calling all electricans

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

Mike, you want to use GFIC outlets not breakers (mich cheaper) when you use 3 wire. my stuff is gfic protected and its 3 wire, and it was done by a real electrition and inspected, as fixing the mess I bought was to big of a job for me and it was cheaper to pay and electrition than to buy some of the tools I would have needed.

I have been using the electrical code book made simple for about 7 years now and remember it is only a tiny slice of easy things for home owners so they can do simple things and or gain a little bit of knowlage so they can understand when an electrition is giving you a quote or explaining something to you. it is far far from containing the whole electrical code.

Steve

Thank you Steve, I use a combination of devices, breakers and receptacles. I'm also aware that the 'simplified residential' book doesn't cover everything, but certainly deals with most things the average home owner is going to come across. The introduction of GFI & AFI devices in the past few years have been some fairly major revisions, but much of the other stuff has remained unchanged for quite some time. In the USA the move is actually towards protecting every single circuit in the house with either an AFI or GFI depending on application. I believe the only exception they will give you is your fridge or freezer so you're less likely to spoil all your food in the event of the nasty nuisance trip which certainly plagued the earlier versions of these devices. Not sure whether they've got it totally sorted out yet with the technology. Personally I think they're going overboard in the US with this and some congressman's financial advisor has a bunch of shares in electrical device manufacturing companies!! If that's the way they want to go, might as well install one big honking AFI/GFI as the main breaker and be done with it.

[2pts]

Originally Posted by mike31154

If that's the way they want to go, might as well install one big honking AFI/GFI as the main breaker and be done with it.

Actually, funny you should say that. In my main panel, the first 2 single pole breaker (covers both hot lines) is a breaker that is designed to protect the entire house (well the electrical system) from outside electrical surges such as lightning resulting in an electrical surge coming in through the meter. http://www.sea.siemens.com/us/Produc...ve-Device.aspx

Nothing to do with GFCI's or AFCI's but pretty cool none the less, mine came in a package with my main panel.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by 2pts

Actually, funny you should say that. In my main panel, the first 2 single pole breaker (covers both hot lines) is a breaker that is designed to protect the entire house (well the electrical system) from outside electrical surges such as lightning resulting in an electrical surge coming in through the meter. http://www.sea.siemens.com/us/Produc...ve-Device.aspx

Nothing to do with GFCI's or AFCI's but pretty cool none the less, mine came in a package with my main panel.

Thanks for the link, had a quick look. Not sure it protects your whole house though, looks like a two pole 15 amp device that provides surge protection in addition to normal circuit protection for the two circuits it supplies.

[mseepman]

I used to work for an electical firm in town (on their computer side of the business) and we installed various forms of what you see in that link. Many of them did protect the entire house and were very reasonable in price. I can't remember the specifics but I could try to find out if someone wanted me to.

[Skimmerking]

ok im heading out for supper and going to be getting some wire please some one text me on this ok

if i just run the 3x250's on a 15 amp breaker is that enough.

204-573-8021 thanks

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

ok im heading out for supper and going to be getting some wire please some one text me on this ok

if i just run the 3x250's on a 15 amp breaker is that enough.

204-573-8021 thanks

on its own if you stagger the start times by a few minuits it should work. but if you pop the breaker you lose all your lights, better to put one of them on a different circut.

Steve

[Skimmerking]

cool i will do that man thanks

[2pts]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Thanks for the link, had a quick look. Not sure it protects your whole house though, looks like a two pole 15 amp device that provides surge protection in addition to normal circuit protection for the two circuits it supplies.

Yup it does the whole house, it is the first breaker on each phase, it instantly sends all surges to the ground, as electricity will always flow the fastest and shortest route to ground. At least that (or something like it) is what I read back when I was researching it.

It comes in a panel pack @ home depot, pop in that isle next time and read up on it (box and pamphlet I believe), it's a pretty cool gadget.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by 2pts

Yup it does the whole house, it is the first breaker on each phase, it instantly sends all surges to the ground, as electricity will always flow the fastest and shortest route to ground. At least that (or something like it) is what I read back when I was researching it.

It comes in a panel pack @ home depot, pop in that isle next time and read up on it (box and pamphlet I believe), it's a pretty cool gadget.

Very interesting, I'll definitely have a look see. I've got a Siemens 100 amp panel which replaced an old "Pushmatic" panel that had only 12 breakers. It's an older home and when I first checked out the old Pushmatic E panel it was pretty scary. There were no spare circuits whatsoever and the previous owners had an extra set of 240 volt wires in there. At some point they installed an electric dryer to replace a natural gas one and this meant that the central air conditioning had to be disconnected to run the dryer, ha ha. They were swapping wires on the 30 amp 2 phase breaker every time either the electric dryer or the air con was the priority!