Buckshot
01-24-2008, 03:59 AM
...............But sometimes I just do it to myself. Re: It was the GFI issue in a 2 wire 1951 house. So I bought a grounding clamp. Grabbed my Sportsman's Guide Swedish military surplus ditty bag ( I use it to transport small batchs of tools on away from home jobs). Tossed in the clamp, flashlight, pliers, 5' of bare copper ground wire, file, tape, couple wire nuts, hammer, wire stripper, standard and phillips screwdrivers, some plumbers tape, and a jiffy box.
Went around to the crawlspace access, pulled the screen off and tossed the bag in. Then I stood there looking aorund like I may never see the sky again and smoked a couple cigarettes thinking what a rat bastard this is gonna be, and a chubby boy like me really shouldn't be crawiling aorund under the house.
Listening closely it was apparent nothing was getting done, and there was nothing to do but get on with it. So under I went. During the remodel the *(&^%@# plumbers had put a #$@&*( freaking cleanout right the &*(%^!@)_ near the access, and it's a cast iron puppy mother to get around. I sure didn't remember where I'd cut into the existing circut having been so &*^%^#$ far away.
So here I am at the junction box I'd put up. So what had I forgotten? Ah yes, cut off the *(&%^$ POWER! You think I was going to crawl all the way out to do that and then have to crawl all the way back again? Nope, wasn't going to happen. Luckily for me I had put in a nice big gang box instead of a 14 cent outlet box to house the splice. Got the ground wire wire nutted in and then run over to a water pipe and installed the clamp.
After getting out from under the house I had to change clothes as that dirt hadn't seen water since 1951, and every step I took caused a billow of dust. Took the GFI tester and plugged her in. OPEN GROUND! What the................!!!!!!!!!!! No way! I had even filed the water pipe bright where I'd put the clamp. All the connections were secure. And since I was dealing with only ONE WIRE, I couldn't have screwed that part up.
At that point I REALLY didn't know what to do. Crap or wind my watch?? Hmmmmm, tough choice. I went out to the shop where I can think and had a cup of coffee or 2 and kind of tidied up a bit. Just dithering, ya know? I thought well heck, maybe there was a loose wire in the box with the GFI, or maybe I wired the godforsaken thing wrong. Couldn't hurt to take a look. PUlled the cover and saw right then that I hadn't even hooked the ground wire to it, HA!
I remember that, thinking why should I when the ground doesn't go anywhere? I connected the ground and plugged in the tester. Two lights on the right light, and looking at the thing it says that when the 2 on the right light up it's wired correctly :-). Well halleluiah!!
All I have to do now is to remember to call for a final.
.................Buckshot
Went around to the crawlspace access, pulled the screen off and tossed the bag in. Then I stood there looking aorund like I may never see the sky again and smoked a couple cigarettes thinking what a rat bastard this is gonna be, and a chubby boy like me really shouldn't be crawiling aorund under the house.
Listening closely it was apparent nothing was getting done, and there was nothing to do but get on with it. So under I went. During the remodel the *(&^%@# plumbers had put a #$@&*( freaking cleanout right the &*(%^!@)_ near the access, and it's a cast iron puppy mother to get around. I sure didn't remember where I'd cut into the existing circut having been so &*^%^#$ far away.
So here I am at the junction box I'd put up. So what had I forgotten? Ah yes, cut off the *(&%^$ POWER! You think I was going to crawl all the way out to do that and then have to crawl all the way back again? Nope, wasn't going to happen. Luckily for me I had put in a nice big gang box instead of a 14 cent outlet box to house the splice. Got the ground wire wire nutted in and then run over to a water pipe and installed the clamp.
After getting out from under the house I had to change clothes as that dirt hadn't seen water since 1951, and every step I took caused a billow of dust. Took the GFI tester and plugged her in. OPEN GROUND! What the................!!!!!!!!!!! No way! I had even filed the water pipe bright where I'd put the clamp. All the connections were secure. And since I was dealing with only ONE WIRE, I couldn't have screwed that part up.
At that point I REALLY didn't know what to do. Crap or wind my watch?? Hmmmmm, tough choice. I went out to the shop where I can think and had a cup of coffee or 2 and kind of tidied up a bit. Just dithering, ya know? I thought well heck, maybe there was a loose wire in the box with the GFI, or maybe I wired the godforsaken thing wrong. Couldn't hurt to take a look. PUlled the cover and saw right then that I hadn't even hooked the ground wire to it, HA!
I remember that, thinking why should I when the ground doesn't go anywhere? I connected the ground and plugged in the tester. Two lights on the right light, and looking at the thing it says that when the 2 on the right light up it's wired correctly :-). Well halleluiah!!
All I have to do now is to remember to call for a final.
.................Buckshot