Q:I was re-wiring a light switch and a fan control knob and I accidentally cut a wire too short. This wire comes out the front of the fan dial and goes around to the back, connecting to another wire, thus placing a wire nut impossible. Can I just link the two ends together, then seal it with electrical tape? Or do I have to buy a new fan dial (which will cost $25, a cost I'm trying to avoid)? Will just the tape be safe enough?

No they are NOT absolutely necessary, however the typical DIY'er does not have the skills or the tools to make a splice the old fashioned way. You can solder the two wires together after twisting them together in line and then cover them with shrink wrap. If you know what I am talking about and have the tools then wire nuts are not absolutely necessary, however if you do not have a clue how to do this or the necessary tools are then yes wire nuts are necessary. Just twisting them together and wrapping the connection with tape is not a good way to go.

Q:I have a 98 RS Eclipse (420a) and i would like some opinions and recommendations for spark plug wires. Who makes the best or very good wires for my engine??

The stock ones are made by Mopar. They fit and work.

Q:I have a 300 watt pioneer home stereo and four 15speakers that are250 watts each would it be ok to use this wire i just bought here is the link was wanting to know if it was ok to use if it seas car stereo wire thanks

Its not very good wire the CCA stands for copper clad aluminum in other words its not real copper wire its aluminum... You need good copper wire for best results... also Oxygen Free Cooper wire or (OFC) is even better look for copper wire they have it on OKorder...OFC is better because the copper content is higher but most copper wire is still good and has good copper content if its advertized as copper wire...

Q:You have been given two samples of wire: one nichrome, one aluminum. Describe a procedure you could use to determine which sample was nichrome and which was aluminum

If the wires are the same diameter and the same length then the only difference is the resistivity or ?ρ? of each since: ??Resistance = ρ???L ? A = 4???L ? (π???d)? ??????where??L = wire length ??and???A = cross-sectional area of wire ??or use??d = wire diameter Since the ρ_nichrome is much higher than the ρ_aluminum and given the two wires are the same diameter and length then if you connect the two wires in series across a battery, and measure the voltage across each wire, the wire with the higher voltage will be the nichrome wire because the voltage across the nichrome wire is:?V? = i???(R?) and the voltage across the aluminum wire is: ?Va = i???(Ra)? and the current i is the same through both wires and R? Ra ... or if you can just measure the resistance of each wire, ... the nichrome wire will have a higher value.

Q:A long horizontal wire carries a current of = 52 . A second wire, made of 1.00--diameter copper wire and parallel to the first, is kept in suspension magnetically 5.0 below.What is the magnitude of the current in the lower wire?

There is 1V across ampere meter. To find the current.... Current = 1V / meter internal resistance

Q:I have a '78 jeep cj7 with points type ignition, I was wanting someone to explain exactly how to wire up the coil, starting with the 3 wires from the ignition switch.

HI use a test light.. hook it up to ground and turn the ignition on. one wire should be hot that goes to the + of the coil. then have someone turn the switch to start (I'd disconnect the wire from the solenoid to the starter so it don't turn ) the test the other two wires one of them should be hot now. that also go the the + of the coil. The last wire well go to the - side of the coil.. You may ask why to hot wires to the coil... one only supplies like 5 to 9 volts to the coil which is all that is needed to run the motor. The other supplies a full 12 volts which is needed for start up only. good luck Tim

Q:I have an old house and am replacing a dimmer switch in the kitchen.The old switch is has only 2 wires coming out of the switch that are both black. From the wall 2 wires connect to the 2 black wires on the switch, one is black which I have concluded is hot and the other is red, which must be the common wire. My question is that there is a 3rd wired that is pushed into the electrical box that is capped and not being used. This wire is white. I can only assume that would be a ground wire, but why would it be white in color. Can you tell me what the coloring scheme was for wiring old houses? Now I can connect the switch and use only the black and red wire, but would like to ground it properly if possible.

To begin with, don't worry about the white wires tied together in the back of the switch box, that's normal to see in a switch box (outlet boxes are a whole different ball game). The only purpose of a switch (regular or dimmer) is to control the hot (black) side of the circuit that powers the light (or fan or whatever it is). To simplify this for you, just connect one black wire from the switch to the black wire in the box and the other black wire from the switch to the red wire in the box. That will make the connection and your light will work on the dimmer. If there is a green wire on the dimmer switch, connect that to the bare copper wire inside the box. If no green wire, then just screwing the switch to the box will ground it assuming it's a metal box. The metal box should already be properly grounded, you might see a bare copper wire screwed around a terminal inside the box. If the white wire is by itself (or tied in with other white wires) with a wire nut (cap) on it, don't worry about it and don't let it confuse you, it's just an extra wire that's not needed for the switch to work. The only case of where you'll see a white wire connected to a switch is if 14-2 wire was used instead of 14-3 wire (like in your case). 14-2 has a black, white, and bare copper wire. 14-3 has a black, red, white, and bare copper wire. The 14 just means the gauge (thickness) of the wire. And to confuse you even more, another case of seeing a red wire connected to a switch is if the circuit is a 3-way circuit whereas there are 2 or more switches controlling the same light. In your case though, I'm assuming this dimmer switch is the *only* switch controlling your light given your description. Keep in mind, YouTube is a great source for tutorials on doing electrical work if you need it. Just remember to kill the power to the circuit you're working on. Anyway, hope this helps, and good luck.

Q:What are the range specs when testing resistance on your spark plug wires ?

RE: What range in ohms are spark plug wires normal? What are the range specs when testing resistance on your spark plug wires ?

Q:what if I use a 100 amps.main braker to wire my range and dryer

Whoa there! What you're describing is a 120 volt outlet (U.S. Canada). Every dryer I know of operates from 220 volts. For a three-prong, 220 volt plug, you should connect the black to one of the hot terminals and the red wire to the other hot terminal. The white wire, which is neutral, would go to the common terminal. The outlet box you describe is a 120 volt box. . .it just won't work! If you're operating a 220 volt dryer from 120 volts, you're asking for trouble. Besides, for a 120 volt outlet, you've got the connections all skewed. Here it is as looking at the outlet from the front: Black (hot) to small blade (brass screw), White (neutral) to large blade (silver screw), Copper (ground) to green grounding screw. You may have to run a 220 volt line from the dryer to a new breaker in your electrical service panel. I strongly suggest you leave this to a licensed, qualified electrician.

Q:What is the use of Fence baebed wire?

to keep people in or out of certain places.