The Official "Say Anything" Thread

[MendoDave]

Probably not...

it's all about the test.

The guy Elyse got stuck with passed the test but doesn't know shit.

Have you memorized the code book?
How is it Mike?

There's a code book?

No seriously I got electrical training with my A&P license. I figure airplane trons, automobile trons, and house trons are all pretty similar. I figure I know enough to do easy stuff and not burn down the house. When in doubt I have home improvement books to consult.

None of that means that I should give advice to someone else.

[elyse]

I played an apprentice for a couple of years...

licensed electricians are too smart.  

well, you're building your own house, so you're close enough ...ok, so here's part of the story.. my house was built in 1971, it has aluminum wiring (i really don't know if that matters) anyway.. when i bought the house, it was flipped, a contractor had bought it through a foreclosure, redid all the fixtures, drywall, appliances, new bathrooms & kitchen then sold it to me.. so one of the things he did was installed a microwave that is also the vent hood for the range.. ever since i moved in the microwave will kick the breaker if anything else is on, so i just chalked it up to being an old house & would just turn off the lights when using the microwave...

but then a couple weeks ago i lost power to half of my upstairs rooms, so at that point i called the home warranty company & they sent out an electrician...the upstairs & the microwave, as far as i can tell, are unrelated. the priority was upstairs & after 4 days, that is finally working (he didn't actually fix it, i did, but that's a whole other story)...

so my question is about the microwave issue, initially he told me that i would basically just have to live with shutting off the lights. the next day he told me it was on a 15 amp breaker & maybe it could be switched to a 20 amp..then the next day he told me he switched the breaker & he moved it in the panel. when i saw it i said "oh, you changed it to a 20" & he said it was a 20 the whole time which is different than what he told me the day before. im fairly mechanically inclined, so i can comprehend things even if i cant do it myself.. so today he was finishing the upstairs & then says "when im done im going to go finish up the breaker on the microwave"..i didnt really pay attention to it at the time, but when he left, i checked the panel & he had changed the breaker back to a 15... so at this point, i dont know if it should be a 15 or a 20..how do i figure that out without calling him back?

[MendoDave]

So much for not giving advice. Your microwave hood should be on its own circuit and 15 is not sufficient.

Aluminum wire just needs to be bigger gauge stuff than copper to carry the same load.
That is where the code book comes in. ( the one that I don't read)

[elyse]

i had actually mentioned the separate circuit thing to him, but he never really answered my question... so until such time as i can get a new electrician & get that done, how do i determine the 15/20 breaker?

[lethe]

the breaker will have the amp number on it
turn off the breaker you think it might be and see if the micro loses power

[elyse]

the breaker will have the amp number on it
turn off the breaker you think it might be and see if the micro loses power

i know which breaker it is & it is currently a 15..but
friday he told me it was a 15
saturday he moved it & changed it & it was a 20..he then told me it was a 20 the whole time
tuesday (today) he changed it again & it is now a 15

so he has had 2 different amp breakers on that circuit & i dont know which is correct 15 or 20

[MendoDave]

i had actually mentioned the separate circuit thing to him, but he never really answered my question... so until such time as i can get a new electrician & get that done, how do i determine the 15/20 breaker?

What Lethe said. And without being there to see what's going on your safer with the 15 amp.
Of course the 15 amp breaker in not sufficient to carry the load but it will protect the rest of the circuit. I don't know if your wiring will handle a 20 or not.

Stick with the 15 until you get someone over there.

[lethe]

i know which breaker it is & it is currently a 15..but
friday he told me it was a 15
saturday he moved it & changed it & it was a 20..he then told me it was a 20 the whole time
tuesday (today) he changed it again & it is now a 15

so he has had 2 different amp breakers on that circuit & i dont know which is correct 15 or 20

I'd want a 20 for a microwave, as to what it originally was, it sounds like a 15 was there and if he "moved it", might he have split it out from whatever else was on that circuit maybe?
As in, he saw two (or more?) wires landed there, such as one for the microwave and one for the lights and he separated them into two individual circuits with a 15 there for what is now just a microwave only circuit?

[lethe]

put a 50 in, what could go wrong? 

[MendoDave]

I'd want a 20 for a microwave, as to what it originally was, it sounds like a 15 was there and if he "moved it", might he have split it out from whatever else was on that circuit maybe?
As in, he saw two (or more?) wires landed there, such as one for the microwave and one for the lights and he separated them into two individual circuits with a 15 there for what is now just a microwave only circuit?

Yea but that's just speculation. You kind of need to be there and see what's going on.

[DarkMonster620]

what bike you looking for wheels?

Monster

[lethe]

Yea but that's just speculation. You kind of need to be there and see what's going on.

oh I know, not trying to provide an answer to what is there just maybe a answer to what may be there based on the details of the story in order for her to ask the right questions to get a straight answer from the guy who sounds a bit evasive.

[Ddan]

well, you're building your own house, so you're close enough ...ok, so here's part of the story.. my house was built in 1971, it has aluminum wiring (i really don't know if that matters) anyway.. when i bought the house, it was flipped, a contractor had bought it through a foreclosure, redid all the fixtures, drywall, appliances, new bathrooms & kitchen then sold it to me.. so one of the things he did was installed a microwave that is also the vent hood for the range.. ever since i moved in the microwave will kick the breaker if anything else is on, so i just chalked it up to being an old house & would just turn off the lights when using the microwave...

but then a couple weeks ago i lost power to half of my upstairs rooms, so at that point i called the home warranty company & they sent out an electrician...the upstairs & the microwave, as far as i can tell, are unrelated. the priority was upstairs & after 4 days, that is finally working (he didn't actually fix it, i did, but that's a whole other story)...

so my question is about the microwave issue, initially he told me that i would basically just have to live with shutting off the lights. the next day he told me it was on a 15 amp breaker & maybe it could be switched to a 20 amp..then the next day he told me he switched the breaker & he moved it in the panel. when i saw it i said "oh, you changed it to a 20" & he said it was a 20 the whole time which is different than what he told me the day before. im fairly mechanically inclined, so i can comprehend things even if i cant do it myself.. so today he was finishing the upstairs & then says "when im done im going to go finish up the breaker on the microwave"..i didnt really pay attention to it at the time, but when he left, i checked the panel & he had changed the breaker back to a 15... so at this point, i dont know if it should be a 15 or a 20..how do i figure that out without calling him back?

You should ask your warranty co. to send over a real electrician, that guy isn't one, or shouldn't be one

[elyse]

You should ask your warranty co. to send over a real electrician, that guy isn't one, or shouldn't be one

well the thing is, he was the 2nd one..the first guy was a flake, so i got them to send me out another one.. and the description on his website made him sound reputable & i couldn't find any bad reviews... i honestly think at one point he knew his stuff & now he's kinda past his prime...

here's his description: Been serving clients in Northern California for over 40 years.  Dennis began the company in 1968. Dennis has a General Contractor's license as well as a Painting, Electrical, Plumbing, Flooring, HVAC and several other specialty licenses; he is a certified California Real Estate home inspector. In the 70's and 80's he and his employees, which reached over 30 at one time, were one of the main Contractors used for Insurance Repair and Remodel in the Sacramento Area, handling everything from demolition to complete re-builds with an office in Fairfield, Sacramento, and Stockton. Providing quality service at a fair price and taking small and large jobs has been his aim since the company began.

[elyse]

put a 50 in, what could go wrong? 

hmm... i should try that