[andrewc24301]

Oh don't get me wrong, it is great to be cautious. Especially if you aren't really comfortable with electricity. I'm smack dab into remodeling my house and the electrical system is SCARY at best. I have a slab foundation and my panel is so damned old there is no ground bar. From what I can tell the system is relying on the conduit, for lack of a better term, as the ground.

Sounds like fun. I finally got all of my ungrounded circuits grounded last month. It only took 5 years. When I first baught this place, a wire run run out of the box in the basement, there would be a tape splice, then those two wires would splice, and so on, with nothing more than tape. I had numourous runs of 14 gauge wire on 20 amp breakers.

My first year here I just put all the splices in metal j boxes and any 14 gauge circuit on 15 amp breakers. This December I finally got everything upgraded to grounded 12 gauge wire. Cleaned it all up real nice. One circuit at a time.

[MarkwithaK]

I don't know. In my opinion the question was answered.
#1. Call your landlord.
#2. Call an electrician.
:p

[andrewc24301]

Wow you should really upgrade that panel. And don't get me wrong either we are just discussing this and I wanted to put my reasons behind it. Is there somewhere else we should take this conversation because I am not sure this is the right place

Nah, I think this thread is just as well hijacked. The OP does't look like he's coming back. So it's ours now. :) And even if he did, he may learn something.

Just three "Jack's of all trades" sitting around on their computer at 2:30 AM talking is all. No harm in that...

[codyman144]

Sounds like fun. I finally got all of my ungrounded circuits grounded last month. It only took 5 years. When I first baught this place, a wire run run out of the box in the basement, there would be a tape splice, then those two wires would splice, and so on, with nothing more than tape. I had numourous runs of 14 gauge wire on 20 amp breakers.

My first year here I just put all the splices in metal j boxes and any 14 gauge circuit on 15 amp breakers. This December I finally got everything upgraded to grounded 12 gauge wire. Cleaned it all up real nice. One circuit at a time.

I upgraded the service in my house from 60 Amp to 150 Amp but had a pro do that part. He put in a new panel and everything and changed the location of the panel and re routed wire as needed. Bought the house in Sept this year. Problem with my house now is none of the original wiring is grounded NOTHING. So I am slowly replacing the circuits one by one.

[codyman144]

Why the hell not Andrew I agree for now, someone will delete most of this in the morning.

[MarkwithaK]

Hell my house is nowhere near code according the NEC. Each bedroom has one outlet. One. Come spring it's all coming out. All new wiring, all new HVAC system... everything. I've learned that my trade comes in handy for personal projects as well :p

[andrewc24301]

Why the hell not Andrew I agree for now, someone will delete most of this in the morning.

Nahh... Like Mark said, the askers question was answered, we're still talking about electrical. The worst thing the mods may to is take some of these post and put them in a new thread.

Although I don't know what they would call it.

In response to your other comment...

Have you uncovered anything interesting hidden in the walls regarding to your electrical?

I know I was pulling a cable through a wall and uncovered yet another taped splice that I had missed. Nice fire hazard.

[MarkwithaK]

I recently replaced a couple of light fixtures and in the J-box there was solid core (I HATE solid core) one hooked around the other and then taped. No wire nuts, just old e-tape.

[andrewc24301]

Hell my house is nowhere near code according the NEC. Each bedroom has one outlet. One. Come spring it's all coming out. All new wiring, all new HVAC system....everything. I've learned that my trade comes in handy for personal projects as well :p

The only old wire I have left is on the switch loop ciruits. (where the wire runs to the light switches) I may change those in time, but they are on a low priority now. It's 14 gauge, but that's the only circuit I still have on a 15 Amp breaker.

[codyman144]

Nahh... Like Mark said, the askers question was answered, we're still talking about electrical. The worst thing the mods may to is take some of these post and put them in a new thread.

Although I dont know what they would call it.

In responce to your other comment...

Have you uncovered anything interesting hidden in the walls regarding to your electrical?

I know I was pulling a cable through a wall and uncovered yet another taped splice that I had missed. Nice fire hazard.

When I replaced the 120/240 dryer wire I found the electrician I hired to do it used 10/2 and used the bare ground as a neutral. Okay it was like 12 inches from the box but come on why would you do that.

[MarkwithaK]

Are you sure he used it as neutral and not as a ground?

[codyman144]

The only old wire I have left is on the switch loop ciruits. (where the wire runs to the light switches) I may change those in time, but they are on a low priority now. it's 14 gauge, but that's the only circuit I still have on a 15 Amp breaker.

Yeah for me I even consider the light circuit’s in general low priority. Sure it’s 14 or 12 AWG 1950’s style romex but it seems to be in good condition. But all the outlets not having an equipment ground, don’t like that at all.

[MarkwithaK]

I'm lucky in that here in Indiana we can still use Romex. I live very close to the state line and on the Illinois side Romex is illegal. Everything has to be EMT or rigid.

[codyman144]

Are you sure he used it as neutral and not as a ground?

Yes it’s a 120/240 dryer so he had to use the black and white as hot wires(nice how he didn’t mark the white as red so someone would know it was hot). Also the dryer didn't have a ground before it was 3 prong. I fixed it all with 10/3 new outlet and prong, also I took that j-box out completely and ran the wire into the main box.

[andrewc24301]

Yeah for me I even consider the light circuit’s in general low priority. Sure it’s 14 or 12 AWG 1950’s style romex but it seems to be in good condition. But all the outlets not having an equipment ground, don’t like that at all.

Agreed, the light circuit in general was the last thing I changed. It was the week of Thanksgiving. I was off that week. I started my project that Saturday. I got most of the lights back on in time for Turkey dinner. My wife was freaking out.

The splice I was telling you about was uncovered on the light circuit. The wire that ran up the walls to feed the lights came from an outlet in the bedroom. I wanted to separate this outlet from the light circuit.

Now get this, I knew that the lights fed on this outlet, because when I turned off the breaker for the lights, that outlet would go out too, plus I traced the wire in the basement and attic and it all came together.

What puzzled me was when I removed the outlet in the wall, there was only one set of wires coming into the outlet.

So my question was, where is this splice that goes to the lights?

Well I knocked out the old box, and reached my hand up in the hole in the wall to feel around, and I pulled out my answer, a bare taped splice, right between the wall! The supply line came in from below, then split to the outlet, and split upwards to the lights. All joined by electrical tape only.

To make things more interesting, when I first moved in here, that circuit was one of the ones on a 20 amp breaker, but most of the wiring was 14 gauge.

[codyman144]

I'm lucky in that here in Indiana we can still use Romex. I live very close to the state line and on the Illinois side Romex is illegal. Everything has to be EMT or rigid.

That’s crazy nothing wrong with NM wire... I could see maybe if they require NMC but even that is overkill. In commercial applications that might make sense but that is beyond my scope of understanding.

I will brb time for a smoke break.

[andrewc24301]

Just make sure you don't overtighten those romex connectors. I did this up in the attic. Pinched right through to the hot wire. Shorted the j box.

Well, in order to troubleshoot this, I went upstairs and unhooked everything and just went to each fixture and j box one by one until I found the culprit. Thing is, you couldn't look at it and tell which one it was it required testing.

And yes I got shocked a couple of times.

[codyman144]

Well I knocked out the old box, and reached my hand up in the hole in the wall to feel around, and I pulled out my answer, a bare taped splice, right between the wall! The supply line came in from below, then split to the outlet, and split upwards to the lights. All joined by electrical tape only.

To make things more interesting, when I first moved in here, that circuit was one of the ones on a 20 amp breaker, but most of the wiring was 14 gauge.

That is scary. Did you have any problems pulling the new wire in? I imagine you joined the new wire to the old somewhere you could get to it and taped around it. I am worried that as I start pulling wire some of it might be stapled in.

[codyman144]

Just make sure you don't overtighten those romex connectors. I did this up in the attic. pinched right through to the hot wire. Shorted the j box.

Did you use wire nuts or what kind of connector? Not completely following

[andrewc24301]

Well, I ran the new wire for the light circuit up a different wall, where I had better access. Regarding all of the outlets, I just fished up from the basement. Stuck my hand in the hole, found the wire and pulled it through. I used an old work box, so every circuit I replaced had brand new wire.

My only painful problem was on the exterior walls, there was this gray loose insulation. Not like what they make now. I don't think it was asbestos, but I do know that it had tiny little metal splinters all up in it and I got quite a number of those in my hands.