DIY: Electrical work
So we’ve been out of the house for about a month. Things have been progressing pretty well. Cabinets, countertops, appliances, bathroom, tiles, bathtub, shower, sinks… all have been done. But there is still a few things to touch up. And lots of cleaning needing to be done.
DIY ELECTRICAL
So I had to do a little electrical work. It’s funny that after four years studying electrical engineering, I never got any real practical experience being an electrician. What DID I do in college? Anyways, there are some pretty simple stuff you can do without being an electrician. First thing of course is to look at how the wiring works.
Rule#1 Study what actually works and then apply to whatever doesn’t work. First rule of DIY Electrical.
I’m not sure if the thing is up to code or not, but it sure felt great to have electricity surging through my body. Thanks to the circuit breakers for saving my life multiple times today. I didn’t have a multimeter on me, so instead of just going out to buy one, I decided to test each wire to see what they did. I left the breakers on. Closed circuits are the most fun because whatever load you have turns on. For example the living room fan was wired incorrectly and couldn’t be shut off. That was an easy fix. I just looked for the two wires that created the closed circuit, opened it, connected them to the switch and voila, a quick fix. I accidentally touched some of the metal when the circuit closed creating a tingling sensation that went through my body.
Rule#2 Trial and Error is probably not the best way especially if you have no idea what you’re doing…
There were a couple three way switches meaning that a light or some other load can be switched on/off at two locations. This was a little bit harder because there were more wires+ground. The wiring was old, so I had to replace them with newer wires. That’s an easy fix if you have those while connector things you just twist on. Anyways, it took me a while to figure out what turns on and what turns off. I also had multiple times touched the ground to another wire… shorting the circuit and creating a nice light show. Thank God for circuit breakers because I could have been in deep trouble. I mean six feet under deep. :P But it was a fun day where my life was at risk…
Rule#3 Make sure your circuit breakers are working.
SHOCKED
This is what happens when you do electrical work yourself.
IRONY
I thought this one was extremely ironic. Probably the only box that got smashed during the renovations.
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