April 2024 Island Trip – Day 7

A long-standing item was crossed off the list today. Replacing all outlets in the lower barn. It was hard won. Our GC discovered that electricity was flowing along the neutral on our over burdened circuit #6, even when the circuit was turned off, but not as much. Like you could touch the wire and feel a slight buzz rather than get shocked. He has a friend in the neighborhood who knows more than all of us put together who came over, eager to solve the mystery that is my father’s electrical work. By the time he left, we had things back to where they were, but still mysterious. We had to turn off the power to LJG, sending my DH to Stella to work, and circuit #6 in order to get all the juice to stop flowing so the outlet swap could continue. When our GC was done, I took a look around to make sure we’d found them all. One remained on circuit #7. I turned it off at the panel. The box was full of foam insulation. The wires, after removing the foam, were barely long enough, and one wire wasn’t seated properly. Our GC replaced these outlets, I turned the circuit back on, he asked me for the tester, and it tested correctly! We ran around to every other outlet, and they all tested correctly! It’s like a miracle occurred. The last pair of outlets he replaced solved the problem. Other sketchy wiring was fixed along the way too, but none of it solved the neutral being ‘hot.’ Our GC is very pleased with himself, as he should be!!

After the GC pulled out ( to return is a few months to prep the house for painting and replace a window in the pump room), I cleaned the lower barn space, and even deployed windex on surfaces! I have an idea about how to finish the surround on the fixed windows. My dad used sheetrock mud to finish the windows. Due to the extensive leaking prior to the roof replacement, this finish is pretty much unrecoverable.

Now that the only items in the lower barn that don’t belong there are a neat stack of sheetrock pieces leaning against the wall, a piece of foam insulation that will be deployed to LJG, a quart of paint, a stir-stick, and a roll of plastic wrap, I can see what the space can become with even more clarity.

We’re having dinner with our neighbor to the east this evening. Heading home early tomorrow afternoon.