How To: Getting that new Gas/Electric Stove Hooked up!

The stove is here!  It’s so ridiculously exciting i can barely believe it that i will finally be able to eat pasta at home again.  Luckily stoves seem to come with some pretty rockin instructions so i will just cover a couple of tips instead of a massive start to finish and remind everyone of a couple things: a) TURN OFF THE ELECTRICITY before working on any wiring, you never know… b) Read the instructions.  And i mean really read them BEFORE we pull out a single tool.  You never know, step 15 might provide you with a diagram of what you did in step 3 or may tell you to undo what you’ve done and isn’t it nice to know these things from the start?

I am skipping the electrical part as this will be slightly different for each stove purchased, please refer tot he manual and previous posts about wiring duplexes.  Remember, these are just giant, fancy duplexes that can pass a bunch more energy around, so all of the principles of wire stripping and setting are the same.

Basic Gas Piping Connections 101:

First thing to do is check that you have all of the supplies that you need: Gas Piping Tape, appropriate Gas Piping for the extension you are adding, Gas Piping “Goup”.  Note that i kept repeating the word Gas in all of those.  This is important as Black Gas Piping is different then other metal pipes and you will need to ensure that you get the right supplies to protect you from any Gas Leaks.

Step 1: Turn off the gas coming into the house.  This will ensure that you don’t blow yourself up or die from gas poisoning, kind of important to enjoy the stove once you’re done

Step 2: Prep the existing Gas Stub for extension.  Remove the cap placed on the extension, or old pipe if you are disconnecting a previously installed pipe setup.  Place a small amount of goup onto the extension threading and then wrap two full passes of the Gas Piping tape over the goup and threads.  This will provide a secure connection between the pipes ensuring there are no leaks.

Step 3: Screw on the first piece of the extension.  Since i wanted an easy to reach shut off valve before the flex pipe to connect the gas to the stove i decided to add this extension of a 90 degree elbow and a 6” section of pipe to help elevate the shut off.  So far it’s been super handy for all of the stove repairs.

Step 4: If adding the extension as i did, repeat the steps to cover the threadings on the pipe extension and then screw together using a couple of wrenches to ensure a tight seal.  While you want it tight, you don’t have to kill yourself, that’s that the tape and goup are for.

Step 5: Lastly before the flex pipe we will goup and tape the threadings on the pipe and then attach the shut off valve to the extension.  From here it’s the same thing of goup, tape, attach all the way up the way up to the stove, easy!

House Week 42: The Meaning of … My House

As we hit this milestone things are in a good and steady groove within mi casa.  No, things are no where near done, but somehow it is all starting to come together.  This week, with the help of my new best friend the oven, bread and cookies were baked and life returned a bit back to pre-move normalcy.  I am really enjoying the oven and just need to get the stupid broken knob fixed.  Oh well, something has to be on the fix it list at all times right?

Also to celebrate the milestone (and offer me a bit of flexibility) the week numbered posts are goin’ the way of the dino…to be only seen in the archives going forward.  Oh don’t think this means the end of the house updates!  In truth it’s more so i can bombard you with all sorts of other things about the house that have nothing to do with progress and not feel guilty about the blogging and lack of items i’m able to check off the to-do list at the end of each week.

Some existing news … i ordered my flooring!  I went with a stranded poplar in 4” wide planks which happens to be 100% recycled.  The flooring is a beautiful deep red/brown/black with different highlights throughout as is produced by Eco Timber – Last Dance.

The idea is to run this in a single direction the entire length of the house to mimic the original fir flooring that was in the home when i purchased it.  We are still figuring out if this is a project we want to do ourselves or just pay someone else to do.  Unfortunately if it gets added to our “family” list then i may not have a floor until Christmas (yes, it’s not even Memorial Day yet!) which, while not the end of the world, is a lot longer then i would like to have to wear shoes at all times in my own home.  So many things to figure out…

Winter is Finished … in Cardigan Form

Back, oh so long ago…March, i finished the cardigan i have been toting around since the end of the summer from place to place doing knit knit knit knit knit knit.  Yep Just knitting the sleeves in the round somehow took me forever.  But alas i have finally finished the Tea Leaves Cardigan!

Thank you Inder for the FANTABALOUS pictures of my Purple bundle of warmth!

   

Next … onto a re-do of my first sweater.  You remember the one, where i was wider than tall.  Yea, it’s been ripped out and i am nearly 50% done with the body!

House Week 41: and i said Let there be Light! (and a couple of Smoke Detectors)

It’s amazing how much a few lights can really make a place look lived in.  Or in my case … live-able.  I have been stealing time away from work and everything else in my life for months so since the move in i have put a lot on the back burner to try and re-connect with the world and my friends.  The outcome has been a much happier me.  The second outcome is that i don’t have tons to blog about regarding the house (knitting coming soon!!!) as little process has been occurring, but that’s more than none.  So what have i been finding time to do around here?  Install lights!

First off…not one single shock!  Crazy i know, but with all of the electrical work i have done on this house i have not shocked myself once, not even a little bit.  I guess it pays to check, re-check, and re-check once more that all of the switches and breakers are off before beginning any work.

Installing lighting fixtures is one of those 15 minutes here and another 10 minutes there type task that you can perform whenever, as long as you can get another light into the room so you don’t fall off the ladder onto a pile of shoes or something equally deadly.  Luckily i have plenty of portable lights since the move in was completed before all of the walls were sealed so non of the lights were set yet.  So how do you install a light fixture you ask?  Easy!

First pick out the fantabalous new fixture that you will enjoy for years to come and get it to you house.  Once you have the fixture there are a couple of different types so the installation will vary.  The first set i tackled were the closets which being a super simple ceramic pull chain were a snap!

PULL CHAIN CERAMIC CLOSET FIXTURES - These are the most simple and what i found on the pull chain lights i installed in the closets.  Follow these instructions if you fixture does not have any wires coming off of it, only screws (similar to the duplex outlets installed earlier).  First you strip off approximately 1/2” of the covering over the wires you have already run everywhere.  Actually let’s back up one step.  TURN OFF THE CIRCUT BREAKER FOR THAT FIXTURE.  This is so you don’t die and can finish the rest of the installation yourself.  Ok, with the power off and the wires stripped bend the tips into a horseshoe shape.

Next place the appropriate wires over their screws and use the electrical pliers once more to tighten the horseshoe shape around the screw so the majority of the wire is now touching the screw.  Next take the screwdriver and set the screws tight clamping down the wire in place.

If you have a grounding screw in the light can you can use that for your remaining stripped copper ground wire so that you do not get shocked each time you pull the chain on the light.  Otherwise there are bars and clips that you can purchase at the hardware store to replicate this, and grounding is important!  Now that you have all of the wires set to the fixture and box we will set the fixture.  For the ceramic pull chain fixtures i set the screws most of the way prior to placing the fixture on so that i didn’t have to hold it in place the entire time i set the screws.  Now that it’s attached, turn back on the power, screw in a blub, and pull the chain.  Did it light up?  If so…congratulations!  If not, i’d call an electrician.

HARD WIRED SMOKE DETECTORS: While i usually only procrastinate a little bit, for these i was way overdue.  I know they are annoying and i know they always go off at the absolute wrong time, but they really can save your life.  And if you cook as much as i hope to in the future (once the oven arrives) then they are a must regardless that they are required by law.

So how to you set them?  TURN OFF THE POWER and then connect the colors!  Using my new best friends “Wire Nuts” you simply place the white with the white, black with the black, and if you are linking multiple units the red from your 3-way wire to the orange on the unit! 

Next set the screws a bit, same as the pull chain lighting, before setting the smoke detector onto the wall so you don’t have to hold it in place the whole time that you are setting the screw.  Slip the smoke detector over the screws and set them the final few turns to firmly attach the unit to the wall/ceiling.

Plug the wires into the unit and swivel the unit onto the housing until it is snug.  Turn the power back on and perform the initial test to confirm it is working (usually holding a button and having your ears blasted with a couple of quick beeps).  Also check for the magical green light!  If you have it…you are a go! (roger, roger)

***BREAKING NEWS*** I have an Oven!!!

Yes ladies and gentleman … i have received my fantastic Aga Oven i ordered over a year ago.  Here it is, fresh off the truck, sans the plastic, and i am super ready to get back into the baking swing of things.  I have greatly missed my banana breads and cranberry scones these few months that the toaster oven just couldn’t reproduce.

Now i just need to do a couple quick things before i begin my baking spree…

• Pipe the gas line from the wall
• Wire the new duplex super fancy plug
• Attach the handles
• Set the burners, covers, and grills
• …and buy a new bread book!!!

All of these fun things will be written about this week!  I promise!  Lots of pictures for anyone else out there thinking of getting a new fancy pants oven for themselves or a super loved one.

Also for those of you out there wondering just how i’ve been eating for the last two months, here is a picture of my ENTIRE kitchen worth of food prep: table, drying rack, electric kettle, toaster oven, and Brita pitcher.  Also the “kitchen sink”.  Yep, this oven is long over due along with maybe some cabinets…

  

House Week 40: Screwing Things in Place – Front Porch

So after weeks and weeks of rain i was finally able to get all of the porch boards sealed on all sides, which meant once i got back from LA they were ready to be drilled, screwed, and walked on.  Since we had planned ahead (for once) all of the boards were cut and marked making it truly as easy as it sounds.  Here’s what i did:

Step 1: Determine the Spacing for the screws and boards.  While this sounds easy, it actually is!  The hardest part is ensuring that the holes for the screws are equidistant from both edge of the boards.  This is helpful if you ever damage a board and want to turn it over to the other face so that holes align and you are not tearing up the boards or joists.  As the template we drilled our holes into a paint stirrer stick which was super light and easy to use board to board.  Also to ensure that the boards don’t move around or squeak i placed screws on every other joist.  This meant that the boards were screwed down in three different positions the length of the board averaging every 24”.

Step 2: Lay out all of the boards exactly where you want them and mark the spots for the screws.  By laying things out first you are able to ensure that you have all of the boards in the right spots and make adjustments if necessary.  Mark the holes using a sharp felt tip marker.  When you remove the template check that you can see your marks, little is more frustrating then having to go back and remark everything a second (or third) time.

Step 3: Drill!  Well before you drill check that you have the appropriate sized drill bit.  I had the right size but found out i have a talent for breaking off drill bits.  Off to the hardware store i went with a piece of the porch and they were able to help me find dre_ah strength drill bits which i managed to not even break one of…nice!  Drill as straight of a hole as possible where you placed you marks on all of the boards.

Step 4: Screw!  Once you’ve drilled the boards realign all of the spacing around each board, the Merbau recommended 5/16” (check the manufacturers info for the board spacing as some woods need more than others).  Once in alignment pull out your giant box of deck screws (ensure the screws are appropriate for the weather you porch will be enjoying) and screw down the boards.  I found it helpful to stand on the individual board i was setting to ensure it didn’t move.  Also i placed one screw along the top of each of the boards down the entire row came along the back of the row repositioning each board setting one screw to get them all right where i wanted them before setting all of the remaining screws.  This allowed me to maneuver them instead of having to pull out the screws to make minor adjustments.   Here is a picture of what we have so far…

Step 5: Set the remaining screws…and you’re done!  Time to enjoy that awesome porch!  Or in my case, go buy a rosemary plant.