the_eric•8d agoProlific Poster

Saw a total wiring nightmare at Lowes last weekend

I was grabbing some conduit fittings at the Lowes in Tempe and walked past the electrical aisle. Some guy had his phone out asking for help matching a wire he pulled from his wall - it was that old cloth-covered stuff from the 50s. The employee just said 'yeah that's fine, grab some 14 gauge romex' without even looking at the amperage rating. Please for the love of god do not trust random store advice for your knob and tube replacement. Has anyone else caught bad advice like this at the big box stores?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_murphy8d ago

My buddy bought a "heavy duty" extension cord from Home Depot for his table saw. Guy at the register said it could handle 15 amps easy. Cord melted on his first cut. Ended up being 18 gauge with a 10 amp rating.

fisher.thomas8d ago

That "heavy duty" label really doesn't mean much anymore, does it? @cole_murphy, your buddy learned the hard way that the packaging and what the store clerk says are rarely reliable. For a table saw pulling 15 amps, you really need at least a 12 gauge cord, maybe even 10 gauge if the run is long. I always check the wire gauge stamped right on the cord jacket before I buy anything, it saves a lot of headaches and melted wires.

evan5438d ago

Has anyone else noticed that the same thing happens with those "commercial grade" garden hoses? I bought one that was supposed to be burst-proof and it split right at the fitting the first time I turned the water on full blast. Turned out the braided reinforcement was just a thin layer of polyester wrapped around cheap rubber. Now I check the PSI rating and wall thickness before I even look at the price tag. Saves a lot of wet shoes and frustration.