Daily Archives: December 21, 2014
Let There Be Light . . .
Our day really started today when we headed out about 1:30, on our way to Brand’s for the afternoon. Going through Columbus, we got gas (for $2.19. So far the cheapest I’ve seen is $1.98. $2.64 for diesel) and then made a stop at Wal-Mart to pick up our prescriptions. But that didn’t work out One of the two pharmacists was out sick so the other one had to close the pharmacy while she went to lunch. And guess when her lunch period was? So I’ll have to run back down there tomorrow to pick them up.
We got to Brandi’s a little before 3, and after getting our Landon hugs, Lowell and I got to work.
A couple of weeks ago, the power in a bedroom and the adjoining bathroom went out at their house, both lights and wall outlets. I had looked at the problem a couple of weeks ago, but didn’t have any tools with me. But today I came prepared.
Since Lowell already knew that a number of the labels on his circuit breaker panel were incorrect, we started there by taking the cover off the panel and checking the output of each breaker with a voltmeter. And no luck there. They were all good.
Normally the way these things are wired up, one hot wire (black) comes from the breaker panel and then loops to each outlet and switch in a daisychain.. So a break anywhere along the line will knock out everything below it. The problem is figuring out which device is first in line, next in line, and so on.
And as was the case here, sometimes you just have to pick a place and start opening outlet boxes and switches, and testing them. In this case, the seventh time was the charm. When we took the cover plate off the 4th outlet (one on each wall) in the room, and then pulled the outlet itself out of the wall box, the lights came on for a few seconds. Got it!
These outlets and switches have a quick connect feature that allows you to just strip the wire and push it in a hole on the back of the outlet. It suppose to lock in like sticking your finger in one of those Chinese finger traps. But in this case it was broken and the wire would not stay in. So I just used my needle-nose pliers to bend a hook on the end, and tightened it down under the old-fashioned screw terminals. Slower to hook up, but more reliable.
Our job done, we all headed right down the street to Little V’s Vietnamese Bistro for our usual delicious meal.
On the home front, my new transfer switch came in, which I’ll probably install next week, and I’m going to have to do an electrical repair of my own here in the rig. The last fluorescent tube has died in the ceiling fixture in the hallway, and, as I did the bathroom, I’m going to replace the tubes with two small LED strips. Cheaper and brighter.
More tomorrow.
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Thought for the Day:
Actual Houston Lawyer’s Ad
His name is Eric Dick.
I’d hire him.
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