I wonder if Alex will have ice cream and cake?

[j_garcia]

Happy Birthday bro. Celebrate responsibly

 

[lsiberian]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!

As of this posting, this video only had 30 views. Let's give it a shot in the arm.

Alex I'm glad to see you let yourself enjoy some cake. Now I must say the weight loss is looking good to me.

 

[majorloser]

Happy Birthday

I found a more recent picture....

(not aging well at all)

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I found a more recent picture....

(not aging well at all)

Mmmmmmm, Caffine Free Diet Coke... You do know how to live!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I found a more recent picture....

(not aging well at all)

Maybe not aging well, but has acquired the wisdom with age (learned to use the fork )

 

[Alex2507]

Ha! It is rather anti-climatic. .

I liked watching that video. Monkeys are always fun to watch.
I kept thinking how he needed to balance out the carbs with some protein.

For God's sake man...have a steak.

You mean a whole one?

... this from a guy who was beside himself at receiving a case of chocolate bars.

Celebrate responsibly

It's like you don't know me at all. Excess is like my favorite thing.

(not aging well at all)

I'm working on it !!!

I've never been a big fan of trying to make any particular day mean more than another by virtue of where it lands on a calendar. Good days just happen randomly. Like yesterday ... my employer called to tell me there was some work coming up next week and I didn't blow myself up messing around with an electrical problem.

Rick, thanks for helping me with that stuff. It turned out that the two red wires were being fed by two breakers and the numb nut before me tied them together and switched two black wires (both connected to the top half of some receptacles). I chose the red wire that was designated as 'Master Bedroom Receptacles' on the breaker and used it as the hot wire on the switched master bedroom receptacles. I capped the other red wire in the box. Now only one breaker needs to be turned off to turn off the power one run as opposed to having to turn off two breakers. Problem solved.

Here's a question. The switch wire I ran to the overhead light has the switched conductor (white wire) showing ~6 volts when the switch is off. How does that happen? Inductance? EMI?

 

[Adam]

Here's a question. The switch wire I ran to the overhead light has the switched conductor (white wire) showing ~6 volts when the switch is off. How does that happen? Inductance? EMI?

Wtf has happened to you, man?! This thread should be about videos of girls dancing to the "ice cream and cake" song, with comments from me about how it seems wrong to watch them, and comments from you about not being able to find your pants. What's up with the electrical wiring talk with big words?

 

[Alex2507]

It's all code for wanting to know Rick's secret to finding Doug attractive after all this time.

I think it's great the way those two have kept the romance alive into their golden years.

 

[Rickster71]

Rick, thanks for helping me with that stuff. It turned out that the two red wires were being fed by two breakers and the numb nut before me tied them together and switched two black wires (both connected to the top half of some receptacles). I chose the red wire that was designated as 'Master Bedroom Receptacles' on the breaker and used it as the hot wire on the switched master bedroom receptacles. I capped the other red wire in the box. Now only one breaker needs to be turned off to turn off the power one run as opposed to having to turn off two breakers. Problem solved.

Here's a question. The switch wire I ran to the overhead light has the switched conductor (white wire) showing ~6 volts when the switch is off. How does that happen? Inductance? EMI?

I'd first disconnect and test the switch and do a continuity test, it sounds like an old or cheap switch.
Remember you need to identify the white wire as being used as a hot conductor with black tape.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Whatever you do - DO NOT CUT THE BLUE WIRE

 

[Rickster71]

Here's a question. The switch wire I ran to the overhead light has the switched conductor (white wire) showing ~6 volts when the switch is off.
How does that happen? Inductance? EMI?

I had to leave my desk for a while. So here is the rest of the answer to "How does it happen?"
Evey time a switch is used there is a small arc and a splash of carbon. Over time the conductive carbon builds up and voltage starts leaking.
If it happens with a new switch, it either defective or very cheap.

 

[Alex2507]

I'd first disconnect and test the switch and do a continuity test, it sounds like an old or cheap switch.

Yep, they used the cheapest Decora switches throughout the entire house.

Remember you need to identify the white wire as being used as a hot conductor with black tape.

Makes sense. I wondered about that too. I'll definitely do that.

Evey time a switch is used there is a small arc and a splash of carbon. Over time the conductive carbon builds up and voltage starts leaking.
If it happens with a new switch, it either defective or very cheap.

I also noticed it on I believe their switched receptacles but I can't remember if I even had the switch in place. That measured at just over 4 volts. Today I'll do another test with that info in mind and report back later. The little plug in tester said the wiring was 'Correct'.

Like I said all the switches are new but $3 HD cheapies. I really loath the idea of taking anything else apart.

 

[Rickster71]

Like I said all the switches are new but $3 HD cheapies. I really loath the idea of taking anything else apart.

Don't drive yourself crazy taking all the switches out. If the HD switches pass a continuity test, leave them alone.
It's common for an unloaded wire to have some induced voltage on it.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Don't drive yourself crazy taking all the switches out. If the HD switches pass a continuity test, leave them alone.
It's common for an unloaded wire to have some induced voltage on it.

If only he was so anal about completing his component stand....

 

[Adam]

If only he was so anal...

That comment was for the rest of us, right? After all, Rick knows all about Alex being anal...

NTTAWWT.

 

[sawzalot]

Happy Belated Birthday Alex , I wish you the very best for a productive/lucrative year ahead , take care and be well, Rob.

 

[Alex2507]

Rick knows all about Alex being anal...

So does Davemcc ... he too has been in Mantown.

Don't drive yourself crazy taking all the switches out. If the HD switches pass a continuity test, leave them alone.
It's common for an unloaded wire to have some induced voltage on it.

The switch checked out for continuity. The switched wire has 6 volts even when disconnected from the switch. The inductance thing must be from a perfect storm type of thing wiring wise. The box in the ceiling is fed power in this 3-1/2' wide space in between two trusses. Then that cable doubles back to feed another ceiling outlet in another room but it's in that same 3-1/2" space. Guess where I ran the switch wire. That's why I asked about inductance or EMI. Induced voltage in my simplistic understanding is related to EMI ... but any way I did a few tests and decided that it was unlikely that I was getting voltage leak in the cable itself and decided to live with it.

I put the matter to rest and continued with taping the ceiling. It's been a long time since I had to do that and I'm pretty rusty. You know what they say about being able to teach a monkey to tape but not being able to teach a taper to read a tape.

So yesterday when I got in from all that I jumped on the scale and I was down 18 pounds! Then I pigged out by having no holds barred meal of rotisserie chicken and bread to be followed up with two kinds of cookies and milk ... and I mean lots of everything. My g/f thought I fell off the wagon because it broke an axel from carting my fat @ss around. It was pretty nummy and all but afterward I felt worse than I have in a month and now I'm up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare about being chased around by a robotic female James Bond bent on killing me. She wasn't even going to f^%& me first.

 

[GO-NAD!]

That comment was for the rest of us, right? After all, Rick knows all about Alex being anal...

NTTAWWT.

I figured Alex would have some response to that, but I should've known you would jump in.

 

[Rickster71]

That's why I asked about inductance or EMI.

You were on track the whole time.
I sent you astray because I had it in my mind it was an old house with old switches, and the switch being at fault.

 

[Adam]

So does Davemcc ... he too has been in Mantown.

I hope that he at least bought you dinner.