8/5 Pumbaa - AMPS/315 +8/74 PMPS/476 & PM dose increase

[Pumbaa]

I'm changing Pumbaa's name to "Super Ball". Remember those rubber balls from Wham-O back in the 1960's...the ones that could bounce higher than a 3-story building? *LOL*

The only good thing to say about today so far is that at least Pumbaa spent some time in the blues and greens.

I'm counting the 315 AMPS as a bounce, because I know on this dose that he is capable of having good runs with yellow/blue/green numbers. And he cleared that quickly. But tonight's PMPS of 476 really bothers me! I should have taken another reading right after getting that 476, but poor Pumbaa must feel like a pin cushion lately. (Thank God I got the Relion Prime and test strips are only $.18 each!)

I did increase his dose tonight to a skinny 2.50U. A drop or two more than 2.25U and a drop or two less than a full 2.50U. I'm really hoping that by increasing by such small amounts that Pumbaa's numbers even out a lot more than they already have. And, I'm praying that those reds go away once and for all!

I tested Pumbaa right on time this morning, but his shot was 1/2 hour late because it took me 30 minutes to get him out from under my bed, once again! Under bed storage containers, now gone. Bedroom door now permanently closed during waking hours...this is unfortunate because my bedroom gets really hot in the summer as it has a very long west-facing wall and 4 windows on the west side (3 of which have thick sheets of insulation in them during the summer to help reduce the heat). In the morning, I am just going to have to make sure that all of the animals are out of my bedroom so I can close the door and make sure Pumbaa doesn't have access to it before testing and feeding/shooting.

Non-FD related: I am so proud of myself for replacing two 3-way light switches today! Without electrocuting myself. Hahahaha! (Yes, I flipped the circuit breaker off before I started this task.) A week ago, I didn't even know what a 3-way light switch was, but I was no longer able to turn the hallway light off via the switch by my bedroom.

The internet makes life so much easier with all the information you can find at your fingertips! I found out what kind of switches I needed before I went to Home Depot, and found wiring diagrams to make sure I did this correctly. I put porcelain floor tiles in my guest bathroom 2 years ago, learning how to install ceramic/porcelain tile via the internet! Not to forget mentioning all that I have learned about FD and how to manage Pumbaa via the internet!

Hope you all have restful Sunday nights. I have no clue where Pumbaa is going to go from that 476 PMPS, so I guess the sofa and I and the cell phone alarm are going to be best buddies once again.

Suze

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

We had superballs. In several sizes I think, not sure if they were the original Wham-O. We had physical imaginative toys, not all the electronic and virtual stuff in what used to be era of the MTV attention spans. Of course MTV hasn't played music videos in decades now, but Dora seems to be on 24/7/365 on half a dozen channels.

As for the light switches you just want to make sure when you put them back, there is no way the stiff wires will touch. Well doh, but some people don't really think about it. In high school I wired an entire house (supervised) as an (unofficial) electricians apprentice. I saw that house just last month, it hasn't burned down yet. Antijinx. Actually drafted plans for the "dream house" in shop class and then we built it from scratch as a summer job/project. Sold it for a profit. Did a little bit of everything construction wise on the house but I enjoyed the electrical. I'm really picky about code and fire hazards. There is a little bit of consideration you can use to greatly reduce risk. The internet is great for a lot of things. I guess the jury is still out on the FD. ;-)

Which brings us back on topic... don't know what Pumbaa is up to, hope he hasn't been texting Rosy?

 

[Pumbaa]

Chippendale's:

That would be so cool to design a house, and build it from scratch...making sure everything was done the right way!

Okay, I give. Those wires connecting to the switches are so stiff and the space they fit in is so small, how do you prevent them from touching at some point? I thought about cutting them down some yesterday, but then figured that they had been in the wall like that for 20 years so far, without a problem, sooo.... :roll:

As for Pumbaa, I swear he reads my mind! The other day, a friend of mine posted on FB that one of her cats had started biting her feet at 4:30 am to wake her up. The next morning, Pumbaa started biting my un-moving feet to wake me up early. Now Pumbaa is emulating Rosy with the red pre-shots! *LOL*

I really don't get it. Pumbaa hadn't bounced to red in 18 cycles. Why would he start bouncing to red again, out of the blue? (Other than the fact that I have typed how pleased I was that he wasn't bouncing so high!)

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

Congrats on the DIY project! You did the very first thing exactly right.....turn off the breaker! And test it to make sure it's really off...

There shouldn't be much in the way of bare wires in the box. If you ever need to strip the wires, a half inch of copper showing is plenty. The one wire that has no coating is just the ground wire, and if it touches metal, no big deal (as long as it doesn't touch any of the other copper wire). For future reference, you can PM me all sorts of electricity questions. I've been playing with it for 35+ years and I'm still alive and kicking! I learned the "make sure to turn off the breaker" early on (the hard way). :lol:

Carl

 

[Pumbaa]

Carl,

No bare wires anywhere. I used the quick-connect feature where the entire bare end of the wire went inside a hole in the back. I like that much better than wrapping wires around screws.

I've installed ceiling fans and light fixtures before, but never replaced a light switch on my own. But I will keep you in mind if I tackle any more electrical problems.

Glad to hear you survived learning the hard way.

Suze

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

Chippendale's:

That would be so cool to design a house, and build it from scratch...making sure everything was done the right way!

Okay, I give. Those wires connecting to the switches are so stiff and the space they fit in is so small, how do you prevent them from touching at some point? I thought about cutting them down some yesterday, but then figured that they had been in the wall like that for 20 years so far, without a problem, sooo.... :roll:

I'm glad Carl jumped in here with the important layman's concerns.

What I worry about is easier to show than to try and explain. I don't even know what 3-way light switches you used. But if they went bad, chances are they were dimmer switches? The insulated wires can touch all they want no problems. What I don't want to see is the insulated wires touching the sides of classic outlets and switches where there are exposed contact screws. If they are all crammed in there and the insulated wire is pressed against the wrong contact screw it may cause a stress point in the insulation for a simmering short, when you use force to screw down the outlet/switch/plate. You just arrange the wires so they can't press against the sides of the switch/outlet. The actual switch not the box. Does that make any sense? If you have contemporary dimmers with leads then it might not even apply.

If I designed a new house now it would be much different than what I did in high school. What I focused on then seemed to be energy efficiency. Symmetry in the floor plan and too much on classic aesthetics. That house did turn out perfect and I'd love to buy it if it were for sale. My dad did the most beautiful stone work for it. Now I would likely have more focus on pet concerns, no carpeting in the whole house, more rooms with doors, etc. Even now I might give up a little energy efficiency for no stairs. That's pretty sad to say I'm starting to think ahead that far?

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

...I really don't get it. Pumbaa hadn't bounced to red in 18 cycles. Why would he start bouncing to red again, out of the blue? (Other than the fact that I have typed how pleased I was that he wasn't bouncing so high!)

Maybe Pumbaa got the idea from reading Rosy's condo. Then he had to go and tell Chip.

We all just need a bigger "dosecrease" :roll:

 

[Pumbaa]

I don't even know what 3-way light switches you used. But if they went bad, chances are they were dimmer switches?

Not dimmer...two switches on either end of the hallway controlling one light fixture in the middle. The one near my bedroom stopped being able to turn off the light. Probably because it was 20 years old, and was most likely the most frequently used switch. I've had to have other single-pole switches replaced in this house, because they stopped working correctly. Now that I think about it, the 3-way switches that controlled the light in my laundry room (one switch in the laundry room and one out in the garage) didn't work when I inspected the house before buying it and had to be replaced.

I don't know why they don't call these 2-way switches instead of 3-way switches. Duh! *LOL*

As for the actual wiring, I didn't use the side screws, the exposed wire went all the way into a little hole in the back of the switch and is trapped there until you press a release lever. Pretty clever!

I understand thinking ahead about a house. I would like to enlarge my doorways to accommodate a wheelchair, and replace the tub in the master bath with a walk-in wrap-around shower where you don't even have to step up. All it takes is $$$$$$ to do these things. I'm very glad that my house is all one level, which is common out here for energy efficiency.

You should check zillow.com and see what that house is worth now.

 

[Pumbaa]

Maybe Pumbaa got the idea from reading Rosy's condo. Then he had to go and tell Chip.

We all just need a bigger "dosecrease" :roll:

Chip actually had much better numbers than Pumbaa did today. :roll:

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

...Not dimmer...two switches on either end of the hallway controlling one light fixture in the middle. The one near my bedroom stopped being able to turn off the light. Probably because it was 20 years old, and was most likely the most frequently used switch. I've had to have other single-pole switches replaced in this house, because they stopped working correctly. Now that I think about it, the 3-way switches that controlled the light in my laundry room (one switch in the laundry room and one out in the garage) didn't work when I inspected the house before buying it and had to be replaced.

I don't know why they don't call these 2-way switches instead of 3-way switches. Duh! *LOL*

As for the actual wiring, I didn't use the side screws, the exposed wire went all the way into a little hole in the back of the switch and is trapped there until you press a release lever. Pretty clever!

I understand thinking ahead about a house. I would like to enlarge my doorways to accommodate a wheelchair, and replace the tub in the master bath with a walk-in wrap-around shower where you don't even have to step up. All it takes is $$$$$$ to do these things. I'm very glad that my house is all one level, which is common out here for energy efficiency.

You should check zillow.com and see what that house is worth now.

In that case you want to make sure none of the crammed wires are pressing against those side contact screws, since the corresponding (unused) contact screws are still "hot".

It's really just an overabundance of caution.

I looked and the house isn't on zillow. I'm afraid it's out of my price range. I'll be doing good just to get this one paid off. :!:

 

[Pumbaa]

In that case you want to make sure none of the crammed wires are pressing against those side contact screws, since the corresponding (unused) contact screws are still "hot".

It's really just an overabundance of caution.

I don't mind an overabundance of caution. Will check the wires, but they are all in the back and I'm 99% sure they aren't touching the side screws. It's easy to take off the cover plate and check.

 

[max&emmasmommie]

:razz: I'm telling you two - Suze and PapaDale - takes those cats' phones away. Max hasn't been able to text anyone for a couple of weeks now. (By the way, they can use iPods to text! Did you know that? Take those away, too.)

 

[Pumbaa]

MommaDale: *LOL* Pumbaa appears to be clairvoyant and telepathic, unfortunately!