Internet resolutions and Fan Project part 1

To follow up on the last post, I was finally able to get the internet problem resolved. After countless of calls ending in "call Linksys" or "call Time Warner" I finally learned two things:

1) Linksys had the firmware to fix the entire mess but refused to give it to me because they only give it to ISPs (call Time Warner).

2) Time Warner Cable (aka Road Runner High Speed Internet) also had the firmware but refused to give it to me because they used special software and lacked the ability to manually give me the firmware, but it's possible the maker of my router had the firmware I needed (call Linksys).

Now, I've been using cable internet since it was called AT&T Broadband Internet (ATTBI), then Comcast bought it out, and I will forever consider them the people I had to most reliable service with, and now Time Warner has bought THEM out! Feh.

I called my school today and an Arab girl picks up and asks me who I'm trying to call in a very thick accent. My first thought was to say "Don't you people get a job doing anything other than answering phones poorly?!", but I quickly stifled that thought because it was racists, rude, and only brought on by how many times I had called my American based company and got sent overseas to some people who didn't know the first thing about my router.

Oh, the final solution, by the way, was to have Time Warner give us a new modem (for free!) and then shell out 50 bucks for a new Linksys wireless router (did I mention I'm a big Linksys fan?).

So enough with the geek talk.

I've started a fan project at my parents house. Since we have moved in to this home, some 19 years ago, we have lamented the fact that the bedrooms completely lack a ceiling light... or any light. There is a single wall outlet controlled by a light switch, but who wants to waste space with a floor lamp? Besides, those things don't spreed light well.

Last week, my mom expressed the desire to save some money in the house by raising the thermostat and getting some floor fans in the rooms. Again, who wants to waste space like that? So I did some research, priced it out, and presented a plan to install ceiling fans in mine and my sister's room. A task made hard mainly since there's no place to install a ceiling fan.

So today I got the green light from mom on the fan to buy (with a light kit for light of course) and after dinner I jumped on into the attic to install a fan box to mount the fan from. It seemed like an easy enough project: I cut the hole in the ceiling, find that hole in attic, put the box in place, and screw it down. That's when the snags hit.

I had wisely opted to bring a board into the attic to set my tools down on, but maneuvering through that tiny space while holding a board... not so easy. But I do make it to where my room is only, hey where the hole? Snag #1.

No problem, I brought a very nice walkie talkie up there with me, I'll call mom and have her tap on the ceiling next to the hole, but hey what's this? My Walkie is missing! Snag #2.

I make it back to the ladder leading back into the house and find that my walkie fell off before I even got up there. Oh well, I didn't have all the tools anyway, I grab the walkie, the tools and head back on up with my mom waiting in my room to tap on the ceiling with a cane. After an arduous trek to my room, I find the cane sticking out of the sea of insulation. Only there's a little problem I'm going to have to get flat on my stomach to get out there since I'll have a couple inches of clearance even with lying down. Snag #3

Fortunately, I did have that board with me and I am able to lie on it between the rafters and not come crashing through the ceiling. So I clear out the insulation from around the hole and find that while I am between two rafters (the way I wanted it), there is this random plank of wood that comes down diagonally from the right and crosses right over my hole. Snag #4.

Again, God is merciful and I have just enough room to fit the fan box (and the rod it connects to) under the plank of wood. I line the box up with my beautiful little hole and discover that I forgot to account for the direction the box would be oriented when I cut my hole and am now trying to force a square box down a round hole (figuratively speaking of course). Snag #5.

After working it around, I'm able to get the box in correctly and attempt to screw it on home. Only problem is the drill is too big and I can get the screws in with the box attached to the rod. Snag #6.

At this point, I'm exhausted, hot, and full of fiber glass insulation. But I'm determined to get this done! So I take off the fan box from the rod and focus solely on getting that rod firmly attached to the rafters on either side of it. After all, the rod is what truly holds the weight of the fan and it is vital that it is secured tight. Meanwhile, my mom is down in my room being a wonderful mother and handing me anything I need while forsaking her own project of working on the kids' bathroom.

After countless attempts of getting that blasted rod oriented correctly, I manage to screw it on home and move the board back so I can easily grab it the next time I'm up there and move it ever so slightly over to Emily's room. With a final mighty burst of energy I work my way back across the attic only to see my mom waiting for me with Snags # 7, 8, and 9.

Turns out I failed to properly comprehend the pervasiveness of insulation. A good amount fell out of my ceiling onto the floor which mom cleaned up. (Snag #7), another portion fell out onto Emily's bed which I had attempted to cover up, but failed miserably (Snag #8), and finally, some insulation had fallen out and gotten over some of the clothes in the closet the ladder comes down into (Snag #9). Oops, sorry mom. Mom is forgiving and only insists that I clean up the floors and move the bed out of Emily's room before I get started again tomorrow.

So I shower up, I'm just pouring sweat at this point, and traipse into my room to finish the job. After all, I had taken the box off the rod to get it in position. Oh did I mention Snag #10? Since I had removed the box, it looked like I was a little off on the position of the rod. Hilarious fun! Fortunately, I am able, with mom's help, to get the fan box attached from the bottom.

While telling dad about the problem with the drill afterwards, he sits there for a minute and says, "the screws should be hexagonal heads, why don't you use a socket and ratchet?" Rats, he's totally right.

The good news it that I did work out all the little kinks and Emily's doesn't have the plank so it should be significantly easier (especially since I'm bringing a socket and ratchet with me). Plus, there final project is looking VERY nice. See?



There is a little space around it where I had to rotate the box to get it properly oriented, but that is one nicely done job if I do say so myself! You can see where the electrical wire I'm laying down will come in to the box and give it some power. I'll take plenty of pictures and let y'all know how it goes! Soon, I'm gonna do a post about all my family and I have done project wise this summer, it's amazing!

Edit: I forgot to mention this, but the total time to install that? 3 hours. So VERY many painful snags!

Internet resolutions and Fan Project part 1