06/03/2026
Is this actually legal, or is my apprentice coworker just inventing a new grounding method?
He’s been landing multiple grounds under the device ground screw like this, and it doesn’t look right to me at all. From what I understand, terminals are only allowed to be used for the number and type of conductors they’re listed for — so unless that green screw is rated for multiple conductors, this isn’t acceptable.
Wouldn’t the proper way be to splice the grounds together and run a single pigtail to the device/box?
Looking for the actual code reference before I bring it up at work. NEC 110.14(A) / 250.148? What do you guys think?
06/03/2026
Has anyone ever seen this before?
Walked onto a jobsite today and found an “isolated ground bar” setup that made me stop and stare for a minute.
I’ve been doing this for 30+ years, and somehow this is still a first for me. Green conductors everywhere, lugs hanging off the bar, and the whole thing looks like someone said, “Just isolate it… aggressively.”
Not sure whether to be impressed, confused, or concerned.
What are we calling this one — creative grounding, overthinking, or full-send electrical art?
06/03/2026
Apprentice here trying to make this make sense before I get roasted on the job
I’m struggling with all the grounding/bonding terminology — system bonding jumper, equipment grounding conductor, supply-side bonding jumper, grounding electrode conductor, grounded conductor, etc.
I drew out this 480V to 208/120V transformer setup the way I understand it, but I’m not confident I’m labeling everything correctly.
Can someone look at this drawing and tell me which conductor is which?
Like, which one is the grounded conductor, which one is the EGC, which one is the GEC, and where exactly the bonding jumper is supposed to be?
Trying to learn it the right way instead of just memorizing colors and hoping for the best. 😅
06/03/2026
Finally got the boxes to line up… mostly
This was a solar setup with five 3/4” conduits running up to feed the roof inverters. The roof attachment pyramids and prefab plastic molding pretty much dictated the spacing between the conduits, so we had to work with what we had.
Left side is the solar production meter, then the 400 amp disconnect, and the rest of the equipment tied in from there.
Because of the window, I knew I wasn’t going to get all the tops of the panels lined up cleanly, so I decided to line everything up by the bottoms instead.
Only thing bugging me now is the disconnects sitting a little low.
What would you have done differently here? Line up the tops, bottoms, or just send it?
06/03/2026
Handyman special of the day 😅
Nothing says “custom electrical work” like a GFCI plate and a 3-gang switch plate fighting for the same piece of wall.
I don’t know if the boxes were set too close, the wrong plates were used, or someone just decided, “Eh, trim it and send it.”
Technically it works… visually, it hurts.
Would you fix this properly, or is this one of those “close enough for who it’s for” installs?
06/03/2026
EV charger breaker is looking a little too spicy for comfort
This is a 50A breaker feeding a ChargePoint, with the charger limited to 40A. The car is showing around 9 kW, and my Iotawatt CT is reading about 9200W, so it’s sitting just under 40 amps — right around that 80% continuous load mark.
Breaker felt warmer than I liked, so I hit it with the thermal camera and it’s showing about 74.5°C / 166°F.
Wires are tight, breaker feels fully seated, and nothing obvious looks loose… but that still seems pretty toasty to me.
I’m leaning toward replacing the breaker before I trust it long-term. Am I overreacting, or is this a “don’t ignore it” situation?
06/03/2026
New build and my outlet tester is already throwing errors… should I be worried?
I went around checking the receptacles and found one outlet showing “open ground” and about 20 outlets showing “hot/neutral reversed.”
I understand what the tester is saying, but I’m trying to understand the actual risk here. How dangerous is an open ground? And what problems can hot/neutral reversed cause if everything still “works”?
Also, the last picture is something I found in the basement with the cables stapled/secured like that. Is that a simple fix with a proper junction box, or is this a bigger “call the builder back immediately” kind of situation?
Brand new house, so I’m trying to figure out if this is normal punch-list stuff… or if the electrical crew needs to come explain themselves.
06/03/2026
Brand new Klein lineman’s and I’m wondering if this gap is normal…
Just picked these up and noticed the jaws don’t close perfectly flush all the way down. There’s a visible gap through the cutting/ gripping area, and I’m not sure if that’s how they’re supposed to be or if I got a bad pair.
Before I take them back and look like an idiot at the counter…
Are new Klein lineman’s supposed to have a gap like this, or is this a return/exchange situation?
06/03/2026
You like?
Temporary power setup for a wedding reception, and yes… it looks like the panel ate a bowl of spaghetti.
Got everything landed, tied in, and ready to keep the lights, music, food, and chaos running for the night. Nothing like building a temp service in the middle of the dirt with a deadline and everyone asking, “Is the power on yet?”
Not permanent, not pretty, but it’s doing exactly what it needs to do.
Would you clean it up more for a temp setup, or is this acceptable for “one night and gone”?
06/03/2026
Pro liquid tight install spotted in the wild at a BBQ restaurant
Nothing says “licensed and seasoned” like a piece of liquid tight doing a scenic tour around the porch before it finds the light.
Why go straight, clean, and supported when you can add a few freestyle bends and make it look like the conduit is trying to escape the building?
The food might be good, but the electrical definitely came with extra sauce.