Electricity 101.. Passed! With A Pop Quiz In Plumbing.

 Today I finished up the wiring of the outlets in the basement....  (Drum roll,  please!) 

And I was Successful! 

That being said, I understand a little bit more now that I have a long way until I am proficient enough to be called an "electrician."  I watch these videos of these guys who do in 20 minutes what took me two day!   Guess that is good practice if you are union and paid by the hour....  Otherwise,  you would probably get "Replaced" by a younger, faster, and "better looking" guy.  

But I was really in it for the process, after all.   And the knowledge gained... Which I would say was a success!  In addition to the passing grade of the task.  In other words:  I learned a lot! 

I would give myself a B+ at least.   There is still a lot to learn, but I think I have the basics down and can proceed with confidence to the next level (What ever that will eventually be...) Now I simply have to work on repetition and speed.   By the time I got to the last plug, I could already see that I was doing things faster.  

But isn't that always the case?   Just when you are getting the hang of something,  the job is over.   And that is why I "tried" to make it last all day.... (Wink, Wink.)

The first outlet I had a GFCI outlet to install.   Not that difficult,  except I had to tie it into all the remaining downstream outlets.  So I could not use Pigtails to speed things up.   

I also tried  (in vain...) to get the wire connections under the little plates they had on that outlet.   I think that  making a shepard hook would have been sufficient,  but I wanted to do things "right."  Meaning that outlet took me way too long.   And I realized that with that amount of effort, it surely could NOT be the correct way to hook things up.  In fact, I don't remember any of the youtube videos telling me specifically to "make sure you get the hook under the plate..."  

So after that,  it was just a matter of getting the size of the shepard hooks correct. Then I could pigtail all the other outlets... Making the connections go faster. 

Until I ran into my first snag.   I needed 4 socketed WAGO connectors.  I had three and two socket ones, but had forgotten the middle outlet box.  It was getting late so I headed to ACE hardware just down the road.  I was prepared for them to me expensive.   But considering the alternative to drive all the way back to Menards, I rolled the dice. 

They had it!   But it was in a HUGE container ( 100 count!)   I only needed three.   I did the quick math in my head and decided to buy them.  By the time I factored in gas and time,  it would probably even out.   

After wrestling with the wires in each box,  I finally was to the moment of truth where I hook everything up to the Breaker Box.  I had the power turned off to the side breaker box so I would not kill myself.  I wired up the ground and then the neutral...  And then the Hot Wire to the 20 amp breaker...

And that is when I discovered another flaw.....  I had the wrong breaker!

The amperage was correct,  it just did not fit inside the box!  ( A different style.)   I didn't even know there were different types of breakers other than the amperage.   

So off to Menards again!  This time with receipt in hand for an exchange.    

And now it gets embarrassing.... I drove all the way to Menards with one of the unused breakers so I would know what type to buy.  ONLY to realize at the store that the old breaker breaker that was not being used WAS A 20 AMP BREAKER!  I could have simply pulled it out and hooked it up to finish my project.   

But now...  I drove all the way back to Menards, returned the wrong one,  and then drove back home with the old one in my possession.  It was at this point I realized I was getting tired and making stupid mistakes.   Time to wrap this up!

I get home,  Hook up the "old/existing"  breaker, and Plug it into the box.  

Take a selfie before I turn on the power... so I would have at lease one last picture of evidence of things were a disaster.   

I throw the switch!   

Nothing happens!   That is good, right?  No sparks,  no arcs, no fires!   I plug in my tester to see if the outlets have power. 

They DO!  

All of them!  HURRAY FOR ME!

I even checked the GFCI outlet to see if it would trip like it is supposed to.  It did!  I could feel the pride about to burst out of my chest like a space alien!

So now the Sump pump has permanent power...  No extension cord running down the middle of the floor.   And I got several other outlets available in the process.   I can't wait to see how I will use them in the future.  

As time was running out,  I decided to save the clean up for tomorrow...  or the rest of the week.   Actually,  My brother is planning on coming over to see if he can help me wire up the Garage with a permanent power supply.  He is a Union Electrician, so I would have expert advice readily available.  

 And I would get to do all of the work since he can't get around like he used to .   He actually helped me today,  but over the phone.   The problem with that is that I spent 3 hours chatting with him instead of actually doing the hook up!  With him being herw in person, that might not be as big of a factor. 

And before I head out,  My "Pop Quiz" in plumbing today was a shower head replacement.   I have been under the delusion that my shower was fine... Until today.   When I swapped out the head for one of those hand held shower heads.  (The Cheapest Menards had available!)   The difference was night and day!

The old shower head was ok..... But it lacked any direction.   Which means washing the tub was a bear.   I could never fully rinse out the tub because the water only went to one section of the tub.   With the handheld shower head, I can aim water anywhere I want.   Not to mention the water feels so much better now!   I took three showers today.   Not only because I was covered in dust and sweat, but also because I just liked the feel of the water on my head.   From stinging rain to a gentle warm waterfall!  

I know that I read somewhere that you need to change out your plumbing fixtures every 5 to 10 years if you want to maintain the quality.  Water, after all, is a universal solvent. And any water outside a Lab is not 100 percent pure.   All of those dissolved minerals eventually clog up or rust out your bathroom and kitchen fixtures.   No matter HOW expensive they were when you bought them,  they will eventually fail.  

I am convinced that most of those expensive fixtures are more about cosmetic and less about quality.   I'm sure there is a bit of quality tossed into them, but if you can get good results from a cheap showerhead just because it is new,  then why pay for those ridiculously expensive ones? 

The Cat is telling me to wrap things up.   So I will plan on doing  tomorrow all of the things I did not get the opportunity to finish today.   (That is a rather confusing sentence.) All that means is that The cat is messing with my typing and I have got to make finish up and make every second count. 

Working With Electricity....Day One.

 Actually,  I did not do anything particularly dangerous today.   I spent the entire day prepping for the electricity....   Which should be tomorrow if everything goes well.   I have everything set up and ready for install.  Basically, may task today was just to get the outlets and conduit up.   And buy all of the tools and parts I would need. 

So off to Menards!   (My favorite place in the WORLD!  Currently.....)  I didn't take a picture of the Banner they have up in honor of my Business.   Nor did I record their cheers as I enter the building.    Instead I went right over to the electrical section and started buying! 

A little over $300.00 Later.... I had all of this stuff!  Now I know that that seems like a lot of money for what you see here, but honestly, I purchased several tools I probably could have gotten away without.   But I do plan on using them for future projects, so I figured,  might as well start the collection and have them available.   Besides,  I know what it is like cutting PVC with a saw...  It SUCKS!   The end is crooked and filled with burrs.   And I saw the way the PVC cutters work...  Clean strait cuts!   

I was not disappointed!  And that goes for the Cable cutters as well.   I have used these before with my Bike,  and  I can't believe I struggled with crappy wire snippers all of those years before.   The cable cutters are clean and easy.   Worth the price if you want a clean cut.  And takes a LOT less time. 

Make a hole!

I had in mind that I wanted to cut a hole through the wall and run the conduit through.   I'm actually impressed how it turned out.   And I imagine running the conduit up and over would have not only looked terrible, but would have been way more frustrating.  

Install a Box!

After a while,  the entire thing began to take shape.   I heated up the pipe and bent it in the corners rather than buying those 90 degree sections.   I have a heat gun and I have experimented on regular PVC pipe before.   The only draw back is that without a "bending tool",  the pipe can form a kink and flatten a bit.   I know my bend was not perfect, but it worked good enough for me. 

Dry fit complete!

With everything "dry fit" and set up.  I anchored the pipe  and boxes to the wall with supports.  And then I made a "Rookie Mistake"....

Through the wall!

I watched a video about glueing up the pvc to prevent water from finding its way inside the pipe.  Made sense... at the time.   I mean,   The entire point of this project was to keep the water out of the basement.   So... I guess there is a chance that if the sump pump fails or something.... Water could become a factor.  

I know the water is on the floor and not on the walls.... But Dampness?   Maybe?  

And they never really tell you when you should glue up the joints in the pvc.   So... I did it after everything was set up.  

It might not have been an issue,   But I was running ROMEX inside 1/2 inch PVC.  Even with the 90 degree turns I put in,  it was fine.   Until I got to the end coupling.   

I also made the mistake of trying to cram an entire run of cable through  the entire section.   I discovered that it was easier just cutting the wire and taking it in three sections.   I was going to cut the cable anyway to hook up the outlets.   So,  that was not really a big deal.  

Wired up!

And the only problem I had was with the last coupling.   I had to cut it off and that prevented me from finishing the set up tonight.   I was pretty "done" with the project at that point anyway, so it was a good place to stop.  

Ready for hookup tomorrow...

I also found that threading the Cable through the conduit while it was off the wall was far easier.  Note to future self for later!

So now I just have to go to Menards again tomorrow and pick up another coupler for the last box.   And then I begin the "dangerous" part of actually wiring up the outlets and hooking up the breaker to the box.  My brother ( the Electrician) was MIA today....  which was ok due to me not really dealing with the electricity just yet.   But tomorrow,  I probably will have him on speaker phone so he can walk me through the hook up process.   And call 911 if I electrocute myself!

It was a beautiful day today.   And I was able to relax and mow my lawn.   I played with the cat in the yard and chatted with the neighbor for a bit.  The only downside was that the day seemed to fly by.  But I did learn and have fun setting up the circuit.   I know it does not look very impressive, but to me, I think it looks pretty good so far.  And I'm impressed I pulled it off solo!  ( With a lot of Help from YouTube!  To be sure!)  

And I know that the satisfaction of completing the job and having everything work as planned will not be seen by anyone else other than myself.   But then again,  that is what an individuals journey through this life is all about.   The small victories that no one else sees.   Unfortunately, I think many people rarely see their own victories everyday.   Everyday,   people are blessed with an able body,  good food, shelter,  Employment,  Friends, etc.   But we take our health and safety for granted and worry about other   "insignificant" things.  

Of which I also fall victim too...  But I'm trying my best to be grateful for every day.   And All of the gifts God has blessed me with.  And I will do my best  with the time I have left...  To make every second count...

House Electricity 101! A New Class!

 Having graduated from House Plumping basics,  I am now moving on to "General House Electricity."   This is more of a lateral move than a "step up" I think.  I know I still have a long way to go in the plumping field when it comes to connections and fittings.   But I do at least know basic hydrology (Water flows down hill and looks for the easy path)  and now...  Due to the nature of a owning a house,  I find that I have to make a "switch"  to electricity.  (Pun intended...) 

Looking ahead,  I see that the two topics share a lot in common.   There are fittings and pipes.  (It's called "conduit" for electricity...)  There are plugs,  outlets, and currents!  (Like a river...  only with electricity, not water.) Currently,  I am working on trying to figure out the difference between AC and DC.  While playing some AC/DC....  (Pun intended...) 

So my first task was to find the closest outlet for the sump pump and do a little investigation.   I finally found the breaker (unmarked in the box!)   And made it safe to handle the wire that was dangling down where I set the pump up.  

I knew I was in for an adventure when I noticed that the outlets were filled with Hot Glue!   (Um.. That is not normal.  Even I know that.)  So I began the take down the set up and noticed  something rather odd when I took off the first face plate....

The wires were hooked up wrong!   In all of the Youtube videos I have watched,  the black wires are on one side of the plug and the white wires are on the other.   They never share a side.   

Wondering if what I was seeing was actually real,  I called my Brother,  ( A Union Electrician!)   And he confirmed that that was "F*@#$&-ed u&%#%P!"  

We talked about various other options and how this mess came to be.   Most likely someone without internet access.   And a desire for DIY status.  It could also be that lots of people did not know how electricity worked back then.  I'm sure that answers the question concerning the hot glue. 

There are other "things" I noticed.  But mostly it just confirms why I think I need to rewire up the entire house.   AND it gives me a visual and reason on what NOT to do!  Being a former artist,  I do like things looking neat and pretty.   A sloppy job,  even if it "works" is aesthetically unpleasing to me.  

That being said, I also understand that there are moments when you can be obsessive and make things look "gaudy".  It is a fine line that the French and Italians have been wrestling with for centuries. 

But I digress....

No wire nut, only Tape!

I should have this Saturday off.   So that will give me a little extra time to wrestle with this project and hook up a new circuit to the breaker box.   And some time to think and plan my next steps.   Watch a few more Videos. And bother my brother with any more questions that are not referenced in those tutorials.  

WAGO

In the meantime,  I was able to connect the old wires back together with WAGOs and now I have power restored to my bedroom again.   And I have reduced, at least on a small scale, the chance of burning the house down when I plug in my AC unit!  I can only wonder what other easter eggs I will find when I begin removing and replacing other circuits.  

Much Better!

That is all for now.   I decided to make this a "Blog Day" instead of trying to tackle a small project or chore.   (Mowing the yard comes to mind...)  The basement shelving  I purchased earlier was assembled, but I don't want to do crazy with that until I get those outlets installed and safely run along the walls.  There is also the French Drain I eventually wan to run along that wall.   So no need to clutter up the area this early in the ownership.  

Time to Prep for work....  And hopefully I will have a story to tell while working on my first Electrical Project that does not involve me being sent to the hospital.   (Who am I kidding,  no one will find me for days!   Except the Cat....  Who will eventually eat me when she gets Hungry.)  

So I had better be careful.   Learn as much as I can...  And Make every second count!