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This is in reference to the post about adding an outlet and finding a 30 amp fuse. I had just closed on my very first house. Wifey, Dad and I take keys and trek to the new domicile. We worked our way to the basement, I rummaging around in one part, while Dad was 'inspecting' other parts. I hear Wifey upstairs talking of lights not working. At the same time Dad's grousing in the basement. 'Grousing' is a diplomatic description for his tirade. He's actually yelling!! All the while unscrewing some plug fuses from the panel. He explained that 30 amp plug fuses should NEVER.......well, I had no idea, but promptly fetched the correct ones from the local hardware. His being a fire marshall came into play more than once for me. Am still grateful for, and to, him for looking out for his ignorant kid. Sure learned a lot from him.
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well..............I'm 63 now and I have seen just about everything in old [er] houses I was asked to do a service change. Knob n tube wiring where the protection was the exposed porcelain fuses blocks. Homeowners have tapped off the bus ahead of the fuses for branch circuits. Those that had hitched up to the correct side had pennies in the socket, aluminum foil wrapped around the screw in fuse, some guy had removed the face of a porcelain screw in fuse and fixed a link of lead solder between the shell and center contact. another guy had a 200 watt light bulb screwed in there. -
One of our reno homes up in Ohio was a 1886 vintage Victorian, Previous owner was showing me around the house proudly explaining all the improvements he has done and how good they were, seems he was in need of a couple new circuits, he simply opened up the panel face and tapped (three tap at that) into the breaker. Now 1800's vintage homes basements were never pretty they were meant to be functional and this one came with a small water leak right above one of the new 14/2 wires this guy had strung across the 7' basement ceiling (it looked like a light string with big loops) the leak in the old gal. pipe was small only because he wrapped a rag around it to reduce it to a drip rather than a spray, anyway this drip was hitting the 14/2 wire and running down the wire to the panel, his solution was to make a drip loop in the 14/2 wire on the way to the panel.
Just when I think I've seen it all someone has to slap me with yet another life lesson. Books could be written on weird and dangerous stuff done by some homeowners (and some contractors).
Little about a lot and a lot about a little.
Every day is a learning day.Comment
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30 amps.
On further investigation, one of those 30 amp plug ins was for a hard wired reverse a/c unit in a back bedroom. There was no way to disconnect it except to pull the two fuses. One of which was a circuit for another part of the house. Oh yeah....it was powered using a 14/2 wire. Oh yeah, not run through the floor joists, but rather black taped to a pipe running the general direction. Oh yeah...that pipe was the 1" furnace gas feed.
Oh yeah...thanks again, Dad!
HayZee, that 200 watt bulb must've glowed pretty good when stuff was powered up. Did they ever wonder why the rest of the lights were so dim?
Talk about some dim bulbs out there!Comment
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