House Blog

I like my house.  Bought it in 1999.  It was built in 1951.  It had a lot of the original appliances and whatnot.

Well, 60 years is a long time...  I've had the hot water heater, stove (pity), and air conditioner replaced.  The washer and drier is still going strong.

What ISN'T going strong is the fluorescent lights in the basement.  So this weekend was about swapping out the one that just didn't work anymore.

MAN is the sheet metal thick and heavy!  And the ballast is 4 times the size of modern ones.  And yup, it was the ballast/transformer, as they have burst and oozed black stuff all over the inside of the fixture.

Well, now I can see what I am doing better with my new cleaning station for rifles and whatnot.  And yikes, I could probably do with hauling 3 contractor bags of junk out the door.

When wiring household current, I like to at least turn the switch off to the fixture.  Hitting the breaker is a good idea too.   But my Dad?  He like to play it fast and loose.  He has wired things with the juice on.  On multiple occasions.  I've seen him do it.

My ex Father in Law did that once with 220 service for his drier.  Once.  I was helping him.  When the lights went out after the loud pop there was a pause.  "The good news is... I can still pick my nose.  The bad news is, we need a new drier."