He didn't understand why, since 220V is enough to power a washer or a dryer, and this was just a light switch. Then he figured out what was going on...
...and it wasn't good. In fact, it was very dangerous.
Whoever did the electrical work in the house must have been an amateur, and apparently, he or she incorrectly wired the outlet in the bedroom (i.e. made a mistake), disabling the circuit that led to it and the rest of the switches and sockets upstairs that came later in the circuit.
Instead of figuring out how he or she had messed up, the amateur got creative. He or she double-wired the outlet, by digging a trench in the drywall and hiding the wiring inside the trenches with plaster. This double-wiring was also found downstairs.
There's a metal box behind each switch or socket, and it houses the wiring to power the fixture. The wires running through the walls were simply curled over/around one wall of the metal box in order to supply a double dose of electricity.
Just because a fixture isn't working doesn't mean the fixture has no power running to it. Anyone who tried to disconnect one of these fixtures in a typical fashion could have been electrocuted to death, the electrician warned. He also explained that this was a major fire hazard, and he had never seen such a thing before.
It also explains why I couldn't figure out the map of the breaker box downstairs -- many of the switches and sockets in the house were on two lines/circuits/breakers. They could only be powered down (or up) with multiple circuit breakers.
The electrician is doing very well for us. Our kitchen circuitry is now updated. He installed a ceiling fan/light fixture in our bedroom and more, but due to all the surprises, it seems he's not going to be able to fix as much as he expected to, before he has to move on to another job on Friday. Hopefully today he encounters less retahdedness.
PS
The conference center, Whispering Pines at Alton Jones, in Exeter, RI is gorgeous. It's sort of a shame we're talking shop there.
3 comments:
Congrats on running your first group as an intern, Suester . . . what a star! Have you learned about how to diagnose by headgear (i.e., the psychotic head-wrap, the positive stalker ponytail)? And Rob, I am glad that you learned your lesson as a young boy and did not stick your finger in any of the sockets at the new place. Sounds like it would have been even more dangerous than your parents warned! xoxoxoxo
What a shocking discovery! I should be banned from commenting now.
D-Glas -- No more scorched tweezer tips for me!
Hackmeister -- You are banned from being banned.
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