# Drafts.



## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

We had been trying to find a cool draft at floor level in our house for awhile now, and I finally found it. The contractor had left it this way since the house was built 10 years ago. I was wondering if anyone knew what these 2 plugs/ electric outlets are for. They look like wall outlets with the plug blank spots but there are no holes, or slots to plug anything into them? I also found a stubbed out bare ended wire that is dead but they left it uncovered you can see it in the picture. They are located in the sub floor under the kitchen sink. I wondered if they might be part of the branch GFI system? You would think they could have atleast put an access panel/ door over the hole, or something to keep the cold air out.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Strange..I would be testing both if any for peace of mind.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Thomas said:


> Strange..I would be testing both if any for peace of mind.




Yep I tested the one that is just sticking out there thats not hooked to anything, and its dead but I dont know where the 2 boxes go to. I took the dead one spliced it back to seperate the hot, and ground so I could put wire nuts, and electrical tape on it to be sure it didnt decide to ark, and burn the house down. I checked though, and all of the breackers are on in the box so there is no power going to it.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Well, as pictured, that is totally illegal. That recepticle is supposed to be in a box with a cover. Is that a modular home? It's probably a line that was cut, and the recepticle added, for running a heat tape.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

I forgot we had the original blue prints for the house wiring from when it was built they are part of the branch GFCI wiring system. I just think it was stupid for them to not close the acces hole, and leave that dead wire hanging out there like that. The ones in the picture are what ties the system to the outside outlets. They are the ones with the test, and reset button in the front.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_245840-334-...currentURL=?Ntt=branch+gfci+outlet&facetInfo=


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Pretty shoty work,glad you found instead insurance company.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Thomas said:


> Pretty shoty work,glad you found instead insurance company.




Yep its a system built home so the hole had to be the contractor who didnt make sure evreything was correct. I got it fixed now though I had to crawl around under the house for about 2 hrs. I measured, and made an access panel for those plugs should I ever need to get to them. The main overall goal was stopping that cold draft in the house at the floor, and its gone now.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Thomas said:


> Pretty shoty work,glad you found instead insurance company.




Yep its a system built home so the hole had to be the contractor who didnt make sure evreything was correct. I got it fixed now though I had to crawl around under the house for about 2 hrs. I measured, and made an access panel for those plugs should I ever need to get to them for ?. The main overall goal was stopping that cold draft in the house at the floor, and its gone now.


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## dangeroustoys56 (Jul 26, 2010)

The least they have to do, the better for them when they build a house. 

Couple years ago when we changed the sink in the front bath , there was a plastic ecushion around the pipe and it was nailed - the boneheads nailed thru the plastic pipe - been like that since it was built, cant believe it hasnt seriously leaked.

Ive been changing shut off valves also - had a couple of the handles pop right off and spray water all over - why i keep a cresent wrench handy to shut the main off.

Im still sorting out how the PO ran water pipes all over outside , couple are hooked to the main with no other shutoffs....one has a shut off now when the spicot was leaking after the PO cranked the heck out of it and cracked the PVC.

One time we noticed it wasnt really cool in the house - one of the ducts fell off an we were cooling the outside ....

Joys of home ownership.....


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Well I thought the final inspector would have caught it before we closed on the house but that didnt happen. It was built kinda like a double wide only it was built in cubes/ sections then they put it all together on the foundation site. I was told each section was inspected before, and after it was set up but somebody missed this. The metal frame, and bolt you see in the picture is the access door frame that you have to remove to get into the crawl space under the house. I thought seeing how it was right above their head when they went in they should have seen it. I found it by accident I was under there checking the phone line, and just happened to look up, and found it.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I bought a new modular home 20 years ago and all I heard thru the process is how well they are inspected. Being built in a climate controlled factory made the quality so much better blah, blah, blah....The shower valve was installed wrong, cold was hot and the hot side was cold. I left it that way for years because I thought I'd have to tear the wall out, break apart pipe joints and reinstall the valve. Well after about 18 years, the thing started to leak. So I bought new innards and while reading the directions discovered that when I pulled the old innards out, all I had to do was install the new innards 180 degrees from the old, and then the temps would be correct. Had I known that 18 years ago, life would have been so much simpler. But I haven't found any stray wires yet.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

Yep I have found a few things that was over looked in the past 10 years like the sink drain under the house they cut, and fitted but forgot to glue. It fell off, and we had a pond under the house but that was the same finish work contractor that left the hole in the sub-floor. It has all been little minor stuff that was easy to fix but if you pay them to do it then it should be right.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

bontai Joe said:


> I bought a new modular home 20 years ago and all I heard thru the process is how well they are inspected. Being built in a climate controlled factory made the quality so much better blah, blah, blah....The shower valve was installed wrong, cold was hot and the hot side was cold. I left it that way for years because I thought I'd have to tear the wall out, break apart pipe joints and reinstall the valve. Well after about 18 years, the thing started to leak. So I bought new innards and while reading the directions discovered that when I pulled the old innards out, all I had to do was install the new innards 180 degrees from the old, and then the temps would be correct. Had I known that 18 years ago, life would have been so much simpler. But I haven't found any stray wires yet.


You gotta understand one thing...... These outfits hire the stupidest kids, pay them crap wages and if you could see some of the things I've encountered over the years remodeling them, it'd make you laugh out loud.


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## wjjones (May 28, 2010)

tractor beam said:


> You gotta understand one thing...... These outfits hire the stupidest kids, pay them crap wages and if you could see some of the things I've encountered over the years remodeling them, it'd make you laugh out loud.




Yep these contractors sub let the work out to whoever is cheapest, and the guys that showed up I would have never hired myself. I dont think they knew what they where doing for sure. But its to late now so I just keep fixing each problem as I find them atleast that way I know its done right.


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