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It will provide enough power, but it will also be inefficient when compared to a dedicated car charger. It sounds like a USB-C charger, those are pretty easy to find.
agreed - like an old school version of this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGY21GZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RHW1SAC5SDXAEWDJHZ28?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Explanation is that something was piggy backed out of the receptacle, and that wire was loose. So there was current going through that receptacle, even though nothing was plugged to it.
I think it's the third instance of this that I see just today on Reddit, and every time people don't understand how it's possible since nothing was plugged in the receptacle. I think more people should replace their 20 year old sockets and make sure connections are tight (not criticizing, just observing) (or get an electrician to do it). Receptacles are cheap and it's a good opportunity to update to TR receptacles.
Or maybe even an AFCI/GFCI combo receptacle for each receptacle which is first in the circuit (only the first, it will protect the other ones downstream), which would add significant protection, if you don't have AFCI breakers.
That looks like a cat 5 line punched into a phone jack. It looks like the colored lines are converted to 4 lines at the screws.
Are you sure this was a network jack prior? Maybe a dsl connection?
Depending where it’s at you can get a simple surface mount cat5/6 box (like this Monoprice Surface Mount Box Cat6, Single (107092) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005E2Y9WY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_DK5GQ15WPJW9TEQ3A9VN) or you can cut a box in the wall (low voltage) and install a wall plate.
You would cut the cat 5 line out of that plate, then strip the wire back and install into the next box.
I’d add, while you can use a meter and they’re probably best for checking bare wire, these are invaluable for doing quick spot checks, seeing if the switch does indeed control the outlet across the room and well - doing the job they are meant to do.
The easiest way would just be a cover that has a blank on one side, e.g. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000HP5INW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_BNNYYVQH1D9NJH4ZK663?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Do you not like that for aesthetics?
Frankly I would keep it simple and go with Leviton again. 10-pack for $19.99, hard to beat. Currently the fancier sockets (commercial/hospital grade) are hard to find or excessively expensive for residential use.
Should last long enough for normal residential use and in 10 years, you can replace them again to be safe.
Please do not kill yourself doing this. If you're not sure, ask for help from someone qualified.
A nice upgrade would be to install an AFCI/GFCI combo breaker at the beginning of each circuit (first receptacle of the circuit, protecting the others downstream), if you do not have AFCI breakers in your panel. It's not mandatory but would help reduce the risk of electrical fires. Do this especially in living spaces (bedrooms, living room, dining room). You would need to identify which receptacle is the first in line.
Pay the extra for a Hubbell Plug, they are made way better than your run of the mill connectors. https://www.amazon.com/HBL5266C-HUB-GRD-PLUG-NEMA/dp/B016X3UFTS/
From your basic description, that's a "damp location," so you need a cord that's rated for at least damp. I've never seen any damp location rated extension cords, so a cord rated for "wet location" ("outdoor") is what you need.
2 for under $15
https://www.amazon.com/DEWENWILS-Extension-Weatherproof-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B08V932KV9/
also I do not recommend using an extension cord for extended periods of time--temporary use only.
Ha. it's not a junction box, it's a square 7.5" x 7.5" opening for the bathroom ventilation.
I stuck a work light there w/ a magnetic back to the steel frame. It's pretty useful. You can see the side of it in the pic.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DCL81W3/
Residential is pretty easy and except for services most is home owner level as long as you follow the rules. This is a good book I recommend and I use the mechanical version for myself.
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Check-Electrical-Illustrated-Wiring/dp/1631869167
My son would have ripped off the tape lickety-split. Outlet plugs are pretty cheap. It's a baby proofing item I'd definitely get. They're inexpensive. Amazon has 36 for $2.09.
Listen to Dustin Stelzer's (electrician u guy) podcasts as well. He's got all of the resources laid out.
Check here for relevant courses on theory.
For once, everybody who answered you is right! You might be surprised at how expensive things have become, so instead of trashing your cord you might want to repair it using something like this, which you can easily find at any hardware store, including Lowe's Depot. Also when using an extension cord be sure to tie the cords together so they won't have a tendency to pull apart.
Sprinkle that in the bottom of the panel. They walk through it and eat it to clean it off. They carry it back to their main nest if the panel isn't it. Others eat it cleaning up the nest. They die. Powder firm is safe in the panel. Doesn't take a whole lot to be effective.
>I can print a faceplate
That's a terrible idea.
Depends on width of box, sounds like you're looking for something like this round cover with built-in outlet
Don't know if that would actually work.
For my son and I to extend our rocket launch controller a good distance! I might as well just wrap some electrical tape around the wires every couple feet than buy new shrink tubing. I did find some relatively cheap stuff on Amazon:
Oh, I got a sign. I want something even more obvious. I also have a red blinking light already, but its switched on manually. It's easy for my operators to forget to switch it on however, hence my desire for an automatic system.
That's a very low current draw, any old lamp cord will be fine. Here's a random one on amazon but you can also get them in black, brown, transparent gold, ...
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Molded-8-Foot-White-54475/dp/B002DNM6SG
Wow, yes, you are indeed in way over your head.
Go old-school. Borrow every book on home electrical repair from your nearest library. Search amazon for home electrical repair books. There are many available used for a dollar or two, especially in home repair book series' from Home Depot or Black & Decker, etc. Example: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-Complete-Guide-Wiring/dp/1589236017
Read them through, and then read them through again. A 20-year-old home electrical book will not have up-to-date safety code information, but it will at least give you the major concepts and guidelines, and the groundwork for asking more informed and complete questions here.
For outlet issue: an outlet tester is a good first step, but it is only the very simplest tip of the iceberg. There are still all kinds of other things that can be wrong, when the tester shows good. It's like looking at the gas gauge on the car-- tells you if you have gas; doesn't tell you if your transmission is busted.
The outlet tester only tells you if the wires were hooked up in the right order. It doesn't tell you if your circuits have the capacity to run everything you want. Learn about circuit breakers and check the breaker panel for ones that have overloaded and shut off, when the outlet goes out.
Good luck!
I can't speak for the tester you are using, but if the wires are installed in conduit, the conduit can be used as ground, and thus grounding to the metal box is ok. They make a tester that is 3 pronged that has lights on it. When you plug it in, the lights will tell you if the wiring is correct.
Heres one - 3 speeds (tiny slider on side, main button on off...made to look like modern decora, good brand....but 1.5a max https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006UUIC4/
Amazon search 'fan speed control' knobs, sliders, wifi, remotes....
(Fan must use 1.5amps or less. MOST ALL normal residential/home fans should be ok. To confirm you can Google your fan model, look on the fan for its rating. Your current switch will say on the back also but a 'up to 5amp' speed control could be used on a smaller fan. Take a pic and Ask if questions. They do make larger wall controllers..but less common.)
> 15 amp Old Style Cutler-Hammer Arc Fault breaker
That is a current Eaton(Cutler-Hammer) CH Series breaker. They've been around for many, many years.
It's a CH115AF
So the sticker on the connection point is telling you that you need a 5 volt 1 amp DC power supply. Knowing that, Google can give you many results, via "5V 1A DC power supply for graco", one of which is this replacement on Amazon
I can't speak to the quality of that manufacturer, but that's going to be the type of replacement you need, with the barrel style pin connector. Hope this helps!
edits to fix typos and fix link. Also: not an electrician, but am a dad (and a lowly low voltage trunk monkey)
edit: looks like the bottom switches are for light and sound for the switch.
https://www.amazon.com/Aeon-Labs-AL001-W-US-White-AL001/dp/B00W7LRW6U
Should’ve thought of that. Here you go.
The wire nuts are where the light fixture was attached. There are four white wires together on one nut and two black wires on the other nut. The remaining 3 black wires and 1 white wire are all connected together.
Florida native here. In the last 20 years, I've spent three or four weeks on generator power, the longest outage of which was ten solid days.
We started out with a 3,000 watt Coleman camping generator. It powered the refrigerator, lights, fans and a window-unit air conditioner. For events that were a day or two, it was great. After our second, week-long outage, we retired that unit.
A few seasons ago, we upgraded to a dual-fuel 9,500 watt unit. It will power everything in our 3/2, 1,200 square foot house just not all at the same time. For example, if we are running the 3.5-ton central air conditioning system, we can't have the water heater or stove/oven running.
The lights flicker when the compressor kicks in and you can hear the generator struggling for a minute or so but it does the job for days at a time.
A power strip like this might work for your washer--you would plug the washer into the control outlet, and a lamp or something into the "power saving" outlet. So when the washer is drawing current, it would turn on the other outlet, and thus the lamp.
Don't have an answer for the dryer though, unless it's a gas dryer that only uses power for control and drum. Then another one of these would probably work.
https://www.amazon.com/ECG-7MVR-Energy-Protector-Autoswitching-Technology/dp/B0058DHO1W/
Clean the gunk off. Twist wire up nice.
Then try something like this:
5 Pieces 0.3ML Silver Conductive Wire Glue Paste for Electronics Repair Applications https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00FEFTHK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_65ESRQ7MV43ZE0CH1N9A
Pretty sure it will work. I think the conflicting information is simply due to the regulatory requirements of different markets in term of labelling. Or, maybe they only tested at 100V in Japan (where they use 100V), so they can only advertise 100V on the label for the japanese compliance part, but it doesn't mean it won't work at 240V.
If it was me ? I would use it. Worst case, it is a 5V 2A adapter, it's easy to find another one.
Which brings me to another point... op, why don't you simply get a european 5V 2A adapter ? Any 5V 2A USB phone charger would work. What is the connector at the output of the charger ?
PS: Op, you should be able to use this cable, with any USB phone charger that can deliver at least 2A (2000mA) at 5V : https://www.amazon.com/Ancable-2-5x0-7mm-3-5x1-35mm-4-0x1-7mm-Connectors/dp/B07SR2F75W/
As a homeowner I would suggest you own a little tester like this. It’s a completely safe way to see if you are experiencing the most common wiring issues. Check all the plugs you can, you would be surprised how often one plug in the house with incorrect wiring will be the reason for household issues.
Sperry Instruments GFI6302 GFCI Outlet / Receptacle Tester, Standard 120V AC Outlets, 7 Visual Indication / Wiring Legend, Home & Professional Use, Yellow & Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_T9FF29V137MN52HYZ26P
Have the output of your PIR sensor trigger what's called a "One Shot" timer set for 1 second, that then triggers the air valve. The One-Shot timer will not be able to reset until the PIR sensor timer changes back after a minute, so you will only be able to trigger it once per minute, but if the first shot works, that shouldn't be an issue.
Hope that works for you. I have ground squirrels, they dig everything up and get under the house. I am setting up something similar with a hose and sprinkler, but we are in a drought too, so water use is a problem. My next thought is to try to catch some snakes and let them loose in my yard.
You might look at something like this. No clue if this exact one will work or quality overall. You can also replace the "Universal" tip with the cord from the old PSU with a bit of soldering and shrink tube.
r/AskElectronics will probably be far more informative for your request as well.
You’ll need to get your hands on something called a step up step down transformer. I lived in Kuwait for a while and used one like this. Great success. Make sure the one you get is rated for at least 500w, and bigger than that if you’re able.
So I would not recommend buying that microwave but if you have to I would also recommend this SWITCH.
A receptacle can wear out but it takes a long time. I have replaced many receptacles that a worn out and that would barely hold a plug in or even not at all.
Another option is to just replace the receptacle eventually. A receptacle typically costs about $3 US and can be replaced by anyone after watching a few videos.
Also for context, there are some super cheap imported DC/DC converters on Amazon for instance like this : https://www.amazon.com/DROK-5-5-30V-Adjustable-Regulator-Converter/dp/B07VNDGFT6/
​
While they technically fit the bill, I would never connect something as cheap to a medical device
Get some Type-S adapters, some 15A Type S fuses, and replace all the 20A and 15A with 15A.
It's easy to adapt: Screw the new Type-S fuse into the adapter, then screw the combination where the old Edison base fuse was, and you're good to go.
Here is an example of a 15A Type-S adapter:
3 for about $10
>generator transfer switch adapter pigtail
I didn't know they made these.
Sure, that pigtail/adapter plugged into your generator -- then the L14-30 extension cord -- then the Pro Tran
And you just know that you can't wire up anything 220v - you should be good to go
this is the one I would recommend. It covers the 1,000 watts your rice cooker indicates.
Edit: I’d like to add as well, that if this were almost any other appliance, I feel the nominal “120v” your home supplies would be okay. My main concern comes from the fact that this appliance’s function is to heat something up, and with more voltage, comes more heat than what the unit might handle.
If you click on your link to the fixture, there's actually a PDF file available that lists suggested dimmers compatible. Under "Resources" > Suggested Dimmers.
Probably looking at spending more like $100 on a dimmer rather than the $27 one you're looking at.
https://www.amazon.ca/Lutron-DVELV-303P-WH-Electronic-Voltage-Dimmer/dp/B000MAUP58
If they're AFCI it's possible that one of your appliances is shorted to neutral and causing it to trip.
In my office/server setup, I use a Kill-A-Watt to monitor how much power is being drawn. This will tell you if you're getting close to using that 15 AMP limit.
Buy about 12 box extenders and stack them up to make a wire tunnel.
In seriousness, these boxes should work. I can get these from my local hardware store for about 4 bucks.
Those screw into a hub not an Edison base. I would just use these. Only $2 each. Not too bad. They will keep bugs and stuff out at least
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PCVTFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_0fB3FbEJDNZW1
Go on Amazon and get a pack of "plug saver"s or "outlet savers" get 16AWG. Something like this (but there may be cheaper, I just did a quick search) - https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Extension-Outlet-16AWG-13A-Listed/dp/B00CEJW0WQ
residential electrical code simplified
Worth every penny. Not just for homeowners, I had a copy for my apprenticeship. Has basically all pertinent residential code as well as layman friendly explanations and diagrams
Each of those little squares is an LED. They aren’t really intended to be individually replaced, as they last virtually forever, although I’m sure you could with a lot more knowledge/experience with electronics.
Is it getting power?
Is it basically like this? They aren’t expensive to replace the entire thing.
Would this one from Amazon be a safe choice? It says it’s ETL listed: https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Extender-Charger-Charging-6-Outlet/dp/B09F8PT1NC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1FEBNT4C1V7PH&keywords=surge+protector+outlet+with+switch&qid=1671648640&sprefix=surge+protector+outlet+with+switch%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-5
Would this one from Amazon be a safe choice? It says it’s ETL listed: https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Extender-Charger-Charging-6-Outlet/dp/B09F8PT1NC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1FEBNT4C1V7PH&keywords=surge+protector+outlet+with+switch&qid=1671648640&sprefix=surge+protector+outlet+with+switch%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-5
Thanks that is really useful. I had no idea about polarity being something I needed to watch out for.
From looking at what Amazon I reckon you are right with the barrel size. I found a multi-tip plug adapter that has that as standard so fingers crossed!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PFTNGHH?psc=1&smid=A3DJOH59PHY44Y&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp
Thank you :)
Check Thermostatic Mixing Valves (Amazon, $20 usd). It allows you to turn your water tank temperature much higher, so you have more hot water for your shower. Place the valve on your hot water tank. It will add cool water to the hot water to maintain a fixed temperature setpoint. If you are an americain, do NOT buy a valve with "G" or BSPP fittings - choose npt.
Example:
Yup, that's the idea.
In practice this isn't terribly reliable. It assumes the plate screw itself is grounded. In old houses that use metallic armored cable (BX) that's a fair assumption, but that ground path isn't guaranteed to be solid. Mainly just box clamped to cable, cable clamped to breaker panel cabinet, breaker panel cabinet should be grounded. Not as solid as a real ground but far better than nothing.
At minimum if you use one of these things throw an outlet tester on it to make sure you're getting any sort of ground.
This sort of 2-3 prong adapter is better because it doesn't have a wire, just a place to screw in.
Flickering power is a possible sign of a loose connection somewhere, possibly a neutral wire, which is bad for your electronics as it can make the voltage fluctuate UP as well as down, and electronics generally don't like UP...
Go to a hardware store and buy a little "Outlet tester" that plugs into the outlets and gives you LED indications of any improperly connected, bad / missing connections or lost grounds.
If you are wanting to check the voltage too, buy one like this.
The proper way to do this is with this: https://www.amazon.com/Dumble-Electrical-Outdoor-Enclosed-Trailer/dp/B09B81D2Q3/ref=asc_df_B09B81D2Q3/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=533588307500&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14912027477377750462&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019666&hvtargid=pla-1462128538311&psc=1
Your fix. Install a in use outlet cover that has a lock on it. When you lock up for day you can lock up your outlet too. Of course they can break it. But if you put a camera out there (even screw one in that doesn’t work) they won’t. Here’s a link to a cover that works like I say.
We moved in to a home with a wireless battery operated wall switch that had to be replaced because the buttons weren’t working. I replaced it with one I bought from Amazon Eogifee Universal Ceiling Fan
I can’t get the light to work correctly. There are a total of 3 black wires. Two come from the bottom of the box, one goes through the top and leads to the ceiling fan/light. I’ve tried every combination of connecting those three wires to the new switch, but it all leads to the same result where the bulb doesn’t operate correctly.
Some bulbs are on but dull in the “off” position, then as bright as normal in the “on position (first two pictures). Some bulbs operate correctly in the “off” position but are dull in the “on” position.
I haven’t incorporated the white wires at all. Is that what I’m missing or is it something else?
TIA for any suggestions!
You could replace the switch with a locking switch. Then you can still turn it on & off but only with a special key, so guess can't leave it off.
I was thinking something along the lines of this:
I got these long ass-lights: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B092HWCVMP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'd like to use the same amount of lights and splitting them off in different directions (option 2)
Instead of using line voltage, you can run POE in-wall, then use something like this to convert it to just power https://smile.amazon.com/PoE-Delivery-Compatible-Computers-Microsoft/dp/B07WPWMXZM/
Youre POE supply will need to be outside the wall or in an accessible space, but this is how I did it.
So I had an old dual circuit light switch downstairs and swapped it for this. And sorry, I meant to type 2 way switch in the title. There are 2 switches that control the lights in this circuit, one upstairs and one downstairs. I still need to test it some, but definitely flips the breaker when the motion switch is on and I go and flip the regular switch upstairs to turn it off. I also disabled the motion sensing for this particular light since it wasn't the target for the motion sensor and it works off of the timer switch. I might disable the timer and see what happens.
Ah, I see what you mean by thermistor now.. basically a resistor that decreases in resistance as it heats up. I guess if you got the right resistance of a thermistor, it might work ok. You'd have to calculate it based on the normal current draw of the LED light, and maybe buy several values to try them out to see which one worked the best. If you buy one that's too low in resistance, it won't help. If it's too high, it might dim the light too much. An assortment pack like this might be worth a try:
https://www.amazon.com/KOKISO-Thermistor-Resistors-Temperature-Assortment/dp/B09LS359K3
I'm just a homeowner but have installed lots of Kasa switches in the past and for my current home. Theoretically, you should always have line and load at a switch box (anybody correct me if I'm wrong). Line is the hot wire to provide the 120V and load is wired to your light (thus the name "load"). You can verify this by turning off the switch and only one wire should have power at this time (it's a different story if it's a 3 way switch) (You can test this with any voltage tester like this). So my guess is that you're just missing the neutral wire. If that's the case, any smart switches without requiring neutral wire would be the solution (I'd go with Lutron myself for their quality).
[here's one] that works with decora (rocker type) light switches (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-Lockout-Universal-496B/dp/B001925P6W/ref=asc_df_B001925P6W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167150389150&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18441822094209114815&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hv...)
The other poster already pointed out most of what was wrong there. It looks like the biggest issue is that they tapped into your ground wires with a neutral to make the 3-ways work.
Assuming you'd like to keep the 3-way switching for whatever those lights control, you have a couple options to fix it.
1) Run a new cable to that box from somewhere on the same circuit to get a real neutral.
2) Get a wireless switch setup installed for those two. The electrician will need to mess around with the wiring in a couple boxes, but it would likely end up being the cheaper of the two options.
How about something like this:
Your keep you light switch, just put this cover over it.
Here ya go
If you mean for a light switch, you need a light switch guard:
It’s a 12volt dc sign. Something like this should work.
>Nothing will prevent problems if you get a direct strike on that antenna.
That's a bummer. But, better to set expectations now.
>You want the lighting arrester as close to the mast as possible (you seem to have it inside the attic?).
Ya that part wasn't super clear in my diagram. I do plan on having the arrester fairly close to the mast.
>An additional "surge protector" wouldn't hurt but it's likely to do NADA if it isn't one that has a connection to ground as well.
If the surge protector has a three-prong plug and the outlet is grounded, would that be sufficient to see some benefit?
I use this one. The t-handle is nice once you get upwards of 50 or so. If you're torquing a lot of breakers at a lower setting, it helps too when your hand gets tired.
Unlikely that it'll work. It probably won't flow at all with a 20 watts bulb. The 25 watts bulb would be a close enough match.
Attempting to clarify since my original post referred to 2 separate outlet receptables:
When you said "The issue is that the 10-30 lacks a ground and your adapter connects the ground pin to the neutral", sounds like you are referring to my 10-30 receptacle at the front of the garage where I have the Grizzl-e charger and that I should check to ensure that the white wire is wired to the neutral bus in the panel.
Specific to the "120V abomination", are you referring to this Parkworld 6-20 Adaptor? I'm not considering any of the EV Doublers from the EV Doctor site. I agree that those are dangerous as you have a male 5-15 plug energized and exposed as soon as you plug in one side.
Thank you for your comments and explanation in the last paragraph. This would ensure that I could at least re-use that location for plugging in items. If I replaced the receptable as you mentioned, I get dual 5-15 or 5-20 plugs, but only at 110 volts right?
Thank you for your help! I'm in the uk and all I can find is one like this - https://uk.farnell.com/pro-elec/pe01090/power-cord-iec-c14-c13-3m-blk/dp/3361427. That won't plug into a plug socket. One end will fit into my mixer, but what do I do with the other end as it doesn't have a fitting that can go into a plug socket?
I moved into a new house 2 years ago, and started fooling around with the doorbell and transformer, all H. Improvement stores were charging a small fortune for the doorbells and transformers, so I ended giving up and returning everything. Removed the old equipment and bought this, so happy!
After a quick search:
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/renogy.com
No comment on your specific situation, but my interpretation of is that Renogy products and their customer service does not have the best reviews online.
This. I keep my little milwaukee with me pretty much at all times. Nice and light and plenty of power.
For cover plates, I have one of these jobs
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You can get a USB-C to 12V barrel jack cable and splice that in. That takes care of the PD negotiation and the barrel jack side only has two wires.
USB PD power banks are pretty common, just make sure it supports 12V output. Apparently 12V is not required in the spec, so some power banks and chargers will skip that one.
How about a couple of these?
Pretty standard connector, get something like this and splice the the new connector on to your existing cable. You’re going to struggle to use that connector since it’s split right the way down.
USB doesn't output 12V, it outputs 5V if there is no negotiation by the device. If you want 12V out of that USB-C port you either need a 12V trigger cable or a 12V trigger module, which tells the charger that it wants 12V.
Honestly, most microwaves should be on their own separate circuit due to their power draw. Without knowing your circuit layout there's no way for any of us to know what all is plugged into that circuit. Like, if you flipped the breaker that the microwave is plugged into and suddenly your tv, computer, and half your lights turn off then that would tell you that all of those things are on the same circuit as your microwave.
A 15 amp circuit is 1800 watts. Your microwave looks to be on the smaller side so it might be less than 1000 watts alone, maybe closer to 800 watts. Your fridge, also being smaller, could only be using 500 or less watts of power on that same circuit. Long story short, and going back to my original point, most microwaves are on their own independent circuit because of how much wattage they can use.
It might be best to put it on a different outlet/circuit than the refrigerator though you generally don't want to use an extension cord with a microwave if you can help it. If you can't help it then get a beefy extension cord like this one that, while is rated for 15 amp circuits, has 12 gauge wiring. Those will more closely match the thickness and protection of the original microwave power cord and, in my opinion, would be better than a 14 gauge extension cord even if the 14 gauge, 15 amp extension cord says it supports microwaves.
One can also use a PoE injector at one point and a PoE splitter at the cabinet. This way you can power any switch with a 12V/1A, 9V/1A or 5V/2A power supply.
That switch _provides_ PoE to other devices (like cameras & access points) and would need an outlet at that location.
A better way to search for one would be "PoE passthrough switch"
Here's another example: https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Gigabit-EdgeSmart-Wall-Mountable-TPE-521ES/dp/B07H28VLFZ
If you can't replace the cable an option is to install a relay next to the boiler to isolate the 24vac controls.
Those come with both the spring loaded like you have and metal clips that come seperate, look over the whole page and there's a video I believe on the bottom
Lutron Caseta is a popular model that doesn’t require one. They seem to be high quality with little issues.
The lights will probably have a single diode in them, if they work they work. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
A 3A AGC glass fuse will be fit for the secondary. I would protect the primary side with a 1A AGC fuse though. Something like this.
According to the drawing here:
It looks like you have 2.4 inches to play with. If you lift the outlet box about 3/4 inch for tile clearance, is there enough overlap to glue in the plug box?