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Ok, I'm a little confused on a couple of things. First, what is your proof that you have a short circuit? You tested resistance(?) between one hot wire and a neutral wire, got 0, and your meter buzzed, so that's a short circuit? If I read it wrong, please correct me. And you can't have a...

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Wirenuts are tapered because if they weren't the thing would never tighten. The wires would go directly to the back of the nut and stop and the nut would never be tight. It's the same reason why a pipe thread is tapered. If it wasn't couplings and connectors would never tighten until they...

When you take the screw out of a device you'll notice that it only screws into about two or three threads, and you can in fact overtighten and strip those threads, rendering that terminal useless. You can only apply so much force before it fails. And if a wire is loose in a splice, regardless...

Ok, well I admit I don't use a torque wrench. But I do properly shape the loop, and I don't ring the wire with my lineman's pliers to strip it. I use a knife or a stripper. You can get used to anything, and get fast with enough practice. Isn't it better to make a habit of good practices...

That's not true. Over time, with people yanking on cords, and heat at the terminal, screw connections come loose all the time. And if one wire - hot or neutral - comes loose, all the outlets down the line will lose power.

Yeah, I trust my splices more than copper under a screw. And you shouldn't use tape on a splice, or on the terminals of a device. You're just putting more shit in the box that can burn.

Well, I said good electrician, but what I meant was someone who knows that, when you piggyback the outlets like that, losing one means you lose the whole line. So when you put eight outlets on a circuit, and one connection goes bad, all the other outlets on the remainder of the line drop out...

Actually the only intention of having two sets of screws is to separate the top and bottom outlets, not to allow for easier in and out wiring. A good electrician wouldn't use both sets of screws if wiring in and out. He would splice the hot and neutral through the box, with pigtails from those...

Look at Scuba Dave's post. Use a pancake. The cable clamps are inside the box, so if you need to remove the box, just loosen these clamps and pull the box off the wall. You could also use a gem box, if you need more depth - has clamps inside the box, too.

Well, if "pretty sure" doesn't cut it, neither does, "as long as there is a space," not when the code is very specific. So let's be more specific. "Space for the purpose" means that the space for wires in the panel cannot be filled by conductors to more than 40% of the cross-sectional area at...

I'm pretty sure that splices are only supposed to be made in a panel if there is a specific area in the panel designated for that purpose. Your standard main residential panel doesn't have such a space.

I've done a 200a service in 11 hours, and I've done it in 4. It really does depend on how things turn out once you're on site and start pulling things apart.

Well, it might just be an overwhelming sense of pride at having beaten back the bullies. I don't think it's a grudge, mainly because I've never heard anyone wave the flag and scream anything about the British. These days it's usually, "Down with Al Quaeda," or, "Say no to the public option!"...

Wow, you guys certainly can hold a grudge :D If we hadn't thrown your tea in the water we'd be saying ridiculous things like bugger off and cheerio and bullox.

Just to be clear, this UF cable pops out of the ground and plugs into an outlet?

check your connections

If you can't find a mechanical problem - loose connection, bad remote, etc. - by isolating certain parts of the light fixture, then the problem may be interference. Does anything else flicker in the room? Are there any noticeable motors on the same circuit, vacuum, a.c., etc.? Radio? Other...

Yeah, it's sloppy but happens all the time. If you can't find a box extension small enough to help, then the problem must not be that bad. What you do is put the device (outlet, switch, whatever) in the box in such a way as to make up the difference. The devices don't have to but up against...

Don't know CT code, but the drilling option is obviously the best. If there a finished ceiling? Will there be? Is it a drop ceiling? You could put a runner on your joists - a strip of plywood wide enough for SEU straps across the joists the entire length of the run - and strap your cable to...