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What does your shop look like?

Started by Greg G., October 07, 2012, 11:51:31 AM

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WesternElectricBen

Nice and neat, I really like it. I've never seen a fuse box mounted sideways.

Ben

princessphone

Thanks Ben,
I just learned how to post pictures so here's a couple more.
#1   3 of my specialty Princesses
#2   My red Princess with beach glass collected on the shore of Lake Ontario close to where I live
John

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: WesternElectricBen on January 20, 2015, 04:53:42 PM
I've never seen a fuse box mounted sideways.

Ben
That's how they're mounted in Canada. I have no idea why, though...
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

DavePEI

#63
Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on January 20, 2015, 09:58:34 PM
]That's how they're mounted in Canada. I have no idea why, though...
Huh? They've been mounted vertically in any house I have ever lived in.

However, in this case, I imagine it is because the box is so long, it keeps it high enough on the wall to keep kids fingers out of it and to prevent damage to it by furniture, etc. from sitting in front of it blocking access to the breakers, etc.

It also keeps the labels and breakers all at eye height.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

tallguy58

Cheers........Bill

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: DavePEI on January 20, 2015, 10:03:23 PM
Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on January 20, 2015, 09:58:34 PM
]That's how they're mounted in Canada. I have no idea why, though...
Huh? They've been mounted vertically in any house I have ever lived in.

Dave
i have watched many Holmes on Homes episodes on DIY Network, and every one that I've seen on that show (whether it was installed by Mike Holmes or was like that in the first place) was mounted sideways.

I don't know, but every one that I've seen that's mounted on it's side is in Canada, I haven't seen a single one in the U.S. When I saw that Breaker Box mounted sideways, I wondered if princessphone lived in Canada. Sure enough, Ontario.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

princessphone

Never thought I would receive comments about the orientation of the electric panel box. I never thought about it. I've lived here for over 40 years and had the services upgraded about 10 years ago. This is my starter home, and I still got my starter wife also.
I think that the panel box is a good fit (pun intended) because it's a Seimens. Werner Seimens is the German guy that developed the magneto in 1856 which was used in the early telephones.
Thanks for looking, John
PS Thought I would get questions about my phone wiring. Here's a before picture.     

DavePEI

#67
I have done some googling to try to find an answer:

"The CEC (rule 6-206) does not require panel or switchboard installations to be one way or another, just that it be accessible, meet minimum clearances and satisfy other rules such as ambient temperature, protection, etc"

CSA rules state: "Enclosures for overcurrent devices shall be mounted in a vertical position, unless that is shown to be impracticable. Circuit breaker enclosures shall be permitted to be installed horizontally where the circuit breaker is installed in accordance with Section 240.81. Listed busway plug-in units shall be permitted to be mounted in orientations corresponding to the busway mounting position."

Seems to me, most of the horizontal mountings I have seen have been on Holmes on Holmes. Now, I have seen both horizontal and vertical mounts  in catalogues - I suspect that their contractor, Solutions Electrical uses one brand of  box, and that he prefers horizontal mount boxes.

Horizontal mounting  would offer an advantage in retrofit use, as the wires were cut for an older box, and the wires can all be brought in from the top. It is against code to place an unprotected splice outside a box, and indeed to hide a boxed splice, i.e. inside a wall where it can't be serviced, so as long as the wire is long enough to reach the box, it can be lengthened with a splice within the panel. So this may offer an expedient as compared to having to remove and replace whole lengths of wire .

I must admit, personally, I like the horizontally mounted panels I have seen, as they do allow much neater wiring around the boxes, but many, many homes in Canada do and still have vertically mounted panels.

Here is a link to a catalogue of Canadian Approved devices:

http://www.homedepot.ca/catalog/breaker-panels/173193

Many are approved for Vertical, Horizontal, and Inverted mounting

Much as I like Holmes on Holmes and watch every new episode as it airs, he isn't God. He tends to have HIS way of doing things which usually is very good, but I think some of the things he does may puzzle Americans.

Ha! Just thinking of Robertson screws which you will practically never see in the U.S. He tried to use them when he did one of his specials in the states, and it really surprised the guys down there who had never seen them!

Also, note: since many of the goods and services used on Mike's shows are donated (including electrical), done by the same contractor Solutions Electrical & Maintenance for over 118 episodes, it could also simply be a preference of Frank Cozzolino, its owner.

So, that's my take on it,, whether right or wrong. So sorry for getting this discussion somewhat off-topic. As they used to say in the Tea ads, "Only in Canada. Pity!"

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Russ Kirk

Thanks for doing that research Dave.
I have also seen horizontal mounted panels on two other Canadian shows;
Love it or List it and Love it or List it Tooo
- Russ Kirk
ATCA & TCI

AE_Collector

#69
Not hard to determine that Princessphone is in Canada....
Whats a Robertson Screw you ask?.....
(See picture!)

Is you telephone protector located elsewhere now Princessphone? The carbons were missing from the old one, no ground either and now the entire protector is missing! Or do you not have a conventional (POTS) landline now? I am guessing that the old protector block was just being used to hook all of the phone runs together and that a new protector is elsewhere, possibly outside which feed to this old block and now feeds your new block.

Doing Telco "Installation & Repair" here in Vancouver for years I have seen many times where someone thought that that the only purpose of the protector was to hook all of the wires together so they neatened things up by throwing it away and hooking everything up to some sort of bunching block leaving their line unprotected from lightning strikes or other high voltage contacts.

Also, alarm companies favourite hit and run way to get their alarm jack between the telco feed and the station runs was to lift the drop off of the protector and connect their alarm jack directly to the drop and then hook the return side of the alarm jack run to the set runs directly on the protector. Saves a couple of minutes of install time with the added bonus that high voltage will now travel through the house and the alarm panel in its search for ground at the protector!

Your setup looks much neater now on the multiple strip thingy (I still call them bunching blocks) though I have always preferred either 66 blocks or BIX strips for their flexibility. If you hang around here long you might be looking for a PBX to connect your phones through and those bunching blocks dont allow you to hook different ports or station extensions to each run separately. 

Terry

princessphone

Hi Terry,
Thanks for comments, I really welcome them.
In the before picture the inside protector was used as a connector box and therefor no "fuses" nor ground wire were installed. The system was always protected at the demarcation point on the outside. If you look closely in the after picture, the old protector is now fused and grounded. I guess I'm sort of double protected now.
I wanted to clean up the phone wiring when I started collecting Princess phones. I wanted to eliminate all the separate transformers (about 12 working princesses) and filters (Bell provides internet services via phone line).
I've rewired using 22AWG, installed a Ringer Booster, use only 1 filter and a single 20VA transformer. To avoid the the weakening of light output of the phones, I basically had to "home run" to every station.
I'll definitly look into BIX strips, 66 blocks and PBX's to see if I can improve my "CO".
Thanks, John 

DavePEI

Hi John:

Terry is right = using a 66 block or BIX blocks could help you out... You would also need the appropriate punch-down tool. It is basically a matter of placing the plastic of the wire over the terminal and punching it down.

I use a number of 66 blocks and also BIX blocks in the museum for the KSU and switchboard wiring... I forget the name of the newer block which I use as the distribution point in the museum. It was given me by our local telephone guy. It needs no wire preparation or tool.  Place the insulated wire in the hole, and snap down a lever. It is gel filled and prevents problems with dust or water. If I can think of its name, I will let you know. I find it really great. Its advantage is if you want to remove a line for testing or to move it, with no tools, you  unsnap the lever, pull the wire out, and you can then plug another in. Bell Aliant down here now uses them pretty well exclusively.

If any of you can think of the name for these, please post it and refresh my memory.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

DavePEI

#72
Speaking about Mike Holmes:

I get a kick out of what I call some of the common Holmesisms...

"Don't touch the buss bar - there is full power on them!"

I suppose it is easier than explaining that if someone touches them they could be hit with the full potential of 200 amps depending on conductivity, grounding and the path through the body!

And he loves to talk about "asbestos spores"!

Of course, asbestos doesn't have spores - it has fibers. Of course mold does have spores.

I still love the show - it is one of my favorites. I particularly loved the Holmes Ultimate Garage series. <G> I'd love to have that building for the museum!

http://makeitright.ca/tv-shows/mug/videos

So while this is on the verge of becoming very off-topic, it really isn't. That is Mike's workshop!

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001