Electrical Work

The other day Kellie gave me a list of things that she wanted to get done before our guests come. In less than a week from this writing her parents and Cindy Rodgers are coming to visit. One of the list items was some simple electrical work. Well far be it from me to let any electrical work be simple.

Our kitchen needed to have some receptacles (plugs) and switches replaced. There were also some lights that were on their own switch and they needed to be put on the same switch as another set of lights. Noooo problem, let me get my tools.

I ripped right through one of the receptacles and decided I better head up to the attic area to get the lights rewired before I lost my daylight. The blown-in insulation wasn’t as bad as I expected and it didn’t take too long before the lights were connected to the right switch. Or so I thought.

Since that went so well I decided to piece through the tangle of wires that made up the last receptacle and the switch for the disposal we’ll put in some day. I filled up the back of a bulletin with various diagrams trying to figure out what went where and I finally got it figured out. After a quick trip to Lowe’s and a few wire twists later I had it wired. Or so I thought.

Once everything was kosher I went to the garage and turned the power back on. The lights in the kitchen all came on and the receptacle for the disposal was working! Then I realized that the lights I had rewired wouldn’t shut off – I had completely bypassed the switch. If you wanted these lights off you would have to shut the whole kitchen off, refrigerator included. And you’d have to do it in the garage. Not the most convenient, if you ask me.

I had a similar problem with the disposal plug – I had completely bypassed the switch that was supposed to control it. Doh! What I had wired to that switch was the dishwasher. That cracked me up. We have four appliances in our kitchen and all of them need constant power and now I have one wired to a light switch. Want to cause your dishwasher to flash “Power failure” – well then, simply flip this switch here!

This is how all of my projects go. I’m not sure if I can remember ever getting something right the first time. The old saying goes “measure twice; cut once.” I measure, like, five times and then cut six or seven. Sometimes, like today, it’s funny. Other times it drives me crazy. Oh well. Eventually I get it figured out, just like the electrical work in our kitchen. Or so I think.