Green Redux

Things have moved ahead with the basement project. D&F Services finished their work in a couple of days and then we moved in for round two. After setting up temporary power and lighting, we had Mr. X the electrician (one of SBK’s best kept secrets) start his work. The first order of business was an update of the old electrical service. The power was cut to the building and a new 200 amp service was installed.

The old service still had fuses, exposed components and no room for expansion. The new panel has space for 40 breakers and replaces all the various old pieces with one new panel or “load center”.

After that we went about the task of eliminating as much old wiring as possible, mostly “BX” cable and steel conduit from the 1920s. Wherever possible, we ran new wires to feed old circuits that are in other parts of the house. This way when these spaces are remodeled we will be able to continue replacing old wire.

There is a lot of interconnected wiring as the original system had only 8 circuits for a three story home. A tremendous amount of scrap copper, steel and aluminum came out of the house during this process and we separated it all to be returned to area scrap yards, including Grants Recycling in Boston.

The domestic and overseas demand for these materials has driven up the prices being paid at scrap yards as well as generating interest in recycling these materials for profit. At certain points this year the price being paid for unstripped copper romex wire exceeded what it was selling for at several large home improvement stores, meaning you could actually buy new wire and immediately sell it to the recyclers for a profit. Even cast iron, one of the less precious metals, can fetch $50 a ton at the scrap yards.

Although we don’t always have the time or quantity to return this material ourselves, we make sure it goes to someone who does. I’ve gotten into the habit of leaving one barrel out with my curbside waste in Boston every week and it is always taken by one of the metal collectors combing for these valuable materials.

While working on the electrical system, we have also restored our stone foundation and replaced a rotten sill on the rear of the building. Next, we finish waterproofing our foundation walls and get the new wall framing in place.