any electricians here?

conman

i used to be an electrician before i joined the navy and now that i'm on my way out i will be looking to get back into the trade within the next year or so

just curious if there are any other electricians around here

RKCNDY

can I call you Sparky now?

conman

RKCNDY wrote:

can I call you Sparky now?

i've been called a lot worse :P

RKCNDY

conman wrote:

RKCNDY wrote:

can I call you Sparky now?

i've been called a lot worse :P

Can I ask you electrical questions then? (I honestly do have one...or 2)

conman

RKCNDY wrote:

conman wrote:

RKCNDY wrote:

can I call you Sparky now?

i've been called a lot worse :P

Can I ask you electrical questions then? (I honestly do have one...or 2)

i'll be happy to help if i can

RKCNDY

yay!

ok, so on one wall on the OUTSIDE of the house, one cover is missing on the outlet (bad I know) but that outlet doesn't work, the other one does...it has a cover. On the INSIDE of the house, on the same wall, there is an outlet and this one gets warm. When I have the laptop plugged into it, the outlet gets really really really warm...the other outlets in the same room get warm...but not as warm. A lamp plugged in the outlet doesn't seem to affect it.

a) do I need to re-wire all these outlets?

or

can I just replace the outlets?

and

c) if I have to re-wire...is that super expensive? (the outlets happen to be on the same wall as the fuse box/control panel.

Thanks so much!

conman

^^^ first, how many outlets total?

second, are the outlets overused(do you use extension cords, surge protecters etc)?

last, are the outdoor outlets GFCI protected(they will have 2 buttons in the middle of the outlet, one that says "test" and the other "reset")?

RKCNDY

4 outlets on that specific wall...

1 outside
1 in the garage
(a 220 for the dryer in the laundry room which is in between the garage and family room-that's different I know)
2 in the family room (the family room has 5 outlets total)

One of the outlets has a surge protector for the TV/DVR/Stereo
The outlet that gets hot only has a lamp plugged in.

I try to not keep stuff plugged in when I'm not using it (like the phone charger, Wii, etc)

81

when you are done in seattle....can you come fix my patio light? it's not working.....

RKCNDY

81 wrote:

when you are done in seattle....can you come fix my patio light? it's not working.....

did you change teh bulb? Is it in teh 'on' position? :P

81

RKCNDY wrote:

81 wrote:

when you are done in seattle....can you come fix my patio light? it's not working.....

did you change teh bulb? Is it in teh 'on' position? :P

funny girl....

conman

RKCNDY wrote:

4 outlets on that specific wall...

1 outside
1 in the garage
(a 220 for the dryer in the laundry room which is in between the garage and family room-that's different I know)
2 in the family room (the family room has 5 outlets total)

One of the outlets has a surge protector for the TV/DVR/Stereo
The outlet that gets hot only has a lamp plugged in.

I try to not keep stuff plugged in when I'm not using it (like the phone charger, Wii, etc)

sounds like you might just have a faulty outlet(i'd have to actually get my hands on it to be certain), i would just replace the one that you're worried about. outlets are pretty cheap(2-3 bucks each).

if it still get warm then it's probably a good idea to have an electrician to come in and check the wiring...

conman

81 wrote:

when you are done in seattle....can you come fix my patio light? it's not working.....

you didn't get that fixed yet??? i remember you mentioned something about that before alpine...

get that shit fixed already!! :P

81

it's been 5 years...doesn't bother me...until the doorbell rings at night.


maybe when it warms up, i'll dig into it some more.

eeriepadave

I have a question/problem if there are any in here. I have lived in my apartment for 15 years. Haven't had too many main issues. Anyway this past winter my PECO/electric bill was way higher than it was than last year and I used about the same amount as last year. It was almost $200 for January, February and March for a small one bedroom. Year before it was at the most maybe like $150 and that was maybe for one month. After the winter ended my bill went down but it was still a little more than last year. Last month it's like $80 and i don't even think i used the AC (maybe once or twice) last month. I went on their website and they said my projected bill for this month is gonna be over $200 and there is no way I used that much electric this month. I maybe had my AC on no more than 5 times.

I called PECO last month and complained and they sent someone over to see if the meter and wires were ok and they said it was. So I'm thinking it's maybe inside my apartment? What would cause this inside my apartment? I did talk to the building maintenance and they checked the control panel and said it was ok. Is it wiring? Do i call an electrician? Do i let the apartment complex know and see what they say? I thought it might just be my thermostat cause like I said i've lived there for 15 years and the thermostats and AC is kinda old. The thermostats i have aren't even digital they have a knob on them and barely any numbers on them.

deadendp

Out of curiosity, could it be rate fluctuations? There's a whole bunch of screwed up power grid stuff in Texas. I know you are in PA, but wondering if you have some electric provider fee issues? 

Meltdown99

Did you add high usage appliances/electronics recently?

ed243421

dankind

eeriepadave

deadendp said:

Out of curiosity, could it be rate fluctuations? There's a whole bunch of screwed up power grid stuff in Texas. I know you are in PA, but wondering if you have some electric provider fee issues? 

i don't think so. I asked some neighbors in the complex and some friends and theirs was way lower than mine.

Meltdown99 said:

Did you add high usage appliances/electronics recently?

no

PJNB

Check your fridge. If it is old it can be coming on way too often. Thermostats might help but you seem to be having an issue in the summer too so that is maybe not it. Its an easy switch out though especially low voltage thermostats. 

Do you see your panel and meter? If not ask to. Make sure your meter ties right into your panel and no funny business in between. Know what every breaker on your panel is for to make sure no one tied into it. You should know this though since you have been there 15 years so very unlikely. 

mickeyrat

eeriepadave said:

I have a question/problem if there are any in here. I have lived in my apartment for 15 years. Haven't had too many main issues. Anyway this past winter my PECO/electric bill was way higher than it was than last year and I used about the same amount as last year. It was almost $200 for January, February and March for a small one bedroom. Year before it was at the most maybe like $150 and that was maybe for one month. After the winter ended my bill went down but it was still a little more than last year. Last month it's like $80 and i don't even think i used the AC (maybe once or twice) last month. I went on their website and they said my projected bill for this month is gonna be over $200 and there is no way I used that much electric this month. I maybe had my AC on no more than 5 times.

I called PECO last month and complained and they sent someone over to see if the meter and wires were ok and they said it was. So I'm thinking it's maybe inside my apartment? What would cause this inside my apartment? I did talk to the building maintenance and they checked the control panel and said it was ok. Is it wiring? Do i call an electrician? Do i let the apartment complex know and see what they say? I thought it might just be my thermostat cause like I said i've lived there for 15 years and the thermostats and AC is kinda old. The thermostats i have aren't even digital they have a knob on them and barely any numbers on them.

check and see it your state did any deregulation to open up the distribution side of things to for profit entities. This is sold as "cheaper" for the consumer which is straight up bullshit. Am seeing higher bills that cant be on a budget plan now.......

darwinstheory

Maybe there are issues with your furnace/AC unit? They may still be working well enough to keep your place clean, but maybe they are working far harder/longer to do so? Just a thought. Filters changed often?

Asterisk on the Street

Is your electric bill showing kWh usage comparable to last year's bill for the same month? If the kWh usage is much higher now compared to last year, do you have an outside electrical outlet on a patio or balcony? Years ago when I lived in a condo with an outside outlet on my patio, the property management maintenance staff plugged into my outlet to do outside repairs not related to my condo without permission or knowledge. I only found out when I was home one day and caught them.

Otherwise, if your kilowatt usage is the same as last year, like Mickey mentioned, check your electrical rates. Your billing may have been put through a different distribution entity.

eeriepadave

PJNB said:

Check your fridge. If it is old it can be coming on way too often. Thermostats might help but you seem to be having an issue in the summer too so that is maybe not it. Its an easy switch out though especially low voltage thermostats. 

Do you see your panel and meter? If not ask to. Make sure your meter ties right into your panel and no funny business in between. Know what every breaker on your panel is for to make sure no one tied into it. You should know this though since you have been there 15 years so very unlikely. 

Funny you said that, earlier in the week my fridge bit the dust and they replaced it with another one. Went to the freezer to have some ice cream and noticed that is was melted. Then noticed everything else in the freezer was ruined. The fridge part was ok. nothing really got ruined in there, except maybe the milk.

I think the panel and meter is ok. I did call the electric company last moth and they said everything as where it should be. I think the panel is fine.

Asterisk on the Street said:

Is your electric bill showing kWh usage comparable to last year's bill for the same month? If the kWh usage is much higher now compared to last year, do you have an outside electrical outlet on a patio or balcony? Years ago when I lived in a condo with an outside outlet on my patio, the property management maintenance staff plugged into my outlet to do outside repairs not related to my condo without permission or knowledge. I only found out when I was home one day and caught them.

Otherwise, if your kilowatt usage is the same as last year, like Mickey mentioned, check your electrical rates. Your billing may have been put through a different distribution entity.

I'll have to look for last years bills. I still have them in a filing box somewhere. I'll check what the kwh is compared, Thanks for the suggestions

brianlux

Me?  Noooooo way!

eeriepadave

brianlux said:

Me?  Noooooo way!