Spent yesterday evening running wires in the attic. Got my bathroom circuit laid out and planned, so it's now just a simple matter of running the wire and connecting everything. I think I'm going to go ahead and connect everything so that I can test and make sure everything is ok.
I got about 80% of all the wire run last night, and connected a few junctions that were complete. I ran out of wire(was using some stuff that my father-in-law gave me). I have some that I purchased at the beginning of the project, but I don't need that much more, and I don't want to open the 250 ft reel just for 20 feet of wire. Allen found some in his garage from one of his leftover projects, so hopefully that will be enough to finish the job and I can return the 250 ft reel. That romex ain't cheap.
I also measured for and hung the outlet boxes and switch/outlet box by the mirror. I'll be working in the dark for now as well, b/c I removed the existing switch box in preparation for replacing it with the new switches. It's a double box, and I only have one switch I need to operate at that location(the overhead light/fan). So I think I'll just get another switch to put in there as a "dummy" so it doesn't look funny. This explains why, when you buy a house, there are always one or 2 switches that don't seem to do anything. I guess the next owner will puzzle over it until they take it apart and notice that it's not actually connected to anything. Another option is to wire the light and the fan separately(there's "a rat" in "separately"), which is probably the more elegant solution. I just don't know if 1) the fixture we purchased will accept that(it should, tho), and 2) I have enough wire. We'll see.
Tonight, I'll finish running the wiring, connect all the loose ends, and then test everything. If it all looks good, I'll probably just leave it on for the duration of the project. I'll probably use the old light fixture to test the lighting wiring, and just leave it up until the drywall goes in. I also have to locate my outlet tester(it's been misplaced) to make sure the outlets are wired correctly.
After this, the tub goes in and th framing for the closet. That's the last thing that needs to be done before the drywall can go in and we have an almost finished room. Stay tuned...
Oh, and if you're interested, here's the high-level wiring layout:
I got about 80% of all the wire run last night, and connected a few junctions that were complete. I ran out of wire(was using some stuff that my father-in-law gave me). I have some that I purchased at the beginning of the project, but I don't need that much more, and I don't want to open the 250 ft reel just for 20 feet of wire. Allen found some in his garage from one of his leftover projects, so hopefully that will be enough to finish the job and I can return the 250 ft reel. That romex ain't cheap.
I also measured for and hung the outlet boxes and switch/outlet box by the mirror. I'll be working in the dark for now as well, b/c I removed the existing switch box in preparation for replacing it with the new switches. It's a double box, and I only have one switch I need to operate at that location(the overhead light/fan). So I think I'll just get another switch to put in there as a "dummy" so it doesn't look funny. This explains why, when you buy a house, there are always one or 2 switches that don't seem to do anything. I guess the next owner will puzzle over it until they take it apart and notice that it's not actually connected to anything. Another option is to wire the light and the fan separately(there's "a rat" in "separately"), which is probably the more elegant solution. I just don't know if 1) the fixture we purchased will accept that(it should, tho), and 2) I have enough wire. We'll see.
Tonight, I'll finish running the wiring, connect all the loose ends, and then test everything. If it all looks good, I'll probably just leave it on for the duration of the project. I'll probably use the old light fixture to test the lighting wiring, and just leave it up until the drywall goes in. I also have to locate my outlet tester(it's been misplaced) to make sure the outlets are wired correctly.
After this, the tub goes in and th framing for the closet. That's the last thing that needs to be done before the drywall can go in and we have an almost finished room. Stay tuned...
Oh, and if you're interested, here's the high-level wiring layout:
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