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Total noob here with electrical so I am not even sure what to search for. Hence my apologies if the answers were already posted and thank you in advance.
I live in a condo and have a detached garage that is connected with other garages as well and I assume power lines are connected as the condo management pays for the electric usage for the garages. One of the lights in my garage was dim and upon close examination, it was flickering with an orange glow. I know is not the bulb because it works fine on other sockets. It has been like this since I have bought the place and finally decided to investigate. It is a simple light socket fixture on one of the walls. I just figured it might be a bad socket and pulled it out to see some wires that looks nothing like what I saw online. Please see following pictures and apologies for the bad quality.
I can guess that the thinner black wire is the hot wire and the white one is the neutral. But what is that thick black one? It certainly does not look like a ground wire. Looks like there are 2 thick black wires where each is going into both the hot and neutral connections. Is this wiring even correct?
There is a junction box but I am not certain where the breaker box is and I do plan on talking to the handyman before I go any further but curiosity got the best of me and decided to see what was underneath.
Sound like good advice. Will talk to the office and see what they say. I just hope they don't make me pay for anything since technically, the garage is on the deed.
There is a junction box but I am not certain where the breaker box is and I do plan on talking to the handyman before I go any further but curiosity got the best of me and decided to see what was underneath.
There is no box there. There is a hole cut in the pressboard and you can see pressboard behind it. No box where there should be one. Plus it looks like the main wire is run in zip-cord (cord like is on a table tamp) which is NOT in any way shape or form legal. Don't bother with a handyman, get management involved. If they do nothing, get the local electrical division involved because what you have in the photo has the potential to be very hazardous, to the point of burning down the place if it shorts out.
Ah... yes... there is no junction box at that location where I took the picture. There is only one junction box in the garage but in another location. It appears there is one wire coming out of the junction box going towards the general direction of the light socket but not certain at all.
It didn't look legit to me either and I am wonder if the previous owner did this himself. At the very worst, will ask the management disconnect and handle this properly.
FYI - Sometimes those electrical connections come loose and will spark when that happens. That can start a fire. An electrical box will contain those sparks.
Total noob here with electrical so I am not even sure what to search for. Hence my apologies if the answers were already posted and thank you in advance.
I live in a condo and have a detached garage that is connected with other garages as well and I assume power lines are connected as the condo management pays for the electric usage for the garages. One of the lights in my garage was dim and upon close examination, it was flickering with an orange glow. I know is not the bulb because it works fine on other sockets. It has been like this since I have bought the place and finally decided to investigate. It is a simple light socket fixture on one of the walls. I just figured it might be a bad socket and pulled it out to see some wires that looks nothing like what I saw online. Please see following pictures and apologies for the bad quality.
I can guess that the thinner black wire is the hot wire and the white one is the neutral. But what is that thick black one? It certainly does not look like a ground wire. Looks like there are 2 thick black wires where each is going into both the hot and neutral connections. Is this wiring even correct?
You are messing with things that can and will kill you in short order.
I am always amazed when people admit they know little to nothing about very serious topics start going about "repairing" or changing things.
Anyone who guesses about electricity and tries to repair or change related things is a fool. Sorry to be harsh but have you stopped to think about what you are doing to save a buck?
More amazing are those who they to help the obviously unprepared, they are a culpable if something goes wrong.
Any advice other than to STOP and get qualified help is negligence.
Get qualified help. You are risking your life and the life of others.
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