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Old 05-21-2009, 01:50 AM   #21
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Well finally, here are the pics of the replacement. I have been working at another job while the floors were being done (and also waiting for money).



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Old 05-21-2009, 01:56 AM   #22
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Cool man, looks good. I know someone is going to say it - so ill take care of it: Where are the straps/staples on your branch circuits?

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Old 05-21-2009, 05:25 AM   #23
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Shoulda figured it was a California install from the earthquake strap on the water heater. They're never used around here. Plumbers probably wouldn't know where to buy them, even if a fella wanted one.
Looks like a 28" Kindorf strap.
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Old 05-21-2009, 12:39 PM   #24
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Ha, yea that got cut off right at the top of the pic. They are all stapled right above the gutter on a joist. The flex I do have to strap a few still.
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Old 05-21-2009, 02:53 PM   #25
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Ha, yea that got cut off right at the top of the pic. They are all stapled right above the gutter on a joist. The flex I do have to strap a few still.
Relax... your install is 1000% better than what existed. Stapled, strapped or not that NM isn't going anywhere...

But I have to ask, was the trough really necessary? I would have opted for a couple of well-placed 1900 boxes if the existing NMs weren't long enough, but, that's just M(not so)HO.
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Old 05-22-2009, 02:40 AM   #26
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I thought of some 1900's, but there would have to be a lot of them. So, I went for just one gutter to consolidate. You can see how short all the wires were by looking at where the wirenuts are in the gutter. I didn't cut anything off the existing wires. (except an inch here or there to get a better part of the wire) Also, since the panel was lower than the other one(s) by about a foot, everything existing would have to be spliced.
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Old 05-25-2009, 08:52 PM   #27
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I like the old telco protector to the left of the gutter...I don't suppose that's still in use?
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Old 05-25-2009, 09:48 PM   #28
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Ha, I thought thats what it might be, but wasn't sure. I don't think it is, as someone rewired the phone lines about 10 years ago... That's what was kind of cool about this house, it was basically untouched and unmolested. Another thing I pulled off the old panel was a transformer. 120VAC to 24VAC. Have no idea what that was for...
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Old 05-25-2009, 09:50 PM   #29
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Ha, I thought thats what it might be, but wasn't sure. I don't think it is, as someone rewired the phone lines about 10 years ago... That's what was kind of cool about this house, it was basically untouched and unmolested. Another thing I pulled off the old panel was a transformer. 120VAC to 24VAC. Have no idea what that was for...
doorbell?
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Old 05-25-2009, 11:17 PM   #30
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Could be old HVAC, too. My mom and dad's old furnace had an external 24VAC transformer about 6 feet away.
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Old 05-25-2009, 11:37 PM   #31
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Could be old HVAC, too. My mom and dad's old furnace had an external 24VAC transformer about 6 feet away.
That's my vote too. When old furnaces had thermostats that were levers with chain the went down to the furnace, they didn't need power. When controls started to be added, along with electric thermostats, the transformer was always remotely mounted. When you're troubleshooting a non-working chime in an older home, you stand a 50/50 chance of running across the abandoned furnace transformer first.
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Old 05-26-2009, 12:33 AM   #32
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The panel swap looks good, by the way!

I just noticed this...look at the water heater. Do I see the telco ground clamp on the gas line?
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Old 05-27-2009, 02:11 AM   #33
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Yea I re-used the 10Vdc transformer for the doorbell, so I knew it wasn't for that. The A/C could be possible... Who knows. It wasn't even hooked up to anything so I have no idea what it was really for. I wish I could use it for something since it still works, but who knows what.
I don't think it was for the heater, as there is only one and its a "gravity" one in the basement going up into the living room/dining room. Maybe it had something to do with almost all the rooms being wired with a 220 outlet by a window? (for A/C I would think, what the heck else would they be for)
Oh well, just cool to find old stuff like that. (that still works!)
And the ground wire going to that gas line is for the cable, lol
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Old 07-04-2009, 04:12 PM   #34
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Yea, the 1/2 inch copper pipe was on the neutral. It was a run for a cottage in the rear of the property that was abandoned years ago. Still strange I thought, since every other neutral was fused.
In the olden days, the neutral was often fused, too. The "original" service was typically a 30a 120v supply, both conductors fused, and two 15a circuits tapped from that, one run the length of the ceiling of each floor.

I like the sub-panel, not very different from what we might do today as part of an upgrade or multiple circuit addition. Are the original cables in both boxes the same vintage, or could we be looking at an up-graded service?
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Old 07-04-2009, 04:21 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MDShunk View Post
Shoulda figured it was a California install from the earthquake strap on the water heater.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LawnGuyLandSparky View Post
Looks like a 28" Kindorf strap.
A 28" Mineralac works in a pinch. You know, like when that's all you have on the truck.
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Old 07-04-2009, 04:25 PM   #36
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Quote:
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Well finally, here are the pics of the replacement.
I think it looks great! The trough was a good choice, considering the quantity of cables and conduits.
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Old 07-04-2009, 04:28 PM   #37
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Yea I re-used the 10Vdc transformer for the doorbell, so I knew it wasn't for that.
Hmm. A DC transformer, eh?
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Old 07-04-2009, 05:23 PM   #38
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Hmm. A DC transformer, eh?
Sure just convert your dc to ac with a inverter then into a transformer then through rectifier and finally a voltage regulator. All this to run a ac powered door bell.
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Old 07-04-2009, 11:15 PM   #39
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pic not working.

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Old 07-06-2009, 12:36 AM   #40
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It began as just a "sub panel" upgrade, but the the owner wanted to bump it up to 200 amps. It was originally a 75 amp service, but I also wasn't going to get away with the original #6 neutral feeder in there. So then I just ran the feeders out to the side of the house to a main breaker/ meter socket, and up the outside wall to the service drop.
I believe the old panels were all the same vintage (from when the house was built). The house is totally untouched and unmolested. The bigger box on the left was all 240v circuits- one outlet in almost every room that I "re-phased" to make them 120v outlets. The one on the right was all the knob & tube lighting and outlet circuits.

Yea, I dont know why I said 10Vdc

Last edited by Archania; 07-06-2009 at 12:40 AM.
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