Dooh!

In a previous episode, I mentioned that Ruth the Electrical Inspector wouldn't allow me to get electricity to the Jetted Tub (hereafter called the jacuzzi, even though it's a different brand). What I needed was a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Oh, and it needed to be 14 gage wire, not the 16 that I'd purchased. At $49 for 100 feet.

I figured how hard can this be? I'd just go into the family room cut some holes in the ceiling, run some wire between the joists, go around the brick fireplace into the basement and tap into the secondary electric panel down there. Piece of cake. So I made another hole in the ceiling. Whoa, I thought. All the joists run north-south, except the ones right by the wall, they run east-west. No problem, I'll just use the north-south ones and cut across when I get to the fireplace. But of course, the long runs have to have some short cross joists to give it all some sturdiness. I purchased a long 3/4 inch spade bit, poked a hole in the ceiling at the first cross joist drilled a hole and moved on to the next cross joist. Remember that first rascal, he shows up again in this tale.

I only had to make about 3 holes before I got to the fireplace and I started looking for a way around it (the basement electrical panel is on the other side of the fireplace). And discovered a cement foundation under the brick. Hmmmmmm. I wouldn't let this vex me too long, so I went to the living room and crawled under that fireplace ledge (have I already described the hours of breaking tile off of that ledge? And what that did to my hands? Ahh, another story in the making) and peeled off some wallboard from the living room (budget for wallboard in the living room = $0.00). I got on my belly and found a tiny space with a stud that might be attached to the family room. I got out the long drill bit and discovered that I could indeed make a hole through that wall into the family room. And another hole into the basement and I'd be set.
So my plan was set, I'd run from the fireplace east into the side wall, then south into the adjoining wall, then through it, then down into the basement. So I started drilling through the joists, ripping out huge chunks of ceiling at each one. I was almost through the last one when I heard something odd. A few more square feet of ceiling torn out later I found the culprit: A big red I-beam. Made of Steel.

After tearing out more wallboard on the wall, I found a big jackscrew holding up the I-beam, with just enough room behind the jackscrew to run the wire. so a hole down through the top plate, a hole across the double joist, a hole across the next double joist, a hole back up the top plate and I was in business. I must have drilled eleven holes in the last 6 feet.
I drilled the holes in the basement and started running the wire. Ever snake a 14 gage wire through a 3/4 inch hole?

Remember the rascal from earlier in the story? By this point I had invested about 6 hours in stringing that one cable (including the first illegal attempt) when I got to one last east-west joist in the north-south passageway. I drilled through it cleanly and then "tink". "Tink" I thought? "Tink"? Yep, another steel I-beam. There was only one solution, tear more holes in the sheetrock in the ceiling and in the wall. After much pondering, I found a little gap at the end of the beam and managed to run the cable past it. And back to the other side of the north-south passageway. I got the end of the cable up into the master bathroom and attached it to a GFI outlet. Wednesday an electrician will attach it to the main breaker panel and that task will be done.

Who said this business would be hum-drum?