Recent content by Bill25cycle

Hi - I'm an electrician - thanks for the 'detailed' question... In general I know what I would do if I didn't want to spend a huge amount of Cash...... 3.8 kw (16 amperes on a 20 ampere circuit) seems to be very do-able. That would add several miles per hour of charging to your car - so...

The basic problem here is that if a Nema 5-15 (standard ubiquitous 120 volt receptacle) is tapped off of a 14-50 (which most inspectors will not allow anyway), it has to be overcurrent protected at 20 amperes maximum.... Companies sell various 'combo' outlets which - if it is intended to tap...

I wouldn't blame the electrician here... I blame Stores like Home Depot for selling the Leviton Junk. Years ago I installed a Leviton 6-50 and then when installing it, using only moderate torque, the white-metal threads of the attachment lug stripped. I threw the junk in the garbage and...

I'm really getting sick of Leviton in general. Home Depot as a for instance sells plenty of the Leviton Crap. Pull chain basement ceiling lights break after 4 on-off cycles, after REPEATED replacement - meaning nearly 100% of them are Junk. (The Legrande stuff at Lowe's is also made...

I bought many old junker cars that always had manual brakes, and manual steering. Maybe slightly built women absolutely needed them but it was second nature for any reasonably fit male. The issue he is talking about here seems to have a big safety issue. During any kind of power assist...

When you are in a bad situation, it matters not what self appointed experts call low voltage. I can tell you that there is a WORLD of difference between 120Y/208 and 277Y/480 (Canadians have even more danger at 347Y/600), and the same grade installation that will quietly burn clear at 208 will...

I'm close by in Buffalo, New York.... I've been doing everything electrically for a while now - besides 3 plugin cars, I also have only solely electric tools. As far as lawnmowers I have had for 6 years a horribly underpowered (plus this thing is only good for the smallest yard anyway) TORO...

This site will have a bit of an electric bill. - I'm estimating 5000 kw on a day like Labor Day. Possibly 2 separate electrical services on the low voltage side. Very interesting!

That's not such a bad deal... In my state - such an arrangement would be at commercial rates (non-demand since under 2000 kwh/month), and would be about 14 cents/ kwh plus a $25 billing charge. That is the non-residential rate here, which you'd have to pay since you don't live in that space...

oK, so your marginal cost (ignoring the $20/month billing charge) is $0.153 (15 1/3) cents per kwh. Considering you live in downstate NY state, that is really not too bad. In Western NY (buffalo), I pay about 12-13 cents per kwh, (my true marginal cost including taxes), ignoring the $18.06...

You are apparently the one who cares excessively about what other people think. If you had read any of my other material, you'd realize that was very embarrassing to you to say that... Florida has hotter weather, has no rolling blackouts, and no state income tax. Suffice it to say that you...

Hi David - Is the purpose of the separate service to get a special rate from your Utility? Not sure whom it is, but I know even National Grid (which I have in Buffalo, which charges, including taxes and fees, about 12 cents per kwh after around $18 for the billing charge) charges much more in...

Another Big Expert here.... At least I freely mention when I don't have absolutely all the facts. But to repeat - temporary outages are going to be seen in time to be a very minor issue. Amazing to me that THAT fact is such a mystery here. I'm glad I'm 400 miles north west of NY city, by...