glum

Sep 11, 2009 08:56

We have a tripped circuit breaker that wont untrip--even when everything plugged into that circuit is unplugged. So, short somewhere in a wall or outlet or such. Probably expensive electrician visit ( Read more... )

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evalerie September 11 2009, 14:05:50 UTC
Ouch about the allergies. I think the pollen must be really bad right now; I know a lot of people with major allergy problems at this time of the year. Is he taking any allergy medicine? I have a couple of family members who take daily Claritin (over-the-counter) and have found that their allergy symptoms are much better than with the other allergy medicines that they have tried. We've also done a lot of allergy-proofing on our house -- removing carpets, adding anti-dustmite mattress covers and pillowcases, and stuff like that. I think there was a book about "take control of your own allergies" that Jan found helpful; I can look up its title if you'd like.

For the house stuff: Gloria Steinem says that everybody needs a "wife" -- a person to be at home and focus on taking care of the people and the household things. I think your family and mine both could use one. :)

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recordersmith September 11 2009, 14:25:36 UTC
He's mainly allergic to dust and mold (and dogs, but that's not an issue in our house). We have carpets in a couple rooms, which I talked about removing but he really likes. I need to vaccuum more often.. I also mentioned the dust mite mattress covers and he *hates* them (the idea of any plastic-like covering on a chair or bed is evidently anathema)..He takes an over0the-counter allergy med (I think it's chlortrimeton--he has had no luck with claritin) which usually helps, but he tends to wait until he's in the middle of a full fledged attack before taking it (sigh ( ... )

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rikchik September 11 2009, 14:28:18 UTC
One point in favor of going to an allergist - how much time of his day is he losing to sneezing? Multiply that out by how long it could go and the allergist may seem less of a time sink.

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evalerie September 11 2009, 14:45:37 UTC
Today's anti-dustmite mattress covers and pillow covers aren't plastic-y -- the technology has really improved a lot. We have them on all of the beds and pillows in our house, and I don't notice them at all. Jan also has an anti-dustmite covering on his comforter on the bed, and that we do notice, because it is cold to the touch and kind of noisy. But it does help him to breathe at night.

I think Chlortrimeton is considered "old technology" when it comes to antihistamines today. (I took it when I was a kid and my allergies were much worse than they are now.) There are newer ones that work a lot better. An allergist might be able to make some suggestions for better ones, or just experimenting with what's available might work.

The "wife" that I imagine would be an imaginary third grownup who comes into the house and takes care of all of the people in it, so that all of the existing residents can go about their usual business. :)

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warlord_mit September 11 2009, 14:46:57 UTC
It's possible the breaker itself is broken. This can happen with older breakers, especially if the circuit HAS been overloaded in the past and tripped the breaker. Even more so if the breaker has tripped multiple times. So I'd replace the breaker first and see if it helps before you go and trace the wires to see if there really is a short (note that there could still be a short).

As for the chandelier, is there already wiring up to where you want it hung? Or do you need them to run wires too? Running wires could be challenging depending on where he can find power, which way your joists run, and where you want the switch. You might also wind up with some small holes that need to be patched.

I'm sorry about the allergies. I hope he feels better.

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recordersmith September 11 2009, 15:47:01 UTC
I'll mention that breaker idea to J.

There is no wiring for the chandelier yet, or J would have installed it. We'd have to have the electrician run the wires. I realize this could be pricy, complex, etc and we'll have to talk to the electrician about options. But at least getting an estimate would be helpful.

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cjsmith September 11 2009, 19:24:50 UTC
I'm tired of being a grownup, can I stop now?

I sympathize! I want about a week -- or heck, one day every couple of weeks for a while -- to be a kid. (Well, minus the being sent to my room.)

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