All Forum Posts by: Loren Thomas
Loren Thomas has started 35 posts and replied 238 times.
Post: Grungy Counter Tops
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
I don't know how much countertop you have, but this is a cheap, good looking alternative.
Post: exploding light bulb issue
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
@Glenn McCrorey I love the email. LED bulbs are getting pretty affordable. They don't have these sorts of problems, and they have many other benefits.
Post: Problem with circuit breaker that keeps tripping
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Originally posted by @Roy N.:
That cost increase can vary dramatically depending on the brand and model of your load centre / breaker panel. 20amp GFCI breakers can be as much as $75- $80.
Definitely. I meant it as if it's $10-$15 which it often is, it's worth it.
Originally posted by @Steve Babiak:
Originally posted by @Chad Hovermale:
I think I've read the replies thoroughly enough. Has nobody said, "Call an electrician.", yet? Where would the fun be in that, though, right?
Well, there is an electrician already posting in this thread, and I would say that the suggestions from that electrician are just shot-gunning rather than performing a diagnosis. That's my opinion of course ...
So the electrician ends up replacing all sorts of stuff whether or not it was necessary for the fix - and gets paid for all that. No thanks.
GFCI's go bad far more often then breakers. Especially a pass and seymore. As an electrician, my experience has taught me how electrical installations normally break down. If your cars headlight went out, would you start troubleshooting the electrical system or buy a new lamp?
Originally posted by @Steve Babiak:
I'm a bit amazed at how many posts here suggest to just start replacing things without even attempting a simple diagnosis first. The simple diagnostic I posted earlier (and that somebody also posted subsequently) would eliminate things from consideration without having to spend on any parts to do so. Once you have it narrowed down a bit, then certain parts become obvious candidates for replacement.
Some people would rather spend $20 on a new GFCI than work inside a live electrical panel.
Originally posted by @Steve Babiak:
Originally posted by @Seth Sherman:
Could be bad breaker, wires touching (bad wire?).
Doesn't even have to be a bad wire. If the GFCI is mounted inside a grounded metal box, those GFCIs are fat enough that the terminals on the sides can touch that metal box if there is any "play" on the screws attaching the GFCI to the box.
It may not be a metal box, a metal box is not required for installation.
Originally posted by @Steve Babiak:
Not exactly s code expert, but I believe that if you have a tamper resistant receptacle and attempt to replace, by code you must replace it with a tamper resistant receptacle.
Read here:
210.52 (A)(4) exempts counter top outlets from the requirements of 210.52, which your link uses as reason but fails to post the whole article.
Post: Problem with circuit breaker that keeps tripping
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Originally posted by @Kyle J.:
The wiring and outlets are original to the house (about 13 years old). The GFCI is a Legrand Pass & Seymour 20-amp outlet.
My vote is a bad GFCI. If you replace it, replace it with a Leviton Pro unit. I've seen only one go bad out of the hundreds I've put it. Avoid the "TR" design. In my area, "tamper resistant" outlets are not required over counter tops like kitchens or bathrooms. Tamper resistant sounds nice, but it's not, its a pain the ***. There's little plastic doors that have to be pressed in by the plug at the exact same time, and pressed very hard.
Post: Problem with circuit breaker that keeps tripping
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Hi @Kyle J.
How old is the wiring? Could be a loose connection, could also be a faulty GFCI. What brand is the GFCI and how old is it? If you trip the GFCI (not the breaker), do the other outlets lose power like they should?
If it a faulty GFCI, consider replacing it with a normal outlet and install a GFCI breaker. The cost increase ($10-$15) is worth it in reliability.
If its an older electrical panel, it could be the breaker, although modern breakers go bad on rare occasions as well.
Post: Ask me your electrical questions!
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Hi @Pat L.
That's something I haven't heard before. In theory it works as long as things cant be locked on or locked off, but obviously it's not compliant with modern wiring standards. Good electricians can sometimes get wires to their destination with minimal wall damage. Conduit on the exterior is sometimes a possibility as well.
Post: Using ListSource
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Thanks Jon,
I'll try that. I was assuming it was doing total bedrooms, not bedrooms per unit.
Post: Using ListSource
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Crap let me make it readable.
Only filters are:
King County
4 units
4-12 bedrooms
In state/ out of state absentee
Post: Using ListSource
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
| GEOGRAPHY |
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| PROPERTY |
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| OPTIONS |
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This is the only criteria I put in for filters. It came back with a count of 79. While this is more or less the number I was looking for to start (wanted 100), it just seems really low considering the location (King County in Washington, where Seattle is located).
Post: Looking for real estate attorney in Seattle area to draft partnership and LLC documents
- Electrician
- Bothell, Wa
- Posts 241
- Votes 96
Putting some pieces together and step one is talk to a real estate attorney. Ideally looking for an out of the box thinking, unconventional type.