Bob_Sacamano
Member
- Location
- Traverse City, MI
- Occupation
- electrician
I got called to do a whole house re-wire after another electrician started and never came back. It's the first of 3 whole house remodels on the property and a future wedding reception area so I would like to make an impression. 3 bedroom, 2 baths, disaster. It sat abandoned for 1 year. Every single device needs to be replaced.
All the lighting is wired in Low voltage wiring, which my research tells me might be GE from the late 50s. Every switch looks to be wired with what appears to be 18/3 gauge thermostat wire (?) (original wiring). Some of the switches work just fine while others make a little clicking noise up in the fixture. I opened up a fixture and saw the relay in the 8b box. I can't find a low voltage panel anywhere! Does there have to be one? there are a couple of small transformers near the existing panel but the wires disappear into the ceiling. When I stuck my tic tester into the 8b box, nothing was live despite the relay making a ticking when I pressed the switch. The breaker could have been off if the relay was being fed from somewhere else... None of these switches have trim plates on them.
In my Chicago days, doing office buildouts, the low voltage switches were to control 277 lighting. sometimes there were panels, other times just a transformer and relay in the ceiling. This house is 120 Volts. 4.5 Volts is measured at the switch
Questions:
1) does there have to be a low voltage panel that I'm just not finding?
2) Is there a constant 120 V hot and neutral in the light fixture box, in this low voltage configuration, so I can just drop a 120V switch to a new location and cap off the old crap?
3) If it makes sense to stick with the low voltage set up, where can I locate hardware? I found a site called kyle switch plates. This customer isn't going to go for a $2978 low voltage panel replacement. There are 20 switches over 15 locations.
All the lighting is wired in Low voltage wiring, which my research tells me might be GE from the late 50s. Every switch looks to be wired with what appears to be 18/3 gauge thermostat wire (?) (original wiring). Some of the switches work just fine while others make a little clicking noise up in the fixture. I opened up a fixture and saw the relay in the 8b box. I can't find a low voltage panel anywhere! Does there have to be one? there are a couple of small transformers near the existing panel but the wires disappear into the ceiling. When I stuck my tic tester into the 8b box, nothing was live despite the relay making a ticking when I pressed the switch. The breaker could have been off if the relay was being fed from somewhere else... None of these switches have trim plates on them.
In my Chicago days, doing office buildouts, the low voltage switches were to control 277 lighting. sometimes there were panels, other times just a transformer and relay in the ceiling. This house is 120 Volts. 4.5 Volts is measured at the switch
Questions:
1) does there have to be a low voltage panel that I'm just not finding?
2) Is there a constant 120 V hot and neutral in the light fixture box, in this low voltage configuration, so I can just drop a 120V switch to a new location and cap off the old crap?
3) If it makes sense to stick with the low voltage set up, where can I locate hardware? I found a site called kyle switch plates. This customer isn't going to go for a $2978 low voltage panel replacement. There are 20 switches over 15 locations.