New York Renovator

Now that good weather is finally here, I’m turning my plans once again to updating the electrical system in the home. It’s been a slow, long process, and I still only have half the house done! I have to keep up-to-date with the codes, as well, to make sure that all my work is done properly and legally. The biggest change I have seen is with new “arc-fault” circuit breaker. This was introduced in the National Electric Code in 2002, but we’re seeing it roll into the municipalities codes’ laws only recently. My town passed the regulation for these last year.

The arc-fault circuit breaker has a little pigtail wire that connects to the grounding bar in the circuit panel, and the white wire connects to a screw on the breaker. This new system detects “arcing,” or the electrical shorts that sometimes occur (and shorts occur in new AND old wiring) with overheating wires, poorly performing wires, or broken or loose wires.

Regular circuit breakers only protect the wire behind the walls (switches and outlets) when massive amounts of electricity surge through the line; they flip off,  preventing heat buildup (and thus, a fire). Arc-fault circuit breakers are a little more sensitive– these breakers have filters that detect impending arcs from things like loose wire/screw connections, nicked wires, brittle or cracked wiring, and etc. Because they are so sensitive, they sometimes go off intermittently and falsely (and the homeowner must trot down the basement to flick the breaker back on, or figure out why the breaker is switching off).

A few years ago, these arc-fault breakers were mandated for bedrooms and sleeping areas for new construction (most arc-related fires occur in bedrooms). I believe in New York State, this applies. Vermont, however, has recently required the use of these arc-fault breakers for ALL living rooms in residences. The caveat is that the arc-fault equipment is a lot more expensive than the traditional breaker equipment. I can find regular circuit breakers for $10 or so. The arc-fault breakers are commonly $45 to $50!! PER BREAKER! This radically increases the cost of electrical wiring.

Anyway, this information may come in handy the next time you need to gut a room to rewire it, or look at an estimate for new construction. I’m hoping that by the time I get to the bedrooms in my house, the arc-fault breakers will be more reliable– the last thing I want to do it pay 5x more for something that I have to monitor 5x more– and less expensive.

Photos from Handyman Wire and Inspect-A-Pedia NY.

I grew up in small towns, but they were only minutes away from the “big cities.” Remember the days way back when, when all we had to do for home security was close the curtains at night?? We never had to lock our doors or windows; we knew our neighbors and they knew us, and we all looked out for each other. Theft or home intrusions? That was the stuff of movies and in the worst of the big cities.

Those days are OVER, aren’t they? Nowadays, it’s risky to leave your home unlocked. It’s really even too risky to merely rely on locks to keep out the criminals– nowadays, beefy home security is becoming a necessity. By far, the most popular and most successful company in home security is ADT. I see the ADT sticker on house doors everywhere. ADT provides monitored burglar, fire, and video surveillance systems round the clock; and ADT serves more than six million people in the United States alone!

The best thing about ADT besides it’s superb security monitoring system, is that it is very affordable for the average American. Security systems used to be the stuff of the rich and famous, right? Not so anymore. At a time whem crime is rising and the average American’s possessions are more valuable than ever, ADT has risen to the occasion to offer very good and affordable packages to meet any budget. I know that when I finally get my own house renovated, we’re installing an ADT security system. The basic burglary security package is on special right now– $99 installation after rebate, and just $42.99 a month for continous monitoring. That’s the cost of a pizza dinner for a family of 6! I think the deal is amazing. ADT can monitor your home for burglary, fire, home health for seniors, home video surveillance, and even identity theft. 24/7, your home is monitored!

Check out the ADT website for more information, or call 1-866-746-7238. ADT can schedule you for a free home security evaluation. And if you have a business with security needs, ADT can handle it with their extensive business packages. ADT is contracted to handle federal government security services– there’s no doubt they can manage everything for your home and business! Check them out. Security systems are rapidly becoming a necessary fixture for homes and businesses. You don’t want to be the only house on the block with just a lock between you and a criminal.

There have been a rash of robberies in my area lately. I remember, years ago, when we could easily leave our doors unlocked while we went out. Not so anymore. As a matter of fact, I admit that I sometimes don’t sleep very well because I’m concerned of a break-in. There’s just SO much night time activity around here these days and it seems to have worsened along with the economy; it’s unnerving.

I always thought security systems were something for “the rich people’s homes.” I always saw that blue octagonal “ADT” decals on doors of houses I visited. I have recently checked into the ADT home security system, and I must say: I am impressed. It’s very affordable! I don’t see how any home can be without it.

There are many various options and plans you can choose from with the ADT security system. You can mix and match an alarm system with video surveillance, 24-hour burglary monitoring, or get their new TouchPad system (it disarms the alarm with a wave of a special remote keychain device). Installation cost is as low as $99 (there’s a special going on right now, see here) and monthly monitoring costs are right around $35– that’s the cost of a pizza dinner for 6, people. I had no idea ADT was so affordable! And now I know why so many New York State homes have ADT– there’s a monitoring station here in the state, and ADT is the largest and most reliable security system in the country. ADT can monitor for burglary, fire, flooding (oh THAT would be wonderful for my property!), medical emergencies and more. The ADT Safewatch QuickConnect plan has gotten good reviews, too.

I’m looking into the ADT security system for my home. I recommend you do so, too. ADT offers a free home security evaluation- see here. You can fill in the form and an ADT representative will contact you for an appointment. If nothing else, check the website for home security tips and information about how to make your property more secure. Don’t leave things to chance!

I’ve run into some problems with the electricity in our house. Actually, we’ve had numerous problem with the electric here, for years. Only two of the four bedroom lights work. Various outlet receptacles are faulty. We’ve tolerated the situation for years, but I think we will have to do something drastic now. Quickly.

After we tried to replace a mouse-chewed wire, we lost half the electricity to our upstairs, all of our bathroom, 3/4 of the Kitchen, and the Laundry Room lights and outlet. I tried replacing the wire, but the circuit keeps shorting. So I am exploring why. I pulled down the Living Room ceiling today, and discovered a junction box with 100-year old wiring. That is still in use. And it’s in bad shape.

Here’s why our electricity won’t work:

Here’s a close up of the handywork.

More photos of the Living Room ceiling:

This is the moment I can either laugh or cry. I can be so very very happy I found this before a fire started. We have a lot of electronics in the house (and growing all the time). It is a miracle the house still stands after all these years.

I could cry because this means that, on top of redoing the Living Room, I have to rewire half the upstairs and the Kitchen, Dining Room, and Laundry Room now. And school and winter is coming. Ohhhh Lord….

Also, they had cut a substantial chunk out of a beam that had been (note the use of the phrase “had been”) supporting the upstairs bedroom flooring. The beam had failed to point of cracking and dropping. I will have to sister the beam to prevent more structural failure.

Of interest is today’s daily devotional by Dr. D. James Kennedy. I have it as my home page. Taking a break from my demolition, feeling a bit panicky about the situation, I took a break to check email. Today’s devotional is so fitting.

Have you ever faced a daunting task, one that looked not even remotely feasible? At times like this, God, who can do the impossible, wants us to have faith in His presence and in His ability to see us through.

…The ancient Israelites serve as an excellent example of what not to do under pressure. Faced with an overwhelming task, they failed to respond in faith.

…When circumstances overwhelm you and the task at hand is daunting, place your full faith in God and trust that He will deliver you into your promised land.

I’ll take this one step at a time, yes I will. For now, I am planning a new circuit map to restore electricity to the house. I think I’d better finish the Living Room first before attacking the Kitchen. The kids will need a station to do their schoolwork, and the Dining Room is pretty cramped now as it is.

One very positive note is that I will be removing that awful drop ceiling from the Kitchen!

Yesterday I wired half the Living Room. One wall now has four– yes, folks, four– outlet receptacles! That was the total number of receptacles in the entire room before we started.

I am doing all the wiring myself. And, unless a reliable electrician enters our lives within the next week, I will probably be tying the wiring into the circuit breaker myself (don’t worry, I’ll study hard, get advice, follow all the safety rules, and go slowly). Trying to find an available, reliable electrician has been a nightmare. I’ve called over 10 businesses. Half dismissed me because they only “do commercial” now. One guy spent a half hour looking over our electrical needs, and never called me back with his estimate. Another guy– a referral from a co-worker– said he’d be here on a certain day, but never showed up. I’ve called him back a dozen times and he refuses to call me back! The only real response I got was from a local company who would send out a small team for the stifling price of $1000.

So let’s just say I am not doing the wiring because I love electricity. I have to do the wiring. The guys at the codes department now know me by my telephone voice, since I call them nearly every day to pepper them with my endless questions:

• Can I use metal staples to secure the cable between studs, or must I use those fancy plastic tie-downs in all those home improvement books? [answer: metal is fine]
• Can I use 12-2 cable with 15-amp receptacles? [answer: yes but you must use 20-amp breakers in your circuit box]
• I have to string cable through a support beam. Can I notch it instead of drilling a hole through it? [answer: yes, but nail a 1/16 metal plate over the notch]
• I have 3/4-inch holes drilled in my studs. Can I run two courses of cable through them? [answer: yes]
• How far back from the front of the stud must the holes be drilled? [answer: 1 and 1/4 inch]

And etc.

Wiring is not difficult at all. Configuring the wiring through a house that was built before the invention of electric wiring is nigh impossible. It is a good thing I am creative, but my creativity can never transgress the amorphous “codes.” Problem is, I have a hard time knowing all the minute details of this “code” I hear about. There is no “National Electric Code” available online (to my knowledge). One sole reference copy is at the local library– and you cannot check it out to take home and study. I suppose I could always buy my own copy– for $70. :-O The hardest part for me is knowing what is allowed and what is not allowed. Home improvement books are helpful, but they all cover new construction (as if all homes have shiny new 2×4 studs and light-filled basements and attics). I am hesitant to take any risks in the placement of wiring, because each inspection is $75. Therefore, a failed inspection can be extremely costly if the inspector needs to return.

At any rate, I am so happy to have half the room done. I think it is done correctly, too. There are a few chinks that I have to work out yet. For example: wiring coming up from the basement may be situated too close to where the finished Living Room wall is going. See, I had to drill from my basement into the foundation sill in order to get a hole between the studs (and not a hole in the floorboard). My drilling had to be at an angle, so I could run wiring from the between the studs down through the basement and back up again. This was very hard. Not only is my 12inch x 12inch solid hemlock sill petrified after 150 years, but I have to crawl up into the foundation a little to even get to the sill. (The stone foundation is about 18 inches thick, and the foundation sill sits at the outer rim of the stonework.) Even when I have finally drilled through the sill, I found that my holes are still not 1 and 1/4-inch away from where the finished wall with eventually be. So I think I have to install my own “sill plate” pieces between the studs on top of the floorboards, and attach metal nail plates to these “sill plate” pieces. This protects the wiring (which is so close to where the finished wall is going) from being nailed into by accident when the sheetrock goes up.

Here’s a photo of a hole that is drilled far back enough.

Here is a hole drilled too close.

This predicament of mine and my intended solution is not in any books or codes manuals. It is “one of those things” that you encounter when wiring an old house, and you only hope that your fix passes inspection. So, I am a little bit nervous about it. The wiring comes up from the basement only four times, but two are very close to the edge. I doubt they will pass inspection if I left them. I sure hope the inspector loves my fix.

Here’s is a photo of one area of floor riddled with holes. (I didn’t make all of these, by the way!)

None of these holes are really back far enough to please codes. Some of these holes go right out onto the floor– they were made when the plaster, lathe, and baseboard was still installed, because blindly fishing wire between walls is so hard. Therefore, wiring was exposed in the Living Room before I removed the receptacles. You can also see a very old damaged wire in the photo. This wiring (which makes up most of the wiring we have in the house) is the old knob-and-tube wiring that dates backto the 20’s and 30s.

In case you couldn’t see the holes, here’s the same photo with an arrow pointing to each hole.

So I’ll post pictures of my handywork after inspection passes. It is a strange thing to walk into the living room and see the festive yellow wiring and bright blue receptacle boxes in a drab dark-brown wooden room with drab burnt-red bricks between the walls. I am keeping my eyes on the final product: a warm, efficient, clean, and pleasant room to enjoy. Oh, I am looking forward to this!

Other news: we have to build out one wall in the Living Room in order to properly wire it. This wall has studs that are turned sideways. I don’t know why the original builder did this… of course it was built before central heating and electric wiring… but the sideways studs make it impossible to do anything with the wall. Plus, these sideways studs are directly under the main support beam, which has cracked and shifted over the centuries. Obviously the studs have not done their job of supporting this beam. So, we are going to add new studs. This will enlarge the wall and enable us to add wiring and a cold-air return vent in the gap.

Also, I believe that the bricks between the studs (aka, “noggin”) are not true bricks. I had to punch some out in order to run wiring. When I hit the bricks with my hammer, most turned to powder. Some are hollow. The mortar is stronger than the “bricks.” I think these bricks are merely hardened clay squares. I do not think these clay squares were ever baked and hardened in a brick kiln. Perhaps the owner simply made mud bricks by collecting clay into square molds and setting them out in the sun to dry. These are not real bricks.

I have to leave most of them in though. They serve as firestops for the balloon-frame house, and it is too late in the game for more demolition (for the health of my psyche, anyway). They serve as a barrier… so in they stay. Perhaps when we do the exterior siding (should we get that far), I will have them removed then. They are only between the studs in the first floor.

My house is a balloon-frame house. Balloon-frame houses became all the rage after the World’s Fair in Chicago, when visitors saw Augustine Taylor’s new building design in 1833.

Balloon-framing was the alternative method of post-and-beam framing. PandB framing requires massive timbers with strong, skilled workers. The labor for this is extensive and demanding. The invention of balloon-framing sought to curb this expense and make home-building less tasking. Wikipedia sums this up nicely:

Although lumber was plentiful in 19th century America, skilled labor was not. The advent of cheap machine-made nails, along with water-powered sawmills, in the early 19th century made balloon framing highly attractive, because it did not require highly-skilled carpenters, as did the dovetail joints, mortises and tenons required by post-and-beam construction. For the first time, any farmer could build his own buildings without a time-consuming learning curve.

Balloon-frame houses are not being made anymore (not in quantities, anyway). American home-building shifted to the platform-frame (stick-frame), and is now coming full-circle back to post-and-beam framing. (I won’t delve into another new and exciting form of house-building– the modular home).

I am not too keen on balloon-frame. Let me tell you why.

• Greater risk of fire. Since studs are like long toothpicks which go all the way up from foundation sill to roof rafters, there is a tremendous risk for fire. If a fire starts in a wall, the flames will race up the long studs. The air flow from sill to rafter feeds the fire, until the house is essentially consumed from top to bottom. Fire stops (blocks of wood nailed between the studs at intervals) were added later to reduce this risk. Many old houses do not have fire stops. Mine does, though (at least, what few walls I have seen inside).

• Drafts, dust, vermin. My house is very, very drafty and dusty. I dust the house a lot, and still we cough and cough (the family has developed what I call “Morning House Syndrome”). The staggering amount of dust in this house is amazing. If I do not dust for a day or two, a thick powdery coat of gray dust settles on everything. The plus side of this is that there is plenty of air circulation here. The bad side is the air is dirty and we hack and cough all day. Smells are a problem, too. Odors from the moist basement and smells from bats in the attic circulate in the framing and come right into the house. The house stinks. Also, smells are not the only things that race up and down the studs! Mice love balloon-frame houses. So do bats. Because our exterior siding and eaves still have so many holes and pocks, we have a problem with bats. They are well able to scurry down the studs from their attic nests. I have to say that I hate bats. I am not afraid of mice (besides their uncleanness), but I cannot tolerate bats in my house. When I redid my front Entry Hall, I had left the top of the door framing open, to continue it later. Oops. So, any wall-removal that we do must be replaced very quickly, or the room must be completely sealed off and then scoured for lurking bats.

• Sagging and twisting. This isn’t as much a problem for me. What old house is not sagging or twisting? But, because the long studs support the entire load of the house, we must take great care that studs do not twist or bend. It has not helped that previous owners have carelessly hacked and chipped at the studs in order to install an electric receptacle box here or furnace vent there (some fools even cut out large chunks of the foundation sill to install ducts). When we finally do open up the walls, I do wonder how much of the structural support of the studs has been compromised. In every area that I have opened up so far, I have found transgressions of this sort. Therefore, we must have a stash of “emergency” studs to sister to any compromised framing. Anything can happen once we remove three tons of lathe and plaster and flooring!

So…. balloon-framing, for all its hype at the time, has turned out to be problematic. It seems to be plagued with more problems than stick-framing, and is less-sturdy than post-and-beam. I hear that balloon-framing is the structure of choice for metal-stud homes, and that sounds like it works better than with wood.

I think it’s important to know what kind of structure your house is before you start tearing away at it. For one, I want my efforts to be long-lasting and sturdy. Two, I would have appreciated it if previous homeowners had been more careful, caring, and fore-sighted about the work they had done. After all, I am living with their successes and their errors. So, I am trying to keep future homeowners in mind as we do this.