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If you have teens just go for the 4 USB no power outlet version. [emoji849] we have 3 phones, 3 tablets, 2 Bluetooth speaks, 3 wireless earbuds, etc and I got tired of my stuff getting unplugged to charge theirs! Also routed the cable so it’s hard for them to disappear...teens. Also replaced my computer power strip to one with 2 USB’s for WFH all day streaming. [emoji51]


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I added one of those 6 port or 8 port things in the laundry room where I charge all the things:  USB lights, Garmins, watches.  Also have AC outlets for lawn equipment, my Ay-Up bike lights and other such things.  On our adjustable height desk, I did install a 2 AC outlet + 2 USB outlet solution on the top, in addition to the full length power strip underneath.

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we did our whole backyard late one spring (May/June) in 2016.  Most back-breaking work i've ever done.  7 cubic yards of dirt, I think 7 pallets of grass.  Went to visit my brother in Portland (super nice in July), forgot to turn on sprinkler system.    All dead.  It was already an iffy proposition due to the heavy tree shade and we didn't help.  I think doing this right now and with plenty of sun and water you'll be fine.

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I believe I have now replaced all the original outlets in our house.  As part of the project I mapped each breaker (I still have a few left to map).  I thought I was done with outlet swap years ago then discovered I had 10 more to do.  I've replaced almost all the light switches too.  For any of you in older homes with original electrical stuff, look into replacing them, especially if it's the cheaper builder grade stuff with press-in connections.  Several of my outlets came out in pieces, and several light switches had been arcing.  Breakers wear out too.

 

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1 minute ago, AustinBike said:

We've had several major remodeling. 90% of the breakers in my 2 boxes are correct and ~10% of the outlets in the house are on the manual method where I have to shut things down to find them. Some are logical, some are wildly off. Oh well.

I almost bought the tracer tool.  It seemed to make no sense at all.  Once I map them though, it makes a lot more sense.  Also, a lot of connections were made through the push-terminals.  Even though the breakers are 20A, the last outlet in the line has gone through several push-terminal connections.  That bugs me.

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I use the Sharpie method. Wrote breaker # and related outlet/lights as I’ve had to figure it out with a Sharpie on the Sheetrock next to the breaker box on the garage wall. [emoji849]

As I’ve done work on each room I’ve replaced the outlets & switches too. Cheapie contractor grade in beige had to go.

This genius wiring configuration took me a while to figure out. The outlets in all 3 bathrooms up & downstairs and the exterior outlets at front and rear door are on a single circuit that’s controlled by one GFCI outlet that’s of all places in the center of the garage wall. Not even at the garage outlet closest to the breaker box.


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2 hours ago, Chongo Loco said:

This genius wiring configuration took me a while to figure out. The outlets in all 3 bathrooms up & downstairs and the exterior outlets at front and rear door are on a single circuit that’s controlled by one GFCI outlet that’s of all places in the center of the garage wall. Not even at the garage outlet closest to the breaker box.

Yep.  Bathrooms, kitchen outdoor and kitchen are all on the GFCI for the patio.  I think this is really common.  Saves like a whopping $60 worth of GFCI outlets.  When we re-did the kitchen I put individual GFCIs.  At some point I'll do the same for the bathrooms.

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15 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I believe I have now replaced all the original outlets in our house.  As part of the project I mapped each breaker (I still have a few left to map).  I thought I was done with outlet swap years ago then discovered I had 10 more to do.  I've replaced almost all the light switches too.  For any of you in older homes with original electrical stuff, look into replacing them, especially if it's the cheaper builder grade stuff with press-in connections.  Several of my outlets came out in pieces, and several light switches had been arcing.  Breakers wear out too.

 

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I need to do mine. Like you said the builder switches and outlets are garbage. I've replaced quite a few as of now but want to swap them all out. I've replaced a bunch of switches that came out in pieces. Kinda scary.

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  • 2 weeks later...

update: scraping popcorn ceiling texture SUCKS BALLS. I tried half a dozen methods that are supposed to reduce the dusty mess and NONE of them work. if someone tells you that they can remove popcorn without making a mess, they are feeding you lies! after I got it all down in one room, I am about to slap a second coat of joint compound on it, lightly sand it smooth, then primer and paint. bleh.

for the next room I do, I am going to try just skim-coating joint compound over the existing surface. this may require a few coats but it MUST be less of a pain in the butt than scraping.

contractors said they could do it but we would need to vacate the house, including pets, for 3 days to a week, and would cost $4,000–10,000.

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On 4/11/2021 at 8:34 AM, Chief said:

I need to do mine. Like you said the builder switches and outlets are garbage. I've replaced quite a few as of now but want to swap them all out. I've replaced a bunch of switches that came out in pieces. Kinda scary.

I'm starting on this as well. after the February winter storm and replacing some ugly ceiling fans, I was motivated to correctly map the breaker boxes. some idiot randomly scribbled labels inside the box and they were totally wrong. having things marked correctly saves me a lot of time and headache. I don't know why I waited seven years to do this. I'm also slowly replacing the outlets one at a time. the existing ones are garbage and one of them causes the circuit to disconnect randomly every few days because one of the stupid stab-in receptacles broke.

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31 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

for the next room I do, I am going to try just skim-coating joint compound over the existing surface. this may require a few coats but it MUST be less of a pain in the butt than scraping.

I forgot of something i did with popcorn on the triangle portion of wall in a vaulted ceiling room.  I took one of those drywall sanders on a pole and sanded it down to roughly orange peel texture.  It still made a mess but at least I didn't have to do all the other steps + still end up with a mess.   I wonder if there's a drywall sander with a vacuum attachment option?  Oh wow!  Just searched.  There is such a specialized tool, even available at Home Depot but it looks like it doesn't have the open weave sand pads that I think would work best.  Here's one for a good price with good ratings:  https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200711917_200711917

As far as a I can remember, the guys I hired did not make a powder mess until it came time to sand.  Also, while it dried, the house was extremely humid.  We stayed in the bedrooms and they sealed off the areas they worked in with plastic and setup cross ventilation.  We meant to have them come back to do the bedrooms but we haven't yet.

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3 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

update: scraping popcorn ceiling texture SUCKS BALLS. I tried half a dozen methods that are supposed to reduce the dusty mess and NONE of them work. if someone tells you that they can remove popcorn without making a mess, they are feeding you lies! after I got it all down in one room, I am about to slap a second coat of joint compound on it, lightly sand it smooth, then primer and paint. bleh.

for the next room I do, I am going to try just skim-coating joint compound over the existing surface. this may require a few coats but it MUST be less of a pain in the butt than scraping.

contractors said they could do it but we would need to vacate the house, including pets, for 3 days to a week, and would cost $4,000–10,000.

I tried to convince my wife that popcorn ceiling would soon come back into style. I had no luck, but it may be worth a shot in your case. We hired a guy who did a really shitty job. 

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