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Simplified That was awfully lengthy, going into all the Code rationale. Here's the result; wondering if experts agree with me. A bundle has several hot wires per breaker; we wish to modify the derating accordingly. Load diversity lets us do this, even if all wires could be active at the same...

Echoing JIm on the old back-stabbed receptacles; if you're having circuit problems, just go ahead and remove all of these. In my limited amateur wanderings, I've seen at least half a dozen of them with wires hanging completely loose, and others that failed completely but still looked okay. The...

I'm guessing you saw the first posting in this thread but not the follow-up? The first discusses the trivial case of one wire; the second goes into neutrals (which are counted unless part of a multiwire circuit with both poles included).

If you're on a budget like me, and haven't yet bought a printed copy of NEC 2008, hopefully you know about the free online edition: http://www.nfpa.org/onlinepreview/online_preview_document.asp?id=7008SB The awkward part, however, is that they won't let you save, search, or print; NFPA...

Think I've got it, based on FPN 1 and Annex B I think I finally tumbled to what Annex B is saying about how load diversity (the percentage of active conductors) applies to the derating of multi-conductor bundles, and this explains how to handle bundles with wires sharing a branch circuit. Do...

When over three wires from the same branch circuit are run in a conduit, NEC appears to require them to be derated just as if they were on separate circuits, all capable of carrying full current at the same time (310.15B2a). Is there a Code paragraph I’m missing? Because all these #12’s...

Edit - Yes, it turns out the existing square-D bkr lists a torque for #2 Al, and I was able to get the conductors to fit comfortably.

Thought I'd give you an update: we're replacing the entire feed with four-wire SE-R (Al #2 with #4 ground). Wasn't as expensive as I'd feared, tho it's work to get it into place. I didn't trust the (location-unknown) splice; there's no avoiding inspection, and our inspector wouldn't approve...

How do you estimate (or measure) torque on connector screws? Put another way: how do you teach an apprentice what the correct torque feels like? I discover I over-tightened some screws on the grounding bus bar of our panel; one #12 was crushed beyond flat. On the other hand, I'm going to be...

Checking, I discover the old 50A feed starts out as SE (red, black, wire braid) and then splices (probably in the crawl space) to the cable with R/Bk/Wh type TW that's found at the subpanel.

not SE Fortunately the subpanel's feeder is not SE; neutral is white, and similar to the other two: individually marked as TW, though in a cable. (Probably it's whatever they used in 1955.)

I discovered our old garage/rec-room subpanel is fed with 3-wire 220V (no ground), with N-G bonded locally. :eek: (This is an attached garage, soon to have a laundry.) If I'm reading the tables correctly, this 50A feed requires a #10 Cu grounding conductor to the service. Before talking to the...

Reading elsewhere, I notice there isn't even consensus to use GFCI outlets for a laundry if there's no sink -- which suggests that I may be overly-cautious here about controls near the washing machine. Today's sketch: 10" above and 10" to the side of the lid opening (6" from side of washer)...

I need to place some controls in the vicinity of our washing machine: switches, fan speed, and a 120V thermostat. Above the washer, heat from the appliances will affect the thermostat; below the level of the lid or hoses, I'm concerned about splashing; as controls move farther away to the...