Guest Bathroom Update – An Electrical Problem

We had a setback in the guest bathroom right before our guests came to visit. Does anyone else notice that things never fall apart at our convenience? Andy and I were about to go out of town on a long weekend, and his parents were coming to BHH to hang out with the kids and Millie while we were gone.

We were rushing around, trying to get the wallpaper hung before we left, and we made a small error. Remember this cute little light fixture?

When we took it off the wall to hang the paper, the connections were super sketchy, and we were not careful enough with them. The electrical wiring in BHH is varied because the house was built pre-electricity. Improvements were made as electricity became more widely available. Based on our experience over the past four years, it seems like the bulk of the updates in BHH were done in the ’40s and ’50s. So, the majority of our wires are still cloth-covered copper.

It is worth noting that cloth-covered wires are not inherently dangerous even though much safer products are available today. Cloth-covered wires that are in bad shape are unsafe, and that is where Andy and I part ways with electricians. They know when it is time to replace them, and we do not.

Back to the story:

Andy and I had rounded the last corner, and the edge of our piece of wallpaper landed right in the center of the light fixture. We flipped the breaker off, and then the plan was that one of us would hold the fixture away from the wall with the connections intact, and the other one would hang the paper and make the proper cuts. It wasn’t a bad plan, but it wasn’t a good one either.

After we hung the piece on the left, we realized that we were out of paper altogether. I needed to order more. Long story. Andy pushed the fixture back into place, and then I flipped the breaker on.

When Andy and I work to our strengths, magic happens. When we do not, other stuff happens. What followed was a pop, some sparks, a small jolt of electricity, a dropped lightbulb that shattered all over the floor, and a couple of very grumpy people. That seemed like a good stopping point.

Flash forward to the day I was finishing up the wallpaper by myself. I decided to remove the light altogether to get a good look at the wires and the connections. After I flipped off the breaker, I disconnected it from the electrical box. The copper wire inside the fabric crumbled in my hands, and the insert of the fixture was charred. In short, I wanted no part of working on this problem. I capped and taped off the connections, and I called an electrician.

Once the electrician determined that our problem was not an emergency, we scheduled for the next available appointment which was in six days. Six days. It is not that we needed the light in that bathroom. However, we were advised to keep the breaker off at night and when we left the house. Shutting off that breaker meant we would also lose the lights in our main bathroom, my closet, the boys’ rooms, and everything in the library. #oldhouseproblems

Remember, Andy and I were leaving town. So, we would not be affected. The lack of nighttime electricity was going to be a serious problem for Andy’s parents. They do not know BHH like the back of their hands as we do. The situation was unsafe for middle-of-the-night bathroom trips or other emergencies. To keep them safe, I bought a small, bright LED lantern (affiliate link) for each of them to use when it was dark in the house. My in-laws both reported back that the lamps worked like a charm. They cast enough light, and they were easier to hold than a standard flashlight.

The Electrician’s Visit

In my mind, I thought we might have to rewire the entire bathroom all the way to the panel. However, we got good news instead. The electrician found that the wires behind the frayed sections were still in good, usable shape. It was not a safety hazard to reinstall the fixture with the same wires.

The insert for the light was toast, so he popped in a new one, and that was all it needed. Isn’t it a beauty?

While I had him there, I asked him to install a new GFCI outlet as well.

Now that the electricity is working properly again, there are only a few more items left on the guest bathroom to-do list.

• Paint the rest of the wainscoting
• Paint the floor
• Touch-up the clawfoot tub feet
• Repair the window glass
• Reinstall the window with new parting bead

This weekend, we should be able to tackle the majority of the tasks on the list. I can’t wait to show you how everything comes together in here. Even with the electrical setback, this has been a fun and satisfying project.

PS: If you love our little light, the Norfolk sconce from Schoolhouse Electric & Co. is a close match. The sconce and shade are sold separately.