Fun with electricity

A friend had a little electrical problem. Let’s just say she went to change a light fixture and lost power in half the house. That’s not good. She was ready to refinance the house and send an electrician’s kid to college. Then someone recommended that she call me.

It’s always interesting to figure out house wiring that’s been changed and updated over the years. Some updates were more successful than others. I found a couple of ancient connections that were made with what looks like medical tape. No wonder it was a problem. I fixed that right off. While the wiring needs improvement I now feel that its not going to burn the house down.

Before I left we put together a shopping list. On the bright side, there’s plenty of room in the electrical box for new breakers. With a little assistance she’ll be able to add a few much needed circuits.

While we were sitting at the table putting the list together, a light in the hall kept going on and off. It took me a time or two to realize it was doing that by itself. For a moment there I was afraid there was some kind of loose connection doing it. Well it turns out the light is on a motion sensor and the dog and cat kept setting it off.

More rain is predicted for sometime today. There’s even a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. At least we don’t have flooding as bad as along the Mississippi drainage area. Then there are the tornadoes affecting parts of the country. At least that’s a rare problem in these parts. Live goes on.

-Sixbears