In this TV show I showed off two great electrical detective devices.The first is called an Inductive Voltage Detector and can be found at automobile supply stores. The one I showed had the trade name Circuit Alert and was made by GB Instruments. Somehow it knows if a wire is connected to the ho...
Theoretically, room lights should never be on the same circuits as any large appliances.Why? Because if the appliance, be it a refrigerator, a large TV or a hot electric fry pan, blows a fuse, you don't want to be thrown in the dark.When these are on the same circuits, on the same fuse or circui...
David wants the electrical outlet in the bathroom to be on all the time and not just when the light switch is on. How do you wire that, he asks?You may or may not be able to do it with the existing wires.Start by opening up the light electrical box. Turn off the light switch. Measure the volta...
Overload protection
Fuses and circuit breakers will stop the electricity in a wire when the load is excessive or there is a short circuit. They prevent overheating of wires from too much electricity trying to flow through a wire that is not large enough to handle it.
Stray current protection
G...
Here are a few tips when it comes to re-wiring an old lamp.
Use the existing wire to pull the new wire through. You need to join them in a way that does not create a lump in the wire.
Avoiding a lump
On the old pair of wires, cut one wire shorter than the other and s...
People ask me for professional recommendations and I shy away from doing too much of that. But the company Electrika is worth a special mention. First they are competent at doing things right. Second they are great at trouble shooting and figuring out problems. You will be won over by thei...
If for any reason you have turned OFF the main breaker of your household electrical system, do not simply turn it back ON. In fact in many cases it will simply not turn back on, especially if you have baseboard heaters all on all over the house. Powering the main breaker while all the circui...
YEARS AGO -- CHEATING A CLOTHES DRYER ONTO AN ELECTRICAL STOVE OUTLET
TODAY - ADDING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGER TO A FULLY LOADED BREAKER BOARD
THE HISTORY
Several years ago there existed in Canada a lot of homes with 60amp electrical mains panels. As electrical appliances became more and ...
HOW DO THEY WORK?
Most smoke alarms operate by allowing the smoke to get between a light source and a light sensitive target. When the light gets dim, the alarm goes off. If a spider passes in front of the light, or spins his web in front of the light, he may just set off the alarm. Vacuum ou...
Rick writes: I HAVE BEEN TO YOUR WEB SITE BUT STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ON THIS TOPIC. HERE GOES: FIRST, IF THE OVERHEATING OCCURS, WHY DOESN'T THE CIRCUIT TRIP? AN ELECTRICIAN TOLD ME THAT IF I HAD A SWITCH PANEL VERSUS FUSES, THAT THIS WOULD PROTECT ME!
Both fuses and circuit breakers (neither...
