• 5 Posts
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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 4th, 2023

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  • I honestly don’t see a reason why it would hurt if there’s nothing wired to the breaker. And it feels safer than leaving the contacts exposed since the metal cover is open on those slots. But I’m not sure if that’s the proper way.

    As for the wire, I think it’s more so quality control. If it’s new and you bought it then you know it’s high quality and if it doesn’t work you can warranty your own work, but you can’t warranty old equipment. But this is another one where I can’t see the harm in using it if I am replacing a short strand of wire and it is the right length. Like I said, it’s type NM cable so it seems to be equivalent to modern romex wire, just a different brand.




  • Ya, there is asbestos in the house. It is wrapped around the HVAC in the basement. We were told to get it removed now because it’s not yet a health hazard so I’m working on getting that done. It’s still in good condition and it’s not dangerous until it starts to flake away. But the insulation is newer from a remodel when the last owner turned it into a duplex. So within the last 10 years I am pretty sure







  • Ya, I know I need to jump the ground when wiring to power cable for the dryer. I was going to do 10/3 since I had the money for it, but lowes and Home Depot were both sold out when I went to pick it up. Whirlpool told me 10/2 would work so I just went with that in the effort of saving time. New dryer is delivered Tuesday so I want the wiring done before then. The 30a double pole breaker was easy though. Probably the least questionable part of this process






  • I just finished running the new wire. I really lucked out. My step dad has a 50’ fishing tape and a 10’ endoscope that I was able to borrow. I got a new 10/2 wire pushed through fine. I called whirlpool for the specifications and they said the dryer needs 30 amps and will work with 10/2 or 10/3 wire. I was gonna go for the 10/3 but both lowes and Home Depot were sold out so I went with the 10/2. Got a 25’ roll and it used most of it. Maybe a foot of slack


  • The insulation protects the stuff outside the wire from catching fire. The wires get hot while carrying a load. Neutrals always carry a load once the hot is powered on. Grounds only carry when something goes wrong such as a power surge. They carry excess electricity the neutral can’t handle and usually significantly less so they don’t get as hot. There’s no reason not to insulate a ground, and it arguably is safer, but the amount safer is noticeably less considering the extra cost. For a ground to get hot enough to catch something on fire several other safety measures would need to fail. In that regard it’s not necessary.




  • So, I have a problem with electricians. I’m running out of them lol. I’ve had 4 out already for other projects and I get quotes and in 2 cases even paid the first payment but no one actually shows up to do the work. So I have just been doing it myself.

    That’s said, my step dad does a lot of electrical work so I do have a bit of help even if he’s not a full on electrician. He’s has tons of tools for this type of work and makes most identification pretty easy. He took a Quick Look at the picture and he said it needs replaced based on the fact that it has an aluminum ground so I am just going to run all new wire. At least I know now that it will be the right wire



  • To your edit, it should be 2 hots and a neutral is my understanding. Hots deliver electric and neutrals complete the circuit back to the back. In newer wiring the 4th is the ground but a 240v 3 wire has no ground. However, if it is a neutral it should be sheathed and individually insulated.

    That being said, I’m not an electrician and most of this is just what I’ve learned from replacing outlets and rerunning 120v wire in this house. If an electrician wants to tell me I’m wrong I’m all ears


  • It does look bad and I plan to replace it regardless. I’m more so wondering if it needs replaced now. Wire is expensive and replacing this will be pretty extensive as I would need to tear out horse hair plaster to unstaple it from the studs. I’m not 100% on if it’s stapled or not but it’s tough to move and the other wires I replaced were stapled down so we had to tear open the plaster and run them that way. This would be going from 2nd story to basement through kitchen behind the sink so it’s not a quick job. If it needs replaced now I’m gonna need to cancel the whole weekend