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Dining room light documentary
jgoetz4
Registered Users Posts: 1,267 Major grins
Good Afternoon Folks,
I shot a few pics while I was installing a dining room light last evening. I apologize for the long thread
What's interesting is that the house I live in is over 120 yrs old, and the only original light on the 1st floor is in the kitchen. Yeah, oil lamps work well, and go great with the decor, but it's nice to be able to see what your eating if it's late at night. Anyway, I started drilling small pilot holes in the plaster ceiling (center) hoping to locate a joist. When I found one, it was off center, and the light wouldn't have looked good there. I went up to my office, which is overtop the dining room, to look for a piece of cut floor that was near a joist, so I could cut it at the next joist, and work from the top down. Now the hardwood floors are all original. As I looked around, I noticed a small section of floor that was cut between the joists (pic 1) and appeared to be almost centered. Using a screwdriver, I pried the floor up, and lo and behold, there was a piece of wood already nailed to the joists, with a hole cut in the wood for future lighting in the dining room. I also noticed there was wiring that ran along side the joists toward a partion wall. The other end, I found out was exposed (taped) and pushed back under the cut wood (pic 2) I'm thinking no way the wire is hot, so I pulled out my volt meter, pushed the leads through the heavy wire casing, and sure enough, I got a reading of 130 v. Now I'm thinking that the wiring is old, and should be replaced. Then I thought, it's never been exposed to the elements, and it's the same wiring in my garage, which still looks good, even though it's been exposed to cold and hot temps on a regular basis for over 90 yrs. Anyway, I carefully stripped off enough of the casing to twist around the lamp wiring, capped it and taped it (pic 3) then I pulled the lamp chain up through the hole, and secured it to the joist, making sure the lamp was snug against the ceiling. It was (pic 4) Finally, I pushed all the wiring back down, then replaced the floor board. By having that prewired, I saved a few hrs of labor by not having to run the wiring myself between the joists over to the partition wall, then down to the basement, then to a junction box. Anyway, thanks for looking, and again, I apologize for the length :bow
Have a good afternoon
Jim...
I shot a few pics while I was installing a dining room light last evening. I apologize for the long thread
What's interesting is that the house I live in is over 120 yrs old, and the only original light on the 1st floor is in the kitchen. Yeah, oil lamps work well, and go great with the decor, but it's nice to be able to see what your eating if it's late at night. Anyway, I started drilling small pilot holes in the plaster ceiling (center) hoping to locate a joist. When I found one, it was off center, and the light wouldn't have looked good there. I went up to my office, which is overtop the dining room, to look for a piece of cut floor that was near a joist, so I could cut it at the next joist, and work from the top down. Now the hardwood floors are all original. As I looked around, I noticed a small section of floor that was cut between the joists (pic 1) and appeared to be almost centered. Using a screwdriver, I pried the floor up, and lo and behold, there was a piece of wood already nailed to the joists, with a hole cut in the wood for future lighting in the dining room. I also noticed there was wiring that ran along side the joists toward a partion wall. The other end, I found out was exposed (taped) and pushed back under the cut wood (pic 2) I'm thinking no way the wire is hot, so I pulled out my volt meter, pushed the leads through the heavy wire casing, and sure enough, I got a reading of 130 v. Now I'm thinking that the wiring is old, and should be replaced. Then I thought, it's never been exposed to the elements, and it's the same wiring in my garage, which still looks good, even though it's been exposed to cold and hot temps on a regular basis for over 90 yrs. Anyway, I carefully stripped off enough of the casing to twist around the lamp wiring, capped it and taped it (pic 3) then I pulled the lamp chain up through the hole, and secured it to the joist, making sure the lamp was snug against the ceiling. It was (pic 4) Finally, I pushed all the wiring back down, then replaced the floor board. By having that prewired, I saved a few hrs of labor by not having to run the wiring myself between the joists over to the partition wall, then down to the basement, then to a junction box. Anyway, thanks for looking, and again, I apologize for the length :bowHave a good afternoon
Jim...
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Enjoyed your documentary
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
Morning MK,
Thank you
Have a good day
Jim...
I spent the last couple days installing three ceiling fans with lights, so maybe it is a holiday kind of thing. I actually used a P&S camera as well, to identify and record how the wiring was done to the old fans and lighting fixtures before their removal. Documentary photography can be helpful, and is one area where film was way too slow to be much help for a handyman.
Happy Holidays.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Good Morning & Happy Holidays to you as well,
Yeah, the wiring is close to 100 yrs old, if not slightly older. In the garage, the year 1911 is crudely written in the concrete, and written on one of the (wooden) walls are the initials I.L.G. '20. He was the 2nd owner (Ira L. Geiselman) of the house. The original light bulb sockets are still hanging (and in use) today. I'll grab a few shots from the garage and post them later. It's really a neat old house
Have a good day
Jim...
Here are a couple of shots of the 100 + yr old wiring and original light bulb socket from my garage. The '1911' concrete date is buried under 1/2 a ton of saw dust, so I couldn't get any shots of it tonight. Thanks for looking
Have a good evening
Jim...
original light bulb socket...
2nd owners initials, I.L.G (Ira L. Geiselman) '21...
You have the first type of wiring that was widely put into houses, knob and tube. It's very likely original to the house if it was built in 1911. Luckily, it's copper, and the old cloth woven insulator looks in good shape.
Don't go messing with it because that insulation is probably very brittle - an 'update' would mean re-wiring the house to keep it safe.
Also, I think it was really neat how they planned ahead for adding the electric light in the dining room and left that access panel. Just dosen't happen today.
Jake
Good Afternoon Jake,
Thank you
There's quite a few things that don't happen today that did happen years ago. The quality back then was better then today on a lot of things.
Have a good day
Jim...
Morning Folks,
Some of the original locks from my house. The first two are from the front door, while the third shot is from the original back door. All have keys, and operate like new. The patent on the front door lock is dated July 21, 1863. Before the house was built, the property was part of a large farm. On November 18th, 1863, old Abe himself gave a brief talk in Hanover (about 2 blocks away from the farm) while on his way to Gettysburg for the dedication of the National Cemetery. Lots of history in or near Hanover
Have a good day
Jim...
#2
#3...
I remember them from when I was a kid. They have all been replaced now with modern fixtures - ah well.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Good Morning Pathfinder & Happy New Year to you and the rest of my Dgrin friends
It seems like just about all the houses in my neighborhood have the original hardware. We still have the original, push button light switches in some of the rooms, as well as, the original tank & toilet (Durock) & clawfoot tub from the early 1920's in the main upstairs bathroom. The toilet leaked, so it was replaced (but still kept onsite to repair) but the original sink and faucet is still in use. I'm in the process of restoring the original wood porch, taking it down to the bare wood. Since winter is here, I've covered it up to protect the wood. I'm probably 95% complete in the paint removal stage, so once spring is here, I'll complete that project, and post the before and after shots.
Have a good day
Jim...