6/17/19
(Above: Conduit leaving Jacobhouse and entering the meter’s panel box.)
Building Summary: Today I began by measuring, retrieving, and cutting the long portion of PVC conduit extending between Jacobhouse and the meter. Next, I glued the sweep-90’s onto either end and fed through all three 30′ lengths of heavy gauge cable. After that, I placed the long conduit (with cable now inside of it) down into the ditch I dug yesterday, and then I set about retrieving, lining up, gluing, and then fastening the stub up from the ground into the meter box*. Padre arrived soon after, and invited me along for a trip to Sparr Farm Supply. I readily accepted, for I needed two more sweep-90 pieces to bring the wire up and over the utility hole.
When we got back from the mini-supply run, I checked beefs with Padre and then returned to Jacobhouse and prepared for the next portion of work. After a relatively short time, Padre arrived to help me slip on**, position, and glue the conduit and fittings that bring the electrical cable in through the utility hole.
Additional task described in commentary.
Commentary: It is enjoyable to be productive, yet sometimes, it is not enjoyable whilst that productivity takes place. Such was the situation at Jacobhouse today, for a few of the tasks I accomplished this morning were not fun in practice, but now there is a conduit-protected cable extending from the meter box in through the container home’s utility hole – a cable that shall soon provide me with electricity for every household use imaginable.
Among the more trying of tasks in regard to today’s feats, was the attachment of the outdoor stub-up to the meter box. Alan provided me with a square fitting that appeared as if it would be a perfect fit for the task, and really, it almost was. Only one of the bolt holes lined up with the knockout in the meter box, though, and as such, I had to figure out a way to keep it steadily in place (a solution that actually required some haste on account of the silicone I had just applied along the fitting to seal it against the panel box’s base***). In the end, I slipped a 1 ½” piece of PVC over the end of the protruding cables to act as a protector between them and the metal hole through which they had entered the switch box. Subsequently, the pipe also filled up that hole nearly perfectly, thus providing the square fitting with a sturdy central support to hold it from moving side to side (the up and down portion was already taken care of by the bolt I had screwed in).
As for the additional task mentioned above, it was as simple as turning on the shower, for that is exactly what it was. Padre and I watched as the shower head emitted a stream of water, and then as that stream was promptly consumed by the drain. There were no leaks and no pooling. A success. I wanted to take a shower right then and there, but I would have had to put back on my sweat-and-dirt encrusted clothes for the return to old house… either that, or ride the Segway home whilst completely naked.
Final Note: Tomorrow I will be going into town with Madre on a grocery / Jacobhouse supply run. There, I intend to retrieve the metal sheets for the interior walls’ siding along with some additional PVC conduit parts****. I may also take a look at what Home Depot has for countertops & countertop services.
*Used a bolt, a small piece of 1 ½” PVC pipe, and some blue gasket maker to ensure a tough seal.
**Seeing as the cables were already fed through the original piece of conduit (a result of my disinclination to feed 3 heavy cables through four 90-degree bends), we had to slip every addition for the conduit over the cables. This was easy for couplings. Not so, for the 90-degree sweeps.
***Should be mentioned that all of this was taking place in the sultry radiance of a Florida morning’s sun. Did not improve matters.
****Need a screw-coupling for where the conduit will meet the indoor panel box and a section of 2-inch ‘flex’ conduit so we are able to thread the wires into the panel box with ease.