MennoR.
Well-known member
A while back, I posted about our new home + workshop. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=468657
Here's an update.
Originally in use a horse barn, it was clear that I needed to remove all dirt and grime before getting anything done in my workshop-to-be. I must have removed 1000 cobwebs (our spiders are all harmless, no worries here) and a lot of debris that comes with a 50 y/o building. In short: a skip full of worthless junk: old fences, metal bars etc.
Testing the electrics, I noticed that it was pretty rickety! Yes, a 3 phase 400V and normal 230V system, but with an old-style fuse box and old-style TL lights. So I decided to replace the whole: LED-TL, new style 3 phase 400V (different wall sockets in Europe nowadays).
Due to a Covid lockdown, I was not able to go to the stores. But ordering online and getting it delivered went rather smooth. Besides, working alone in my workshop with no-one around clearly reduces the risk of getting caught by the virus! Almost 100 meters of wiring and tubing (It's mandatory here to use a cable with 4 wires inside PVC pipes when the electrics are in sight: on the walls or the eaves of a building; or working outside a house).
It all arrived on the 26th and when I dragged into the workshop, it dawned on me that I would be able to install the new system parallel to the old existing system! That would enable me to work with lights on! I only needed to cut it off when I was at the point of 'crossing': connecting the new system to the fuse box and cutting off the old system! So, I started with the 'lights on'! First up: a plan where to install the junctions. That was easy. Then I installed the tubes heading for the junctions, inserted the wiring and then I went from the junctions to spots where I had drawn-in the lamp. Finally, connecting the wiring inside the junction boxes, to the lamps and the last part to the fuse box. And hey: my drawing worked 'in reality'!
It took me up the afternoon of the 31st to have it all installed! Then I needed a 'sparky' for the connection to the fuse box and an official certificate. A mate's youngest son is a certified sparky. he was more than happy to do the last part of the job. He'll be back later this Spring for the 400V part of the installation. I have installed the wiring and tubing, but not installed! I'll leave that to the sparky. He's a hard-working, no-nonsense young man.
On Jan 1, I started removing the old system. I'm pretty glad I'd decided to remove the old system after installing the new one! Removing takes more time than installing the new one!!! Every clip is screwed into the wood with old-fashioned slotted screws, partly rusted etc. Every clip is a pig to remove without damaging the wood. It's very tempting to use brute force, but I want to keep it tidy.
But hey, I'm retired, we're in a lockdown and my wife is working from her office in the house. She doesn't want me around. So it's perfect to spend hours in the workshop! A little cold, I admit.
Tons of music on my phone that no-one in my household wants to hear but me, a charged Bluetooth speaker and everything is okay.
On the pic: in the back my oldest son's Laser dinghy on a trailer, under the tarp one of my cars. Above, the new LEDs and you see the old wiring hanging down where I cut it off. (illegally installed: only wiring, no tubing...). On the right in the back, my workbench (in progress) and my old Chesterfield where my mancave is going to be. It will be boxed in by storage racks, making it cosy.
Next to the Chesterfield: a box with old TL tubes; I'll drop them off at the garbage collector's. I can't throw these in the bin!
I want to install a log burner where the whit cupboard is: that's the center of the barn. A big burner with a Sterling engine fan pointing towards my workbench will help to make it comfortable when working.
Here's an update.
Originally in use a horse barn, it was clear that I needed to remove all dirt and grime before getting anything done in my workshop-to-be. I must have removed 1000 cobwebs (our spiders are all harmless, no worries here) and a lot of debris that comes with a 50 y/o building. In short: a skip full of worthless junk: old fences, metal bars etc.
Testing the electrics, I noticed that it was pretty rickety! Yes, a 3 phase 400V and normal 230V system, but with an old-style fuse box and old-style TL lights. So I decided to replace the whole: LED-TL, new style 3 phase 400V (different wall sockets in Europe nowadays).
Due to a Covid lockdown, I was not able to go to the stores. But ordering online and getting it delivered went rather smooth. Besides, working alone in my workshop with no-one around clearly reduces the risk of getting caught by the virus! Almost 100 meters of wiring and tubing (It's mandatory here to use a cable with 4 wires inside PVC pipes when the electrics are in sight: on the walls or the eaves of a building; or working outside a house).
It all arrived on the 26th and when I dragged into the workshop, it dawned on me that I would be able to install the new system parallel to the old existing system! That would enable me to work with lights on! I only needed to cut it off when I was at the point of 'crossing': connecting the new system to the fuse box and cutting off the old system! So, I started with the 'lights on'! First up: a plan where to install the junctions. That was easy. Then I installed the tubes heading for the junctions, inserted the wiring and then I went from the junctions to spots where I had drawn-in the lamp. Finally, connecting the wiring inside the junction boxes, to the lamps and the last part to the fuse box. And hey: my drawing worked 'in reality'!
It took me up the afternoon of the 31st to have it all installed! Then I needed a 'sparky' for the connection to the fuse box and an official certificate. A mate's youngest son is a certified sparky. he was more than happy to do the last part of the job. He'll be back later this Spring for the 400V part of the installation. I have installed the wiring and tubing, but not installed! I'll leave that to the sparky. He's a hard-working, no-nonsense young man.
On Jan 1, I started removing the old system. I'm pretty glad I'd decided to remove the old system after installing the new one! Removing takes more time than installing the new one!!! Every clip is screwed into the wood with old-fashioned slotted screws, partly rusted etc. Every clip is a pig to remove without damaging the wood. It's very tempting to use brute force, but I want to keep it tidy.
But hey, I'm retired, we're in a lockdown and my wife is working from her office in the house. She doesn't want me around. So it's perfect to spend hours in the workshop! A little cold, I admit.
Tons of music on my phone that no-one in my household wants to hear but me, a charged Bluetooth speaker and everything is okay.
On the pic: in the back my oldest son's Laser dinghy on a trailer, under the tarp one of my cars. Above, the new LEDs and you see the old wiring hanging down where I cut it off. (illegally installed: only wiring, no tubing...). On the right in the back, my workbench (in progress) and my old Chesterfield where my mancave is going to be. It will be boxed in by storage racks, making it cosy.
Next to the Chesterfield: a box with old TL tubes; I'll drop them off at the garbage collector's. I can't throw these in the bin!
I want to install a log burner where the whit cupboard is: that's the center of the barn. A big burner with a Sterling engine fan pointing towards my workbench will help to make it comfortable when working.