Recent content by NewRehabber

The previous residents of our new home doubled up the A/C units. They wanted the house really cold so they put in a second unit that runs together with the first. Our house is 5,000 square feet across 1 main floor and a finished basement. Eventually we'd like to separate the two units, but for...

I'm installing a z-wave smart switch for my outside lights, and I've come across a problem with the wiring. The previous light switch has only two wires coming to the box - a hot wire and then I guess a wire going to the lights (there are two sets on the house). The switch is controlled by a...

I recently purchased a new home and will be doing a lot of electrical work myself. I have enough knowledge and comfort with the subject to do most of the work myself. I'm educating myself along the way and am trying to get the right tools for what I'm doing. I have a basic set already, but one...

Hi everyone - i figured out the problem. I ended up using the multimeter to test the continuity between the two sets of wires, with each pair twisted together on one end. Neither showed a connection, so I climbed up into the attic and found buried deep beneath the insulation a severed wire...

Yep - I actually have a digital multimeter with a continuity tester option. I'm still learning how to use it.

I'm hooking up a SkyBell WiFi Video Doorbell and it requires use of a wired doorbell system (it uses the power from the doorbell's transformer). We're rehabbing the house and it had a spot for a wired doorbell/transformer and the wiring to the doorbell button, but no longer had a actual...

Thanks everyone for your help - this plan worked! Snoonyb - the light switch wasn't really being used for a light anymore - we had other options.

The wire I mentioned above that is "no longer hot" goes to another set of outlets that I forgot about. So to summarize, I have a set of wires on the left that have 2 hot wires (red and black) and one traveler. The set on the right have no hot wires. I don't know why there are 2 hot wires in one...

I disconnected the wire nut from the black wires. See attached photo.

There's no light anywhere. This is an older house that we just bought - so its possible the previous owner removed the light - or they put in the switch to control outlets. Though, there's no evidence of either those theories. Its very confusing.

I just checked and the red wire doesn't go to any of the outlets. There is an adjoining hallway with 3-way switches to the hall lights, and those have red wires - but those are on a different circuit.

I'm installing an alarm system and want to convert a light switch to a power outlet so I can have an easy spot to plug in the panel. The perfect spot in the house also happens to be by a light switch that seems to have been altered to provide constant power to some nearby (previously switched)...