Re: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring

Thank you for your advice, Christopher. Despite my previous, irreverent
post, your advice *has* been heeded, and I'm going to see what
electricians would cost.

Adam

Christopher Erickson wrote:
> One of the most important facts to remember about electricity is:
>
> "We never know what we don't know"
>
> Sounds obvious and silly but its not. In other words, we never
> know how much of the ice berg of danger is invisible to our
> awareness.
>
> You mentioned the dangers of electrocution during install but are
> you sufficiently aware of the dangers of electrocution to humans
> after the install because incorrect earth grounding?
>
> How about after the fact fire hazards due to incorrect wire
> bond contact pressures? Insufficient clearances? Wrong breaker
> size? Wrong insulation types for the application? Fires and
> electrocutions caused by wire insulation damage done by rodents?
>
> How about the fact that all home insurance policies I am aware of
> will not pay out for claims if the cause is traced to incorrectly
> and unprofessionally installed electrical wiring?
>
> If you research accidental deaths in the home, deaths caused by
> home owners doing their own electrical wiring is right up there
> with smoking in bed and cooking while sleeping.
>
> I suspect that every last one of those victims felt exactly the
> same way you do about doing their own electrical work for just
> about exactly the same reasons.
>
> Anyway I think I have made my safety point by now and I see no
> purpose in beating this issue any further.
>
> Your life and the lives of your family are in your hands and
> will depend on what you do next. Not to mention the lives of
> anyone in the future that might occupy that residence after
> you have moved on. And your associated perpetual liability.
>
> "My advice is free and worth every penny!"
>
> -Christopher Erickson
> Network Design Engineer
> 5432 E. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 529
> Anchorage, AK 99508
> N61° 11.710' W149° 46.723'
> Meade 16" LX200 SCT
> www.data-plumber.com
>
> "Monetary contributions to support the
> Data-Plumber.com archives are always
> welcome via PayPal to cerickson@gci.net"
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org]
>> On Behalf Of Adam Bultman
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 9:25 PM
>> Cc: aklug@aklug.org
>> Subject: Re: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring
>>
>> Christopher Erickson wrote:
>>
>>> Okay, I'll bite.
>>>
>>> What's your life worth?
>>>
>>> What are the lives of your family worth?
>>>
>>> If someone were willing to give you $500 to spin a revolver
>>> with one bullet and hold it to your head and pull the trigger,
>>> would you do it?
>>>
>>> Would you do it for $750?
>>>
>>> Would you drive a steady 85MPH to Seward without a seat belt
>>> on a snowy Friday night for $750?
>>>
>>> Forgive me, I am just trying to get a feel for what you think
>>> your life is worth.
>>>
>>> -Chris
>>>
>> Holy Hyperbole, Batman!
>>
>> Yes, there is an element of risk.
>> Yes, there's a chance I could die.
>> Yes, I'd be working with things that are powerful enough to kill me.
>>
>> However:
>> No, I'm not an idiot.
>> No, I'm not a clod that pokes himself in the eye when trying
>> to pick his
>> nose.
>> No, I'm not going to charge forth and, as my first task, lick
>> the wires
>> behind the circuit breakers.
>>
>>
>> If I used "how dangerous is this" as a gauge of what I am
>> willing to do,
>> you'd have one grungy, housebound Adam - since I could easy slip on a
>> bar of soap in the shower and kill myself, slip on the ice on
>> the way to
>> the car and kill myself, or run off the road in my car and kill
>> myself. Heck, not much of a misstep with the ol' Mach3 Turbo and I'd
>> cut my own throat. But, I'm sorry, but I'm not near
>> wealthy enough to
>> pay everybody to do things. I can't afford $250 (that's
>> seriously what
>> toyota wanted) to have my brakes changed, so I do it myself. I can't
>> afford $400 (minimum!) to have a radiator changed out, so I do it
>> myself. Can't afford a new engine in my last car, so I
>> change out parts
>> myself. Had I had a garage earlier, I would have changed out my CV
>> joints, too, and I would have saved myself $427. Doing my own pre-cat
>> would have saved me another $700 (minus parts, of course.)
>>
>> I guess my point is, I'm not scared. And I'll continue
>> researching this
>> and find out what's required. And then, I'll do what I find is
>> necessary, and if required, I'll tap a friend of mine on the shoulder,
>> and, for the cost of a pizza or a steak on the grill (the
>> steak, not the
>> pizza) I'll get it done, and do my best to keep stayin' alive, stayin'
>> alive, stayin' aliiiiiiiiiiiiiive.
>>
>>
>>
>> Adam
>>
>> --
>> (21:24) < adamb> @roulette
>> (21:24) <@ironbot> adamb: *click*
>> (21:24) < adamb> ironbot: Where's my $500 ?
>> (21:24) <@ironbot> I don't have a clue!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org]
>>>> On Behalf Of Adam Bultman
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 8:16 PM
>>>> To: aklug@aklug.org
>>>> Subject: Re: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring
>>>>
>>>> If it were to be only a couple hundred dollars, I might
>>>>
>> jump on it.
>>
>>>> But I can see a far, far, FAR higher bill than that for
>>>> running a bunch
>>>> of cable :(
>>>>
>>>> Adam
>>>>
>>>> Christopher Erickson wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> As an engineer and a licensed electrician, my advice to
>>>>> you is to hire a licensed and bonded electrician to do
>>>>> it once and to do it right.
>>>>>
>>>>> Pretend that your life might depend on it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Real-world liability ramifications should prevent the
>>>>> best and most qualified people from giving you random
>>>>> advice about electrical systems over the Internet.
>>>>>
>>>>> There are a dozen other factors and questions that you
>>>>> have not addressed.
>>>>>
>>>>> My apologies but lawyers rule the world, not engineers.
>>>>>
>>>>> This could be the best couple of hundred bucks that you
>>>>> ever invested in your future.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Christopher Erickson
>>>>> Network Design Engineer
>>>>> 5432 E. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 529
>>>>> Anchorage, AK 99508
>>>>> N61° 11.710' W149° 46.723'
>>>>> Meade 16" LX200 SCT
>>>>> www.data-plumber.com
>>>>>
>>>>> "Monetary contributions to support the
>>>>> Data-Plumber.com archives are always
>>>>> welcome via PayPal to cerickson@gci.net"
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org]
>>>>>> On Behalf Of Adam Bultman
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 6:00 PM
>>>>>> To: aklug@aklug.org
>>>>>> Subject: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Good evening, everybody. I know this is off topic, but I'm
>>>>>> not too hot
>>>>>> (ha!) with electrical wiring, and while I've been googling
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> for info, I
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> can't find it all together in the way I need it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have a building, about 11' by 7.5' that will soon be
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> insulated, and
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> finished with drywall. There's already pre-wired boxes
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> (although the
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> plugs themselves aren't there yet, there's just the wire
>>>>>> coming through
>>>>>> the boxes) and there's another already existing box on
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> the outside of
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> the building (which I imagine is to hold outdoor plugs.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have to run wire to this "shed", as I'll call it, and I
>>>>>> don't know the
>>>>>> best way to run wire. The guy at Lowe's suggested 8 awg wire
>>>>>> run to it,
>>>>>> which breaks down from 240 volts into (I think) two 30 amp
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> circuits of
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> 110 volts apiece. Maybe the wire running out was 240 volts
>>>>>> and 30 amps,
>>>>>> to be broken down into two 110 volt, 15 amp circuits. It's
>>>>>> all greek to me.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Anyway, there's a pile of wire in said shed, and it is 10
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> awg wire. On
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> it is written:
>>>>>> "E30445 (UL) AWG 10 CU 3 CDR WITH AWG 10 GROUND TYPE
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> UF-B 600 VOLTS
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> SUNLIGHT RESISTANT"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've gathered that it's 10 gauge wire, with a 10 gauge
>>>>>> ground, and that
>>>>>> this is cable which is designed to be buried. I'm
>>>>>>
>> guessing it can
>>
>>>>>> handle up to 600 volts; but I'm not sure if this is what I
>>>>>> need. I wish
>>>>>> I had a rangefinder; I couldn't really guess how far it
>>>>>>
>> is from my
>>
>>>>>> breaker box or my outdoor electrical box to the shed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> Let's say, 100
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> feet or so.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So:
>>>>>> 1. Is this the gauge and style of wire I should run?
>>>>>> 2. What voltage / amperage combination is recommended for
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> this wire?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> 3. What would you think is a proper wire for my
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> application (which is,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> turn the 'shed' into my office, once I insulate, drywall,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> paint, and
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>> electrify it.)
>>>>>> 4. Can you think of any 'gotchas' I should worry about?
>>>>>>
>> Apart from
>>
>>>>>> killing myself?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks for any / all info...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Adam
>>>>>> ---------
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>>>>>> with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>
>
>

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Received on Wed Jan 24 08:27:51 2007