Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1911-12-15
PUTTING ELECTRICITY
IN THE HOUSE.
New Armored Wire Makes it Easy
to Wire Old Houses for
Electricity

Bile to wire an old building for cleo
trio light People owning fine old
homes did not want them torn up and
disfigured by gang of electricians in
an effort to install electric light. For
this reason they used oil and gas Tor
many years although they realized
that electricity was better and safer.
Unfortunately electricity has been
with us but few years, at most, and
by far the greater number OF homes
in this country were erected before
the advent of electric light. 1t is
quite an easy matter to install cleo
tricity in a new building in course OF
construction. In this case the wiz
inc- is done before the plaster, floors
and the moulding are put IN place.
When an attempt was made TO put
network of concealed wiring in an
old house the result was anything but
pleasing.
But now all this is changed and it
is possible to wire the largest homes
without breaking the plaster, and
still have the wiring completely con-
cealed 1t can readily be imagined
that when circuits can be laid across
the floor by raising single board
and can be run in the other direction
at right angles to this simply by re-
moving and afterwards replacing
part OF the Dashboard, the flooring
need be disturbed very little.
AS for the outlets for brackets and
switches, baseboards outlets, etc,
they are secured by fishing the
wires up or down between the joists
and the lathing which forms the
wall on either side, the wires being
hrn readily nj
viously selected after test OF the
space shows it to be free OF obstruc-
tons. In this way some OF the hnest
residences, containing beautifully
hand painted ceilings and tapestried
wall, have been completely wired
without the necessity OF a single dol
lar being expended for redecoration
on account of the wiring work.
Suppose that we take the average
two-story house with attic and base
ment, or in place of the attic, the us
ual space between the ceiling OF the
upper floor and a fiat roof, which is
generally of ample size for the re-
quired work. If the electric mains
are on poles. in the, alley at the rear,
| they must be brought over to point
on the outside of the buildin" from
which straight drop can be made in
iron armored pipe to the basement
where the service meter, cutout box,
and main switch may be located. The
next step is to explore the walls pre-
paratory to running the circuit wires,
in flexible conduit, to the points
where light or switch outlets are
wanted. This is done very easily as
a rule and is called fish work.
In fishing" work piece OF flexi-
BILE steel tape is used to explore the
hat
Dashboard section is removed up
stairs. and BRASS chain, such as that
used by plumbersis dropped down to
| meet this from above. When 1t is
found that it is quite easy to pull the
chain right through, II Is pretty safe
conclusion that the electric circuit
wire i'll its flexible conduit will be able
to follow through in the same place.
and the matter is generally worked
out in that way. Having located the
center of distribution, the number of
lights that will be required in each
room are carefully noted, and the
number OF circuits which will be re-
CURED to carry them is readily deter
mined by the standard rules permit
ting load of GOO watts per circuit.
A rough working plan is then formed
with the object OF reaching all the
outlets with the least waste of ma
terial and labor; that is. in the most
direct manner. For instance, a sin
gle circuit may be all that is needed
for each floor in moderate sized
residence. a branch being taken off
for each bedroom. and this again sub
divided, il necessary, for the different
outlets i'll that room.
Wherever a wall switch is to con-
troll lighting connection one side
OF the circuit is led down to the
switch and looped back again. and in
all this work the same method of ex-
Ploration and fish work is carried out