Never doubt yourself.

I am pleased and at the same time irritated about what happened today.

The house is old and there has been a long standing problem with the electrical system for the longest time.

If you turned on the mircowave the circuit breaker would pop and the lights in the house would go out.

Irritating as all get out......and frustrating because - long story alert?

My brother is a real jerk and when there were repairs to be made on the house, he would bully my mom into hiring the people he recommended. He would get someone to give her quote, then 'lose' the paperwork....

He was getting his friends to do the work, then charge her double the price of the job.....

I would intervene and my mom, because she was afraid of the tantrums my idiot brother would throw, would relent to having them done.

He brought in an electrician while I was there, this idiot began to act a little hinky when I started to ask him about the cost and how much labor I could do to lower the price- I thought my brother would have a stroke when I said this!

The guy refused the job and I figured out why soon after. :rolleyes:

The electrician said he would have to re-wire the house and install a new set of breakers....A few thousand dollars, maybe?

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I was outdoors and looking at a few small repairs I wanted to do. I wanted to put some weather proof outlet covers on the outside electrical boxes.

I grabbed one that was modified by my Dad years ago and saw a spark shoot out of it. He added a line out the porch for a motion activated light, Dad was frugal (he used wires from his old job to put the line in!) so I suspected it needed a little inspection....

I bought new wire, a new plug and grabbed my tools.

I replaced the wiring, remounted the light and thought about the circuit, It was the same one that was giving us problems for years.

Could this be the answer?

I grabbed a package of mircowave Macaroni and Cheese, which I hate-and was the only mircowave item in the freezer and tossed it in.

I said a prayer, punched in the time and held my breath....


3.5 minutes later I had HOT mac and cheese, the circuit breakers didn't trip and I was on fracking cloud nine!

I swear, it was a 20 dollar repair, some time out on the porch and a little bit of praying.

I HATE ELECTRICAL REPAIRS AND REFUSE to work on them.

This one was important because of the fire hazard and my paranoia when confronted with "S"tuff like that.

I just want all you to know that you can do home repairs. And save tons of money.

20 dollars and maybe two hours of work.......My hourly rate is beer and a meal.....

LOL, Now I can eat all the crappy mircowave food I want, without having to grab a flashlight.

If I can do it?:)

What a high for ya! Way to go - years of trouble fixed for $20. Told your brother yet? :D

I replaced the headlight bulb and the brake light bulb in my car! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catty1

What a high for ya! Way to go - years of trouble fixed for $20. Told your brother yet? :D

I replaced the headlight bulb and the brake light bulb in my car! :D

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Good on you!


I told my younger brother, not the nitwit..

It's just a matter of feeling comfortable and not going over your head?:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RICHARD

It's just a matter of feeling comfortable and not going over your head? :D

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And for Electrical projects >>>

Keeping One Hand tucked safely in you Pocket!!

;)

Cinder & Smoke

Quote:

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And for Electrical projects >>>

Keeping One Hand tucked safely in you Pocket!!

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I find it much easier to turn off the breaker for the circuit and then use
both hands.

Yep, sounds to me like it was that old work that kept the system tripping.
I have about 4 circuit breakers for power, one for light, one for stove and one for hotwater unit. I guess I'm just greedy for lots of circuit breakers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kokopup

I find it much easier to turn off the breaker for the circuit and then use
both hands.

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This is the first choice, for professionals and newbs alike.

I wont work on a hot circuit over 20a 120v or anything 240. 277/480v HURTS, ALOT, but that commercial voltages.

Good job RICHARD.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wombat2u2004

Yep, sounds to me like it was that old work that kept the system tripping.
I have about 4 circuit breakers for power, one for light, one for stove and one for hotwater unit. I guess I'm just greedy for lots of circuit breakers.

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4 circuit breakers??!!

I live in a 900sqf house and if I rewire it Ill have a minimum of 19 circuits, only have 15 right now.

Hooray for Richard!!

We do much of our home repairs ourselves. Best one yet. . .we have a tankless water heater and as soon as it got cold this year (of course!) we weren't getting hot water. A little research suggested that one of the elements had gone bad. We replaced the one that was registering a "zero" when we tested it with the electrical thingy (Barry does that). It was acutally split from calcification and stuff that we have in the water in FL! It cost us $35 for the element. Labor for a plumber would have cost us another $150! Yay for us!!

Congrats! I know I have learned a lot about home repairs since I have been a single home owner. I hate when "professionals" try to take advantage of me. :mad:

Remember folks.........if you do electrical work, tighten those screwed connections TWICE !!!!!
Do your connections nice and tight, and then come back 5 minutes later and tighten them again.
Copper reacts to pressure and does not stop shrinking once pressure is put on it.....so most important....remember this.
Wom

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blue

This is the first choice, for professionals and newbs alike.

I wont work on a hot circuit over 20a 120v or anything 240. 277/480v HURTS, ALOT, but that commercial voltages.

Good job RICHARD.



4 circuit breakers??!!

I live in a 900sqf house and if I rewire it Ill have a minimum of 19 circuits, only have 15 right now.

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We have different circuits for different uses.....I have 4 general POWER circuits, which service some 2 double power points per room in my house (my house is very large and has many rooms) and there is one light circuit that services all the lights, I have circuits to look after singular appliances like hot water, stove, heating system etc etc. Most houses here have no more than 3 power circuits, so I don't get any problems with my system.

I don't need no stinkin man to do chores!!! (Just kidding, guys). I know how to change my own tire (there's a story there). I've changed a headlight in my car, I change my own oil, I love to see how things work. My vacuum cleaner wasn't working right. I 'splored and found out the belt was broken (the smell was hideous). Now, if I could only get someone to wash my apartment windows, hint hint. This building is so old, you'd need dynamite to get the crap off.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moosmom

I don't need no stinkin man to do chores!!! (Just kidding, guys). I know how to change my own tire (there's a story there). I've changed a headlight in my car, I change my own oil, I love to see how things work. My vacuum cleaner wasn't working right. I 'splored and found out the belt was broken (the smell was hideous). Now, if I could only get someone to wash my apartment windows, hint hint. This building is so old, you'd need dynamite to get the crap off.

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You GO girl! I'm with you for the most part about not needing a stinkin man. Dont' tell my friend/handyman Bob though. I keep him around for projects I know I am not capable of. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moosmom

I don't need no stinkin man to do chores!!! (Just kidding, guys).

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You GO girl! I'm with you for the most part about not needing a stinkin man.


Sheesh.......I'm going to have a shower now !!!!!
Can anyone lend me some soap ?????

Roflmao!!!!

Donna, in our family, every kid (2 female, 2 male) were taught to cook, sew, and fix things. And before we were permitted to go try for a driver's license, we had to prove to Dad we could change a flat tire, and check the old, windshield washer fluid, transmission fluid, and he'd call out various engine parts that we had to point to.

Our parents never wanted us to be incapable of doing anything basic, and never at the mercy of roadside mechanics!

I once rewired a lamp, and was pleased when it worked the first time. Our house, though, has some wiring that would give an electrician nightmares, that I do not touch! It's not dangerous, or exposed, it is just old.

Thanks guys.

This is a kind of catharsis for me.

First,
I was looking at the work my dad did, and using what he taught me, I was able to fix the problem!

The other is a kind of sorrow that my mom isn't around to see it. There is a long post that I could make on this topic. that is for the When Families Attack thread!;)

LOL,

I posted the story because I needed a pat on the back.;)

You all are my family away from family.


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Hell, a little soap, hot water and deodorant?

All us men are perfectly good then.

So, stop complaining about the toilet seat?:eek:;)