A Shed Downunder.

[TwoBytes]

Thanks for that Mat, my son was reading over my shoulder and reached in and pressed the play button....now he is surfing evilbay for a tuk tuk.

Sorry about that mate!

Strouty, The Castle is a classic

Another favourite quote from The Castle: Dad reckons fishing is 10% brains and 95% muscle, the rest is just good luck.

:

That wiring photo is scary

Those latest photos are even scarier than the first one! Rewire will definitely be worth the effort!

 

[drivesitfar]

1/2: thank GOD you were the one to buy that house. I've seen some IFFY wiring work in my lifetime, but thankfully that house didn't burn down with all the stuff you are having to remove and correct the wrongs.

best of luck with all of that.

I'm guessing you want to have the place ready for your new tenant by June 1st?

everything I've seen is top notch and once you get it done if you have any funds left maybe making a low offer on the house on the other side to make it the Garage Journal B&B?

 

[drivesitfar]

1/2: forgot to mention that i'm sorry to hear your manager or boss quit. was he the replacement for your mentor that just passed or was he your mentor's boss? I know if you ran the place it would be as AWESOME as your SHED DOWNUNDER and your life. or if you don't need or want all the extra STUFF that comes with the job I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND.

happy to hear you are dealing with the task at hand getting the house ready for your tenant and keeping Andrew's car running. take care of the things you can that are planned and deal with the rest as time permits is a good thing to learn and do.

cheers

 

[1/2 Cup]

Drives the rewire is a must do for us I could not have knowingly turned a blind eye to it.

I would like to have the tenancy sorted in the next month at this point in time, things are progressing well even though I have had some challenges along the way. Access to some of the old wiring has been difficult in a couple of places and I will have to remove a roof sheet today to finish off the basic cable runs for the lighting.

As for purchasing the "East Wing", I will need to get over this one first. Electrically it is of a similar vintage and does require a rewire as well.

In regards to work I am at the bottom of the food chain at work and it goes like this from top to bottom.

Managing Director -- Resigned this week effective immediately.

General Manager Customer operations.

Manager Infrastructure and Assets.

Manager Electrical and Mechanical Services.

This was my old bosses position who passed away earlier this year and Our Senior Mechanical Engineer has now filled that roll. I had the opportunity to apply for the role but after much consideration and for a number of reasons I pulled the pin on submitting my expression of interest even though it was ready to hit the send button.

Electrical Standards and Works Coordinator - Me aka 1/2 Cup

Senior Electrical Engineer.

Electrical Engineer.

Mechanical Engineer.

Graduate Mechanical Engineer.

Graduate Electrical Engineer.

Electrical Supervisor x 2

Automation Supervisor x 2

Workshop Supervisors X 2

Then there is our Electricians, Automation Techs, Fitters, Welders, Mechanics, Instrument Techs and Communications Techs and that's a team of around 30 staff. Not forgetting a number of consulting Project Management personal.

Things are just ticking away nicely, no stress, no phone and no work. I am doing what I want when I feel like it and that's been fantastic.

Have a great day and thank you for dropping by.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Those latest photos are even scarier than the first one! Rewire will definitely be worth the effort!

Mat, at least I will be able to sleep at night.


Regards

 

[xtremek]

What's wrong with that wiring? All it's missing is some duct tape.

 

[shortykorte]

The wiring looks similar to what was in my shop, except it was pretty new.

You know the rule, no pictures........

I was thinking some of new electrical. Our codes are different so Aussie electrical is interesting.

 

[1/2 Cup]

What's wrong with that wiring? All it's missing is some duct tape.

xtremek duct tape would have at least provided double insulation.

The wiring looks similar to what was in my shop, except it was pretty new.

You know the rule, no pictures........

Sorry, no pictures as yet shorty unless you would like to see a pile of old split conduit, rubber insulated cable, light fittings that are past their used by date, light switches and old power points.

So nothing real exciting that is photo worthy.

This morning has been very productive though, five of the rooms lights and their switches completed, four power points done an dusted as well as just generally cleaning as I go.

I Just might have a nana nap this afternoon.

Thank you one and all for dropping by and have a great day.

 

[Strouty]

Sounds like you are moving along rapidly, you probably deserve that nap.

 

[jbmatth]

It will be a lot of fun to rewire an entire house, the only time I've had to work on something like that is when the walls were open at least. Good luck to you, but for some reason I don't think you will need any extra luck with your particular set of skills.
JB

 

[1/2 Cup]

Sounds like you are moving along rapidly, you probably deserve that nap.

Strouty, yesterday in the West Wing I just paced myself and it was amazing just how much I got done.

Doing a rewire is challenging enough in an old home let alone a completely solid brick home where conduits are embedded in the render and secondly doing it by your self where you are up and down a step ladder, in and out of the roof space.
Apart from Mrs 1/2 Cup all of the potential candidates that could give me a hand are working at there own jobs.

Mrs 1/2 Cup has been busy cleaning the ducted gas heating grills and return air vents for me and doing a top job.

At this point I am about 3/4 of the way through the lighting which I have split over two 10 amp circuits ( the norm out here ) Replaced five light fittings with new and have been able to reuse three of the existing fittings that scrubbed up like new.
Replaced the outside lights with some new LED spots that work well.
Installed a couple of 240 volt smoke detectors.
I did not get to lift the roof sheet yesterday that I need to access in order to complete the lighting as it was just a little too windy here for that.

There is some patching to do on the bathroom ceiling as the exhaust fan, light and heat lamp combo was literally melted in spots due to the heat lamps.

I am not a big fan of heat lamps full stop as they can be a potential fire hazard and in any case the bathroom does have ducted heating. So I will be replacing it with just a fan light combo like this.

http://www.fansonline.com.au/brilliant-tercel-led-white.html

PS I did not get to get that nap in but I did enjoy a coldy at the end of the day.

Thank you for dropping by and have a great evening.

 

[1/2 Cup]

It will be a lot of fun to rewire an entire house, the only time I've had to work on something like that is when the walls were open at least. Good luck to you, but for some reason I don't think you will need any extra luck with your particular set of skills.
JB

jb I am just doing what I did as an apprentice some 40 years ago, that training never leaves you. I am really enjoying the challenge.

When I finish the lighting, possibly today I will be concentrating on the power points ( socket outlets ) and oven rewire over the next week. Some of this fed in the roof space but there is one circuit under the floor that has about 8 outlets on it. There is just enough crawl room under the home for access.

It has been a fairly physical job on this body of mine but the exercise has done me well, I have been sleeping like a baby.

Thank you again for dropping by, have a good one.

 

[drivesitfar]

1/2: since you aren't 20 any longer you might want to get an inversion table and hang up to 5 minutes a day. I might have preached my love for these before, but if you have a space to put one and if you can get a nice Teeter UP or similar quality Down Under i'd highly recommend buying and owning one. as we get older those old aches and pains just seem to hang on and I think pain pills are not as easy on our old systems as they might have been when we were younger.

I can hear that old house from here just yelling thank you 1/2 CUP for updating my wiring so I won't catch on fire.

best of luck and I know you are on holiday, but still hope you get to enjoy your weekend.

cheers

 

[1/2 Cup]

drives, I am hearing you on not being twenty any more.

My Dad has an inversion table and I quite often make use of it and find it fantastic. I am not a fan of pain killers and only take them if I really have to.

Even though the work is fairly physically demanding on this living fossil, I have found it great exercise and have been pacing myself accordingly.

Today I am just pottering on menial tasks that do not require me climbing a ladder or lifting but still need to been done in any case plus some QTS as Mrs 1/2 Cup is away for the day and I am on rodent watch.

Andrew actually commented this morning how good the place was looking, the work has certainly been worth the effort IMHO, we have green lawns and some roses that have come back to life and in a few weeks they should be back out in bloom. I will post a picture when that happens as they are a nice golden orange that really compliments the neutral colours of the home.

I will enjoy the weekend and like wise enjoy yours.

Regards

 

[HOTFR8]

Even though the work is fairly physically demanding on this living fossil, I have found it great exercise and have been pacing myself accordingly.

What was the comment about the milk some time back .
Perhaps all that Calcium is what keeps the living fossil going so well.
I told you I would milk it.

On another note a perfect Autumn weekend to be doing things out side.
Maintenance on the car trailer today is not what I wanted to do but whilst the Sun is shining.

 

[1/2 Cup]

What was the comment about the milk some time back .
Perhaps all that Calcium is what keeps the living fossil going so well.
I told you I would milk it.

On another note a perfect Autumn weekend to be doing things out side.
Maintenance on the car trailer today is not what I wanted to do but whilst the Sun is shining.

HOTFR8, being off a dairy farm, I love my milk. Perhaps you are on to something there.

Its a lovely day here, a little cloudy and windy though, smack on 20 C. I have been pottering in the Shed Downunder and the garden in the West Wing today.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good one.

 

[HOTFR8]

So I think I nailed (milked) it. A perfect day to be out doing that sort of thing.

 

[1/2 Cup]

So I think I nailed (milked) it. A perfect day to be out doing that sort of thing.

Done well HOTFR8

It has been a cracker of a day.

Regards

 

[1/2 Cup]

I thought I would share this picture just to demonstrate how important it is to look after and MAINTAIN your electrical appliances in either your home or garage.

This is the bathroom , exhaust fan, light and heater combo from the West Wing.

View media item 60540
The burn marks are from the two 275 watt heater lamps. The fan was surrounded by insulation, further exacerbating the issue. I will not mention specific brands here but this is very typical of what you see in many homes.

Just how easily this could have ended in tears.

PS you will be pleased to know the fan has gone to that big recycling dump in the sky.

If nothing else make sure your home is safe with properly maintained appliances and electricals.

 

[HOTFR8]

Here I am looking at putting a couple of those heat lamp fans in here for the parents. Perhaps I need to make sure when fitted I get shown how to clean them as that is scary.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Here I am looking at putting a couple of those heat lamp fans in here for the parents. Perhaps I need to make sure when fitted I get shown how to clean them as that is scary.

HOTFR8, as I know you would please ensure that they have adequate clearance from combustibles and that you electricals can cope with the additional load.

They are great if installed and maintained correctly.

Regards

 

[HOTFR8]

Well I hope the Electrician knows what he is doing and he should know and I will be making sure he checks the load before he fits them. As for combustibles, I will be making sure the insulation is moved.

 

[Strouty]

That looked terrible, it is pretty scary when you see something like that. The average homeowner would never know until it is too late.

 

[drivesitfar]

1/2: I bet 95% of the world lives in total denial or dumb bliss while their electricity is almost changing their lives in an instant. very happy to see you not only found the issue, but corrected it for the tenant.

speaking of fires has your sister (or SIL) recovered from her fire last year?

hope you have a SEMI RELAXING DAY which to you is maybe only getting 20 TO DO's done.

cheers

 

[1/2 Cup]

Well I hope the Electrician knows what he is doing and he should know and I will be making sure he checks the load before he fits them. As for combustibles, I will be making sure the insulation is moved.

HOTFR8, a licenced electrical contractor should understand the installation requirements of the AS/NZS 3000:2007. Make sure that you receive a Non Prescribed Certificate of Electrical Safety on completion of the works.

That looked terrible, it is pretty scary when you see something like that. The average homeowner would never know until it is too late.

Strouty It is unfortunate but so true, you often read of home fires being attributed to an "Electrical Fault" and this is just one example of how fires start in a home..

1/2: I bet 95% of the world lives in total denial or dumb bliss while their electricity is almost changing their lives in an instant. very happy to see you not only found the issue, but corrected it for the tenant.

speaking of fires has your sister (or SIL) recovered from her fire last year?

hope you have a SEMI RELAXING DAY which to you is maybe only getting 20 TO DO's done.

cheers

drives I cannot stress the point enough to all who read this thread, electrical safety in the home should not be treated as an "it will be ok" scenario as it is out of sight and out of mind.
Basic things like maintaining exhaust fans, a visual inspection of your roof space where you can and ensuring that the Halogen Down Lights are clear of combustible materials and have adequate ventilation. I do understand that not every one is able to do this and if that is the case, call for some professional advice.

The other piece of electrical equipment that is often overlooked and rarely checked is your GFCIs or as we call them out here Safety Switches or Residual Current Devices. These can loose their trip set points over time.

I use a calibrated Portable Appliance Tester to check the tripping current ( milli amps ) and the time the device takes to trip (milli seconds ).

I would recommend that these be tested on and annual basis or at the very least do a manual trip.

View media item 33527
My SIL has moved to Geelong, closer to her Mother and two other sisters. She is doing remarkably well for some one who has just lost every thing in a house fire.

It turned out to be a very lay back sort of day really, just pottered around in the West Wing doing some dry wall repairs and cleaning. Nothing too strenuous.

Yet again, thank you one and all for dropping by and have a great day.

 

[HOTFR8]

HOTFR8, a licenced electrical contractor should understand the installation requirements of the AS/NZS 3000:2007. Make sure that you receive a Non Prescribed Certificate of Electrical Safety on completion of the works.

I need him to work out if it will run on the phase (essential items) with my Solar battery backup and if not then the system can not run them specially if the power is off. Phase 1 has lights, fridge, cooler etc. all deemed essential. Phase 2 has the things like oven, hot plates and heating.

I think I need to talk to him again soon.

 

[1/2 Cup]

I need him to work out if it will run on the phase (essential items) with my Solar battery backup and if not then the system can not run them specially if the power is off. Phase 1 has lights, fridge, cooler etc. all deemed essential. Phase 2 has the things like oven, hot plates and heating.

I think I need to talk to him again soon.

HOTFR8, you could run it off your essential circuits and that is if it will support the additional load, my advice would be not to and run it off your non essential load with a dedicated circuit. Its a tough call with out knowing just how your installation is set up.

Regards

 

[HOTFR8]

HOTFR8, you could run it off your essential circuits and that is if it will support the additional load, my advice would be not to and run it off your non essential load with a dedicated circuit. Its a tough call with out knowing just how your installation is set up.

Regards

I am leaning towards a new circuit wired to the non essential load other wise if the power is off and we are on battery back up those heat lights draw a lot of power that would drain the batteries fast. I am going to talk to the electrician again tomorrow and try to explain more in layman terms as I have done here. He may also leave the existing down lights in place then.

So I take it you made the most of the weekend and have plenty more things to do this week.

 

[1/2 Cup]

HOTFR8 good call.

I did make the most of the weekend as it turns out, with a bit of every thing from smelling the roses, to some me time, then just pottering around in the West Wing, to tacking one off those tasks that I put in the too hard basket.

In order to complete the lighting rewire I had to lift a few 15 ft sheets of roofing iron on the skillion roof on the rear section of the home. Sunday afternoon the breeze had died down so it was an ideal time to lift roofing iron which was done without as much fuss as I had believed it would have been.

This allowed me access to strip all the existing wiring to two ceiling fans, two lights and associated switches, rewire the same plus I ran an additional cable for a new exterior light to illuminate the back yard space.

So far last week I have managed to achieve the following:

. Electrical material take off and procurement.
. Disconnect and remove all the old cabling to 15 lights, switches, fans and fixtures.
. Rewire all of the above.
. Install all of the new light fittings, fans and switches.
. Added two extra lights and two mains powered smoke detectors.
. Fabricate a plaster reveal to cover the old bathroom fan, heat lamp and light fixture cutout that will allow the installation of a new fan, light unit.
. I should finish the last of the lighting this morning and then it is on to the power circuits.

As always thank you one and all for dropping by, have a great day..

 

[CoopVA]

No rest for the wicked! You really hit that one hard 1/2 Cup. Good work!

 

[Grizz1963]

No rest for the wicked! You really hit that one hard 1/2 Cup. Good work!

Exactly what I thought.

Always busy.

 

[1/2 Cup]

No rest for the wicked! You really hit that one hard 1/2 Cup. Good work!

Exactly what I thought.

Always busy.

Thanks guys, enjoying what I do and just doing what I have to do yet still managing some 1/2 Cup time.

 

[HOTFR8]

No rest for the wicked! You really hit that one hard 1/2 Cup. Good work!

I think 1/2 has no idea of the meaning of the word rest.

 

[HOTFR8]

1/2, Thanks for steering me on the right direction. The electrician is going to look closer and will most likely set them up on phase 2 with their own switch circuit breaker etc.
Existing light and fan should then stay in place.

 

[drivesitfar]

1/2: you've been making AMAZING progress on the Shed #2 or whatever you are calling it. I thought it was going to be GJ B&B, but your skills at finding a tenant were outstanding.

even if you didn't take or have time to post pictures just by you telling us part of your completed TO DO LIST is plenty.

cheers

 

[BBChevro]

Just caught up 1/2cup, you've been busy as usual - it looks (to me) that the old wiring in the West Wing dwelling was long overdue for some attention.

 

[1/2 Cup]

I think 1/2 has no idea of the meaning of the word rest.

HOTFR8, just getting some time off work and the daily grind is just pure heaven for me, even though its hard yakka there is a certain satisfaction that I just can't explain.

Beer o clock, no actually a nice red will do just fine to compliment Mrs 1/2 Cups Beef Goulash.

Have a good one.

Translation: Hard Yakka Work, strenuous labour. The word is used especially in the phrase hard yakka. Yakka first occurs in the 1840s as a verb meaning ‘to work’,

 

[1/2 Cup]

1/2, Thanks for steering me on the right direction. The electrician is going to look closer and will most likely set them up on phase 2 with their own switch circuit breaker etc.
Existing light and fan should then stay in place.

HOTFR8 all part of the service, happy to help where I can.

Regards

 

[HOTFR8]

Translation: Hard Yakka Work, strenuous labour. The word is used especially in the phrase hard yakka. Yakka first occurs in the 1840s as a verb meaning ‘to work’,

I always believed that 'Yakka' was a brand of work clothing .

HOTFR8 all part of the service, happy to help where I can.

Regards

Appreciated.

 

[1/2 Cup]

1/2: you've been making AMAZING progress on the Shed #2 or whatever you are calling it. I thought it was going to be GJ B&B, but your skills at finding a tenant were outstanding.

even if you didn't take or have time to post pictures just by you telling us part of your completed TO DO LIST is plenty.

cheers

drives things are ticking along in the West Wing ( home or GJ B&B ) and the shed ( West Wing Storage Facility Annex A ) has become a satellite workshop if you like. I am really pleased that we took on next door due to being able access the Shed Downunder for those bits and pieces the you invariably forget, these legs have done some walking between the two let me tell you.

Not to mention the 10 ft high ceilings.

There is not a lot that's pics worthy at the moment apart from crusty old light fittings, old for new socket outlets and switches.

Mrs 1/2 Cup has been on cleaning duty today and doing a great job.

I will start on the power circuits tomorrow and that means spending some time crawling under the floor.

Again, thank you for dropping by and have a great day.