Electrical

Casa Warwingle currently has the original knob-and-tube wiring from 1948 -- plus a few unpermitted hack-job 'updates' to add faux-grounding-wire three-prong plugs in some places. We plan to add solar, an induction stove, and an all-electric HVAC system, plus an electric car charger - so the whole system needs to be upgraded.

Step 1: know what you've got. So Nik and I spent an evening mapping out the existing electrical system. This involved him gingerly unscrewing fuses and testing plugs while I noted which lights and plugs went with which fuse. Here’s the map we ended up with:

Step 2: With this info, we got an electrician over to replace the old panel:

... with a more reassuring panel:

All of this, of course, requires permits, and PG&E approval. Ultimately, PG&E will replace the lines from the street pole to the house (which we estimate are 70+ years old) - allowing us to increase the size of our electrical service to 200A. (The current little dingy box might let you get to 100A, on a really good day.)

Dealing with PG&E (for those of you lucky enough to not live in PG&E territory) is... less fun than going to the dentist. They originally turned down our application because there was a plant located 38" from the house where the box was going to go. (Their code requires 36" of clearance.) So, Nik dutifully spent an afternoon removing the offending shrub. Now, they're telling us it will take over a month to bring the power in from the pole.

Meanwhile, Step 3: Nik has time to figure out how to deal with the crazy bad wiring in the bathroom. He got a permit from the city to replace wiring and add an extractor fan & washing machine hook-ups. He’s now ripped out more wallboard, so we can tell what’s going on:

He went back over a few days later and ripped out more wallboard. Using the electrical map, he cut off the bathroom wiring from the rest of the circuit. Voila: a bathroom now down to the studs, and ready for new 21st century wiring.