In the past year or so, around four MacBook chargers have basically stopped working (I've lost count as this includes a couple of old chargers from early MacBooks we had lying around), all in mysterious fashion. Generally they overheat more than I think is normal, and often they switch to the dreaded, "Not charging" status. On one of them, the rubber insulation melted completely then buckled. I am wondering whether it's just a coincidence that so many chargers have died, or if the wiring in our old house could be to blame? [more inside]
posted by nosh, daven, shtup on Jul 13, 2012 - 9 answers

Can I convert these light fixtures from 220-240v to 110-120v? [more inside]
posted by arcticseal on Jul 1, 2012 - 10 answers

Hooray! I got my employers' approval to get some electrical work we've badly needed for a long time in our lab/office suite done. I have no word-of-mouth recommendations of local electricians to go on, so I'm checking around online and trying to get quotes. As such, I have a few questions on how to most effectively screen for quality, recognize a fair price for the work, and deal with the etiquette aspects of the quoting process. [more inside]
posted by aecorwin on Jun 28, 2012 - 10 answers

How do I learn basic electrical safety? [more inside]
posted by ollyolly on Jun 21, 2010 - 6 answers

How to route electrical cable around a pipe, a question about a floor box for an electrical outlet in a kitchen, and a good book for general home electrical work? [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Apr 21, 2010 - 7 answers

Blue and brown wires inside my PC's PSU....which is hot? Also, where can I learn some basic electric skills and knowledge so I'm not always deathly afraid. [more inside]
posted by pilibeen on Mar 8, 2010 - 34 answers

Please help me identify these electrical thingies in the house we are buying. [more inside]
posted by Eringatang on Mar 4, 2009 - 21 answers

Odd electrical behavior in my bathroom? [more inside]
posted by silsurf on Feb 18, 2009 - 16 answers

Where can I find good electricians, plumbers, handymen, and whatnot in Baltimore? Is there a centralized resource where people can find out who's good, who's cheap, whose repair work is going to need repairing by another contractor, etc etc? Must one rely on word-of-mouth or blindly picking a name from the phonebook?
posted by schroedinger on Aug 8, 2005 - 4 answers

Electricity: I'm wiring up a new dishwasher with the power cord from the old dishwasher. Just to make things interesting, the power cord has absolutely no indication of which side is positive and which side is negative. Is this because it's AC and it doesn't matter? I'm in the US on 110.
posted by yerfatma on Dec 6, 2004 - 14 answers

I have an old house with old wiring in the walls. The question inside is about installing window air conditioners. [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on May 16, 2004 - 21 answers