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Just finishing up the stuff behind the walls.



It is easy to thread the electrical wire through the metal studs because there are holes located in the studs at strategic places.  I placed grommets between the wire and the stud to prevent any possibility of fraying.  The holes can be somewhat sharp Looking back at the process I wonder if this step was really necessary but I'm glad I did it as an extra precaution.

 


Instead of threading the wire through the narrower studs, I placed them behind and used a tie to secure it.
 


This is a view of the light fixture being installed in the lowered ceiling. It is a recessed type can.  The two bars on each side of the fixture span the distance.  They are also adjustable.  The light is located so it is centered in the space.

 


This is another example of an adjustable bracket.  This is where a wall mounted light fixture will be installed.  Even though it looks off-center from the bracket, it is centered in the wall space.  Also behind the bracket you can see a copper pipe.  While I was finishing the room I thought it was a good time to add another hose bibb to the exterior.   I never had one on the back of the house and decided to add it during this remodeling.  Notice the versatile use of duct tape.

 


The switch for the light fixture is in a tight spot. A piece of metal going up from the switch was installed to protect the wiring underneath.  This is an extra protection in case someone tries to put a nail in the area (for example when we put up the gypsum board). It is required by code.
 


A close up view of the wiring in a switch box. Notice the loose wires sticking out of the box at the bottom.  They are called pig tails.  The actual switch will be wired to them.  This is because otherwise the whole bundle would have to be connected and it would be awkward.
 


This is one reason 4-gang boxes are not very popular.  As you can see keeping track of which wire goes to which fixture is tricky.  Also getting all those switches and wires in the box will be tight.


It doesn't get any easier putting the wire nuts on either!  There is just so much space in these boxes!  sometimes everything was wired right and then when I shoved the wires back in one nut would loosen.  I ended up using electrical tape as well as the nuts to keep everything together. 

 


I added phone jacks to the additions by tying the new into the existing phone lines. My existing phone jacks had several different wires going to  it.  Most wires were not used.  They were installed so that I could have several lines in the house in the future without needing to rewire the jacks.

 


Here is a good reason to pay for a permit and have an inspector come and look over your work.  Everything inspected fine except the plumbing.  I forgot to install a cleanout.  It is required by code but I overlooked it. The inspector and I determined the best location for the cleanout.  This picture shows the pipe prior to cutting and the cleanout with fittings on the floor.


I carefully marked on the pipe where the cleanout will go.  Notice I allowed space for the flanges.  I cut the pipe using a hacksaw.


A view of the cleanout in position.  The whole installation went smoothly.  I'm glad I had an inspection because it would have been difficult to un-clog the plumbing (if it ever did get clogged up) without the cleanout. 
 

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