Seeking suggestions on plumbing and wiring documentation..

[MikeT]

In the house where I reside, I am constantly flummoxed by having to guess how the circuits are wired and how the plumbing might be run behind the walls.  So on my Victoria's Cottage project, I know I will redraw the plans with the wiring and plumbing as they actually are, and I will take pictures of the walls with the plumbing and wiring exposed.  I think that will help me and potentially others.  

So my question is more of a search for a strategy or organizing system for this.  

I was thinking of taking the plans and giving each wall a number or letter and then linking the pictures to that corresponding number or letter.

I was thinking that the overall wiring and plumbing diagrams would be in plan view, but then I would have the pictures as sections of an elevation.

Does that make any sense?  Any other ideas?

[MountainDon]

I made plan view drawings of the electrical for the cabin using different colors for different circuits and voltages. I did not take enough pictures of the walls in elevation view with the wiring completed. That would have been valuable when I went to install the direct vent wall heater. I think that is a great plan. Marking distances up from the floor to horizontal wire or plumbing runs would be a good idea too.

I have a couple of loose leaf binders that I've used to store all the installation and user manuals. My construction drawings, etc. are also in there along with receipts for things with warranties.

[MarkAndDebbie]

I'm doing most of my house in sketchup. You can take photos and "texture" a wall with them and then adjust the perspective so that they look right. I have tabs (scenes in sketchup) that say "east wall" and I can look at the framing of just the east wall. All the images would be imported into sketchup and in one file.

You could take it a step further and use photo match up create the pipes etc as objects in sketchup.

check out the videos for sketchup "photo match" and "photo texture" to get an idea of what's possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVYYdWYRqrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSuDoX8SPtU

You'd probably want a hard copy like Don suggests as well (not that Google is going anywhere, but you never know what will be around in 20 years...)

[Redoverfarm]

I think pictures is the way to go.  I have taken several hundred since the beginning of Dogtrot.  There has been several occassions that they have became very usefull.  The biggest was when I (like Don) had a need to route the exhaust for the kitchen exhaust fan.  Wiring in the log chase was difficult as you could not just follow a standard verticle run such as stud walls.  So a quick reference to an older picture revealed that I was OK in the position that I wanted to access the wall opening without cutting into a wire.  Unlike drywall I could not  just removed the skin of the wall to look.  It was mortar, rabbit wire embedded.  So yes "a picture is worth a thousand words". 

[JRR]

What you have planned is good.  Anything you fail to record, even those things "you will never forget" ... will come back to haunt you later.  Case in point for me: I installed some driveway post-lamps.  While the ditch was opened, extra conduit and water pipes were laid for later use ... "branch-outs" installed at anticipated points-of-use.  No sketches were made ... because there was "no way" I was gonna forget this very simple layout.  Once that ditch was filled: Guess what!

You should always make a flat 2D diagram of services, especially electrical.  Don't try to make it 3D or "to scale" ... you can put that info on other drawings, this is just for skematic info.  I have seen some good ones that were laid out like the nerve system of the human body.  The brain being the incoming service and panel box ... the nerve-endings being receptacles or loads.  Everything gets identified/described.  Each branch begins with a circuit breaker or fuse .. size and manufacturer info is listed for each component ... each conduit size is shown, with included conductor numbers and sizes.  Each load is described and located: " 120v duplex, south wall of furnace room", or "ovrhd lmp and sw, upstrs west bath store rm". 

You may want to have each conductor numbered.  This really helps in trouble-shooting.  Each conductor gets a unique number and is actually numbered on each end .. a new number is used at any connection or splice.  (Wiring number kits are available in most electric supply houses.)  The numbers are shown also on the diagram.  This system can be difficult to achieve if you are not doing your own wiring ... and, instead, depending on typical residential electrical contractors who don't practice it.  On a very small house it may not be worth the effort.  I'm inclined to do it because of my industrial workplace experience.  All the electricians who worked with me did this in their own residences ... just habit.

[firefox]

 
You will not rejret you did this! It is well worth the time and effort.



You may want to have each conductor numbered.  This really helps in trouble-shooting.  Each conductor gets a unique number and is actually numbered on each end .. a new number is used at any connection or splice.  (Wiring number kits are available in most electric supply houses.)  The numbers are shown also on the diagram.  This system can be difficult to achieve if you are not doing your own wiring ... and, instead, depending on typical residential electrical contractors who don't practice it.  On a very small house it may not be worth the effort.  I'm inclined to do it because of my industrial workplace experience.  All the electricians who worked with me did this in their own residences ... just habit.

[MikeT]

Thanks for the feeback.

You suggested this:
You may want to have each conductor numbered.  This really helps in trouble-shooting.  Each conductor gets a unique number and is actually numbered on each end .. a new number is used at any connection or splice.  (Wiring number kits are available in most electric supply houses.)  The numbers are shown also on the diagram.  This system can be difficult to achieve if you are not doing your own wiring ... and, instead, depending on typical residential electrical contractors who don't practice it.  On a very small house it may not be worth the effort.  I'm inclined to do it because of my industrial workplace experience.  All the electricians who worked with me did this in their own residences ... just habit.

For some of us who might be a bit dense, could you give me an illustration based on the following example:
20 Amp breaker for basement receptacles.  Breaker runs to 3 receptacles before hitting a junction box where it goes to an outdoor light and 2 other receptacles.

How would you recommend noting this?

Best,
Mike

[JRR]

There are two schools of practice:

Number each conductor. A conductor can be thought of as any wire or group of connected wires .. all at the same voltage/potential.  Therefore the same number continues along thru splices, connections, etc.  The number can be repeatedly applied, along the conductor, at any convienent location that lends itself to later trouble shooting. (This is the older practice in industry .... "good" but it can still mean a large number of wires on equipment all having the same identification.  In hunting a "short" or "open" fault location .. there is still a large task of isolating the problem by trial and error.)

Number each wire. Just as it sounds, each wire gets its own identification at both ends.  At each connecting point (say multiple wire-ends under one terminal screw) each wire gets a unique number ... even tho all wires are at the same voltage. (This is the newer industrial practice, especially on very large systems.  Pro: easy trouble shooting of wiring faults.  Con: more initial costs as additional terminal strips are required as one conductor will "branch" into many wires.  Panel boxes become larger or more numerous.  Total length of wiring required is increased.)

In industry, the size of the system and the cost of down-time dictates which is used.  My personal preference is the second one.

[MikeT]

Thanks, JRR.  I likely will create my own vernacular system based on this.   I probably do not want to label each and every wire segment, especially if I am photographing each wall and receptacle and each light.   Still, this really helps how I think of the project.  It is a perfect thing to do early in the morning while others are sleeping...

mt