She Said
Today, the electricians arrive. Alas, it’s not Glen himself, but a couple of underlings: Rich and Mark. They’re nice enough, for sure, but sometimes you just have a feeling….
Today’s work includes a few minor things. First, moving an outlet that is just about two inches too far to the left, which in the old kitchen was fine. Now, however, they’ll be too close to the gas burners of the new range. Second, trying to split a circuit that used to be a dedicated line to the old fridge. We also need the power supply for the new hood fan moved.
In a more challenging vein, however, we need a new, dedicated circuit for the fridge, which, in the new kitchen design, will be placed on a wall that previously had none. The challenge? The basement, as described on Day One, is finished.
Our electrical panel, interestingly enough, is located in our garage, not in the basement. Access to our attic (we live in a bungalow) is also through the garage. As such, the solution that was suggested to me aeons ago, probably by Didi, our kitchen designer, was to run a circuit up through the attic and down through the wall that needs power.
Gerry Dewan (Beware! See Days Six and Seven), the electrician who stood me up, didn’t seem particularly fond in this solution. Probably because it was a really hot day when he came by and he was disinterested in spending time in the attic. He took a look at our finished basement and started talking about only needing a few holes to fish the wire through the lovely, flat ceiling. It’s at a time like this that I know that karma is what it is, and things happen for a reason; no matter how bad things seem at the time…
These guys from Copperhead Electric have been scheduled for half a day. They arrived at 8:00 a.m. and are done by 10:00. There’s not a single hole anywhere, which is the great part.
The not so great parts? I’ve asked to have the old, dedicated circuit split, so that I can use both outlets. The response: “Not likely”. Hmmm.
Secondly… did I mention having a feeling that you just want the guy with a bunch of experience? Well, in asking to have the power moved for the new hood fan, I thought electricians who regularly work on kitchens would actually know where to move it. Apparently not. I break out the installation instructions for their benefit. Looks like Greek to me, but surely they’ve had to do this kind of reconnaissance before.
Guess not.
Hold on, now. Let me try to call the guy who’s going to install the hood. He recommended Copperhead Electric in the first place…. No dice; can’t reach anyone. And these guys are packing up their things.
In a last-ditch effort, I try to call Viking Range Corporation. In any other instance, they have been incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, over the phone. Today, however, is not my day. I have to spend several minutes on the phone. And in the end, I get a very vague answer with regard to the location of the power connection.
Together, Mark and I end up going with our best guess. He punches a hole in the wall and fishes the wire through, and then they’re ready to go. Okay then; bye bye.
As usual, panic strikes me. I have to go out anyway and follow up with Joanne (I didn’t manage to call her back yesterday, since I got home after her shift would have been done); but now that I think of it, she didn’t call me back, either…! At any rate, I’m going to try Universal Appliances again, in hopes of finding the correct answer.
Neil is in today. And, as luck would have it, they have a hood fan there, similar to mine, without the “guts” inside, so I can see precisely where the electrical should enter the hood! Why didn’t I call them this morning, instead of everyone else on the planet??
Well, at least now I know.
I scoot over to Home Depot to speak with Joanne. It’s her day off, so I leave a message with another associate and have an opportunity to speak with Mary. I explain my electrical conundrum to her. I’m wondering if Eric might be able to move it, next time he’s back. She says he might be able to, but she’s not sure just when he’s next scheduled to do work for us. I, however, actually do have him on my calendar.
Sounds like it’s as easy as just asking him when he arrives!
Oh, I hope I hope I hope I hope I hope….
Stay tuned!
~ One of Seven
