Bruce's Journal

Started working on implementation of @CntryBoy777's idea for hauling winter water less distance. I had to run power to where the repurposed plastic rain barrel will sit. The closest source was power into an outlet on the west wall that feeds a light switch for all the interior lights. So I put in a metal junction box above the outlet, then had a "lightbulb" moment. The metal cover for the junction box is made for an outlet or switch, why not put the outlet in there rather than feeding it back down to the plastic box (*)! The first picture is left of the door into the barn, the right picture is to the right of that door. All repurposed parts other than the outlet cover above the barrel. And that only because the first one I found happened to be new in its plastic "envelope". If I had ANY sort of decent organization, I'm sure I could have found a used one.



I plan to box the barrel in with 2" rigid foam, the fitting for the overflow hose should make a good path for the stock tank heater cord. Biggest concern is if that spigot can be kept from freezing. Hopefully the warm water in the barrel will radiate enough heat through the metal to keep the valve safe.

Well, actually the biggest concern is:
Does ANYONE know where I put the stock tank heater, aquarium heater and reptile waterfall pump last spring????? I've looked everywhere in the lower barn, 3 times Seems the best idea would have been to put them in a bag or box to keep them from being coated with dust (as is everything non mobile in the lower barn). I can't think of a reason I would store them anywhere else

* the outlet's screws had kinda glued themselves into the plastic so probably wouldn't rethread anyway. They wouldn't back all the way out. I was able to strip the plastic off the screws by threading them into the metal box.

Stuff like that happens to me all the time....glad I'm not the only one....I can assure ya tho, it'll be in the very last place ya look for it....

And right after the replacements arrive when I give up looking!

You know, things you are looking for are ALWAYS in the last place you look ... because you stop looking when you find them

Just like when ya put them up, ya told yourself ya was gonna put them there so ya wouldn't forget where ya put them, and they would be handy when needed....

Bruce said:

The closest source was power into an outlet on the west wall that feeds a light switch for all the interior lights. So I put in a metal junction box above the outlet, then had a "lightbulb" moment. The metal cover for the junction box is made for an outlet or switch, why not put the outlet in there rather than feeding it back down to the plastic box (*)

Click to expand...

I try not to ever do that. Nothing more aggravating than to go to add or replace an outlet and find the same breaker/fuse that made the outlet circuit safe to work on also killed the lights in the room.

Well, there is that. But there was no other circuit anywhere near. I agree, I would prefer to have multiple circuits so one could be switched off and still have power at alternate outlets. You have nearby power for a work light if the one you shut off controls the lights. I played it safe, given I don't know which breaker controls what down in the lower part of the barn. I shut off the main 70A breaker, the hammer and the cordless drill still worked, as did the "manual" screwdrivers

I am not the original "electrician" in this barn The guy we bought this place from did some pretty bizarre (and dangerous) things. Like the first thing coming out of the service panel on 1 circuit is a metal box with an outlet and the lightswitch for the lights in the workshop (north end of the upper part of the barn). The ground wire coming out of the service panel was connected to nothing. Might have been touching the box and so the outlet and switch may have been grounded. But the wire that left the box had the ground wire cut off at the edge of the plastic/rubber sheathing. NOTHING beyond that box was grounded. And at least 75% of the outlets were reverse wired. You KNOW how hard it is to tell which screw should be the hot and which the common on those outlets. Brass colored screws on one side, silver on the other and the words "black" and "white" next to the screws, just SO confusing!

Couldn't you just use an extension cord run through the rafters from the existing outlet over to where the barrel is?

I could but I'd rather not so I didn't Electrical wiring isn't all that hard (if you use your brain a tiny bit) and other than some time, that part of the "project" cost me nothing. I have the bottom half of the insulating enclosure "framed up". I need another sheet of rigid foam. I cut a 6"x6" hole to reach the spigot and can plug it back up with the piece of foam I cut out. I'll need a short piece of hose that can store inside the enclosure and be long enough to reach out to fill a container. I figure about a foot to 18" will be enough. I got a rubber stopper at the lumberyard that fits in the hole in the barrel for the overflow hose and plastic fitting and cut a ~5/16" groove in the edge for the heater cord.

I found the missing items RIGHT where @CntryBoy777 said I would.

I always try to be helpful...even from far-far away....