So putting up the light in the front hall didn't seem like such a big deal. It was a pain that I couldn't get to it until about 7:30 at night, which meant I had to clutch a flashlight under my chin while I wired it, but I persevered. For two hours... after which, it still didn't work.
The complication was because the light in question is controlled by three light switches and I wasn't the one who took the previous fixture down so it wasn't a matter of wiring it the same way. So, despite my best guess at which of the 26 wires went where (OK, perhaps it was only six wires, but still...), the switch at the top of the stairs was, at one point, controlling the lights outside the house. And the dimmer in the hall? Was dimming the lights outside the front door. Yeah, I'm not sure how that happened either.
After a lot of frustration, we decided to abandon the project and try again the next night. At which time we began trying different combinations of wires, hoping to stumble on the right one. It wasn't completely random-- I tried finding a diagram on the Internet to follow, but couldn't find our exact situation (look at us! putting our lives in the hands of the Internet-- what trust!) While I tried to reason out the situation (well, those wires were twisted together and they look like they might be these wires in this diagram...), the PH just started twisting different wires together. And, on his second try, the light worked (and, even more importantly, the switches controlling it did not affect our outside lights).
So, for the rest of the night, I had to listen to the PH talk about what a genius he is and how he found the solution in two tries after I had spent hours trying to make the light work. Would it be terrible if I hope he gets a little shock the next time he tries to show off his electrical skills?
8 comments:
hahaha, I hate when men do stuff like that.
I'm impressed you gave it a go, I'm definitely of the pay someone else to do it school whereas Husband is much more DIY.
also, my word ver: waing.
hehehehehehehehe
Good job, PH. You represented menfolk admirably.
My criteria for a future husband? Must be able to fix stuff. I'm not a DIYer.
Yay! I'm so glad you have a tiny little vindictive streak, like me! Glad that he got it worked out so quickly, but pissed off at the same time.
Oh, you should give him a little shock anyway, you know... the kind where you drag your feet on the floor until you get the spark? lol.
Tag!
Oohhh. I love your new design. So very, very pretty!
And don't you hate it when they're right? Twenty years from now he's still going to pull that one out here and there!
Glad you got that figured out! It took us several hours to re-wire 2 light switches for our hallway light. At one point, one switch would turn the light on and off, but the other switch would only turn it off if it was already on.
I hate wiring projects!
my daddy is an electrician.
yet half of the switches in my parents' house don't work. or maybe they do, but they turn on things that we're unaware of.
and i'm back :) from a weekend of pure hell....
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