Electrical Blog


Dishwasher Blues

Have you ever had a dishwasher go bad and stop working? If so, then you had the
Dishwasher Blues. Washing dishes by hand is old-school and no one should have to wash
dishes this way. Electricity allows us to do many interesting and even exciting
things—washing dishes is one of them.

A dishwasher installation for a new one is fairly straightforward most of the time.
There are exceptions to be sure. I recently was installing a new dishwasher at a home
where the drywall installers placed drywall over the Romex cable intended for the
dishwasher. My first step in this installation was to find that wire. I used my Fox and
Hound, a really cool tool! The fox sends an audible signal over a wire. The hound is held
by hand to detect the pulse or sound and thereby indicates the location of the wire.
It worked beautifully for me this time and I successfully found the hidden wire inside
the wall so I could make the electrical connection.

Dishwashers need to be protected by GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt). Typically
the wire is run from the electrical panel to the kitchen where the dishwasher is to be
installed. The wire is then connected directly into the dishwasher. So in this case, I
use a GFCI circuit breaker instead of a GFCI outlet. GFCI breakers are more expensive
than its equivalent outlet, but they seem to last longer and a GFCI outlet in this
application would be hard to reset due to its location.

A dishwasher needs more than just an electrical connection: there is some plumbing to do.
The dishwasher needs water supply and then it needs a discharge connection for the dirty
water to go. The supply can be tapped into under the sink on the hot side of the faucet.
The discharge hose can be connected underneath the sink in the drain tube but a special
dishwasher tail is usually required to be installed instead of the standard sink tail.
If a leak is found after making all these connections, then the dishwasher blues will be
in full force again. But if there are no leaks then the dishwasher blues disappear!


Things I Am Learning

My quest for knowledge is insatiable. I was always one who asked a lot of questions.
My parents got sick and tired of my most repeated question: “Why?” Why is the grass
green? Why is the sky blue? Why does current flow from positive to negative? Why do we
outen the lights? Why does the electric meter spin so fast? Why do you want me to eat green
vegetables?

I decided to do my book keeping in a spreadsheet instead of in a purchased program. My
reasoning was to force myself to better understand accounting methods. This worked beautifully
because I had to construct the spreadsheet myself, which forced me to learn the GAAP—Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles and how to implement them into my book keeping on the spreadsheet.

My ledger entries required me to learn about accounting terms like accounts payable and accounts
receivable. I also had to get a grip on balancing each transaction to list a debited account and a
credited account. By creating a quick three-cell table at the bottom of my ledger, I incorporated
a quick check with a trial balance to be sure that my debits and credits balance out. I also created
an Account Balance sheet, which tallies each account and sums them to zero if I entered my transactions
correctly. Then I discovered that I can easily track my jobs with another sheet reflecting the total
service income, expenses, and profits made.

Perhaps one of the biggest take aways was how to set up and analyze Profit and Loss Statements, Balance
Sheets, and Cash Flow Statements. Now I can astutely examine my electrical business by looking at these
reports. I can quickly deduce if I am charging enough for materials or if I am spending too much in
advertising or, my biggest nemesis: buying too many tools!

I have to say, I am actually enjoying the accounting end of my business. I’ve always liked spreadsheets
because I recognize how helpful and useful they are for us to use. I have a Chocolate Milk spreadsheet,
which tracks my favorite brands and evaluates them based on a number of quintessential qualities like
thickness, proper mix, aroma, after-taste, appearance, and more. Sadly, my most favorite brand of chocolate
milk is no longer in production, but my spreadsheet proudly lists it as number 1 in the list!

I also find myself reading more these days. I was never much of an avid reader, preferring just a few select
topics to read about if I had to do so. I still have favorite topics to read about but I find myself reading
more often now. I just read three books on Thomas Alva Edison. Two were biographies and one was based on his
biography with a fictional storyline thrown in for fun,. I was intrigued to read how young Al or Alva, as he
was called then, learned. He did two things: he read a wide variety of books and he experimented. He stopped
attending school quite early and his mother became his teacher. Thanks to her he was reading far more advanced
books than he would have read in school. He asked a lot of questions and he experimented to find the answers.

One funny story is how he thought a person could fly like a bird. Young Alva saw birds do it all the time. He
also knew that gas is lighter than air. So he devised an experiment to have his friend drink a concoction that put
gas in his stomach. The experiment worked: he found out that people cannot fly in this manner and he got his
hide tanned when his friend went home with a very sick stomach!

In my business, I am learning a lot about electricity, accounting, and troubleshooting. I also realize how much
more I have yet to learn. I just hope I have enough years in my life left to learn it all!


Connections are Important!

You have, no doubt, heard the old adage about someone having a screw loose. Well, strong connections are
important in electricity, too. Wire nuts, terminals, and screws need to be tight. One critical danger to
electrical current is a loose connection. A wire that is partially separated from its point of contact can create an arc, which is a flash of light or a spark. This is dangerous.

Tight connections are needed in all electrical applications. Recently, I was on a service call where the
customer was concerned about a light switch. The switch powered the lights but it made a sizzling sound
whenever it was turned on. This did not sound right to the homeowner, so they called me to come look at it.
From the phone call, I first thought the problem was coming from a light fixture. When I got to the house
and heard more details, I immediately went to the problematic switch. I removed the wall plate and removed
the switch from the box. It was an old ceramic switch probably an original install in this older house. The
switch worked and it even tested correctly, but the innards were the problem. When the toggle was flipped,
there was a loose connection in the switching device. It was all protected and contained by the ceramic
but it was a loose connection. Replacing the switch with a new one solved the problem—the problem of the
loose connection was solved.

Finding loose connections can be tricky sometimes. The main problem is that a loose connection can often be
intermittent—sometimes it makes a connection and sometimes it does not. A continuity test with a digital
multimeter can aid in troubleshooting and pinpoint the loose connection. Finding a loose connection often
takes longer than actually fixing the loose connection.

Connections are important in more places than just electrical wiring. For example, business connections are
important, too. It often amazes me how one successful electrical job leads to another. This is mostly due to
word of mouth. One satisfied customer tells a friend or family member about their experience, which leads
to another job or two. I try to never take these connections for granted because they are an essential part
of my business success. As I said, connections are important!


Is Old Wiring Dangerous?

I often get asked this question: Is the wiring in my old house safe? The simple and short answer is:
It depends. It depends on a variety of things. First off, many older homes only have 2-conductor wiring,
so there is no ground wire in this system. Using those small, plug-in adapters might allow an appliance
to work in a two-prong outlet, but it is not safe because there is no ground present in the wiring.

What can be done with ungrounded wiring in an old house? There are two options that are possible and will
create safer wiring. First, rewiring the house with grounded wire makes perfect sense. This is time consuming
but will definitely result in safe wiring to replace the ungrounded wiring. Another option is to have GFCI
outlets installed with the existing 2-conductor wiring. This is not a complete solution, but at least the outlets
will be safer and you can run those grounded appliances without worrying about them.

Even older homes have knob and tube wiring which is potentially even worse than not having a ground. Knob and tube
wiring was an old wiring method back in the day. It worked back then and it can still work today, but the failures
over time pose a definite danger.

What can be done to remedy this unsafe situation? Rewiring the house with new NM cable is the best solution. Again,
this is not a cheap solution because of the time needed to fish wires and replace the old wiring. But in the end you
will have peace of mind and the house wiring will be much safer to use and be less conducive to starting a fire if an
electrical short happens.

I was recently called out on an emergency call when a homeowner was replacing a kitchen outlet and installing a new
GFCI in its place. This was a good idea and a good thing to do because kitchen outlets and any outlets near water
should be GFCIs. This homeowner started the job and knew what he was doing but ran into an unusual situation: There were
3 conductors in each of the two wires feeding the outlet. The red wire was the unusual one. Typically, red wires in these
3-conductor wires are used to power 3-way switches for lights.

I tested the circuit with my Fluke meter and found that both the red and black wires were carrying 120 volts! I found out
that each duplex outlet was fed separately on the top and the bottom. There is a metal tab that can be broken between the
top and bottom outlets. This is often done if someone wants one of the outlets to be on a switch to turn a light in the room
on or off. In this case, each duplex outlet was split in two. The top was powered with the black wire and the bottom was
powered with the red one.

This wiring method was safe even though it was a head-scratcher for a moment or two. And it made connecting the new GFCI
outlet an interesting puzzle. But it was all safe. Wiring itself is typically safe for many, many years. Yes, insulation can
fail, especially the cloth insulation that was used years ago. But honestly, I have found devices, like outlets, seem to fail
more often than the wiring.

To fully answer the question, is my old house wiring safe, it is best to get an electrician to look at your existing wiring.
An electrician can quickly determine what kind of wiring you have in your house and whether it is safe or if something should be
done to make it safer.

The bottom line is get your wiring checked if you are unsure or if you have some worries about it. You want to be safe when you
turn the lights or any devices on in your house.


Great Conversations at Work

I have the pleasure of meeting many nice and interesting people when I step into a home or
business to provide electrical work or repair. It is always fun for me to get to know the
customer and hear their stories of work, family, and life in general. People are fascinating
when we take the time to truly listen.

Just two days ago I was troubleshooting and then replacing a 3-way switch for a 93 year-old
lady in her home. Troubleshooting the problem did not take long. The kitchen light was
controlled by two 3-way switches and two 4-way switches. This allows her to turn the
kitchen light on or off from each of the four doors. The problem only occurred at the one
switch so I was pretty sure the problem was the switch. Sure enough, that 3-way switch
was faulty so I replaced it.

While I was working, I struck up a conversation with this fascinating lady. She is 93 years-old
and was married to a World War II Veteran Hero who earned the Silver Star. She worked
in a local company in her home town back in the ‘40s on the workbench and some of her
daily duties included soldering! She was a woman far ahead of her time!

I learned about her husband, who had died some thirty years before, her family, and her
productive life. It was such a lively conversation and she sure didn’t show or act her age in the
least! Before I left, I reset the clocks that turned to high noon when I turned the kitchen breaker
off in the panel.

As I was leaving, I thought to myself, “Wow! What a great conversation at work!” You just never
know who you might meet or what fascinating and interesting stories they will share! I
love my work, including these great conversations!


Lessons Learned

When I was a teenager our church took the youth on a work trip to West Virginia each summer.
They are still doing this today, some 40 years later! Pastor Frank Nickel started this
tradition and I attended that first work trip many years ago. In fact, I went on five trips in a
row through high school and the beginning of college.

One of those first years I worked with an experienced electrician named Chuck Landis. We had
to crawl through the crawl space below the building and through the unfinished attic,
which was really nothing but a crawl space above the home. Spider webs, bees, snakes,
and who knows what else were encountered as we ran wire for new branch circuits. But I
was learning!

I still remember standing in the one room, the living room I think, and pausing before putting a
hole in the wall for a switch box. I was taught to make sure we were not immediately over
a stud and to make a test drill hole to probe the area for the proposed box. One mistake
would be unsightly and hard to cover up. I still remember the feeling of accomplishment
when I successfully made the hole for that box without incident and without a mistake.

Running the wire through the crawl spaces may have been the most time consuming part of
the job but it was interesting to learn how to route wire and attach it safely, especially in an
existing home where the walls were already covered. The studs were not exposed like in a
new house where the electrician can drill holes through the studs and ceiling joists. It was
a puzzle and a challenge to figure out how to properly route the wire, keeping it hidden
from view, yet placing it where it was needed for a new light, switch, or outlet.

I also remember having a beginner’s tool pouch to hold my electrical tools. This made it
convenient to always have the tools right at hand when they were needed. Wearing a hat,
especially in the crawl spaces, helped to keep cob webs and other debris off my head and
face. The bill of a cap is a wonderful deflector!

This all happened long ago but I still remember the electrical lessons learned. I still use many of
them today.



The End of the Wire

My dad worked at AMP Incorporated and he said, “AMP is a good place to work,” which was
actually their motto. Dad began at AMP right out of high school working as a night
watchman. Not long into the job, one of the employees asked him, “Would you be
interested in going to Tool and Die School?” Dad was excited and then worked in the Tool
and Die Shop for eight years. Then someone asked him, “Would you be interested in
going to Machine Building School?” Dad was excited about this possibility and was a
Class A machine builder for most of his career at AMP. In the last decade of his work at
AMP, dad became a troubleshooter, which he just loved.

I remember when I was a little kid, dad worked in Camp Hill, which was quite a distance
from our home in Elizabethtown. Some Fridays, mom, my brother, and I would drive up to
meet dad after work and eat at McDonalds. That was such a treat back then for our family!
We could actually all eat a nice meal and dad only had to pay $5 out of his new paycheck!

Dad talked about his work all the time. I tried to understand what he did at work but it all
sounded so confusing to this little kid. I heard about terminal strips, insulators, taps and
dies, snap action and normally open switches, connectors and much more. Sometimes
dad would bring home a part he was machining or a product that was made by a machine
he had made. Sometimes he even showed us some of the tools he used and that were
made by AMP, like the AMP Champ Tool, wire strippers, and, yes, even AMP pocket
protectors.

One day in the summer, dad took me along to work. We arrived at his shop and I was very
excited to actually see him in action at work. What happened instead was he went around
and introduced me to his boss, his boss’ boss, and all his fellow employees. I still did not
get to see exactly what my dad did at AMP!

AMP stood for Aircraft Marine Products and started in 1941 by Uncas A. Whitaker. They
specialized in a unique idea to use solderless electrical connections that were quick to
connect and some were even removable. “The End is Just the Beginning” was a book
written about the AMP founder and the book title aptly summarized the goal and purpose
of the company, which became hugely successful and productive.

Dad always talked very highly of AMP Incorporated and he loved working there. He made
so many friends on the job and thoroughly enjoyed what he did, working with his hands to
build machines.

I learned from my dad the value of terminal connectors. They are quick to install and very
versatile. I’ve used them in many applications myself over the years. What happens when
a wire comes to an end? In what way is it connected to the part it powers? How exactly is
it connected? The end of the wire might be the end for that wire but it makes for plenty of
interesting conversation and discussion.



The Spark that Started it All! - 9/28/20

Do you remember that first time? No, not that first time... the first time you just knew
what you wanted to do in your life?

As I remember it for me, I was intrigued, fascinated, and blown away by my uncle Woody. He
was an outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman, trapper, and all around mountain man. He even sported
a beard to prove it! He was a very successful hunter and I dreamed of one day being just like him!
This was all captivating to a young boy but when uncle Woody asked if I would like to help him
wire his new house, I was on cloud 9! Here was a professional electrician asking me if I
would be interested in helping him and learning how to wire a house! Unbelievable!

And so it started. I would be with him each day for a while that summer, running Romex cable
through the rafters and in the floor joists. I was all ears and eyes, scooping up every bit
of information and knowledge I could hear. I learned a lot, too! I learned how to wire a
3-way switch and even learned that there is something called a 4-way switch! I learned how to
install the main panel and connect the circuit breakers. But more importantly, I learned that
being an electrician was something I might actually be able to do!

Not long after that summer, I had to give a demonstration speech in my English class. I thought
about it for only a short time because inside I knew what I wanted to demonstrate: I wanted to
show the other students and our teacher how a 3-way switch works! So down into the basement I
went, with a rough idea in my mind and the new knowledge I learned from uncle Woody. Now, 3-way
switches really are an amazing device. Unlike a single pole switch, a combination of two 3-way
switches can do pure magic! You can enter a room or hallway and flip the first switch to turn on
the lights, then exit the room through another door and hit another switch on the way out and
outen the lights! (Yeah, I know, we still outen the lights in Lancaster County, PA where I grew up.)
The beauty of the 3-way switch is just like being in two places at one time. You can flick the
switch as you come and go. Somehow the switch almost seems to anticipate your whim--turn the lights on
or turn them off. By the way, a 3-way switch does not have on or off imprinted on the toggle like a
normal switch does. This is because one time the toggle might be flipped down to keep the lights
shining and up another time to do the same thing. As I said, it's almost like magic, and all contained
in a little device inside your wall!

The demonstration speech went well that day. I had fashioned a small wood-base display featuring two 3-way switches
in all their glory and showing the class how a 3-way switch, when wired correctly, can both turn a light
on or off from either side. If I recall correctly, I received an "A" for that speech but probably less on the
content or my speaking ability and much more on the excitement and enthusiasm I shared that day!

Over the years I have been blessed to use my electrical skills in a variety of ways. One such example was back in
the summer of 2019. I traveled with our church on a mission trip to West Virginia. I like West Virginia--it is the
Mountaineer state, after all. My main job on this trip was to install a new electrical service from the drip loop
back into the new main panel and run some new circuits for the house. And you know, all the while I was doing this, my
mind kept thinking about my uncle Woody and how he was so willing to ask me to help him that day so long ago. Uncle
Woody is gone now but I think of him often. I sure hope I thanked Woody for the magnificent opportunity he offered me
but if I didn't, I will do so now. Thank you uncle Woody! Thank you very much!