Create Easy Access Hatches for plumbiung, Electrical

It is critical to maintain access to key parts of the water and electrical systems. I discovered a really simple approach.

In the picture I have used a 12-inch square access hatch. It fits in a hole cut in the drywall with a spring-loaded mechanism. Easily installed and easily removed for access.

Where did I get them? Well I got this one at Home Depot but I have seen them or a similar approach at RONA, Home Hardware and Canadian Tire.

;-)

No More Flashlights...

Did I tell you yet how nice it is having electricity!

It is absolutely delightful!

Hydro was connected about a week ago, finally after a long wait. Now we don't need flashlights at night, and nicest of all the drone of the generator is gone. We can now enjoy the peace and quite of the cottage and outdoors.

We now have 4 outlets live: two 120-volt and two 240-volt. Here you can see on of the 120-volt outlets with a portable light plugged in.

Related Posts:

2 Early Access Requirements to Electricity - Oct 30, 2008

;-)

We have Power!

When we drove on to the Cottage lot last weekend this was the most beautiful thing we saw...

Yes - that is a entrance mast for the electricity in the cottage.

A Load Comes off...
We have been waiting for quite some time for Hydro Québec to connect us tot he grid. In fact we were becoming a bit concerned as just about everything else left to do required heat, and for heat we needed electricity.

Pre-setup Outlets:
Our electrician set up 4 outlets for us, so that once connected we would have access to electricity immediately. He installed two 120-volt and two 240-volt outlets.

Related Posts:

Still Waiting for Hydro Québec -Nov 11, 2008

Cottage on the Edge: Waiting for Hydro Quebec -Nov 05, 2008

2 Early Access Requirements to Electricity - Oct 30, 2008

;-)

Still Waiting for Hydro Québec

We are in danger of falling even further behind on the building schedule because Hydro Québec has not been able to connect us.

Each weekend when we drive up, the first thing I do when we turn the corner on to the lot is to look up to the hydro pole for new wires. Alas this weekend there still were no wires.

There is some hope! I called customer support last week and apparently the estimator was up two Thursday's ago to determine what work is required. Apparently a new transformer is required.

Anyway... December 2nd is the deadline by which they said we would be connected.

Gee! I hope it is sooner, because pretty much everything left do do required heat, and heat requires electricity...

Related Posts:
2 Early Access Requirements to Electricity
3 Tips for Communicating with Your Electrician
Electrical, Plumbing, Insulation: Great Progress Made!
;-)

2 Early Access Requirements to Electricity

We use a generator for all our electricity requirements, however, I am looking forward to finally getting connected to the grid.

The now insulated cottage provides some damping of the noise of the generator, but the constant drone all day of the generator is becoming a bit much. It would be nice to get some of that peace and quiet that we are looking forward to at the Cottage.

The Cottage is actually wired... so we are just waiting for Hydro Québec to connect us up!

The electrician did set us up so that as soon as we are connected we have access to power. He provided the following:

1) Two 110 volt outlets
He provided outlet on the main floor and one in the basement. As soon as we are connected these will be live and we will no longer require the generator. The picture illustrates the outlet in the kitchen area that he made available. There is no cover plate but in fine construction mode he just electrical taped on all the exposed wires and connections. I guess it isn't a great approach to get your client electrocuted!

2) Two 240 volt outlets
As mentioned in an earlier post, our electrician has set up the stove and the dryer outlets so that we can use them to connect a hydro heater.

Getting Concerned...
We are getting very close to the point where all work inside the Cottage will stop if we don't have electricity. The drywall contractor starts this week. While they can install the drywall on the walls and ceiling, they can't do any of the taping and mud if we can't raise the temperature. It has been almost month since the electrical has been put in so we are hoping it happens soon.

3 Tips for Communicating with Your Electrician

My electrical contractor started this past Saturday. It is amazing how fast they can install the electrical!

They began about 9 am and were heading home at 3 pm after completing the electrical for the entire main floor. And that included telephone and cable.

They obviously have done it a few times before...

But I think some up front preparation on my part and great communication with the electrician helped make it easier for them. Here are a few tips I recommend:

1. Be Detailed in your Request for Quote

Good communication starts before the electrician even arrives. In my request for a quote I provided a layout of both floors of the cottage and clearly indicated where things needed to be. And that means everything! Often your architect plans will provide this. I needed to amend the plan however because (a) I am finishing the basement and b) wanted a different layout for the kitchen.

Being upfront means the electrician knows exactly what kind of material to bring including bath room vents, baseboard heaters, pot lights, etc...

2. Label the locations

The weekend prior to the arrival of the electrician, my wife and I did a walkabout in the Cottage, imagining where everything goes and discussing the various options. Once we settled on a location we stapled a label in the location.

This walkabout is particularly important to get the right location of the ceiling fixtures. Only you know where the dining room table is going or the kitchen island. Left to their own, the electricians are like to just centre the fixtures in the middle of the space - perhaps not in the location you would choose.

3. Be there on the first day

Plans are not exact, and the locations you picked may not be optimal or to code so it is important to do a walkabout with the electrician to confirm the locations and make adjustments. It is here where you can share with him why you choose that location. Plus your nomenclature for the labels may not be his - communication closes the gap.

Our electrician was amazed at the labels - I guess he doesn't often get such help from his clients. The walkabout went much faster because of it. He did make a few suggestions, and so we moved things around slightly.

4. Setup Key Plumbing Electrical Fixtures

The plumbing system has a pressure tank with a connection to the pump in the lake, a sewage sump pump, tankless water heater, and a UV Filter. All require 110 volts. It is real helpful to the electrician if these are at least installed in their locations. That way the electrician can install the required outlets in the right locations. Otherwise he may just put them in the 'area' not taking in to consideration the layout of these fixtures.

What other tips can you recommend when dealing with the electrician?

Electrical, Plumbing, Insulation: Great Progress Made!

This past weekend did wonders to improve the outlook that the Cottage project actually has a light at the end of the tunnel. While none of the key things listed in the were actually completed, great progress was made:

Electrical:
My contractor started this past Saturday. While their presence actually slowed our progress on the plumbing, the electricians, yes there were two of them, were amazing to watch!

They were actually able to complete all the wiring on the main floor (pictures to follow in posts this week). They were amazing to watch - clearing professionals. They accomplished in less that a full day what would have taken us perhaps two full weekends.

Plumbing:
We were able to complete the waste lines from the bathroom straight through to the septic tank. This included the waste lines from the shower, bath tub, sink and toilet. As an added bonus the bath tub (an old style, claw foot tub) was assembled and the beginnings of the water supply was roughed in. By roughed in I mean the pipes from the pressure tank were reoriented, the water filter and UV filter were 'nailed' tot he wall. (pictures to follow in posts this week)

Insulation:
Given that the electrical wiring for the main floor was complete, we can now insulate the walls and ceiling of the main floor. This wasn't on the schedule for this weekend but my son being a bit restless Saturday evening spent a few later hours insulating the exterior walls. All the fine insulation requiring cutting wasn't done but it represents a big jump on the insulation task for next weekend. (pictures to follow in posts this week)

Installing the Water Pressure Tank

Similar to the tankless water heater we also rough-installed the pressure tank for the water system. Again this early installation was done so that the electrician would know were to install the electrical connections.

By way of describing what you are seeing in the picture, here are some features of this pressure tank.

• The tank is over sized as I am recycling a tank which I initially had up at the cottage lot when I was powering by battery-stored solar generated electricity. With an oversized tank the pump works less and hence less draw on limited electricity storage. I will be using grid power but it still means I get great capacity
• All those wires and electrical looking boxes make up the controlling system for the pump. When the pressure in the tank drops to a certain level the controller tells the pump to send more water.
• The water intake is at that short pipe (ABS) stub about center of the picture.
• In the bottom left you see the exit pipe of the waste system to the septic tank.
• We built a stand to get the tank of the floor and at a manageable working height
• The pump is in the lake so we are employing a drain back system - that is so the water doesn't freeze in the pipe in the winter. The vertical grey assembly to the left to left of the tank and attached to copper piping connecting it to the tank is used to vent the pipe during the drain back operation.
  

COMING: We will discuss in depth the water system, including the drain back system, in later posts

Installing the Tankless Water Heater

This past weekend, in preparation for the electrician, we rough-installed the tankless water heater. As you can see in the picture it requires 120v so we installed the heater early so the electrician would know were to place the outlet.

The beauty of this heater is that when we have completed the installation of the tankless water heater, we can just plug it into the wall outlet. The installation of the heater will include:

• Cold and hot water connections
• gas connection, in this case liquid petroleum (yes - Propane)
• Exhaust vent
• Air intake
  

Still we did not just slap it up on the wall. We installed it precisely where it needs to be:

• At least 12 inches from the the ceiling - we placed it about 14 inches
• At least 12 inches from the floor - we placed it just under four feet from the floor.
• At least 1 inch from the right wall - we placed it 4 inches from the wall

The unit comes with a wall mounting bracket which they recommend be installed on a 3/4 plywood strip that is securely fastened to at least two studs. A second plywood strip is secured 30 inches below to ensure the heater rests exactly vertical on the wall.

Checking critical measurements:
It is very important that the exhaust vent and air intakes can be installed between the floor joints at the proper clearance and exit locations. So we made sure that the heater was located properly in that regard.

Don't forget the drywall!
Unless you are installing your heater in a utility room, where you tend not to finish the walls with drywall, be sure to install drywall before the heater. We installed drywall on an addition wall adjacent to the tank because, although it did not have any thing to be installed on it (yet), we believed it would be difficult to install the drywall once the heater was in place. Order of building is everything!

COMING: I will discuss and share my experiences in the installation of the tankless water heater in later posts.