Why electrical permit / inspections are good...

[spike99]

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We bought our house 20 years ago. Been too financially poor to move to a much better place. The owner before us finished its basement. Nice bedroom, nice living room and nice wood stove. Really great job with suspended ceiling (to access service lines), fire code walls, etc. etc. Excellent job that many would be proud of. For years, its main basement lights didn't work properly. Every once in a while, the main basement light didn't work at all. Then a few days later, I'd notice lights would work properly again. With other lights in the basement, it didn't really bother us. One of those "don't worry, the basement main lights will work again in a few days" things. We simply used the other basement lights.

This evening, the main basement lights didn't work. Switch was ON and bulbs didn't work. So, I left the switch ON (usually, I turn the switch to OFF and leave it Off). I'm on my computer and hear my wife come down the 2nd floor stairs, go into our main floor bathroom and all of a sudden, the basement lights come on. What the heck?? I ask a few questions of what she did and guess what?

In this house, the main basement lights are tapped into the "output wire" of our main floor bathroom's GFI outlet. This main floor GFI is also connected to the other wet zone oulet - in our upstairs bathroom. For years, my wife plugs in her hair dryer and if the basement lights are ON at the same time, the main floor GFI (which is like a mini breaker) flips to Off. Thus, no basement lights. For years, she's been pressing its GFI reset button and not telling me. And with the basement light in the Off position, reseting and plugging her hair dryer back in was ok.

Long story short... The previous owner who wired the basement should NOT have tapped into the bathroom GFI "output" wire. The basement lights should be on their own main panel 15A breaker. And to me, each bathroom outlet should be on its own GFI outlet. Thus, one doesn't have to run to the other bathroom to reset both bathroom outlets.

If you are into installing house wiring, do double / triple check how the wiring should be installed. If you don't know, ask. And if necessary, do get an electrical install Permit. Thus, a building inspector certifies that you did the install properly. Something I wish this prevous house owner did in our current 25 year old home.

And yes. I now have some more work to do on my "to-do" list. Need to trace the physical wires and put the basement main lights on their own 15A breaker. Yes. I know how to do it. But it appears the prevous owner didn't. (So sad).

Hope this "lesson learned" helps others...

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[spike99]

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A few moments ago, I finished the re-wiring of our basement main lighting. Luckily, the previous owner who installed our basement ceiling used "removable tiles". Thus, I was able to remove the tile above the basement light switch wall, trace back to our main floor CGI "output line". I cut this wire, installed a congestion box and ran the wire to a new 15A breaker (on our basement main panel). Also found his junction box (off the CGI "out line") and re-did its connections back to original. When the main floor's wiring was passed (by the home builder's building inspector). Also discovered the previous owner wired in the basement main lights, furnance room lights and fruit cellar room lights on the same circuit (off the main floor bathroom CGI outlet). Man, talk about a "wild way" to do its many basement lights. Anyway.... Its now all fixed and working great. Time to make lunch for the kids...

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