture in the air. A whole house humidifier can help with the moisture issue.
Q. I had hardwired smoke detectors that kept going off in the house I just bought. I finally turned off the breaker because they would not stop. I replaced them with hard-wired battery back up. I installed them and plugged in the harness but did not turn on the breaker for the power. I used lithium 10-year batteries, and within three weeks, all the batteries have died. Any clue as to what is going on?
A. The main source of power that the smoke detectors need is 110 volts. The batteries in your smoke detectors are only for back up during a power failure. The "ten-year" lithium battery claim, I believe, has to do with the ability of the battery to store its charge. It's the "shelf life," so to speak. A standard battery, on a shelf, "dies" after a couple of years. The lithium can go longer, hence the ten-year claim. When you use any battery, even the lithium, it drains their capacity. The smoke detectors were constantly being powered from the battery and not the 110-volt circuit as they were designed for.
Q. If cost were not a factor, would it be best to use shielded wiring for door and window sensors?
A. If you are a ham operator, then shielded wire for your low voltage circuits is a good idea. You might actually consider installing low voltage surge suppressors on actual database lines (keypads and the like). You may need to play with which end of the shield to ground. Sometimes it's better to leave it free floating at one end when you are dealing with RFI.
Q. I was thinking of putting those First Alert pull chain motion sensors in my closets and the attic, knee walls, etc. Exactly how much light is needed for the sensor to activate? No sense installing them in the attic if the light from the room below and me climbing through the ceiling does not activate them.
A. No light required. They should activate with 0% illumination.
Q. Does anyone have any ideas how I can automate the light in a closet - make it come on when the door opens, turn off when it shuts?
A. A simple door switch will do what you want to do. You'll want to make sure your switch is rated for 120VAC and is a normally open type, then run a wire from the light back to the door. Put the switch on the hot wire and that's pretty much it. When the door opens, the switch closes, turning the light on. If you can't run a wire, you could use a motion-activated light.
Q. When I moved into my new home, the chime box was humming. I bought a new box and adapter, also new button switches for front and back doorbells. Now the front bells ring and back does not. Is there a break in line somewhere, still humming?
A. Probably there is a short in the wires to the other doorbell. The button closes the hot off the transformer to the chime. A short could cause the circuit to stay closed. The chime is just a momentary contact so the doorbell would not be going off even if there were a short. Off of your transformer you should have a wire going to the back doorbell, from there a wire to the chime. With a continuity tester across these two wires, it should read an open line and then close when the button is pushed. That would be the best way to verify the wiring to the back doorbell.
Q. I'm going to have to drop my second story runs from my attic to the basement (two stories) of my house through a 3"-4" straight conduit. Should I consider using riser cable as opposed to standard cat?
A. Use regular Cat5, unless there is some other compelling reason. Take care that the runs are supported to keep the curve in the attic under control. Cat5 cable is not to be bent around a corner, but make a gentle curve. Once the bundle is made, gather it and support it in the conduit after the turn from the attic to prevent it from being pulled too taut and around a corner. The minimum bend radius for Cat5 cable is 4 times its diameter, no tighter.
Q. I do remodeling and am frequently asked to tap into existing phone line and run a new jack. My question is, is there a probe or inductive type device that will tell me which cable has an active line and which pair is the active pair? I frequently find that four wire and multi wire cat5 and up get mixed up and you can't tell which is the correct color pair just by looking at the main terminal box. If there is not such a device, what do you guys do to find an active pair?
A. The perfect tool is a butt set with the type of clip on the ends that will pierce the insulation on the wire without trashing it ("bed of nails"). That's about $50 to $100 depending on features and where you shop. The ABS unit made by Ideal isn't a bad alternative. The little gadgets that just give you an LED aren't always helpful, as there are instances where there is voltage on a phone line, but no dial tone. When all else fails, a regular telephone and a phone jack tricked out with alligator clip leads will get you a surprisingly long way.
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