Thursday, February 18, 2010

It's electric!

While I am not an electrician, my occupation as an electrical safety engineer has provided some practical knowledge. I guess working with the NEC (and CEC) regularly has some benefits after all.

I have slowly been investigating the various electrical circuits in our new/antique home, and I am becoming accustomed to the MacGyver style solutions that infest our walls. Much of the wiring throughout our home is cloth insulated 2-wire and is often in flexible metal conduit; there are, however, a few newer circuits which use romex wire. The sprawling, almost organic-looking, circuits which supply various room will continue to be a point of contention. I intend to eventually update all of the branch circuits, but it will certainly take some time.

One of the assets of our home is that we have two electrical meters for our property. Some time ago, the second story was leased to renters. At that time the second meter, and second story circuit breaker panel were installed. Having a second breaker box should afford us some opportunities to run new lines through the attic to the rooms on the upper floor, instead of relying only on the original panel in the basement. We do wish to relocate the upstairs breaker panel, since it is currently in a bedroom closet. Sounds like a fun summer project!

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