hello dominic, question. i want to run a switch and lighting to my porch outside the house, but the closest wire of electricity near the area is an outlet. being that its a 20 amp and my lighting only requires 15 amp. can i still pull it from there?
Dominick, as always, great video, appreciate you taking the time to spread your knowledge. After studying your various videos, I wired my entire garage to include recepticles, switches, 110v and 220v wiring, and tied it all in to my electrical panel without burning down the house. Or it hasn't burnt down YET. You are appreciated.
I'm a RV service tech and I do this same type of thing and show my customers why they keep tripping breaker and at the same time give a crash course on electricity Love the video
Sounds like you tripped a GFI outlet. Check the bathrooms, kitchen and garage. Also check outside outlets as well. There will be a little push in tripper on the front of the outlet.
Dominick, thank you very much for your excellent and clear explanation of wiring a sub panel, especially the splitting of the neutral and ground bars. Also excellent tip on removing the sheathing on the NMC cable and proper sizing. Very well done!
I've performed my own electrical for years on the Homes I have owned and was never trained to do any of this work but by watching these videos I have learned for sure that I performed all these past jobs correctly ! I just used common sense but back in those days we had no internet and you tube but these are great videos for the person who wishes to learn proper techniques in performing Electrical work...Good Luck
Per usual Dom, great stuff. I was (however) waiting for you to "light UP" with the way you where putting your hands all over that live panel box. I'd been a bit timid myself to have been doing that. But that the difference between experience (you) and occasional weekend warrior (me.)
Thank you for this concise but thorough demonstration. I will look into my panel and see if I think I can test a circuit. Seems my panel may be a bit more cluttered with wires. Also, I will check into getting a tester and how to set it up to test. Thanks again I subbed.
Clear and concise. Thank you!!! I have a 15A breaker in 2018 new construction that keeps tripping at random, but only when my small electric floor heater is turned on in the computer room which probably is already overloaded with 2 computers, a light, several chargers, a modem, etc. Would it be as simple as going to home depot and getting a higher amp breaker? I'm guessing this may be a BAD idea. Someone suggested it was in violation of new construction code for fire reasons? I do have the heater plugged into a TRC Southwire 120-Volt, 15-Amp, 1800-Watts, Single Outlet GFCI Adapter (bought from Amazon). I basically use it as an on-off switch because plugging and unplugging the heater is a pain to do. I've been using it this way for over a decade with no ill effects. I also heard that was a bad idea, but I'm looking for an expert opinion on the garage breaker as well as using a GFCI as a poor man's power switch.
Yeah seems like you have a bunch of things here that you really shouldn't have an electric heater plugged into. A lot of heaters will trip the breaker anyway.
Great video. What if its a 220V circuit? Do I read both wires and add the amps from each, or one of the two? Trying to see how much consumption my new pool pump motor uses up.
Great video. My home office was pulling too many amps as it was designed for a bedroom and not really a home office. Thanks to this tip I was able to figure out that I had a bad battery backup device that was eating up the electrons. I took that out of the equation and did other things to lighten the load. Anyhow, didn't even know that device existed before this video. Thanks!
askmediy You've got some good videos on here and you put things in language that the average joe can understand. I'm going to embed some of these up on my automotive websites. Check out GMTruckClub.com and/or ToyotaTruckClub.com.
Hi Dominic. Great video. I have a similar problem with a breaker in my garage. Now here is the scenario. Not much is hooked to that breaker. How do I know I tested it by shutting it off and it only supplies power to the garage. The previous owners probably were not as DIY as me soo they probably did not see or have this problem. I have shop tools, small compressor, table saw, hand tool etc. Anytime I try to use them the breaker would go down. Now with your explanation this can tell me if I am over on the AMPS! But the question is when I find out for example that I am drawing 25 amps on a 20 amp breaker (I don't know what the real amperage is) Doe that mean I can replace it with a breaker of higher amperage and not have the problem? Thanks again for a great video
+anievestor No it does not. You would have to run a whole new line to the garage or maybe in your case you'll better off installing a sub-panel in the garage.
You must have a older home and that was fine way back when, when you only have one B&W TV. You would want to upgrade your service to something like 200 amp
Hi thanks for a great video. I was wondering why is my amperage reading bouncing back and forth when I check my amps with my clamp meter on my main switch of my 480 volts AC oven machine?
Thanks for great video!Question:If a subpanel is being fed from junction box which feeds 2 other panels, do I still need to separate the neutral from the grounding bar?
Hey Dominic, thank you for all of your wonderful videos. Here's my question,i'm a contractor and have lots of knowledge pertaining to electrical issues, but there was a 200amp outside breaker box on a clients house, and a 100amp sub panel on the inside of the clients house. There is a hot water tank on a 30amp breaker that keeps tripping and instead of the 30amp breaker tripping in the sub panel if the hot water heater had issues, why would it go outside and trip the 100amp breaker that's supplying the power to the sub panel on the inside. please help me here. the other few breakers on the inside of the sub panel is not alot of power or amps to justify the 100 amp breaker to trip outside that's supplying the power to the sub panel that's inside.
Thank you dominic. That was suggested to me by another electrician saying that the breaker may be weak. All that was done on the house were suppose to be inspected on the outside by city officials but I couldn't believe they didn't make them install a disconnect on the 200 amp box outside under the meter. What I did is just removed some of the breakers on the inside subpanel that wasn't being used and that seem to have solved the problem. But I will still change out that breaker. Thanks fellow. I enjoy watching your videos.
Wish I seen this 6 years ago, sometimes with a 240 volt circuit when you have more amps on 1 leg or a ground fault it will trip the higher breaker quicker then the smaller one, remember with a ground fault is only on 1 of the 120 volt legs. Anything between the 2 legs is a dead short which almost always trip the larger breaker or both.
I've got a situation right now to where debating on rewiring this mobile home. We lost everything in a house fire and money is definitely tight. We bought a cheap mobile home that basically needs everything updated or replaced. I've replaced receptacles and light switches I have cut off all the old ends and they were stuck into the back of the receptacles. I did away with that and use the screws and wire nuts like it's supposed to be done. My issue is I've got a radio plugged in to a specific Outlet and whenever I hook up a battery charger to charge up the drill... The radio goes into static. I'm about to check the amps like you just showed me because I've already checked the voltage and the voltage is fine. I'm just trying to figure out if I should replace the wires or not
@@Askmediy I actually ran brand new wire from outside all the way into the panel box and it's all very tight in order for it to pass inspection it was good. I have put brand new Breakers in the Box and those connections are tight also. I've tightened all of the ground wires on the ground bar inside the panel box and the same for the white neutral wires. Basically when I hook the radio up and then hook up the charger on the same circuit it makes the radio go to static but I took the radio off of that receptacle and I hooked it up to a receptacle that only has 1 Outlet. It's a dedicated outlet for the washing machine in this mobile home. I put brand new wire in. It is a 12-2 non-metallic yellow wire. The house was pre-wired from the factory with black 12 gauge wire. That wire had a knick in it so therefore I replaced it. But when I hook up the radio on that receptacle and hook the charger into the other part of the receptacle the radio is fine with no static whatsoever and that has me scared because the radio has been hooked up on the refrigerator receptacle which is the one that I am talkin about from the beginning. I hope this makes sense
Other than installing a house filter it's going to be real hard for me to help you without being there. However your charger could just be very old. Or is it?
Eric, theoretically yes...legally NO!!! As per the electrical code there is a maximum number of boxes you can install on any one circuit. By boxes I don't just mean outlets. I'm also referring to light switches, receptacles, lights, junction boxes, etc. I'm not sure if the maximum number varies from state to state or province to province, however where I live (Ontario) I do believe it's 12 boxes max per circuit.
Frank Maio Rule of thumb for calculations is 180va per receptacle, 180x8=1440va (watts in this case) 15a x120v=1800w, 1800w x .80 = 1440w, 8 receptacles.
I believe the rule is to not exceed 80% of the circuit. So 80% of a 15 amp circuit is 12 amps. Each outlet as a rule is 1.5 amps. So 12 divided by 1.5 is 8. So you shouldn't exceed 8 outlets. Same thing applies to a 20 amp circuit. 80 % of 20 is 16. At 1.5 amps per outlet you shouldn't exceed 10 outlets. Hope that helps
Nice video but you should take your own advice about having your hand near the live wires. Got my attention at first. 0:52. You’d be surprised how much over the breaker amperage it can take instantaneously for a shirt burst. For instance my AC compressor draw 17 A steady but peaks at 110 A during start up. Thanks for posting
It's too bad those inductive ammeters can't be used with typical cords, with current going both ways. I have an inline ammeter that plugs in, basically inserting itself into the single plugged circuit that is a little more simple for a single plugged device. But for a full circuit like you show here, there is no option but to open a box or panel.
I have a client who wants me to help with an issue. They have a dedicated breaker to their washing machine. I have tested the breaker and it is holding the 120v on a 20amp GFCI breaker. It trips intermittently while the washer is running (not all the time). I am going back to check the amperage on the breaker this week. Is there a way to tell if the breaker is just weak? I told them it could be something to do with the machine itself, or even the outlet. They arent sure, and I am trying the least expensive course to help them first. I would appreciate any thoughts on this. The house is only 4 years old, so I was kinda leery that it was a bad breaker myself, but I guess anything is possible.
I was just wondering if you can connect an LED amp meter to a panel? I would like to know what kind of amps I am pulling while in my workshop as a whole.
Hi Dominic! I found a old Snap 8 SPR - 300 AC Volt ohm ammeter made by Sperry Equipment Inc left by my deceased father. It doesn't have any leads on it. Trying to see if I can still use it. Googled and found pdf file of intruction on the plus model, which requires a AA battery. Mine is not the plus model. On mine, there are 4 screws at the back that opens the panel, but a button dial at the bottom corner keeps me from prying it open completely to see if a battery is needed or not. The dial is not popping out using a flat head. I see a small recessed hole on the side of the button dial, but using small screw drivers for eye glasses is not doing anything inside that hole. Have you used one of these instrument before? Are any of these old style meter not require a battery? If so, are these plug-in lead wires interchangeable with the lead wires of a regular multimeter? Thanks so much!
remember the size of the wire what number of breaker you need it's very very important,and all the time never be confuse on the job, be sure what you do breakers off before you go in thanks
When it test each leg of my main coming in will all breakers off except for the main breaker, one of the legs shows a half an amp draw. Testing each breaker shows zero. Any idea why this half amp shows up with all the breakers off?
very good comments, yes old houses need change their main panel because they are 100 AMPS only, if you have vaccum system and many more apliance it's too small thanks good videos
Thanks very much sir. Pls what if it were a two 220v with two line phases, are u going to sum the amps of each phase to determine the amps draw of that breaker? Thanks sir
Hey Dominic, Question..I just plugged in a new vacuum cleaner and power went off on half of the master bedroom and the entire master bathroom. I checked the breaker and it did not trip. I do not have a Volt meter but do have a little mini LED 110 and 220 volt tester and the jack (where I plugged the vac) lights up on 110. When I turn on the bathroom lights it shuts of the little LED tester. It’s as if it doesn’t have enough amps anymore. Any Idea?
That vacuum cleaner had enough of an initial crank to exceed the max load on the circuit. It can happen quite easily depending on how many items you have plugged into the circuit at time of start up.
Older circuit breakers do go bad and trip before they should on occasion. It may be worth your while to buy a new breaker and put it in and see if it trips under the same conditions. Home depot sells 20 amp GE breakers for something like $3.27, so it shouldn't cost that much to try. One thing you sure as hell don't want to do is put a higher rated breaker on a wire than what it should have, like a 20 amp breaker on a 15 amp circuit. That would deplete the purpose of having a breaker.
My circuits are always breaking when my wife runs the hair dryer, when i turn on the air compressor, stuff like that, and they're different circuits. There's not a lot of stuff on the circuit besides that one appliance. The breaker seems to trip way to often. Is there a simple solution or do i need to upgrade the whole breaker box?
Great video, I gotta run and buy a Clamp meter and go see what a well pump is pulling cause lady wants solar back up for it. Had no idea would be that easy to check. Thanks
First, sorry for the delay. For some reason I'm not getting notified of incoming comments. Try this link tools.askmediy.com/product/fluke-117-electricians-multimeter/
How to determine if the main amperage is actually whats stated at main breaker. Will this meter be able to determine if i put the clamp on the service line if reads true to whats stated.
Have a question about my main breaker.My panel is labeled as 125 amp ,the main wires coming in are 2 gauge copper but. they are hooked up to a main 60 amp main breaker .I think this main breaker must have been changed by previous owner by mistake.Shouldnt my main breaker for this be a 125 amp?
How do you measure the total current my whole house is using at a particular time using a standard clamp ammeter? I don't think it's as easy as measuring each hot leg on main breaker and simply adding readings together right? 120V loads draw off one leg and neutral. 240V loads use both hot legs only right? BTW, legs=wires NOT limbs on a woman! So, if I have loads using both single legs/neutral and 240V loads won't that give an error in total current if I measure each hot leg and add together? I'd be adding the 240V load twice, right? I tried clamping the main neutral and got a real low reading. That's because we have both neutral from pole transformer and earth tied together in panel. Funny they use same huge gauge wire for neutral when little current flows through it! Any thoughts here? Thanks!
You check both legs of the service and the higher of the two is your 220 amp draw. Your neutral doesn't show draw, it carries unused power from the appliances back to the grid. The neutral has to be sized the same as the incoming legs because it's a possibility of that much current going back.
+Robert Russell could share the same circuit a lot of times the wall that two rooms share will be wired on the same circuit. plug stuff up and start cutting breakers off one at a time to double check
NEED HELP. Ok I don't know too much but my problem is that I want to put a frig in the garage. the problem is that from the bed room to the kitchen to the garage it looks like its on the same circuit. So when I plug the extra frig in the garage the GFCI switch that is in my restroom cuts the electricity. I have a lot plugged in to this area of the house: frig, freezer, electric bed, water cooler, microwave, small appliances. So, I how can I have it all without danger?
Ok so I'm monitoring my breakers... but what do I do about the one that keeps trippin?? Can I just put a higher amp breaker in the same spot? Probably a no, right? So how do I fix it?
Do you know how much you're drawing on that circuit? If it's under what the breaker is rated for, yeah go ahead and replace. But if it's anywhere near the rating you'll have to fix that first.
Breakers must be sized for the wire size of the circuit, thats what it protects , the wire, If your breaker is tripping and its sized properly for the wire than you're overloading the circuit you need to reduce the load on a circuit or upgrade the wire and Outlets to the proper size for the load needed.
HI Dominic, I'm dealing with a reading from my breaker at the outlet of 85v rather than 110v - 125v which I've wired my previous home myself without issues but my new homes previous owner has quite a bit of different issues I'm dealing with. I've installed a new main panel and had to install extensions to the service entrance 2awg wires (being there was only 2" coming into the S.E.) using the proper copper threaded clamp rings then looped down and installed on the panel. Ground bar added and all wired into proper placement. When I plug in my voltage meter at the outlet it reads 85v. when I'm doing this test I'm only switching on the one 20amp breaker in use to test and due to pre-existing issues i'm finding even have all other wires from other areas disconnected from all breakers so mentioned test is only breaker in use. Any help would be appreciated.
I'm trying to find a video on say I have a 200 amp service how would I find out how much of the 200 amp service is being used. I know your not supposed to go above 80 % I believe? But I have a panel with some unmarked breakers trying to find out if I will go over by twinning some circuts up. Great vids straight to the point. Thanks for any info.-Kevin
Years ago I lived in a house and the power went out in 2 rooms. I called an electrician. He checked the circuit breaker box it took him about 5 seconds. He said I needed a new line out side from the pole to the house. What did he do to know this?
cooldog60 the wire size was too small for the amount of current you were drawing. That can overheat the wire and start a fire. That’s how he knew, we know what colors to look for also.
If we have a 20 AMP circuit, only 80%(16 AMP) is considered safe for continuous(24/7) draw. Can I get away with drawing at 90%(18 AMP) and not cause any hazard?
I need to know how to increase the amount of power I can use, I only have say 3 circuits powering my home but would like to power 9,000 watts, is this possible?
I just put a brand new 115v Ac unit on a circuit and it tripped the breaker after about 15 minutes ... the unit that was there before never tripped the breaker so I figure it must be this unit but it would have been helpful to see how many amperes were flowing throw the circuit so I can be sure its not just that that circuit cannot handle the 8k btu unit and the 14k btu at the same time . I don't know why the bedroom and living room are on the same circuit but such is life in a mobile home ....god I hate it .
I have a good basic meter. I want to use the black and red probes to check amp draw. what setting do I turn the meter dial too? go over all those while you're at it. which probe do I stick where? thanks
You have it right. The only thing you can do is rewire the circuit with a larger gauge or break up the circuit with multiple feeds to the panel. I hope you have an attic to work with. :-) Sorry about the builder fucking you over. That's just the name of the game. Why wouldn't you want to build a house as cheaply as you possibly can?
I have just started having a breaker that keeps tripping 15 amp .I live in a mobile home the wires are in a very thin roof when I turn a light on the amp is showing 21 amps at the box .What could be causing the breaker to be getting hot and tripping any tips to how to find why this has started happening I would have to tear the whole ceiling down ? To find this short .Thanks for reading
Stevie, I hope someone has already reached out to you about this... I think you already said it... You have some kind of short! (Or at least a piece of crap light fixture.) I would retest, and verify your reading... Your 15 amp breaker shouldn't be at 21 amps (more than a couple of seconds) before it trips hard. It's POSSIBLE that using your tester next to a jumble of wires has skewed your results. Test the thing, but PLEASE don't continue using this circuit until this is fixed... You are likely to burn down your home. :( A few questions: 1. Is this light the ONLY fixture on the circuit? 2. Is there any draw when the light is turned off? 3. Have you tried replacing the fixture with another light and retesting the draw? And for goodness' sake, please respond so we all know you didn't die in a trailer fire... :(
Steve Cox I have not got to work on the problem at all have spent 16 days spread out over Feb march April on heart problems.There 3 plugins and 4 over head lights . I have been scared to death of trying to use it but hope to climb under and hope the wires are under the floor .If there under it i can repair but if in the thin roof it will be hell. I have checked the reading with another tester same thing 21 amps stays on for over 5 min before tripping the breaker I replaced the breaker with a new one still same thing .Ill let you know what the problem is when i find it .Thanks for responding Ill retest this weekend going to pull all light fixtures and plugins out .
hello sir how are you?sir i know all electrician im from india but im here in Cyprus before 6 year one month im working 5 year 9 month one electrician GP company until im working here in Cyprus where are you from sir
Hello all I have an issue just happened after storm 2 day ago Electric went out in all area around 1:00 AM but after Electric came back at 10:00 AM less than half the house stuff working and the rest is not working. I tested the breaker is not working to ground and I found it zero and the working circuit breaker are 123v. So I tested the 2 hot lines in the main circuit breaker, both of them 120v but when tested the voltage between the two hot lines, I found it zero and even at the meter. I called the Electric company. When tech came he is nothing wrong and the voltage is good between the 2 hot lines , even he showed me the reading in his voltmeter 245v. He left and I went to my Electric panel to check the voltage I found 240v between the 2 hot lines. Then I started turning on all circuit breaker and turning on all lights , as soon as I turned the upstairs bathroom fan Electric went out in tge sane half of house. Tested the voltage between the two hot lines is zero again even after removing the electric meter. The question Why the incoming power is zero between the two hot lines
@@Askmediy If I have an issue in my house, do you think it will affect the voltage measurement at the meter like that. Or definitely the issue with electric company feed
Hey, do what I told you do. I didn’t say ground. The neutral is not the ground. If you don’t know what this is, you stand to get really hurt. Call a pro before this happens buddy. I don’t mean to sound like an ass. But this isn’t something you should be playing with.
hello dominic, question. i want to run a switch and lighting to my porch outside the house, but the closest wire of electricity near the area is an outlet. being that its a 20 amp and my lighting only requires 15 amp. can i still pull it from there?
Yeah sure, but it's not so much the amps, but rather how much is on that circuit already that you'll want to know.
ricardo castro Call a licensed electrician.
ricardo ca
15 amps?? That’s 1800 watts or 18- 100w bulbs. I think I’d add a separate breaker for a monster like that. Be careful.
If you use leds you can do anything and use 14 gauge wire
Dominick, as always, great video, appreciate you taking the time to spread your knowledge. After studying your various videos, I wired my entire garage to include recepticles, switches, 110v and 220v wiring, and tied it all in to my electrical panel without burning down the house. Or it hasn't burnt down YET. You are appreciated.
+Eric Love Yet, lol.. I guess that's key. Thank you very much. Glad I could help out.
Love the way Dominic just waves his hand over a live Panel like that while not even looking at it. What a brave soul!
brizzx32 I know right? I was saying the same thing. That's a bad man! LOL
Dwayne Carter yes that's when tragedy happens, when we get too comfortable with the situation, we should always assume your going to get shocked
As long as it's the lower end of the panel and not the main.
As long as you don't make contact with the top portion or the actual contact screw, there is no issue. You're good to go
I'm a RV service tech and I do this same type of thing and show my customers why they keep tripping breaker and at the same time give a crash course on electricity Love the video
Thanks Dominic, somehow you seem to have the ability to put up the right video at the time I need it most.
Sounds like you tripped a GFI outlet. Check the bathrooms, kitchen and garage. Also check outside outlets as well. There will be a little push in tripper on the front of the outlet.
Dominick, thank you very much for your excellent and clear explanation of wiring a sub panel, especially the splitting of the neutral and ground bars. Also excellent tip on removing the sheathing on the NMC cable and proper sizing. Very well done!
Murray Berkowitz Thank you very much
I've performed my own electrical for years on the Homes I have owned and was never trained to do any of this work but by watching these videos I have learned for sure that I performed all these past jobs correctly ! I just used common sense but back in those days we had no internet and you tube but these are great videos for the person who wishes to learn proper techniques in performing Electrical work...Good Luck
Per usual Dom, great stuff. I was (however) waiting for you to "light UP" with the way you where putting your hands all over that live panel box. I'd been a bit timid myself to have been doing that. But that the difference between experience (you) and occasional weekend warrior (me.)
Don’t touch the bus(the metal in the back that the breakers plug or screw onto), or the metal where the wire lands on the breaker.
Hey Stanley, really the same in the video. In the video I show the wire to the breaker, but in your case it's the one going to the fuse
Thank you for this concise but thorough demonstration. I will look into my panel and see if I think I can test a circuit. Seems my panel may be a bit more cluttered with wires. Also, I will check into getting a tester and how to set it up to test. Thanks again I subbed.
Clear and concise. Thank you!!! I have a 15A breaker in 2018 new construction that keeps tripping at random, but only when my small electric floor heater is turned on in the computer room which probably is already overloaded with 2 computers, a light, several chargers, a modem, etc. Would it be as simple as going to home depot and getting a higher amp breaker? I'm guessing this may be a BAD idea. Someone suggested it was in violation of new construction code for fire reasons? I do have the heater plugged into a TRC Southwire 120-Volt, 15-Amp, 1800-Watts, Single Outlet GFCI Adapter (bought from Amazon). I basically use it as an on-off switch because plugging and unplugging the heater is a pain to do. I've been using it this way for over a decade with no ill effects. I also heard that was a bad idea, but I'm looking for an expert opinion on the garage breaker as well as using a GFCI as a poor man's power switch.
Yeah seems like you have a bunch of things here that you really shouldn't have an electric heater plugged into. A lot of heaters will trip the breaker anyway.
Great video. What if its a 220V circuit? Do I read both wires and add the amps from each, or one of the two? Trying to see how much consumption my new pool pump motor uses up.
That's a good question I'd like to hear the answer to.
(edit) Okay, I see the answer is to add the two values to get the total.
Great video. My home office was pulling too many amps as it was designed for a bedroom and not really a home office. Thanks to this tip I was able to figure out that I had a bad battery backup device that was eating up the electrons. I took that out of the equation and did other things to lighten the load. Anyhow, didn't even know that device existed before this video. Thanks!
Awesome glad I could help.
askmediy You've got some good videos on here and you put things in language that the average joe can understand. I'm going to embed some of these up on my automotive websites. Check out GMTruckClub.com and/or ToyotaTruckClub.com.
Hi Dominic. Great video. I have a similar problem with a breaker in my garage. Now here is the scenario. Not much is hooked to that breaker. How do I know I tested it by shutting it off and it only supplies power to the garage. The previous owners probably were not as DIY as me soo they probably did not see or have this problem. I have shop tools, small compressor, table saw, hand tool etc. Anytime I try to use them the breaker would go down. Now with your explanation this can tell me if I am over on the AMPS! But the question is when I find out for example that I am drawing 25 amps on a 20 amp breaker (I don't know what the real amperage is) Doe that mean I can replace it with a breaker of higher amperage and not have the problem? Thanks again for a great video
+anievestor No it does not. You would have to run a whole new line to the garage or maybe in your case you'll better off installing a sub-panel in the garage.
+askmediy ok that should easy because the electrical panel is right there in the garage
+anievestor Not sure how it turned out for you. To be clear, the new line has to be the next size bigger gauge of wire.
You must have a older home and that was fine way back when, when you only have one B&W TV. You would want to upgrade your service to something like 200 amp
the way your hands were almost touching the terminals gave me goosebumps
you can grab a live wire no problem and not get zapped. the problem happens when you give it a place to flow, or are grounded.
Hi thanks for a great video.
I was wondering why is my amperage reading bouncing back and forth when I check my amps with my clamp meter on my main switch of my 480 volts AC oven machine?
Seems like you don’t have the correct setting on your meter or no amps being drawn
Thanks for great video!Question:If a subpanel is being fed from junction box which feeds 2 other panels, do I still need to separate the neutral from the grounding bar?
Hey Dominic, thank you for all of your wonderful videos. Here's my question,i'm a contractor and have lots of knowledge pertaining to electrical issues, but there was a 200amp outside breaker box on a clients house, and a 100amp sub panel on the inside of the clients house. There is a hot water tank on a 30amp breaker that keeps tripping and instead of the 30amp breaker tripping in the sub panel if the hot water heater had issues, why would it go outside and trip the 100amp breaker that's supplying the power to the sub panel on the inside. please help me here. the other few breakers on the inside of the sub panel is not alot of power or amps to justify the 100 amp breaker to trip outside that's supplying the power to the sub panel that's inside.
David Lee That 100 amp breaker could be bad. I would get into that first. Could save you a lot of time.
Thank you dominic. That was suggested to me by another electrician saying that the breaker may be weak. All that was done on the house were suppose to be inspected on the outside by city officials but I couldn't believe they didn't make them install a disconnect on the 200 amp box outside under the meter. What I did is just removed some of the breakers on the inside subpanel that wasn't being used and that seem to have solved the problem. But I will still change out that breaker. Thanks fellow. I enjoy watching your videos.
Wish I seen this 6 years ago, sometimes with a 240 volt circuit when you have more amps on 1 leg or a ground fault it will trip the higher breaker quicker then the smaller one, remember with a ground fault is only on 1 of the 120 volt legs. Anything between the 2 legs is a dead short which almost always trip the larger breaker or both.
thanks man. very helpful without a lot of bs. straight to the point.. much appreciated
Interesting....I learn a lot of electrical from you....thank you.
Great video Dominic, it was very helpful for me. Also clear and well done. Thank you!
You do a great job explaining everything...that's so much
I've got a situation right now to where debating on rewiring this mobile home. We lost everything in a house fire and money is definitely tight. We bought a cheap mobile home that basically needs everything updated or replaced. I've replaced receptacles and light switches I have cut off all the old ends and they were stuck into the back of the receptacles. I did away with that and use the screws and wire nuts like it's supposed to be done. My issue is I've got a radio plugged in to a specific Outlet and whenever I hook up a battery charger to charge up the drill... The radio goes into static. I'm about to check the amps like you just showed me because I've already checked the voltage and the voltage is fine. I'm just trying to figure out if I should replace the wires or not
That's a great question. First make sure that all the connections in the panel are good and check from the panel to the grounding rods.
@@Askmediy I actually ran brand new wire from outside all the way into the panel box and it's all very tight in order for it to pass inspection it was good. I have put brand new Breakers in the Box and those connections are tight also. I've tightened all of the ground wires on the ground bar inside the panel box and the same for the white neutral wires. Basically when I hook the radio up and then hook up the charger on the same circuit it makes the radio go to static but I took the radio off of that receptacle and I hooked it up to a receptacle that only has 1 Outlet. It's a dedicated outlet for the washing machine in this mobile home. I put brand new wire in. It is a 12-2 non-metallic yellow wire. The house was pre-wired from the factory with black 12 gauge wire. That wire had a knick in it so therefore I replaced it. But when I hook up the radio on that receptacle and hook the charger into the other part of the receptacle the radio is fine with no static whatsoever and that has me scared because the radio has been hooked up on the refrigerator receptacle which is the one that I am talkin about from the beginning. I hope this makes sense
Other than installing a house filter it's going to be real hard for me to help you without being there. However your charger could just be very old. Or is it?
Morning, it just came to me. Since it's a mobile home make sure the metal frame is also well grounded.
@@Askmediy it's a rigid from home depot. Not too too old I guess..
I like your direct and thorough explanation...ty
Always my pleasure
Very helpful. I wish I watched this a couple hours ago. But it will still be valuable info. THx
Glad it was helpful!
Love your videos.Your awesome. Question,is there a max amout of outlets that can be installed on one 15A circuit? Thanks again.
+Frank Maio theoretically you could put 50 outlets on one circuit as long as you dont exceed the amperage of your wire and breaker
Eric, theoretically yes...legally NO!!!
As per the electrical code there is a maximum number of boxes you can install on any one circuit. By boxes I don't just mean outlets. I'm also referring to light switches, receptacles, lights, junction boxes, etc. I'm not sure if the maximum number varies from state to state or province to province, however where I live (Ontario) I do believe it's 12 boxes max per circuit.
Frank Maio
Rule of thumb for calculations is 180va per receptacle, 180x8=1440va (watts in this case)
15a x120v=1800w, 1800w x .80 = 1440w, 8 receptacles.
I believe the rule is to not exceed 80% of the circuit. So 80% of a 15 amp circuit is 12 amps. Each outlet as a rule is 1.5 amps. So 12 divided by 1.5 is 8. So you shouldn't exceed 8 outlets. Same thing applies to a 20 amp circuit. 80 % of 20 is 16. At 1.5 amps per outlet you shouldn't exceed 10 outlets. Hope that helps
Nice video but you should take your own advice about having your hand near the live wires. Got my attention at first. 0:52. You’d be surprised how much over the breaker amperage it can take instantaneously for a shirt burst. For instance my AC compressor draw 17 A steady but peaks at 110 A during start up. Thanks for posting
Yeah it's kinda old now lol. Thank you very much.
So then if the house's wiring is too low gauge, what can be done? Why wouldn't a builder use the correct wire gauge, just to save cost? Thanks again!
I really appreciate your videos, I learn a lot thank you so much!
Always my pleasure.
Good lesson Dom ...keep up the good work . That's how one learns ...
It's too bad those inductive ammeters can't be used with typical cords, with current going both ways. I have an inline ammeter that plugs in, basically inserting itself into the single plugged circuit that is a little more simple for a single plugged device. But for a full circuit like you show here, there is no option but to open a box or panel.
My house was built in 1990. So I must have a 100 amp service? I just need to upgrade the breaker box to 200 amp? Whats the estimated cost? Thanks
I have a client who wants me to help with an issue. They have a dedicated breaker to their washing machine. I have tested the breaker and it is holding the 120v on a 20amp GFCI breaker. It trips intermittently while the washer is running (not all the time). I am going back to check the amperage on the breaker this week. Is there a way to tell if the breaker is just weak? I told them it could be something to do with the machine itself, or even the outlet. They arent sure, and I am trying the least expensive course to help them first. I would appreciate any thoughts on this. The house is only 4 years old, so I was kinda leery that it was a bad breaker myself, but I guess anything is possible.
Answered you on my website
@@Askmediy thanks, I replied that it is a GFCI breaker.
Yeah change that to a regular one and you’ll be fine
@@Askmediy A standard 20amp breaker will be alright? Is there a reason they used a GFCI breaker for the washing machine and not a regular breaker?
@@Askmediy thanks for input and the help. Have a great day. Blessed Christmas and God Willing a much better New Years.
I was just wondering if you can connect an LED amp meter to a panel? I would like to know what kind of amps I am pulling while in my workshop as a whole.
Hi Dominic! I found a old Snap 8 SPR - 300 AC Volt ohm ammeter made by Sperry Equipment Inc left by my deceased father. It doesn't have any leads on it. Trying to see if I can still use it. Googled and found pdf file of intruction on the plus model, which requires a AA battery. Mine is not the plus model. On mine, there are 4 screws at the back that opens the panel, but a button dial at the bottom corner keeps me from prying it open completely to see if a battery is needed or not. The dial is not popping out using a flat head. I see a small recessed hole on the side of the button dial, but using small screw drivers for eye glasses is not doing anything inside that hole. Have you used one of these instrument before? Are any of these old style meter not require a battery? If so, are these plug-in lead wires interchangeable with the lead wires of a regular multimeter? Thanks so much!
I did put a bigger amp breaker in, but my friend told me to take it back out. Thanks for the reply!
remember the size of the wire what number of breaker you need it's very very important,and all the time never be confuse on the job, be sure what you do breakers off before you go in thanks
When it test each leg of my main coming in will all breakers off except for the main breaker, one of the legs shows a half an amp draw. Testing each breaker shows zero. Any idea why this half amp shows up with all the breakers off?
No way then. I would get someone in there that knows what they are doing, really. What is the number on the main breaker ?
very good comments, yes old houses need change their main panel because they are 100 AMPS only, if you have vaccum system and many more apliance it's too small thanks good videos
Thanks very much sir. Pls what if it were a two 220v with two line phases, are u going to sum the amps of each phase to determine the amps draw of that breaker? Thanks sir
No check both legs separately and the higher of the two is your 220 draw
@@mitchdenner9743 thanks for your prompt reply sir
Hey Dominic, Question..I just plugged in a new vacuum cleaner and power went off on half of the master bedroom and the entire master bathroom. I checked the breaker and it did not trip. I do not have a Volt meter but do have a little mini LED 110 and 220 volt tester and the jack (where I plugged the vac) lights up on 110. When I turn on the bathroom lights it shuts of the little LED tester. It’s as if it doesn’t have enough amps anymore. Any Idea?
That vacuum cleaner had enough of an initial crank to exceed the max load on the circuit. It can happen quite easily depending on how many items you have plugged into the circuit at time of start up.
Older circuit breakers do go bad and trip before they should on occasion. It may be worth your while to buy a new breaker and put it in and see if it trips under the same conditions. Home depot sells 20 amp GE breakers for something like $3.27, so it shouldn't cost that much to try. One thing you sure as hell don't want to do is put a higher rated breaker on a wire than what it should have, like a 20 amp breaker on a 15 amp circuit. That would deplete the purpose of having a breaker.
My circuits are always breaking when my wife runs the hair dryer, when i turn on the air compressor, stuff like that, and they're different circuits. There's not a lot of stuff on the circuit besides that one appliance. The breaker seems to trip way to often. Is there a simple solution or do i need to upgrade the whole breaker box?
sooo that's what the clamps on my meter are for......awesome, you the man. thanks!
Great video, I gotta run and buy a Clamp meter and go see what a well pump is pulling cause lady wants solar back up for it. Had no idea would be that easy to check. Thanks
Thank you. Chances are the pump is 220 volts. If so make sure you check both hot legs and add them up for your results
askmediy super thanks for the reply. It is 220 and I was only gonna take measurement from one wire. Saved me again thanks
Where can I buy your particular meter?
First, sorry for the delay. For some reason I'm not getting notified of incoming comments. Try this link tools.askmediy.com/product/fluke-117-electricians-multimeter/
How to determine if the main amperage is actually whats stated at main breaker. Will this meter be able to determine if i put the clamp on the service line if reads true to whats stated.
Have a question about my main breaker.My panel is labeled as 125 amp ,the main wires coming in are 2 gauge copper but. they are hooked up to a main 60 amp main breaker .I think this main breaker must have been changed by previous owner by mistake.Shouldnt my main breaker for this be a 125 amp?
DIESELDAN 3 i
How can you check the amount of amps the entire system is pulling?
The same way but by the feeders one at a time. Than add those two readings
How do you measure the total current my whole house is using at a particular time using a standard clamp ammeter? I don't think it's as easy as measuring each hot leg on main breaker and simply adding readings together right? 120V loads draw off one leg and neutral. 240V loads use both hot legs only right? BTW, legs=wires NOT limbs on a woman! So, if I have loads using both single legs/neutral and 240V loads won't that give an error in total current if I measure each hot leg and add together? I'd be adding the 240V load twice, right? I tried clamping the main neutral and got a real low reading. That's because we have both neutral from pole transformer and earth tied together in panel. Funny they use same huge gauge wire for neutral when little current flows through it! Any thoughts here? Thanks!
You check both legs of the service and the higher of the two is your 220 amp draw. Your neutral doesn't show draw, it carries unused power from the appliances back to the grid. The neutral has to be sized the same as the incoming legs because it's a possibility of that much current going back.
Hey Dominic, I plugged up 2 space heaters in separate rooms, and it tripped the breaker, Why is that
+Robert Russell could share the same circuit a lot of times the wall that two rooms share will be wired on the same circuit. plug stuff up and start cutting breakers off one at a time to double check
can u upgrade the breaker or split the breaker and put two in place of 1?
Usually yes
He's got excellent videos!!
Very informative thanks 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
NEED HELP. Ok I don't know too much but my problem is that I want to put a frig in the garage. the problem is that from the bed room to the kitchen to the garage it looks like its on the same circuit. So when I plug the extra frig in the garage the GFCI switch that is in my restroom cuts the electricity.
I have a lot plugged in to this area of the house: frig, freezer, electric bed, water cooler, microwave, small appliances.
So, I how can I have it all without danger?
Ok so I'm monitoring my breakers... but what do I do about the one that keeps trippin?? Can I just put a higher amp breaker in the same spot? Probably a no, right? So how do I fix it?
Do you know how much you're drawing on that circuit? If it's under what the breaker is rated for, yeah go ahead and replace. But if it's anywhere near the rating you'll have to fix that first.
Breakers must be sized for the wire size of the circuit, thats what it protects , the wire, If your breaker is tripping and its sized properly for the wire than you're overloading the circuit you need to reduce the load on a circuit or upgrade the wire and Outlets to the proper size for the load needed.
HI Dominic, I'm dealing with a reading from my breaker at the outlet of 85v rather than 110v - 125v which I've wired my previous home myself without issues but my new homes previous owner has quite a bit of different issues I'm dealing with. I've installed a new main panel and had to install extensions to the service entrance 2awg wires (being there was only 2" coming into the S.E.) using the proper copper threaded clamp rings then looped down and installed on the panel. Ground bar added and all wired into proper placement. When I plug in my voltage meter at the outlet it reads 85v. when I'm doing this test I'm only switching on the one 20amp breaker in use to test and due to pre-existing issues i'm finding even have all other wires from other areas disconnected from all breakers so mentioned test is only breaker in use.
Any help would be appreciated.
I wonder how many people watched to see where the meter probes should go to test current flow, induction coil is nice.
LOL yes no option. But I like what you have..
You still answer questions?
For 9 years now. What's up.
I'm trying to find a video on say I have a 200 amp service how would I find out how much of the 200 amp service is being used. I know your not supposed to go above 80 % I believe? But I have a panel with some unmarked breakers trying to find out if I will go over by twinning some circuts up. Great vids straight to the point. Thanks for any info.-Kevin
Thank you very much. Yeah or either both of us have been doing it wrong for a long time LOL
Years ago I lived in a house and the power went out in 2 rooms. I called an electrician. He checked the circuit breaker box it took him about 5 seconds. He said I needed a new line out side from the pole to the house. What did he do to know this?
cooldog60 the wire size was too small for the amount of current you were drawing. That can overheat the wire and start a fire. That’s how he knew, we know what colors to look for also.
If we have a 20 AMP circuit, only 80%(16 AMP) is considered safe for continuous(24/7) draw.
Can I get away with drawing at 90%(18 AMP) and not cause any hazard?
That's too close.
I need to know how to increase the amount of power I can use, I only have say 3 circuits powering my home but would like to power 9,000 watts, is this possible?
I got a question my electric stove runs low out of amps somthimes when i have all lights on or when i plug fridge or microwave on wall.. Wat cn it be
Thank you kindly for your reply.
You are very welcome
I just put a brand new 115v Ac unit on a circuit and it tripped the breaker after about 15 minutes ... the unit that was there before never tripped the breaker so I figure it must be this unit but it would have been helpful to see how many amperes were flowing throw the circuit so I can be sure its not just that that circuit cannot handle the 8k btu unit and the 14k btu at the same time . I don't know why the bedroom and living room are on the same circuit but such is life in a mobile home ....god I hate it .
Thanks Eric,that makes perfect sense
yeah then that's a 100 amps. That's very small for a house built in 1990. Good luck with it.
I have a good basic meter. I want to use the black and red probes to check amp draw. what setting do I turn the meter dial too? go over all those while you're at it. which probe do I stick where? thanks
You can't read amps with the probes, you need a meter with an amp clamp like the one shown in the video. Only way to read.
u make all electrician job be easy.
man! U are mi Maestro.
I saw a PGE worker put a big clamp meter on my neighbors power line going to his meter. I wonder what he was checking for.
Couldn’t you just then replace the breaker with a 30amp breaker instead?
Never, you’ll need to upgrade the wire
my Panel have 100A breaker i did masure L1-45A and L2-60A how much is my drawing ? 95A?
60 amps
Informative, thank you for sharing
Always my pleasure. Thanks for watching
Awesome vid, thanks!
Thank you so much
Very helpful. Thanks!
+Seth Roskos Glad I could help you out.
Great video
Good info, thanks.
Thank you very helpful
Glad it helped
Great video. THX.
of course you have to rewire all the house, is very important a old house a old wires thanks
You have it right. The only thing you can do is rewire the circuit with a larger gauge or break up the circuit with multiple feeds to the panel. I hope you have an attic to work with. :-) Sorry about the builder fucking you over. That's just the name of the game. Why wouldn't you want to build a house as cheaply as you possibly can?
Thanks for the knowledge....
Welcome to today's DIY episode.
Today, I will be showing you hot to buy the right tools..
Awesome!!
Thank you.
You're welcome!
I have just started having a breaker that keeps tripping 15 amp .I live in a mobile home the wires are in a very thin roof when I turn a light on the amp is showing 21 amps at the box .What could be causing the breaker to be getting hot and tripping any tips to how to find why this has started happening I would have to tear the whole ceiling down ? To find this short .Thanks for reading
Stevie, I hope someone has already reached out to you about this... I think you already said it... You have some kind of short! (Or at least a piece of crap light fixture.) I would retest, and verify your reading... Your 15 amp breaker shouldn't be at 21 amps (more than a couple of seconds) before it trips hard. It's POSSIBLE that using your tester next to a jumble of wires has skewed your results. Test the thing, but PLEASE don't continue using this circuit until this is fixed... You are likely to burn down your home. :(
A few questions:
1. Is this light the ONLY fixture on the circuit?
2. Is there any draw when the light is turned off?
3. Have you tried replacing the fixture with another light and retesting the draw?
And for goodness' sake, please respond so we all know you didn't die in a trailer fire... :(
Steve Cox
I have not got to work on the problem at all have spent 16 days spread out over Feb march April on heart problems.There 3 plugins and 4 over head lights . I have been scared to death of trying to use it but hope to climb under and hope the wires are under the floor .If there under it i can repair but if in the thin roof it will be hell. I have checked the reading with another tester same thing 21 amps stays on for over 5 min before tripping the breaker I replaced the breaker with a new one still same thing .Ill let you know what the problem is when i find it .Thanks for responding Ill retest this weekend going to pull all light fixtures and plugins out .
thanks!
Should be wearing gloves, but I forgot only 110 volts, we got 230 volts AC 50 Hz. LOL
Yeah that's a difference
breakers be trippin mang
hello sir how are you?sir i know all electrician im from india but im here in Cyprus before 6 year one month im working 5 year 9 month one electrician GP company until im working here in Cyprus where are you from sir
Hello all
I have an issue just happened after storm 2 day ago
Electric went out in all area around 1:00 AM but after Electric came back at 10:00 AM less than half the house stuff working and the rest is not working.
I tested the breaker is not working to ground and I found it zero and the working circuit breaker are 123v.
So I tested the 2 hot lines in the main circuit breaker, both of them 120v but when tested the voltage between the two hot lines, I found it zero and even at the meter.
I called the Electric company. When tech came he is nothing wrong and the voltage is good between the 2 hot lines , even he showed me the reading in his voltmeter 245v.
He left and I went to my Electric panel to check the voltage I found 240v between the 2 hot lines.
Then I started turning on all circuit breaker and turning on all lights , as soon as I turned the upstairs bathroom fan Electric went out in tge sane half of house.
Tested the voltage between the two hot lines is zero again even after removing the electric meter.
The question
Why the incoming power is zero between the two hot lines
Sounds like you don't have the neutral from the street. Check from neutral to either hots
@@Askmediy
If I have an issue in my house, do you think it will affect the voltage measurement at the meter like that.
Or definitely the issue with electric company feed
@@hman4900 If you don't do what I asked you to do I can't help you
@@Askmediy
I did measure the 2 hot lines to the ground installed in back yard
119 V for the left leg
0 V for the right leg
Hey, do what I told you do. I didn’t say ground. The neutral is not the ground. If you don’t know what this is, you stand to get really hurt. Call a pro before this happens buddy. I don’t mean to sound like an ass. But this isn’t something you should be playing with.
Mains are also 100
Great video, my buthole puckers every time you come close to touching the breakers
Dominic is your head bald -N- shiny because you like to stick your whole hand in the panel box while checking the amps? Lol!!!
Be careful? It doesn't seem to me that you are.