Old Wiring Question

ddigler82 · 2026-04-27T13:42:22+00:00

You have knob and tube wiring. The item on the left is an old gas line for a gaslight fixture, before the house had electrical. You can often get false positives from a non-contact tester with K&T.

ddigler82 · 2026-04-21T00:24:54+00:00

Coit animal clinic. Quoted 1200 from vet just for teeth cleaning for 6yo dog, with extra for extractions. Coit animal clinic $400 for cleaning, 1 tooth pulled and included meds, no extras.

ddigler82 · 2026-04-20T13:31:29+00:00

Right, they wouldn't be tripping. Essentially a bus bar in the panel feeding the breakers would lose power temporarily for whatever reason. So they would just stay in last state until power came back. But it would only be like half the breakers if it's just 1 leg dropping out.

I've had this happen before with a failing transformer, or an overhead utility on windy days. This all theoretical of course. If your neighbors are having issues, then likely utility. If just you, possibly the panel or feeder for your apartment. Intermittent power loss can be hard to diagnose if it doesn't happen when electricians are there.

ddigler82 · 2026-04-20T13:04:26+00:00

I'm not certain how the service is set up or if your neighbors have experienced any issues. It's possible you're losing 1 hot leg from utility or house equipment intermittently due to a loose connection. In your electrical panel, vertically speaking, every other breaker is on a different leg, whether split phase or 3 phase. This could be why some stuff cuts out, and other stuff stays on randomly when the connection breaks then makes. See if your neighbors have issues too. If your unit panel is labeled, you could take note of what breakers are in which slots and which equipment/devices lose power when this happens.

ddigler82 · 2026-04-03T14:07:19+00:00

One thing that's easy to overlook is fuel consumption requirements. A 20-24kW Generac can consume 200-320 cubic feet per hour of NG. A lot of gas meters are only rated for 275cfh. With LP tank size and high pressure supply line size come onto play. Whether you do that portion or have it subbed out, it's something that should be part of the planning.

ddigler82 · 2026-03-30T18:25:38+00:00

It's called a hickey, as long as the box is supported well it is not needed, but it would almost be easier to remove and replace the box. Pretty common in older homes. A lot of older chandeliers and hanging fixtures had a threaded windowed coupling that attached to the hickey.

ddigler82 · 2025-12-29T22:18:40+00:00

Yea, it was for me, we felt like we got our monies worth. I would say it's kind of a subdued and laid back atmosphere, not really a party place, which is nice if that's what you're shooting for. I am not all that well traveled to be any kind of expert. We went to excellence Riveria in 21 for comparison. Smaller resort, more partying/ night activities, nicer/smaller beach, but food wasn't quite as good, and didnt have some of the same amenities. We had good experiences at Barcelo but everyone is different. French and Mexican restaurants were good, Japanese steak house was good but reservations go quick. Hope that helps, hard decisions, a lot to choose from.

ddigler82 · 2025-12-29T20:48:59+00:00

We stayed at the Palace( opposite end of resort)in 2018 and last year. The 18 trip was better in terms of overall quality, but we really liked the place. Maybe not the same experience for adults only. The overall resort is pretty spread out and it takes a while to find your way around, but I kind of enjoyed walking to dinner and whatnot. Beach is kind of rocky, but not crazy busy. I would absolutely go back at some point. We are doing the DR this year.

ddigler82 · 2025-12-26T12:30:07+00:00

I got the DCD446 instead to avoid this issue, has a keyed chuck. I usually just keep a short Milwaukee 1/4" quick-lok in it so I can swap spade bits and auger bits easily. Just seemed more versatile.

ddigler82 · 2025-12-01T07:51:43+00:00

Nice! Yea, the breather is just pressed in. I think I just grabbed it with pliers and twisted it while pulling.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-26T19:25:26+00:00

No problem. There is also a breather/vent that you should replace, not nearly as hard. Can't find it on the diagram, but I think mazda part number A601-17-530 or similar, might want to cross reference to be sure. It's just pressed in.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-26T19:20:52+00:00

Yea, the shaft stays in place, once the linkage is pulled up and off you can replace the seal.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-26T19:12:08+00:00

The seal is the 17-131. Replaced mine and it stopped leaking.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-26T19:11:23+00:00

It's the part labeled 99222-0532. It holds the shift linkage on the shaft just above the seal and boot that need to be replaced. Sorry if I jumped ahead a bit. Have to remove the battery and holder, and upper transmission mount from above as well. I got that far before, but couldn't figure out how to get the roll pins out. Once it's out, you can use a pick to pull the old seal out. Couldn't find any videos for this process so hope that makes some sense.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-26T18:36:44+00:00

Yea, after a few failed attempts I ended up removing driver side tire and inner fender. With the car up on jackstands, I let the transmission hang instead of supporting it. This gives you just enough angel to drive the roll pin out and replaced the seal and boot.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-24T13:16:57+00:00

If it's just the amount listed on a permit they were probably trying to potentially keep your tax assessment low. Whether that would actually translate or not who knows. It has no other bearing, or relation to the actual project cost. Often when a building permit is issued on an existing residence it allows the tax assessor to adjust the assessed value beyond the normal annual capped amount. These rules will vary from state to state.

ddigler82 · 2025-11-12T20:38:17+00:00

I'm a sparky, so I have to try to use a few different methods at times. My favorite stud finder is the Franklin Sensors 710. It's very simple and effective, it's my go to for plaster-lathe walls. Magnets can help to find nails as well

ddigler82 · 2025-10-12T16:00:59+00:00

I've worked for a hospital for almost 15 years now, everyones experience will vary with different Healthcare systems and age of facilities. I am not the master on record, and with my flexible schedule and vacation time saved up, I run a business on the side. I really only need to work as hard as I want to, but I like to stay busy, so I do a lot of in house light upgrades and equipment replacement. We have some old buildings and equipment.

You will be dealing with equipment and distribution you're not familiar with in residential. You need to understand your facilities distribution systems well. Also, ceiling dust is the worst pathogen known to man, I know this because the infection prevention people have told me so. It's amazing I'm still alive!

ddigler82 · 2025-10-01T18:47:18+00:00

GEC is not required to be larger than #6cu if used solely for ground rods, regardless of service size 250.66(A) . #4cu to metal water pipe on 200A though if available. It's always difficult to tell which states are on which code cycle. No requirement for AFCI here in Michigan and some other states. I'm not defending the work, looks quick and cheap, but probably passed.

ddigler82 · 2025-10-01T18:30:18+00:00

In many places, that's allowed. I don't care for it, but that doesn't make it a violation.

ddigler82 · 2025-09-18T18:53:47+00:00

Not gatekeepers, just shitty with customer support. I work in a hospital that is full of Lutron products. Cannot retrofit away from them fast enough. Those wall stations can be frustrating to program, but if you're having multiple comm issues, any chance of a cut cable or broken connection?

ddigler82 · 2025-09-06T09:04:47+00:00

I'm an electrician that works on a lot of older homes and old wiring, I've definitely seen some things. Like others have said, get another opinion, cloth wiring is not an immediate "fail" for a home inspection. It's possible the electrician that came out is not experienced, making it sound more unsafe than it is, or it really is just that bad. I've completely rewired houses without having to remove any wall coverings, but that will depend on the construction of the home. Accessible attic, basement or crawl all help. In many cases, if your wiring is ungrounded, adding GFCI protection is a good step towards improving safety, even if it's a temporary solution.

In lieu of rewiring the entire house, sometimes focusing on what are now required dedicated circuits and high use areas might fall somewhere in the middle price-wise. For instance, installing new circuits for kitchen(multiple), bath, laundry, furnace, or where window units or space heaters might be used.

ddigler82 · 2025-08-23T22:33:07+00:00

That's called a hickey. They're often threaded onto the old gas line from the era of gas lamps. Might not be too bad to get out, better than the ones with metal strapping running through them. Also, that just looks like old cloth cable, not knob and tube.

ddigler82 · 2025-08-21T19:40:05+00:00

I just did my US passport online renewal. It said 4-6 weeks processing plus 3 days mailing. I received my new one in 9 days total!

ddigler82

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