New York Renovator

I promised myself (and my daughter) that I wouldn’t get frustrated working on the electric today. Unfortunately, I broke that promise. But I remained relatively calm and nothing was broken! The “electric” in this house is a NIGHTMARE. I cannot possibly express how horrifying and frustrating it is. The wiring is well over 80 years old, and is a mish-mash of the most retarded work I have ever seen in anything.

It is completely chaotic, there are circuits going everywhere and anywhere, sometimes even doubling up. I’ll switch off a circuit, thinking that all wiring is de-energized, but lo and behold, mystery wires are still energized.

Take, for example, my kitchen lighting and outlet receptacles. This kitchen light and the receptacles are powered by Circuit #17. There are two receptacles (yes, just two for our entire kitchen) and a light fixture with two switches. One switch is at one doorway, the other switch is at the other doorway.

So I go to turn off Circuit #17 in the basement. Both receptacles and the light fixture and a switch are off. But guess what? One of the light switches is still on! That switch is connected to Circuit #14 (which powers one-third of the rest of the house on that one circuit). I’m no expert with electrical systems, but I know the basics. Please tell me HOW a kitchen light switch on Circuit #14 can switch off a light fixture that’s on Circuit #17? There are two circuits at work with this switch??

I am so frustrated I could sell this house RIGHT NOW. Or let it slide into foreclosure. And this was only just ONE of my frustrating problems today– and it was the easiest! I’ve been wallowing around in The Dreaded Attic [insert creepy organ music] for a while. trying to figure out how some old wiring that has been sealed up and disconnected is showing up as energized on a brand-new circuit I built (and I never connected any of this old stuff to it?). I’m at wit’s end. Oh Lord help!