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Stesso

Address Old Wiring Issues and Run Additional Circuits

13:05
39:51
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At 13:05 in

Rewiring New Electrical in an Old House

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What happens here

The original wiring was not stapled down inside the walls, making it difficult to pull. This necessitated cutting additional holes in the drywall to guide the wires. In the attic, an uncovered junction box with exposed wires nestled in insulation was discovered, highlighting a serious fire hazard that needed immediate attention and proper enclosure. New 14/2 Romex circuits are run to the living room for general outlets and lighting, and consideration is given to adding specialized outlets (e.g., for a projector). The project also involves routing a new outdoor GFCI outlet to the front and back of the house, and a service outlet within 25 feet of the AC unit. Additionally, a new GFCI-protected outlet is required in the unfinished basement, along with the installation of conduit for wire protection.

Goal: Identify and rectify poor wiring practices from the original construction, such as unfixed wires in walls and a fire hazard in the attic. Extend new circuits to the living room and address specific code requirements for basement and outdoor outlets.

Tools and materials

  • Cordless Drill
  • Hammer
  • Headlamp/Flashlight
  • Measuring Tape
  • Pliers
  • Respirator Mask
  • Safety Glasses
  • Spade Bit
  • Utility Knife
  • Wire Strippers
  • 12/2 Romex Wire
  • 14/2 Romex Wire
  • Conduit
  • Electrical Boxes
  • GFCI Outlets
  • Junction Box Covers
  • Wire Staples

What they say

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That should do it. So, as we're hooking up this three-way switch, uh this is going to be kind of like the strategy that we're going to come up with, at least planning for a strategy for how to replace all the other lights because we're going to have to replace [music] get them cut off from the switch and feed them out. Now, I have a theory in mind that might might make might make might make might make might make might make might make that might make our lives easier. And that theory is that back then they didn't use staples to hold them down. The cable's just running up and down. So, there's just a hole that's cut out and it's should be just kind of dangling here. But, uh maybe I could just tie the cable to it and then pull it out. Um I don't know. But we're about to find out what's going to be the easiest way to feed these wires through based off of just this one three-way switch in the kitchen. Technically, we should kind of pull down, but they might be nailed. I don't know. Not that easy. All right. Well, then I got to go up. My goal is going to be climbing the creepy attic. I don't like attics. Insulation, all that stuff. It's dark. And then I'm going to try to make my way over there and see if I could pull one cable out. And as I pull it out, I'm gonna pull this cable in. Fingers crossed. All right, I think I found it. All right, that should be in there. Now I got to run another cable up to where the driver is going to be. That should be enough to grab and pull through and connect to our light. It's only 80° outside, but in the attic it probably feels like it's 120. [snorts] Oh man, already dissatisfied. I'm not seeing the cable. It has to be in there. I wonder if I just didn't get too far in. There's three holes here. I shoved in some three holes. This is going to be miserable. goes up and it goes through. Oh, there it is. All right. So, looks like they got like two plates up here. They drilled through this one and then that one. So, unfortunately, to make things to go smoother, I think I'm just going to have to break down a little section like this above around every receptacle, every light switch. Sucks. I know. There's a lot of more drywall to do, but this way we'll be able to do this a lot more smoother. Hopefully this double plate system is not everywhere. Just kind of this overbeam here. Things like this should possibly go a little bit smoother, but you never know. Fingers crossed. Throw it up on a receptacle here. Well, actually, I need a…

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