I honestly don’t see a reason why it would hurt if there’s nothing wired to the breaker. And it feels safer than leaving the contacts exposed since the metal cover is open on those slots. But I’m not sure if that’s the proper way.

As for the wire, I think it’s more so quality control. If it’s new and you bought it then you know it’s high quality and if it doesn’t work you can warranty your own work, but you can’t warranty old equipment. But this is another one where I can’t see the harm in using it if I am replacing a short strand of wire and it is the right length. Like I said, it’s type NM cable so it seems to be equivalent to modern romex wire, just a different brand.

That was a 240v circuit. It didn’t have a ground because it was 10/3. I had the money to get the stuff with a ground, but they were sold out and I couldn’t get anything for a few weeks so I went with the no ground but it is still up to code and manufacturer approved.

This does have a ground and black is going to the breaker with white and ground going to the ground bar.

Ya, there is asbestos in the house. It is wrapped around the HVAC in the basement. We were told to get it removed now because it’s not yet a health hazard so I’m working on getting that done. It’s still in good condition and it’s not dangerous until it starts to flake away. But the insulation is newer from a remodel when the last owner turned it into a duplex. So within the last 10 years I am pretty sure

12/2 is what I bought for the basement lights I’m working on. Everything I read said that was the appropriate wire to use so I never even co sidered #14

I knew it had glass in it but I wasn’t sure if that’s all it was made of. That and the paper backing just made me want to be cautious. But I do know how to handle insulation from tearing a room off my grandparents house a few years ago.

This is thankfully not knob and tube. The house is old enough for it though. Going in the attic you can see where the wires used to run

I’ve been through 6 electricians and 3 general contractors. Probably more but I can’t keep those numbers straight. They all show up to give a quote then never actually do the work. I’m tired of it.

That being said, the insulation just feels flammable to me. It’s clearly marked otherwise but the paper backing and stuff just made me want to double check

Ya, I know I need to jump the ground when wiring to power cable for the dryer. I was going to do 10/3 since I had the money for it, but lowes and Home Depot were both sold out when I went to pick it up. Whirlpool told me 10/2 would work so I just went with that in the effort of saving time. New dryer is delivered Tuesday so I want the wiring done before then. The 30a double pole breaker was easy though. Probably the least questionable part of this process

Yup, I already have the electrical tape to mark it. Though I was told I could mark it red or black and both are universal markings for hot wire. Is that wrong? It doesn’t matter here because I have red tape but for future reference it would be good to know

I just finished running the new wire. I really lucked out. My step dad has a 50’ fishing tape and a 10’ endoscope that I was able to borrow. I got a new 10/2 wire pushed through fine. I called whirlpool for the specifications and they said the dryer needs 30 amps and will work with 10/2 or 10/3 wire. I was gonna go for the 10/3 but both lowes and Home Depot were sold out so I went with the 10/2. Got a 25’ roll and it used most of it. Maybe a foot of slack

The insulation protects the stuff outside the wire from catching fire. The wires get hot while carrying a load. Neutrals always carry a load once the hot is powered on. Grounds only carry when something goes wrong such as a power surge. They carry excess electricity the neutral can’t handle and usually significantly less so they don’t get as hot. There’s no reason not to insulate a ground, and it arguably is safer, but the amount safer is noticeably less considering the extra cost. For a ground to get hot enough to catch something on fire several other safety measures would need to fail. In that regard it’s not necessary.

Always! I’ve been doing a lot of work but I still don’t mess with safety. Obviously the main will be shut off and I won’t be doing the work while home alone in case something does happen. But since it is 1 breaker, 1 wire, and 1 outlet all being replaced it does seem to be a pretty straight forward replacement

They are right. I was wrong. But the wire is getting replaced regardless. My step dad does a good bit of electrical work and said he doesn’t trust an aluminum ground on a 240v outlet

So, I have a problem with electricians. I’m running out of them lol. I’ve had 4 out already for other projects and I get quotes and in 2 cases even paid the first payment but no one actually shows up to do the work. So I have just been doing it myself.

That’s said, my step dad does a lot of electrical work so I do have a bit of help even if he’s not a full on electrician. He’s has tons of tools for this type of work and makes most identification pretty easy. He took a Quick Look at the picture and he said it needs replaced based on the fact that it has an aluminum ground so I am just going to run all new wire. At least I know now that it will be the right wire

Ok, so after reading a bit more, it seems the hots also act as neutrals so I will admit I was wrong there. The wiring looks correct in that case. My biggest problem was with the third wire being uninsulated because I’ve not seen that before. I swapped a dryer outlet in an old house to a EV outlet (nema 10-50R) and all the wires were insulated, which means the ground was too in this case. But if it’s a ground, grounds don’t need to be insulated so that’s fine.

However, my step dad who does general maintenance at a country club (and therefore their electrical) took one look and said it needs replaced because it’s got an aluminum ground and he wouldn’t trust that one a 240v outlet.

Fixing the existing 240v wiring doesn’t bother me. Like I said, I fixed that issue by eliminating the 2nd switch and running it like a normal switch. I’m in the process of rewiring the rest of the house, it just takes time with the cost. I have 2 spools of 12/2 wire to run the 120v circuits this month though I’ll probably need a 3rd and maybe a 4th.

This one stumped me though. Isn’t a neutral required to have the circuit work? My understanding was the neutral completes the circuit and runs the excess electricity back to the break panel, but the ground only exists in case of a problem like a surge or something else. In many situations which everything is working, and this part was told to me by an electrician, the ground is not actually used and is just a safety net.

So does a 240v outlet have 2 hots and no neutral?

Snaking wire without a guide for that distance is extremely tough. The normal way to swap out wire would be to tie the new wire to the end of the old and the pull the other end of the old. Since you can’t pull the old (it’s stapled and secured) you can’t pull the new through behind it.

To your edit, it should be 2 hots and a neutral is my understanding. Hots deliver electric and neutrals complete the circuit back to the back. In newer wiring the 4th is the ground but a 240v 3 wire has no ground. However, if it is a neutral it should be sheathed and individually insulated.

That being said, I’m not an electrician and most of this is just what I’ve learned from replacing outlets and rerunning 120v wire in this house. If an electrician wants to tell me I’m wrong I’m all ears