u/MT3426

This thing has just been chugging along, but stopped turning on one day.

It looks like there was some old (chronic) water damage to the wall the outlet was in (plug had some corrosion).

The microswitches seem ok. Door latches fine. Tried replacing the control board - still doesn't turn on. Couldn't find where the fuse is (not on control board).

Can try to replace the touchpad, but I think touchpad issues usually show up as partial lights on, not completely unable to power on.

Wondering if anyone might have any ideas?

Thank you kindly!

Given the issues with EV charging on a lower quality receptacle, should there be concern about using lower quality receptacles for other "higher load" devices (induction stove, heat pump dryer, heat pump water heater)?

Some of these may also be "on" for extended periods of time.

We don't have electric stove/dryer/water heater yet, but electrician pre-wired 50A/30A/30A circuits for these.

Looking at the dryer receptacle (looks a lot like the ones that get crispy when used for EV charging) is what brought up the question.

Thank you!

For those considering whole house rewiring (for old knob and tube) +/- panel swap/upgrade, these are the things we wish we had known before starting the process:

1) Great reviews mean others liked working with that person. They don't necessarily correlate with technical ability or sense of quality/design.

It’s like friends who rave about their surgeon. That surgeon may be a nice person, but most people have no accurate way of assessing a surgeon’s technical ability or artistic/design sense.

So... read reviews, but remember that they don’t necessarily correlate to technical ability or design ability.

2) If you want/are willing to pay for higher quality/higher durability materials, communicate that early. Just saying “we want higher quality” isn’t enough. Everyone's sense of "quality" is different, and no one thinks they install “inferior quality” materials. Ask what they plan on installing (what exactly is included in the materials side of their proposal). Put in the time to figure out what you want so materials are ready to go when the installer is ready to proceed.

3) Put things in writing. Double check as job progresses. The person who did the bid may not be the person that manages the project or the person who is on site doing the install.

One assumes there is clear communication, but balls get dropped, things get forgotten or miscommunicated.

4) Electrians are not lighting designers.

Be careful about 6 inch recessed lighting. 6 inch holes are really big. 4" are plenty to give adequte lighting. Lighting afficionados advocate going even smaller.

Do you want all your lighting to come from downlights/recessed lights? If not, might want to consider fewer than recommended number of recessed lights.

Every contractor will have their own perspective of what looks good. Figure out what you want, so you can find someone who isn’t fixed on their way is the “best/right” way. (grids, excessed # of recessed lights, using very large sizes, etc).

Dimmers will likely be needed. The average downlight is really bright.

Dimmer switches are physically larger than normal wall switches. Helpful to have deeper gang boxes to fit them into. It’s less work for an installer to stuff things into existing gang box, but overfilling is not to code. Have larger boxes ready (or ask contractor to provide them) and ask for them to be used.

5. Miscellaneous:

It’s helpful to be on site/readily availabe, especially for a retrofit. Unexpected things come up. Plan A may not work, and they may have to improvise to figure out plan B.

You can work from home while it’s being done, but it can get pretty loud at times, so plan accordingly.

Cutting into drywall will be dustier than expected. Dust gets everwhere.

We’re grateful for the kindness of Redditors as we scrambled to learn more about this process, lighting and what materials to get, etc. Posting this in case it is helpful for others!

Those who have hired contractors to refinish their hardwood floors:

Any tips on the process? Things to do/not do?

Does the type of stain and number of coats matter?

Is there a difference between the quality of the materials used, and if so, which materials are best?

How long should a refinishing last?

Is there anything you would have done differently?

Thank you!

Has anyone used this? MACL-L3T251BG

https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-Maestro-75-Watt-Single-Pole-MACL-L3T251BG-WH/dp/B0FX3DVC7J?

Just installed a panasonic whispersense bath fan/light, wondering if there is a way to put a timer on the bath fan, and be able to dim either the bath fan light or another light in the bath on a single gang.

And is it a reliable unit?

We're new to Lutron. Electrician said something about Maestros being a little less reliable over the long run than physical dimmers like the Diva. Said it was because it had more parts that could break, and that just from experience, they've had more callbacks/replacements on Maestros.

Is this accurate? Or was it maybe known bad batch(es) in Maestros that is skewing his experience?

Thank you all!

https://preview.redd.it/22zqed3l6ptg1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57b4e76b665a30f88974c2d6ac83be90efaaa07f

We've had three opinions. One said: "paint/seal the (rotted) end"

Other two said: cut the rafter end off (make the cut way beyond the wall, beyond where it sits on the top plate), and replace that entire removed rafter section with another piece of wood.

Why the need to cut/repair the rafter beyond where it sits on the top plate?

The answer we got so far was "this is how it had to be done."

Can it just be cut off at the exterior, where the rot ends?

Thank you!

Carpentry experts: any advice on what should be done for this?

We've had three opinions. One said: "paint/seal the (rotted) end"

Other two said: cut the rafter end off (make the cut way beyond the wall, beyond where it sits on the top plate), and replace that entire removed rafter section with another piece of wood.

Could someone advise why the need to cut/repair the rafter beyond where it sits on the top plate?

https://preview.redd.it/pkfqvdic6ptg1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ffe2f23cb8404001ef1b9d0bbfe9a2455b486763

The answer we got was "this is how it had to be done."

Can it just be cut off at the exterior, where the rot ends?

Thank you!

Electrician put a Diva dimmer on bath fan light, which is wired to a single Halo RL 4" recessed canless downlight. (Bath fan motor is wired to Maestro timer.)

The two lights dim fine from full brightness. If turned off at dimmed setting, when turned back on, there is a sluggish turning on of the bath fan, followed by a sluggish turning on of the Halo downlight. This delayed and staggered "on" is less obvious as the dimmer brightness increases, and minimally noticeable at full brightness.

Someone on the Lutron subreddit kindly advised that different kinds of lights aren't supposed to be put on a single dimmer.

The electrician had to struggle to put the plate on because the gangbox was so tight. Feel bad about asking him to take it all apart again to remove the dimmer.

Will this setup (bath fan light + downlight + diva dimmer) lead to issues with any of the parts of the system (eg early burnout, etc) or a safety issue?

Or is it mostly a uneven dimming/"cosmetic" issue (which we can live with)?

Thank you!

House having old electrical wiring replaced (wire fished through drywall holes).

Holes need to be patched, some rooms will need to be fully repainted.

Hardwood floor needs to be refinished at some point.

Is there an optimal sequence for completing the patching/floor refinishing/painting? Our limited understanding is doesn't make sense to paint before the refinishing because of the dust/scuffing of drywall/baseboard that can happen. Should it be patch/drywall --> floor refinishing --> painting?

Drywall contractor said maybe drywall --> paint primer --> floor refinishing --> painting?

Thank you!

Electrician tried to put a Lutron Diva on the bath fan light/canless recessed light, and it dims, but not to 0%.

Google says: A Lutron dimmer will not turn off or dim if it is connected to a non-dimmable LED bulb, an exhaust fan motor (which will burn out if dimmed), or if the load is too low for the dimmer to operate correctly.

Specifically, bathroom exhaust fans must never be dimmed; they require a standard on/off switch or a separate fan control module to avoid motor damage.

Fan Motor Issue: Using a dimmer on a bathroom exhaust fan is unsafe; the fan motor will not dim and may overheat or burn out. The solution is to use a Lutron Maestro Fan Control (which switches the fan at full voltage) paired with a separate dimmer for the light, provided the wiring supports separate circuits.

Is the part about "dimmer on bath fan unsafe" accurate?

Thank you!