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Looking into potentially adding a hot tub that requires a 50A 220V breaker. Basically three questions:can I add that bre...
10/19/2026

Looking into potentially adding a hot tub that requires a 50A 220V breaker. Basically three questions:

can I add that breaker without any upgrades to the panel?

if not, how easy/possible is it to upgrade the panel or main line to be able to handle more capacity?

for general knowledge, is my main 100A or 200A? I know it only shows the “100” once on the double breaker for the main, but it seems pretty low given the rest of the breakers total (I know the main can be lower than the total of the rest, but still…)

I’m finishing my basement in the Chicagoland area which requires everything to be run in conduit. For this room (gym) yo...
10/19/2026

I’m finishing my basement in the Chicagoland area which requires everything to be run in conduit. For this room (gym) you’ll see I have the home run going to the switch box (red highlight). From the switch box I have a run going down to the receptacles and a run going up to the lighting (green highlight).

And yes I know it’s generally good practice to separate the receptacle and lighting circuits but this was not possible for me unless I installed a sub panel. I have 3 rooms and a bathroom to do so that’d be at least 7 breaker spaces that I don’t have.

I’m adding 4 circuits. All 20 amp circuits running #12 with DFCI breakers. Although not “required” with EMT, I am running a separate #12 ground through all conduit.

My question is regarding the lighting. In this room I have 12 lights going in; essentially 3 rows of 4. The ones that are lined up within the same joist space are pretty straight forward. But my question is more about the ones that are in the next joist space (see the blue highlight in photo). By using the 2 side holes of the lighting J-Box to jumper from joist to joist that just leaves the top hole to go over to the left for the next light that’s within the same joist space. And between where the box is mounted and the floor up there, that’s a very tight bend. I barely made the one that’s in that first light work.

Is this the most efficient way to run these? Is it legal to use BX for these whips between the lights or does it have to be EMT?

I have about 40 lights to do in the entire 1200 sq ft basement. So if that’s the case then I got a lot of work ahead of me. Also just as a side note, I would rather not drill holes in the joists if possible. From my perspective I don’t see it making anything any easier honestly.

Side note: I installed all of the EMT in these photos (except that one 3/4”) and this is my first time bending so please don’t critique my work too harshly. Haha But I like it! There’s something therapeutic about throwing on some music and bending this conduit to fit perfectly where you want it!

What is this? Is it dangerous? On the outside of my apartment building.
10/19/2026

What is this? Is it dangerous? On the outside of my apartment building.

Crimped 6 months ago using a hammer impact crimper. Wire size is 8AWG and has been passing max 20A. It has been in a per...
10/19/2026

Crimped 6 months ago using a hammer impact crimper. Wire size is 8AWG and has been passing max 20A. It has been in a permanent install in my car, not exposed to the elements or any flexing. Didn't realize until my 200w inverter low voltage protection kicked in while the battery was fully charged. Turns out this connection was totally corroded and has been hot.

The cords for the refrigerator and gas stove are plugged into the same outlet in a unit I was looking at to rent. They o...
10/19/2026

The cords for the refrigerator and gas stove are plugged into the same outlet in a unit I was looking at to rent. They obviously do not fit properly and that seems dangerous. Is there any way to fix this on my own easily (safe adaptor/extension?) or is the only option to replace one of the appliances and make sure it can be plugged properly directly.

Sorry if this is a silly question, but I don’t know much about this kind of thing!

Can I use this ceiling box for a fan? We moved into an old home so the ceiling boxes are very old and don’t say if they’...
10/19/2026

Can I use this ceiling box for a fan? We moved into an old home so the ceiling boxes are very old and don’t say if they’re fan supported. This one seems firmly mounted and it seems to be two screws into a wooden joist.

I’ll need to clean up this wiring a bit though.

Small island would you center light on the island itself or on the countertop with overhang? Feel like both will look a ...
10/19/2026

Small island would you center light on the island itself or on the countertop with overhang? Feel like both will look a bit weird.

Cursed pipe bending class
10/19/2026

Cursed pipe bending class

This room has an exposed ceiling, so we are aiming to limit the boxes while still making things look nice. 4 90’s, 5 deg...
10/19/2026

This room has an exposed ceiling, so we are aiming to limit the boxes while still making things look nice. 4 90’s, 5 degree kick, and 5-25 degrees kicks at the end, maybe 60’ of conduit. I understand 360 degrees is pushing the limits of what can be pulled, but is there any other reason code says 360 besides the wire pull?

Under stage low voltage conduit because A/V guys don’t know how to bend pipe...
10/19/2026

Under stage low voltage conduit because A/V guys don’t know how to bend pipe...

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