Redoing Electric-2023

Headlamps and poop......

Since November of last year this is how we've been scooping manure, at least before the days got long enough that it wasn't pitch black at 6pm.

Steve thinks there was a short in the wire coming from the house to the shed and barn so we cut off the power and have since been updating all the electric in the barn and shed.  We were also putting in a swim spa near the shed so we needed to have additional power, meaning another line run with a meter and new panel.  Steve did so much research and since he did electrical work in the army it wasn't too bad for him to work on it.  It just took a long time since he just had weekends, set backs and then days where he didn't want to work on the electric.

He worked long and hard though.  We had extension cords for water heaters and the electric fence.  Then at night it was headlamp time.  The horses really didn't care.

The old shed is being turned into a woodworking and blacksmithing workshop for Steve so we bought a smaller shed to then have all the outdoor tools and equipment that we stored in the older shed.  Steve put the panel in his workshop and on the outside Duke electric ran the line for the new meter.  Steve had to go through several phases of inspections and had to correct some issues at times.

I didn't think it would ever get complete.  We had the swim spa delivered onto the concrete pad that had been poured months before.  We were thinking we'd have power in a couple weeks.  Well, it ended up being another couple months!!! But Steve kept at it, in the heat of July too.

Things were coming together in his workshop...

And his "bravery" sometimes stopped my heart as he sat on a rafter working on the wires.  All this off course is dry, no electricity is flowing yet, this was all before the meter and power were connected.  There is the rough in inspection, then another one after that and a final inspection and then the power is connected, so Steve was safe from electric shock for the bulk of the work.

The barn had new stall lights and aisle lights installed.  The extension cord for the electric fence of course has disappeared now since it's hard wired into the electricity. 

I have three bright and fully enclosed LED strip lights for outdoor buildings that make it really bright when I need it.

 

Steve also updated the tack room lighting and the outdoor spot lights.  Even with the older lights I still often needed a flashlight to get all the manure piles picked up but now once it starts getting dark, I will be able to do stuff around the barn easily with the lighting so bright!

That was a long wait for the electricity in the barn and shed but well worth it!!