Our EMF consultant came on Monday and took a lot of measurements to evaluate the electrical installation. The results were a mixed bag. In general, our electrician did a good job and the consultant said so. So it does not look like we need to rewire the walls.
On the other hand there are two problems. The first problem is that the path to ground is not very good, mostly because of the sandy soil. This will be improved when we put in the actual grounding stakes, which will go under the driveway, but even then, our consultant thinks the resistance to ground will be higher than he likes.
But the real problem is that there is 1 amp of current that is not returning to the transformer. The belief, although this is not certain, is that there is a wiring problem somewhere where a neutral is connected to ground. The evidence is shown on the meter below where is says 1.12 (and I believe it should say 0).
So, today, the electrician was trying to fine the problem. He acquired a set of meters himself, and was using them on the second floor panel, wire by wire, to try to find the problem.
Right now the electrician is looking for the problem (probably a neutral wire touching a casing). If this can be found in the next two days, then we can keep on schedule.
Also on the electrical front, the electrician has decided that the subpanels in the basement are too full, with no expansion room. So he has added two more smaller panels, and he will spread out the circuit breakers to reduce crowding. Here is what it looks like right now.
On the outside of the house, they have just about finished the siding. Here is a picture of the porch where you can see the finished siding against the house (although some trim is still missing). There is also a plug and Ethernet port on the porch if you want to sit out there with a laptop.
And here is the view of the pantry door, showing the finished siding in the breezeway and, I believe, the actual door we will be using.
The plumber has also been working and has installed the exterior faucets. Here is one of them in the front next to the breezeway.
This week, I stepped back and took a picture of the river side of the house now that the siding is finished. I adjusted the angle a little which is why the picture is not square. Still missing are the gutters, downspouts, porch screens and deck railing. Also the exposed foundation will have stucco added.
While I was there today, the town building inspectors were doing their framing inspection. We passed inspection, and the inspectors really liked the house and the location. Earlier this week, we had the electrical inspection, plumbing inspection and fire stop inspection as well (all passed).
Assuming we find the electrical problem, this means that we will go ahead and start insulation installation next Tuesday. We were going to use Rockwool, but because of all the wiring, the builder has decided to use spray foam insulation instead, the same product that we are using under the roof. The house should end up being very well insulated.
It seems to me that we are still on schedule, although I hope to get confirmation from the builder. So optimistically:
Estimated days until completion: 95 days (late June)
Leave a Reply