Five Minute Jobs

[Diggin It]

Ceiling lights in a hall way are on a standard toggle switch. Figured I'd put in a timer switch I had picked up a few years back and never used. Should be simple, hot, load, neutral and a ground.

Nope. Got no neutral in the box, just a switch loop. Electronic timer need s a neutral to work.

OK. Just happens to be an access panel directly above, just one of those things I did when I put in a lowered ceiling to cover some HVAC ducts. Open the panel and everything I need is right there, including the opening I cut in the wall to run the wire to the switch in the first place, plus the junction box with a neutral.

Cool. Drop a wire in there, pull it out the switch box hole and we're all set. Old work box, so it comes out to expose the larger hole I need.

Nope. Can't find a suitable piece of wire. Gotta strip out a piece of Romex. OK. Wire won't cooperate going into one hole where I can get at it to pull out the other. Gotta go get the 50' fishtape for a 6' run.

Plus a bunch of other stuff.

Three hours later, the timer is installed and working.

 

[Oaktree]

No such thing as a 5 minute job.

A few years ago I wanted to add a ceiling light to one of the rooms in my house. Easy, right? Cut a hole for the fixture, fish a wire to it, run it to a switch and done. BBBBZZZZZZTT!! My house has 10 x 10 beams for the 2nd floor, in that room someone had nailed strapping to them and installed ceiling tiles. The way they'd installed the strapping left very little room to get a fish tape, let alone a piece of Romex thru. Eventually did it, but like you it was a 3+ hour job.

 

[grsthegreat]

Thats why code was changed a few years ago requiring a neutral to be run to all switches. Neutrals are also required for occupancy sensors.

 

[BravoXray]

Hah! Five minute job is an urban legend.
It takes five minutes just to chase down all the tools you need, and that's before it get's a lot more complicated and have to get more tools and materials.

 

[sodamo]

Agreed, just a figment of our imaginations

 

[LD1]

Takes at least 5 mins just to drink a beer While thinking about the best way to do the job

 

[Thomas]

5 mins...when person says that there @ss is sucking pond water.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Ceiling lights in a hall way are on a standard toggle switch. Figured I'd put in a timer switch I had picked up a few years back and never used. Should be simple, hot, load, neutral and a ground.

Nope. Got no neutral in the box, just a switch loop. Electronic timer need s a neutral to work.

OK. Just happens to be an access panel directly above, just one of those things I did when I put in a lowered ceiling to cover some HVAC ducts. Open the panel and everything I need is right there, including the opening I cut in the wall to run the wire to the switch in the first place, plus the junction box with a neutral.

Cool. Drop a wire in there, pull it out the switch box hole and we're all set. Old work box, so it comes out to expose the larger hole I need.

Nope. Can't find a suitable piece of wire. Gotta strip out a piece of Romex. OK. Wire won't cooperate going into one hole where I can get at it to pull out the other. Gotta go get the 50' fishtape for a 6' run.

Plus a bunch of other stuff.

Three hours later, the timer is installed and working.

Murphy Rules!

 

[check]

I always tell my kid “I just need your help for five minutes”. So now it is a running gag in our house.

 

[Richard]

A slightly different slant....

Wife bought a Bombay chest. Had three drawers. She gets a hair brained idea that she wants it to be a bathroom vanity.....and "I" am going to get to transform it.

Hmmm....

So I gather tools, think about it.

Oh, she is going to want a sink on top AND working drawers. Doesn't she realize there are supply tubes and drains inside a vanity? The drawers are going to not work because of the plumbing.

I decide to proceed with plan "A" and if it doesn't work,. play "B" is to take the drawer fronts off and just put them back on as a facade.

Long story short, pulled the drawers out. Cut a notch in the middle of them. Built a "wall" around the notch back to the rear panel of the drawer. Top drawer HAD to be screwed shut as things were too tight with the lavatory right there.

The other two drawers however, are fully operational BUT a bit of space is lost as I had to cut a slot out of them to go around the drain pipe.

The really stupid reality is.......this entire project which I was planning to take the entire day.....was done in about 30 minutes.

Never have I done something that initially looked so interesting and challenging, turn out to be utterly easy-peasy to do.

Heck, I even beat the OP's "simple time switch", switch!!

It's nice when something goes much easier than you anticipate.