Electric Odds and Ends
Who gets a fancy schmancy bidet and then plugs it in with a swamp yankee extension cord? <sigh>
Time for this bad boy to hit the recycle bin. The new light matches the ones installed at the front and carport doors, but requires a new junction box to be cut into the side of the house. The new light has a motion sensor, seeded glass, and - best of all - no ugly white plastic plate.
Bedroom Refresh: Lights
I rarely use the overhead lights in my bedroom, and I’ve tried to overlook the dated aesthetic. I finally decided to rip them out and replace them with sleeker more modern fixtures. I found a four-pack on Amazon that fit the bill nicely.
I wired the first one myself, but it was a giant pain in the butt to deal with the recessed cans. The old can lights were connected to junction boxes mounted to the rafters, and there was not enough play in the wire to connect the new light. I turned it on long enough to confirm that I liked the look, and then I turned off the circuit and waited for my electrician.
Bedroom Ceiling Fan
The brass-and-oak ceiling fan in my bedroom rattled when it was on, so it was almost never on. Even the ReStore wouldn’t take it… they already had a number of brass fans that no one was buying.
I also wanted to have better control of the fan speed and light brightness, so we added the Lutron Fan Control option as well.
Back Yard Floodlight
The back yard floodlight had been installed on the same line as the exterior outlet, so that the switched controlled them both. I wanted to be able to power exterior string lights without wrecking the ambiance with bright floodlights. I opted for a hard-wired floodlight camera from Ring, which means I can control it with my phone or set it to operate on a motion sensor. No light switch required.
The old floodlights.
The new floodlight camera.
I was on the verge of getting the pergola built, so I knew it would be my last chance to get the light replaced.
Simple bracket
Wire had been pinched and slightly cut
Plus, it has the added advantage of allowing me to keep tabs on what’s going on in the back yard.
Solar Driveway Light
Related: Entrance Lights
Well, no WONDER the circuit trips every time there’s a heavy rain. Ugh.
The guys who installed the underground tubing for the irrigation were perplexed why the buried wire for the driveway light didn’t offer more resistance… normally they’d feel it and navigate the machinery up and over. I suppose that would have been true if the underground wiring was properly installed… in a PVC conduit buried at least 18” below grade. Oh, no… not at this house.
This wire was not encased in anything, and probably only 6” below the surface. Even worse, it had already been broken and crudely patched back together in several places. It doesn’t take a whole lot of common sense to know that a giant wad of electrical tape is NOT the way to fix a broken underground wire.
Giant wads of electrical tape
Even after splicing the wire with a kit made for this job and confirming power on either side, I still wasn’t getting power at the light post. I chased the wire until it went under the maple tree, and then I gave up. I ripped it all out… and found three more breaks (also crudely taped) closer to the light.
Yeah, so solar will have to do for now. I’m not trenching through my yard today. At least I can get rid of the string of Romex that is loosely draped under the front door.
Generator Wiring
Now I have the power!
The power doesn’t go out at my house that often, and when it does, it’s typically not for very long (one notable exception being Thanksgiving 2014.) With propane-powered stoves for both cooking and heating, I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself fed and warm(ish). The one mild pain in the butt is the on-demand hot water. It’s propane-powered, but requires electricity to start up. And with no reservoir tank to hold heated water, my water is icy cold as soon as the power goes out. It’s also going to be nice to keep my groceries from spoiling.
This kind of stuff really does require a professional. Now that this is done, I need to shop for a portable generator.
The power inlet that feeds juice from the generator into the circuit breaker.
The interlock that prevents the electricity from flowing into the circuit breaker if the master breaker is on.
Entrance Lights
The entrance lights were mis-matched and falling off the wall. Out they went.
This light was loosely attached, and too wide for the narrow space between the door frame and the corner. I also found that the junction box was placed on the outside of the house, and the Romex for the driveway light was tucked under the siding. That’s a project for another day.
The carport light is a nice dual-bright fixture, but it was wobbly and didn’t match the other fixture.
I picked up a matched set of sharp black wall motion-sensor sconces with seeded glass. They’re not dual-bright (i.e., the light is dimly on all night long, and then brightens up when it senses motion), but they’ll do.
Portfolio 11.5-in H Black Motion Activated Outdoor Wall Light
The junction box tacked onto the outside of the house will be a project for a different day. The hanging wire gets hidden behind the batten and then drapes loosely underneath the front door before disappearing into the dirt to power the driveway light. (Ten guesses why this circuit has a habit of tripping when it rains heavily. Related: Solar Driveway Light)
Hall Light (Part 2)
[Prior Post: Hall Light (Part 1)] After searching around for a while, I decided that I needed a light that would stretch down the length of the hallway a little better than a single pendant, but still only require one electrical mounting point. I tried a few different models, including an ill-fated attempt at track lighting. This one seems to do the trick, although I’m not so in love with it that I won’t keep my eyes out for something else.
Over-sink Light
Using smart bulb technology to overcome bad wiring configurations.
The circuitry over the sink was wired in such a way that either a switch would control not just the sink light, but the Keurig and carport light (um, not happening), or the sink light would be on all the time. At least I can get around that with a smart bulb. Since smart bulbs aren't as stylish as the decorative ones out there, I picked an opaque sconce that would hide it.
As with the strips of under cabinet LED lights (installed when I changed my kitchen colors), the switch for this smart bulb is a Lutron Pico remote that sits right on top of the drywall.
Master Bedroom Light Switches
Perfect indoor project for a cold spring day... rewiring light switches! The old switches worked just fine, but I had to get out of bed (*groan*) to operate them.
These new switches are connected via wifi to a hub that I can operate from my phone... anywhere in the world. I know if future generations read this, they'll roll their eyes and wonder how humanity survived with such medieval technology. But for now, I think it's pretty cool.
Guest Bathroom Tweaks
Just a few updates... the bathroom previously had a bare bulb suspended in a rusting metal box. The new light and fan combo isn't sexy, but does the trick. The components are wired together, so I added a timer switch to turn the fan off after a short while.
For some reason, no one (including myself) can ever remember how to work the guest shower. (In fact, during the home buying inspection, the inspector, the agents, and everyone in the house failed at this... we had to call the seller.)
Simple solution: computer graphics and laminating plastic.
Kitchen Demolition and Appliances
Cutting out the wall separating the dining room from the kitchen gives the refrigerator door to open. With the wall gone, the light switch needed to move to a different wall.
The vent from the previous microwave recirculated air back into the kitchen. I wanted the new microwave to vent out into the carport, so I needed to cut another hole in the house. Someday I'll repair the siding so it looks nicer, but for now, it'll keep the bugs out.
Connected... love the apps!
Bathroom Outlet
Rewiring the bathroom switch for convenience and safety.
The single-gang box in the guest bathroom held a combo outlet & switch. The switch controlled the vanity lights and the one outlet in the room. I learned this when I bought a nightlight and realized it only turned on when all six vanity lights burst to light as well.
I added a new two-gang box, a GFCI outlet, and a switch that is illuminated in the dark.
Holy Switchplates Batman
I like my light switches boring to look at, and nerdy awesome.
I like my light switches boring to look at, and nerdy awesome. These are getting replaced with Lutron's plain white, screwless plates... most of which can be controlled by Siri.
Kitchen & Dining Ceiling Lights
Two ceiling lights - one pendant, one semi-flush mount - took the place of the oversized ceiling fans.
Two ceiling lights - one pendant, one semi-flush mount - took the place of the oversized ceiling fans.
Safety with Electricity
Something here doesn’t look right.
I'm pretty sure that's not right.
I bought a new exterior box - one that actually attaches to the house - and installed it on the wall just off the deck stairs.
Hall Light (Part 1)
Out with the hanging faceted glass orb.
WOW. Just... wow. This crystal ball should have seen its future coming a mile away. My interim ceiling light is inoffensive, but not very exciting. At least it won't draw the wrong kind of attention while I'm still looking for the right way to light the hall.
