After months of rambling on the wonders of waffles to my UK housemates, I was gifted the best present ever...
a waffle maker! I am desperate to make this thing work. Need electrical advice.
[more inside]
posted by iamkimiam
on Jan 12, 2012 -
34 answers
Help me understand the national electric code with regard to rewiring and updating several rooms in my 1940s-era house.
[more inside]
posted by JohnFredra
on Dec 6, 2011 -
8 answers
I'm about to teach a soldering class to kids, and it occurs to me that I may blow a fuse in the room that I'm doing the event in if I plug too many in at once... Any idea of how to gauge how many I can plug in simultaneously? This is the soldering iron I have.
http://www.elexp.com/sdr_5258.htm Ideally, I'll plug in 12 at once... thank
posted by davidvan
on Nov 29, 2011 -
6 answers
My new flat has a prepayment meter for gas and electricity. I think we want to switch to a credit meter, but I'm not sure and I don't really know what I'm doing so I'm afraid of screwing this up. Help?
[more inside]
posted by Put the kettle on
on Nov 18, 2011 -
6 answers
Why does my electric range trip the circuit breaker when the oven and all burners are used? This behavior is new.
[more inside]
posted by wnissen
on Nov 14, 2011 -
17 answers
What can I do to reduce static cling on my glass coffee grinder hopper so less coffee sticks to the sides and makes a big mess?
[more inside]
posted by leahwrenn
on Nov 11, 2011 -
20 answers
What is it like to work on a tree/line crew restoring power after a big storm?
[more inside]
posted by mskyle
on Nov 1, 2011 -
8 answers
So I'm watching The Stand, and I noticed late plague, the power's still on. So how long will the power run without maintenance.
[more inside]
posted by garlic
on Oct 9, 2011 -
31 answers
Has anyone had a fatal electric shock while working on a computer? Is there any data?
posted by parallax7d
on Oct 6, 2011 -
17 answers
Our 11 year old refrigerator stopped getting cold enough (42 to 48 degrees). It's done this before and we've replaced parts. This time I decided enough and replaced the unit. Now this new LG refrigerator is doing the same thing. I've had a tech come out and they replaced the board with all the pertinent parts and it still isn't getting colder. But I've plugged in our old unit in the garage, where it is cooler, and now it's at the correct temp. Is it possible that it can be something to do with the electrical outlet? Wouldn't the service guy have had something to test that?
posted by miramy
on Aug 22, 2011 -
13 answers
I just bought an electric car -- Nissan Leaf -- and I am curious about what it'd take to start a commercial quick charging station in my area (Santa Monica, California). How do I best frame my thinking and analysis?
[more inside]
posted by haykinson
on Aug 17, 2011 -
8 answers
Need a step-down converter for plugging a printer sold in the US (110V power) into a 3rd-world socket (240V power). I get the voltage part but watts and amps and such are a bit beyond my electronoobicity.
[more inside]
posted by allkindsoftime
on Jul 27, 2011 -
18 answers
Assuming an island with its own supply of power via generator and/or solar power, how much electricity is consumed to turn N liters of sea water into potable drinking water?
[more inside]
posted by thewalrus
on Jul 27, 2011 -
11 answers
Wires, cables - I hate them. What options are currently available (or
really just around the corner) to make my world wireless.
[more inside]
posted by HopStopDon'tShop
on Jul 25, 2011 -
6 answers
I know you are not my electrician, but: Why does this electrical power outlet no longer work?
[more inside]
posted by docgonzo
on Jun 27, 2011 -
8 answers
There's a downed cable/wire in my building's backyard. It is similar to
this previous question, but there is no serial number on the wire so I can't confirm what it belongs to. Also, one side is attached to our building and the other end is attached to...nothing. What do I do with it?
[more inside]
posted by bibbit
on Mar 29, 2011 -
7 answers
I got a mild shock while putting together a seed starting light set-up in the unfinished basement of my rental apartment. The light was
unplugged when I received the shock. What gives?
[more inside]
posted by Knicke
on Mar 26, 2011 -
6 answers
How can the new Macbook Pros use 90+ watts of power when they only have 85W power adapters?
[more inside]
posted by mpls2
on Mar 25, 2011 -
6 answers
Please help me find the lamp I want (or tell me that the one I can find is hackable).
[more inside]
posted by dame
on Mar 18, 2011 -
11 answers
Do natural gas and oil fired power plants release radiation in the form of radium, or otherwise? How much radiation per MW would be released by a typical plant? Would the release of such elements be reduced by cogeneration of steam?
[more inside]
posted by evidenceofabsence
on Mar 15, 2011 -
10 answers
I've just moved into a new place that only has storage heaters for heat. However, the tariff on the electricity does not have an offpeak component. Given this, I was wondering if there's any point in using the storage aspect of it (if its more efficient, for example) than just using the 'boost' function that gives you heat instantaneously.
posted by vckeating
on Mar 12, 2011 -
3 answers
My oven "trips" the GFCI outlet it's plugged into. Is this an oven problem or an outlet/wiring problem?
[more inside]
posted by celilo
on Mar 1, 2011 -
10 answers
I am looking for quantitative information on energy demand for mobile devices with low power requirements, such as alarm clocks, book lights, TV remotes – things that usually require batteries to run (but not devices with higher power requirements like smartphones or laptops). Does anyone know where I can find such information?
[more inside]
posted by Rickalicioso
on Feb 22, 2011 -
4 answers
I want to convert a wall switch into a door switch (for a wardrobe light). Is this easily feasible?
[more inside]
posted by ddaavviidd
on Feb 16, 2011 -
5 answers
How much current does an AC adaptor draw when it's plugged in but not powering anything, or the device to which the adaptor is attached is powered off?
[more inside]
posted by RockyChrysler
on Feb 9, 2011 -
18 answers
My power strip has been spontaneously switching itself to off when my microwave's going. Nothing's plugged into it but that microwave. What's going on? Is the microwave safe to use?
[more inside]
posted by cadge
on Jan 25, 2011 -
15 answers
My bedroom is wired like a Myst puzzle. How is my ceiling light fixture supposed to be powered? If this isn't something I can fix myself, how much might an electrician charge? Pictures and diagrams inside.
[more inside]
posted by 0xFCAF
on Jan 24, 2011 -
8 answers
I am getting constant electric shocks in my apartment, no matter what surface I touch (including other humans.) This is really annoying and doesn't happen in other locations. Is there anything I can do to prevent these shocks?
[more inside]
posted by melodykramer
on Jan 5, 2011 -
10 answers
Does anyone know of detailed instructions for building the kind of microbial fuel cell described
here? Or know enough to explain to me how it's done?
posted by ryanshepard
on Dec 18, 2010 -
2 answers
Every time I take the train, just before leaving or entering the station, all the lights go out and it seems like the ventilation shuts off too. A couple minutes later everything comes on again. Why does it do that?
posted by Sully
on Dec 17, 2010 -
12 answers
I want to install solar panels when I replace my roof next summer. What do I need to know about manufacturers, incentives, and costs? I am in Washington state.
[more inside]
posted by bq
on Dec 14, 2010 -
10 answers
Where to buy a 4 1/2" outlet box that is open on both sides for back-to-back light fixture installation?
[more inside]
posted by Jim Biancolo
on Dec 12, 2010 -
7 answers
What just went ka-bing on my stove? I was just cooking pancakes on the stove. The oven was also on at 300 degrees, to keep the pancakes warm as they came off the griddle. The overhead bonnet light was on as well.
Suddenly there was a strange flash. It happened in such a fraction of a second that I cannot tell you where it was from. It was like a tiny red sparking mini-explosion -- somewhere! I turned off the stove -- and could NOT turn off the light on the bonnet!
[more inside]
posted by keener_sounds
on Dec 6, 2010 -
8 answers
I would like to have a time series of hourly electricity spot market prices, for at least one year, possibly more, to test a statistical model I'm investigating. Can I get them for free anywhere?
[more inside]
posted by themel
on Nov 30, 2010 -
4 answers
Why is my car randomly not starting? I just installed a new stereo head unit and I assume it has something to do with the ground...
[more inside]
posted by lakerk
on Nov 12, 2010 -
4 answers
Two sets of dual light switches control two lights at the top and bottom of my staircase. One switch on each set stopped working, why and how can I fix it?
[more inside]
posted by wigner3j
on Nov 5, 2010 -
6 answers
What would happen if you had a radio attached to a power outlet and you like dropped that radio in a lake? Would everyone in the lake die? How would it work?
posted by xmutex
on Nov 5, 2010 -
17 answers
When we use our Kitchenaid mixer plugged into one socket, the coffee grinder plugged into a different socket starts to grind, sort of. What the hell?
[more inside]
posted by fatbird
on Oct 31, 2010 -
14 answers
Looking for anecdotal data: when you switched to a time-of-use electrical meter for your
residence, what happened to your bills in the first year, and what changes did you make that seemed to have the largest impact?
[more inside]
posted by davejay
on Oct 25, 2010 -
1 answer
I just bought a Gardner Bender GET-3213 Voltage Tester. It doesn't seem to work...what am I doing wrong?
[more inside]
posted by randomstriker
on Oct 20, 2010 -
11 answers
