HA’s older son “L” is here for an indefinite stay with his ladyfriend. They’ve been staying in the recently-refurbished studio. They’d like to be able to do a little of their own cooking, so we agreed to install wiring for an outdoor kitchenette (microwave, hotplate, coffee maker) if he would do some of the work. He’s energetic and enthusiastic, but has never done any wiring.
To start with, there was a GFCI in the bathroom that was in too tight a space for me to manipulate. I got it out of the wall and replaced it, but was unable to work it back into the box. He’s a touch more flexible than I (something about being 40 years my junior) and — with much effort — he was able to get it back in place and I showed him how to check the wiring.
I had a bit of a lack of foresight, and didn’t put any outdoor outlets on the studio when I did the wiring. We decided not to tear up the walls, but to route power from the server equipment in the solar cabinetry via flexible conduit and put in four independent 120 volt 20 amp receptacles. We were able to access the solar equipment just as I’d planned by removing the front panel of the cabinet (and found a rat hiding inside), and L learned about NM (“Romex”) cable, measuring it, stripping it and installing GFCIs, and pulling cable through flexible conduit. It’s pretty much all set to interconnect with the full solar array tomorrow.
—2p