New Electrical Panel

Old Electrical – Inside

Like many older houses in the area, ours had the electrical panel on the outside of the house.  Since we’re in a “rurban” area, that means we have “power issues”.  Nearly every good lightening storm seems to throw the main breaker.  What this means in practical terms is that DHB sweetly slogs outside to stand in puddle and reset breakers so that we can power back up.  Oddly, he keeps ignoring my suggestions to wear a tin foil hat and hold up his 9-iron while doing this despite my repeated assurances that his life insurance is paid up.

Because of this and the existing spaghetti wiring, we decided to have the main panel moved inside.  This way I don’t risk having an extra-crispy DHB every time we get a good near by lightening strike.  We also decided that since we were doing this that we’d wire in a whole-house surge suppressor. It lets us work on re-wiring the house ourselves.  So those summers spent working with my uncle, the electrician, are not in vain.

We spent quite some time attempting to contact someone to help us with this particular project since us mere mortals aren’t allowed to disconnect an electric meter.  We finally found someone to do the work after about 2 months of looking.  We had to wait for him for another 2 months before he had an opening in his schedule to actually come and do the work.  Most of his work is apparently commercial and he doesn’t really do residential so he seems to stay pretty busy.

 

New Acquisitions: Antique Lighting: Sconces

Sconces are always a nice touch to finish off a hallway, mantel, bedroom, etc. We were travelling through one of our local antique / used furniture stores and saw these pretty things peeking out from under assorted pieces of …. well … stuff. (No matter what the SO tells you, it was I, DHB, that found these wonderful things. I have TALENT!)

Anyway, with a little cleaning, some re-wiring and the replacement of the inner workings (replacement parts are available at most hardware stores – even the big box stores) these lovelies will be ready for wherever we decide to put them in our steampunk – themed house!

New Aquisitions: Antique Lighting: Fixtures

Okay, well we probably aren’t the only ones to shop the antique and junk stores looking for items to use in a renovation. And, if you’re like the so and myself, you really enjoy seeing what booty others have rescued. Since we never disappoint here at the celeste project, we thought we’d blog about two antique light fixtures we’ve recently purchased.

Morrighu:  we spotted this little gem sitting under and behind a lot of 50’s era kitchen items.  It was there peeking out from behind a potato masher, a couple of hand turned egg beaters, and some wooden spoons.  I wanted to grab it but there was another couple perusing the booth and short of body-slamming them to the floor, we were going to have to wait.  Pretending to be disinterested, i went over to another booth.  Finally, they left and i swooped in and grabbed this little treasure.

white metal with sprayed paint coloring (still mostly there after all these years) chandellier (after a fashion, i guess), the wiring is brittle and cracked and some of the receptacles are clearly not safe to use.

Like all of our other finds, a little time spent cleaning, repainting, and replacing the innards and workings will result in a beutiful fixture that will likely grace our living or dining room (we wish we had a foyer too lol).

 

Must Have: Functional (temporary) Laundry Room

Okay, so I know I’m a guy and all. And I know that there are things that I am SUPPOSED to want: power tools, a fancy garage, machiney whirry zoomy things… yeah, I know all that. BUT…

Since I am the DHB (DearHunnyBunny) and since I am an unemployed lawyer, I am in charge of the laundry services here at the Celeste Project. Laundry is an easy chore, right? Nope, not here. Laundry (when you don’t have one) involves collecting all the clothes, hauling them to the car, driving to the nearest metropolis (Leonard), at an ungodly hour (because there’s this other fellow who likes to smoke his camel cigarettes WHILE doing his laundry), hoping you get enough washers, hoping you brought enough change (because the change machine never works), and so on.

But really, you have to have CLEAN clothes. And, when doing a reno, you get a lot o dirty clothes. What’s more, when you live where you’re renovating, EVERYTHING gets dirtier (no matter how much you clean). Like a bathroom, and operable laundry room is a necessity.

When we moved in what we THOUGHT was an operable laundry area, turned out to be a SCARY laundry area. Let me explain:

(1) Water Leaks. Not apparent during our two walk throughs were the water leaks. Why not apparent? Well, the water was shut off. I know, I know, you are SUPPOSED to have the water turned on during inspection, but this was a HUD property and HUD doesn’t have the water turned on for the inspection (they don’t do electric or gas either). So when we turned the water on for the first time – we found that the shut off valves (which were really outdoor garden hose valves, not laundry shut off valves) were leaking. While I managed to temporarily stave off the leaks with some garden hose caps and good washers, this was by no means a permanent fix. I had to remove the old valves, install new shut off valves, and install cutoff valves as well (trust me, you need the additional cut off just in case something fails. And, something ALWAYS fails!) Still, with the PEX tubing that some prior owner had installed, the repairs/installation only took me about 30 minutes (and $50). It’s STILL very temporary (it is, after all, a temporary laundry), but it is sound and operable – and it doesn’t leak (leaks will promptly begin now that I have said that, I’m sure).

(2) Electrical. Okay, this was the biggest problem. As I brought the dryer in to install (I like to hard-wire these in – a personal preference), I noticed a small problem: one of the prior owners had wired the 30 amp/220v circuit with 12/2 wire. Why is that a problem you ask? Well, this wiring scheme involved the use of the uncoated ground (the bare copper wire in a 12/2 wire) as the neutral, or common, wire. We would have to run a live electrical current through a non-insulated conductor AND the wire ran UNDER the house (where all the little rodent-like wire-chewing critters have unfettered access. While I could deal with the under-the-house part, the uninsulated wire was more of a problem for me (I understand that some jurisdictions allow this per code, but I don;t like it at all.) So, I had to completely re-wire the circuit (50′ of 12/3 romex runs about $100) from the beaker box to the dryer (this is the orange wire running from teh wall to the dryer – remember, this is a temporary laundry).

 

Electric Spaghetti

I’m going to pop in a photo of our house wiring later.  I was nearly moved to make use of that traditional Victorian fixture, the fainting couch, when I first saw it.  In DHB’s words, our house was, and I’m quoting here, “attacked by crack-addled drunken monkeys on a three day bender”.   The reality of the situation is that several people have attempted to rewire the house without understanding basic stuff about amp load, circuits, etc.   At least they seem to have used a proper gauge wire.

The breaker box is labeled but our recent experience proves that those labels bear little to relation to the reality of what a given breaker may or may not shut off.  For example, turning off the “Kitchen” breaker also turns off the front porch light Adding to my concern is the fact that the previous owners wired the electric range (stove top + oven) straight in to the house wiring.  On the back side of this wall,  they pulled the 220V outlet through the wall so that they could plug in an electric dryer.  Needless to say, we’ve not bothered to set up our own electric dryer as yet which is why I’m kind of in a big push to get the bath and laundry room done.  Trips to the laundromat are a PITA.

Because of this, we’ve started turning off the main breaker any time that we have to do anything that might touch wiring.

SAFETY TIP:  Get yourself one of those cheap $10 testers from the box store and even if you think the breaker is off, check the wiring you want to work with.  Ten bucks and two minutes is some pretty cheap “not electrocuting yourself” insurance.  If in doubt, throw the main breaker for the house.

Now we’re going to have a chat about wiring.  Wiring isn’t difficult.  Heck, most of it isn’t even dangerous IF you do it right.  First off, you need to *what* you are wiring.  I personally recommend 2 20AMP circuits per room.  While a lot of people consider this overkill, the burgeoning number of electronic devices dictates that we really should consider installing more than minimum code so that your renovation isn’t behind the techno-8 ball in a few years – much as we look back and snicker at the wiring and circuits of the mid-previous century.  I also recommend that you consider adding a few things to your electric system while you’re renovating.

1) Look at moving to 300 Amp or even 400 Amp service.

You’ll have to call your electric provider and have a chat with them to see what’s available in your area.  NOTE:  Once you have the upgraded service, you’ll have to upgrade your main breaker panel to handle it.  That is definitely a job for an electrician.

Another alternative is to have a 2nd meter and panel.  It’s not desirable in most situations but we plan to do this with the large detached garage.  That way DHB can run all the power tools he wants without browning out the house 🙂

2) Add a whole house surge suppressor.

I am constantly surprised that this isn’t a more commonly used option.  They’re generally less than $100 and they provide an extra layer of protection for sensitive and expensive devices like flat panel TV’s.  They do need to be installed by an electrician, but it’s a quick, simple, and straight-forward job in most cases.  Spending ~$200 to protect your $2000 TV, refrigerator, AC unit, etc. just seems like good sense to me.

3) Add a back up generator.

If you’re elbow deep into your electrical system, now is the time.   Just make sure that you wire specific outlets for power and preferably color code them.  For example, if you’re using white outlets throughout the house, use black ones for the ones that have generator power.  That way, you can be sure not to overload your generator should it have to kick in and you’ll have enough power to keep critical things like the fridge, freezer, etc. powered up.

Now a few notes about electricity….

If you overload circuits by either by volts or by amps, you can start a fire.

These two situations causes the wiring to heat up so much that it catches things around it – like your walls on fire.  So having the proper gauge wire and not overloading your circuits is VERY important.

I’m going to make a couple of assumptions here.

One, you have a properly installed breaker panel.

Please note:  I do not think this part of the job is “DIY friendly”.  I think you should call in a licensed electrician to do this part for you.  It involves having the electric company come out and pull the meter while the new panel is installed with a new main breaker to handle the increased load.  Since all the power to your house will be OFF, this isn’t something you want to dork around with.  You want someone who can get in, get it done, and get out before your green beans start defrosting.

Two, you can read, follow directions, and have some wits about you.

I realize that this may be a stretch for some, but I prefer to assume ignorance over stupidity.  What’s the difference you ask?  Well, ignorance is curable through education.  Stupidity is life long.

Three, go down to your local planning and zoning office and get a copy of your local electrical code.

Keep in mind that this is MINIMUM code.  These are the bare minimum that are required for a structure to be considered habitable.   You are certainly allowed to go above and beyond code and I, personally, encourage you to do.  Reading the code might not be as much fun as a bodice-ripper or spy thriller but it is VERY educational.  It will tell you in fairly precise detail about how the work both you and your electrician are going to do should be done.  This will let you do your own “inspection” of his work before the city shows up.  If it’s not up to par – for example, if he’s not using staples to hold the wiring, fire him and get someone else.  Be sure to complain to the licensing body in your area if his work isn’t up to code.  TAKE PHOTOS AND DOCUMENT IT.

While you are there, be sure to chat with the good folks about what does and what does not require a permit in your area.  Tell them what you are *considering* and most will be only to happy to tell you how to go about it, what permits you need, what the inspection schedule should be like, etc.  should you decide to proceed.

SCAM ALERT:  If your contractor tells you something doesn’t require a permit but the permit office says it does, RUN!!  If your contractor asks you to get the permit yourself, RUN!!!  If your contractor tells you that he doesn’t have a license or insurance, RUN!!!

In most places there are different permits for homeowners working on their house and contractors working a house.  There are also different inspection requirements for work done by a home owner vs. a contractor.  If your contractor isn’t licensed, you have no one to complain to but him should he do something that say, causes your roof to fall in.  You can try to sue him… notice I say try…  And the same goes for insurance.

Four, that you have enough basic wiring skills to at least say rewire a lamp, or change out a light fixture or light switch.

That means you know how to operate your breaker panel, use an electric tester, strip wire, use a wire nut, etc.  As one person I know says “It’s not rocket surgery”, but in this day an age of not doing anything, you’d be surprised how many people don’t have that level of skill and just aren’t comfortable with it.

SAFETY TIP: If the circuit involves 220/240V power – please call a pro.  110V might hurt like the dickens but 220 WILL KILL YOU.

Now, you have your shiny new breaker panel.  It’s laid out for 2 x 20 AMP breakers per room with some “special” breakers for things like the stove, AC, furnace, dryer, etc.  If it’s not 110, please please please let the electrician run it for you.  The few dollars you shell out might just save your life.  You can however, peek over his shoulder to make sure that it at least LOOKS like he’s doing a proper job of it.  And when YOU run wire, it should look pretty much the same way.

1. Work should be neat.  If the wiring looks messy, fire your electrician.  Messy work = problems later.  Just trust me on this.
2. Work should be labeled.  If he’s running wire to your stove, dryer, etc. both the breaker panel and the cable should be marked as such.  Labeling = less headaches later.
3. Wire should be of a proper gauge for the amperage of the circuit breaker.
4. Wire should be of a proper type for kind of circuit breaker.

Certain rooms should have certain kinds of breakers and/or outlets.  In most places, bed rooms are required to have Arc Fault outlets.  That way any appliance shorting out doesn’t start a fire. Kitchens, bath rooms, and other wet areas should have GFCI outlets and/or breakers.  GFCI breakers and outlets detect that the outlet/switch/device is grounded out and stop supply current.  What this means to you:  If you splash water on that outlet by the sink while you are cleaning (which I have done), the outlet and/or breaker stops the current so that you don’t fry.

SAFETY TIP:  GFCI and Arc Fault switches/outlets, etc.  should be tested once a month.    20 minutes minutes or so once a month is some pretty cheap “not electrocuting yourself” insurance. If you are not comfortable wiring them, please hire a professional.  Remember, these are things that can save your life.  How will you feel if you, your SO, your child, your pet, or anyone else gets hurt because you wanted to save a few bucks and attempted something you shouldn’t have?

Here’s the rule of thumb for using the proper gauge of wire.  You will see it on the package – something like 12/2 or 10/3.  That first number is the gauge of the wire.  The bigger the wire, the less resistance (google on OHMS if you want more information) and the less likely you are to have any kind of “overheating” issue.

Intended Use	Amps – from circuit breaker	Proper Gauge
Low-voltage Lighting and Lamp Cords	10 Amps	18 Gauge
Extension Cords	13 Amps	16 Gauge
Light Fixtures, Lamps, Lighting Runs	15 Amps	14 Gauge
Receptacles, 110-volt Air Conditioners, Sump Pumps, Kitchen Appliances	20 Amps	12 Gauge
Electric Clothes Dryers, 220-volt Window Air Conditioners, Built-in Ovens, Electric Water Heaters	30 Amps	10 Gauge
Cook Tops	45 Amps	8 Gauge
Electric Furnaces, Large Electric Heaters	60 Amps	6 Gauge
Electric Furnaces, Large Electric Water Heaters, Sub Panels	80 Amps	4 Gauge
Service Panels, Sub Panels	100 Amps	2 Gauge
Service Entrance	150 Amps	1/0 Gauge
Service Entrance	200 Amps	2/0 Gaug

So that second number in the 10/3, 12/2, etc…  I guess you all want to know what that’s about.  That’s the number of conductors in the cable.  The kind and location of the receptacle you’ll be wiring will determine what KIND of wire/cable you use.  For example, outdoor outlets will need a different type of cabling than indoor ones.  There are so many guides on the internet, at the box stores, in your local code, etc.  for this, I’m going to skip over it.

What I am going to do is talk about something that I don’t see covered a lot, which is determining circuit load.  Let’s take my side of the bed room as an example.  I have a lamp, a cell phone charger, my laptop, a heating pad (hey, demo is hard work), an electric heater, and an electric blanket.  Now, mind you, this is just my HALF of the bed room.  It doesn’t include the over head light, the closet, or DHB’s side of the bed.

Lamp – 60 Watts

Cell Phone charger – 3.5 Watts

Laptop – 85 Watts

Heating Pad – 75 Watts

Heater – 1500 Watts

Electric Blanket – 200 Watts

Here’s how this works Volts  (in this case house voltage  – 110) x Amps (20 Amp Circuit) = Total Watts I can have or 2200 Watts.  Now, with all of MY goodies, the room (which is on a single breaker) is sitting at 1923.5 Watts of usage.  That leaves pretty much bupkiss for DHB, the ceiling fan I want to install, or the closet light. And DHB has his own lamp, Laptop, cell phone charger and another half of the electric blanket.  Making it more like another 300 Watts.  Add in an overhead fixture – say 200 Watts for lights and fan and another 100 watt light in the closet.  That puts us WELL over the 2200 that the current circuit can support.  Now the 1923.5 + 300 + 300 =  2524.  And so we have just blown our circuit breaker. Now imagine for a moment I’m a teen age girl with a blow dryer, curling iron, make up mirror, TV, stereo, and lava lamp on top of all that.

Now you see WHY I recommend 2 x 20 AMP circuits per room.  It results in a far more reasonable approach to dealing with the plethora for electrical devices that now permeate our lives.

My personal preference in wiring houses is:

1. Light fixtures (e.g. the “boobies” hanging from your ceiling)  have their own circuit(s).  You can put a whole lot of 100 watt bulbs on a single breaker.
2. Rooms are split in a “left” and “right”  which is consistent through the house.  Outlets on the “left” side of the room get wired to the “left” breaker.  Outlets on the “right” side of the room get wired to the “right” breaker”.
3. LEAVE ROOM FOR EXPANSION.  You will almost certainly want to plug more stuff in later.
4. Label EVERYTHING.  You won’t remember where X is in 6 months when you need to touch it again.

HANDY TIP:  You can color code your wire/cable using  India ink .  Dip a Q-Tip in the India and swap over your cable to color code it or get one of the stamp pad inkers that you can swirl around on it..  Make sure you do this outdoors, that you wear clothes you don’t care about and that you allow it plenty of time to soak in and dry.  Unlike “permanent” markers or other permanent inks which can rub off or that some solvents will remove, this stuff will really hold up well – even with cable that has to fished through the walls.  Just be sure to put your color code chart in a safe place.

Why is that a handy tip?  Because when you’re half way through the attic with a flash light in your teeth, it’s kinda handy to know you’re still following the right cable….