Chaos Reigns

[crokett]

inside my shop. For those of you with delicate stomachs regarding messes (paging Rod Kirby... ) don't look at these pics. To orient you, the doors are on the south wall. In some spots you can see where the sheathing at the corners is cut back. I did this so I could nail the corners back together.

North wall. My BT in its new home:


East wall.


West wall.


The panel.


Finally, I need a shelf for all the tools:

[pelligrini]

Allright, it's getting there!

I was wondering if that BT was plugged into the wall or an extension cord. I thought about razzing you in the other thread.

How do you know which citcuit wires are which? I didn't see any tags.

[RodKirby]

Looks OK to me - simply WIP

LOTS of potential

[leehljp]

PAINT the walls a light color fast! Twice the visibility with half the light. THEN you will see the chaos better!

[crokett]

How do you know which citcuit wires are which? I didn't see any tags.

Well the orange #10 (when it gets pulled all the way back) will be obvious. For the rest, you can't see the marker I put on the jacket. I had duct tape at one point but it fell off. Plus I will ohm everything out for continuity at the end just to make sure. I am almost done. Have two boxes at the far end to wire in, have to pull the #10 around a corner and back to the panel and then have to add the pool circuit. I should have the walls closed back up Wednesday or Thursday.

[sparkeyjames]

Don't think of it as chaos. Think of it as half way to having a shop like RK.

[billwmeyer]

David,
I never had much luck labeling wires with tape either, so I just started using a sharpie and wrote right on the insulation. It worked like a charm.

The shop looks like it is going to be great. Many of us are green with env
Bill

[docrowan]

I write directly on the wire insulation as well. Sharpies rule!

We expect pictures when you're completely finished with your shop. Oh, wait! Nobody's EVER completely finished with their shop, are they?

[Mr__Bill]

I don't know David, looks kind of small. You might want to start on the addition now so you can paint it all at the same time

When you strip the insulation off of the wires in the panel you can slip the marked part over the hot lead on it's way to the breaker. At some time in the future it will be real handy to have that there.

Don't forget the metal plates on the studs where you drilled for the wires and, it's a good idea to take pictures of things before you close up the walls, I know you didn't open them all up but a record of what and where as much as possable will be real handy a few years down the road when you have to add or change something.

Bill, over here where we let the sun fall back in the ocean

[Dutchman46]

D:

I generally print on the wire, But most of the time, i can't read my own writing

[crokett]

The panel is gonna need some work. If you look at the panel pic you can see two silver pieces on the breaker bus just under the top loop of 12/2. Those are bolted to the bus and the main breaker is bolted to them. They are bent out of shape - either by the BIL of the seller when he took the wiring apart before the move or during the move. I tried bending them back but the breaker doesn't seat quite right on the lugs that attach to the feeder wires. The electrician is coming Sunday to upgrade my main house panel so I will have him look at it. I might have to replace them. If the BIL did that I am not sure why. Haven't worked with a Siemens panel but near as I can tell, the breaker gets attached to those pieces, then the whole thing is seated in place, then those are bolted to the bus. I don't think they are designed to bend out. Oh and I thought I had about half the Siemens breakers I needed, but they won't fit this Siemens panel.

[Hellrazor]

David,

Replace the panel if things are bent and don't make proper contact. Poor connections like that can cause major problems or even a fire.

[crokett]

I was thinking that last night and eyballed everything really well. I am gonna try to replace the parts first if I can. Everything else looks good and those two parts are removable. I also got that stuck ground out without cutting it. Vise grips turned the screw out. I've worked with other panels and installed one or two, but not a Siemens. However, looking at it I think the way the main breaker gets installed is to be attached to those two parts, then it is seated on the lugs then those parts are bolted to the bus. I will take a better pic and post it. However, I am also gonna have the electrician look at it this weekend.

[pelligrini]

Might price out your parts and needed breakers against a new contractors panel. The GE panel kit I got for my shop wasn't all that expensive and it came with more breakers than I needed.

[crokett]

Here's what's bent. Does anybody know what they are actually called so I know what to ask for at the electrical supply place? Can they be replaced? I