Spagetti

Yesterday Daddy Francisco took off the ceiling (badly installed plywood) of the basement to expose the wiring in the house. They were driving back to San Carlos to have dinner with my folks so I didn't drive to SJ today. But anyway, he described the whole mess as spagetti. We think he had trouble sleeping just thinking about what he'd have to do to it to make it orderly. He said the original work is neat and pretty but whatever the previous owner "added" would need to be replaced. This guy used extension cords for any new electrical needs. Sounded like he used a lot of them too.

So Daddy F said he'd replace the extension cords and fraying portions but thought the good existing stuff was adequite and could be left alone. I vaguely remember hearing someone say that the old knob and tube stuff was obsolete and not to code. I'm sure we won't get inspected but it'd be nice if it had a fresh start. Pending funds, I suppose.

Here's a sample of how our house is wired with knob and tube stuff.


The day was full of rain and wind so Mommy F couldn't work in the garden like she had hoped. So she took out the rest of the carpet foam and nails left in the hardwood. I think there's some water stains in the hardwood and we'll need to replace some of the boards. Anyone got any advice on that? My friend's boyfriend volunteered to help us out with the hardwood. Apparently he's installed it before so he knows all about sanding and finishing and stuff.

Predinner conversation was full of conduit talk and discussions of stranded wire vs. solid wire and a lot of other things that would make any passerby confused and uninterested. After eating way too much chinese food with my parents, they departed and we went to our new favorite store... Home Depot. The shoping list consisted of Romex wiring, junction boxes, and other stuff for the electrical work.

Slowly but surely we're making progress.