Found 123 results for the keyword(s) ‘Electrical’

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  Changing two prong outlets to three prong outlets.

  Jason asks how to change from the old two-prong outlets to the modern and safer three-prong outlets.It is possible to run a separate ground wire all the way from the outlet to the electrical panel, which will give you the proper third wire you need. Just attaching a three-prong outlet to the t...
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  Power Management: surge protectors and electrical filters

  Ken Houseley from the Monster Cable company came into studio to educate me a bit on surge protectors, but mostly on how to clean up the electrical current within our house.We all buy bus bars with surge protection for our computers, maybe even our more expensive TV sets and sound systems. Some o...
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  Installing a dimmer

  Installing a dimmer in place of a regular light switch is very simple. The one wire that the dimmer has that you will not find in the light switch is a green wire that is meant to go to "ground". You simply secure this wire under the head of one of the large grounding screws that are in the...
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  Two baseboard heaters connected to one thermostat.

  Frank is confused about series and parallel wiring. He wants to connect a small and a large baseboard heater to one thermostat and isn't sure how to go about it.Although physically the wires will run from the thermostat to one of the baseboards and then on to the other baseboard, the way they...
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  How can I insulate my electrical receptacles?

  You should not put any insulation or sealing materials inside the electrical boxes as the air space is needed to keep the wires from overheating.In new construction we set the electrical box inside a "poly-pan" which then seals down to the vapour barrier, giving an air-tight electrical box. ...
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  How do I prevent my light dimmer from humming?

  Sometimes the dimmer hums and sometimes the light itself hums. What is happening and how can it be stopped?Not too long ago we had light dimmers that were simple rheostats. These would lower the voltage going to an ordinary light bulb and it would dim. No problems. But because we have devel...
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  How do you know which fuse protects which outlet?

  Traditionally, to find which circuit breaker or fuse controls which lightswitch or wall outlet, you would plug a loud radio into an outlet and then go to the main panel and unscrew every fuse, or trip ever circuit breaker, until the radio went dead. And then there's yelling... 'Is that the one?'....
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  A tip for electrical boxes that are too far inside the wall.

  Mike in Brampton Ontario offers the suggestion that when electrical boxes are too far inside the wall for the electrical outlet or switch to sit firmly on the box, you could add washers to the mounting screws. This will shim the outlet forward and make it possible to screw it down firmly whe...
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  How does an electric fireplace make the flame?

  We had to go to the Dimplex factory in Toronto to find out how they make a smoke-and-mirrors fireplace look really really like a real wood fire. It is quite amazing. The flames are a rotisserie of aluminum foil reflecting lights up and off a mirror.The bricks on the back of the fireplace are ac...
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  Which way should the ground plug go on electrical outlets?

  Revised November 2, 2004Should electrical outlets be installed with the ground pin up or down?There is a lot of debate and few regulations on this question.The first time I got asked this question, it came from Newfoundland. You can see my answer to that question by searching for ""Outlets"" in...