![]() |
I'm kidding. |
BUT--- Along those lines, I've realized that working night and day on a full house renovation is sort of like a heroin addiction (minus the euphoria):
1. You wake up every morning feeling like zombie
2. Your family and friends wonder why you have disappeared
3. It messes with your sleeping and eating patterns
4. Its a good way to flush your life savings down the toilet
5. No matter how much you do, it never really feels like enough
(alright I'll stop. This is too easy anyway)
I digress. Let's move on to our feature episode: THE WIRE
Seasoned Occupiers know that wiring is a much loved topic around here. Its not that I think wiring is a "must-document" process (although, that doesn't hurt). I actually think that I'm not covered in plaster dust, joint compound, or paint so that I can actually touch the digital camera.
Let's take a look at our existing overhead light:
![]() |
I wish this was final, then I wouldn't be doing any more wiring |
As you can see above, there are three wires coming out of the ceiling. The feed comes from a wall outlet on the front wall, and comes directly into the ceiling fixture before the switch. For whatever reason, this seems to be my method of choice. It as pretty easy to wire this way in this scenario, because the ceiling was open when I wired this room
Feed coming in from the outlet on the left, and continuing onto a switch to control it, and a final end -of-run wall outlet |
So the three dangling wires in the previous picture are:
1. the feed
2. a 12/3 wire to control the fan+switch
3. the feed continuing on to power a final end-of-run outlet
Let's wire the switch first:
![]() |
2nd hot wire capped and tucked away |
![]() |
Even if the sun burned out, I wouldn't touch this ugly monstrosity to put on the lights |
Well, let's bike down to [b]Lowes and Homey D to see if they have anything..
![]() |
Hell freezes: the big box stores out-supply local and specialty stores |
Ah well, looks like Depot wins with the conventional switch with indexed slider for fan for $22. However, since I'm
![]() |
Since the feed comes into the light, re-purpose the neutral wire with some black tape, so future electricians know that the white wire is hot coming from the lamp. |
![]() |
Five minutes later, we're wired. |
Now let's switch gears to the ceiling. First I will install the fan mounting bracket. The electrical box itself is mounted on a metal bar that spans the studs, which should support up to about 50 lbs.
Recall this picture from the room's previous state. Observe box on metal track between the existing ceiling joists, which I sistered to new load bearing ceiling joists that rest on the wall plates |
Install mounting bracket
![]() |
This actually gets pretty tight once you start stripping all the wires |
I realized that things were getting fairly complicated with the 12/3 wire going to the switch. I want to send power down to the switch box (from the fan control terminal) in case I ever decide to cough up the $22 to upgrade the switch. I'll twist a wire nut on the red and black inside the switch box, then put that union onto the one terminal of the switch. The other terminal will be the white wire (re-coded to black).
I know. It sounds confusing. Because it is. Throw in that additional feed going to the outlet on the south wall, and you have a real complicated mess in the ceiling box. I had to resort to a professional grade diagram.
![]() |
Blue is the light control, and red is the fan control. Not that it matters in the way I finished this out. |
OK- looks like we have to open up the switch box again
![]() |
Wire nut goes on to the black and red, also throw in a jump wire to link us to the switch terminal |
![]() |
Its amazing how quickly the transition can be from 'complete dump' to ' bedroom'. All it takes is one switch cover. |
And we're wired. The rest is just 'Ikea level' assembly of the fan.
![]() |
This looks a little unbalanced |
![]() |
That's better! |
![]() |
Flip the switch. |
The saga continues on the next episode of The Wire.
No comments:
Post a Comment