I’ve had this dumb trenching and wiring job hanging over me for four days. I was given the excuse of held up by the lack of a junction box. Landlady couldn’t find one at any of the big-box stores she checked, which seems strange to both of us, but she was sure there were a couple of old ones stored in the barn. I looked but didn’t find any – when she got here, she walked right up to them and handed me one. And there went my last excuse.
So this morning before it got good and hot I went out and trenched in the sand fill over Ian’s Cave.
Glued some conduit together and pulled wire – props to Terrapod.
Apropos of nothing in particular, this is one of those jobs where I’m very happy to have finally gotten a tool tote sufficient for all the little tools. I’m constantly finding myself in the sand a hundred yards from the Jeep with my pockets full of wrenches and cutters and drivers and fasteners. Can’t believe it took me this long to make the thing.
Got everything wired up, a circuit simple enough not even I could screw it up. Went down to the powershed, connected it to power, and brought up a small power tool to test the GFI which was the only real reason I wanted a junction box there. A few times in the past I’ve wished I had an electrical outlet up on top of Ian’s place – within a few feet of his inverter I’d end up running 200 feet of extension cord.
But by this point I had been out in the sun going on 3 hours, walking back and forth half a dozen times for forgotten things, stumbling around in the newly-churned sand. I was tired and sunburned and probably getting a little dehydrated, and punchdrunk as hell. And I could not figure out why the blankety-blank outlet wouldn’t work! Power was definitely connected, the connections were good, there’s no way I screwed up such a simple circuit – but the tool wouldn’t run. I’d be embarrassed to admit how long it took me to notice that the GFI was tripped. Finally pushed the little red button and everything worked fine.
Put the cover on the box, dragged all my tools up to the Jeep, and then carefully went down to disconnect power so as not to electrocute any plumbers. With the probable exception of going back to cover up the conduit, I am DONE.
It’s only mid-day but I need a shower and a nap.
Can’t (or at least would rather not) tell you how many times I’ve let a GFI buffalo me like that. And according to some musty old certifications stuffed away in a drawer somewhere I definitely know better.
Do understand that you should intentionally trip them manually (using the test button on the outlet) about once a month.
I think everyone has been victim of that red button. I personally think Murphy designed that inconspicuous little button to mess with folks. I think it should be as big as a breaker switch so you can tell at a glance that it is tripped.
Once rested and unsanded, go find a bit of scrap metal and some gorilla glue and cover that hole or you will have rodents nesting in the box and they just looove chewing wires. Put the cover on back too. 😉
Yeah, I already have that planned.
I’m almost certain they come from the factory tripped. I just never remember to check this or reset it until after the first “why isn’t there power?!?”.