DIY 1923 Offgrid Home total refurbishment Wiring

I have 9 allocated and could definitely pull more until my BOX of wire runs out.

Photo of my state of the art wiring. Knob&Tube 1890s to 1940s

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THIS, THIS and THIS! While everything is opened up, it is so easy to make multiple drops, at least one each wall and multiple jacks at each location (just like what is usually done by code for AC outlets). Of course, need to keep Cat and other low voltage cabling away from (aways) and non-parallel (when possible) to mains but with so many mains powered devices going IOT, even if you don’t terminate the ethernet (in order to save some bucks) the cabling should be there with a low voltage box and cover so you can easily access later so you do not regret not having ethernet near an outlet later). Given I’ve done retrofits on all my previous homes (I never had the pleasure of starting a build from scratch) I can’t tell you how many times I had to hassle adding more ethernet jacks where they were not originally anticipated to be needed when I originally dropped the wiring. Again, additional marginal cost is relatively low compared to the potential hassle later.

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@Stinger I would also pull for POE AP's mounted to the ceiling,. I reccomend Unifi AP-AC Pro's. They look like smoke alarms so fit in well. Put a few of those around (including in the back of the house on the exterior to broadcast to your yard). You won't be unhappy :slight_smile:

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I have to agree with that. Also the switches are made to last. Hubitat communicates with them beautifully.

Yes. You must get the HUB PRO to work with Hubitat. It is worth every penny. Lutron is also HomeKit compatible as a bonus. If you need blinds consider Lutron Serena Blinds which also works with the Hub Pro.

You can also buy switches that include Picos for almost the same price as the switch. You can use Pico's for 3 ways on the wall and remotes off the wall.

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Lutron Caseta with a Hub Pro is a very reasonably priced solution. Not much more then Zigbee or Z-wave but they are so much more reliable and very high quality.

Crazy old wiring.

  1. hydronic ? w/ solar heated water ?

  2. under a 4x8 sheeting and then wood flooring on top of that?

Just asking because ...while #1 can produce some incredible heat, and I mean incredible,
the heat transfer in #2
(even with those really hard to retrofit metal support tray reflectors for the PEX)
has foiled many a project expectation and caused folk to add an efficient wood burning stove to augment the coldest nights off grid.

If #1 is still in your mind (like it is mine due to the incredible heat available) then I'd suggest the new rendition of radiators they make these days. Your heated water wouldn't have to travel nearly as far through less efficient transfer mediums and while you may have some "cold spots" I think overall you'd see a better outcome.

For clarification, of course "water" doesn't mean pure water.

Probably not the road you're headed down for heating.
But still an interesting video re: alternative solar heating.

Hydronic above sub-floor PEX tube coils heated with 60k btu gas water heater (not boiler). Need controls for 4 loops. I must limit the heat temp at floor to below 85 degree F.

Plan is to run 4 C-wire temp cables (1 each zone) to the Com closet then add cat6 to the run to the utility room.

I have already purchased the concealed duct heat pump 25 SEER mini split to place above the refrigerator between the guest bedroom and kitchen. Mainly cooling; however backup heat as well.

Holy COW what a serious solid house! Very costly with all that store bought lumber; however very solid.

Ah ha! Above the sub-floor, solves that problem....be sure to send progress pictures later. Would love to see how all that plays out with doors and flooring. Seriously.

Controls wise check out what supplyhouse.com has. I am still of the opinion that the first level of such systems ought to be outfitted with stuff that was designed to do the basic job, HE/HA or not...and then layering the HE/HA as an optimization monitoring/control layer.

Mini-split YES ! The thing the rest of the world gets the value of but we're still slow on the uptake due to the aesthetic.

Awesome site supplyhouse.com thanks!

My mini will not be seen (concealed duct) below the attic so not exposed to that environment. I'm placing the unit inside insulated fur down above the refrigerator and pantry.

Im looking at Konnected for both ALARM system and device integration into C7. It looks like this is a one and done item. I purchase the kit, install, and integrate into C7.

Lurking site for more info.

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Hi @Stinger,
Konnected can be used as a one and done (they have a “no-keypad smart phone only” board as well as an “integrate to your existing security system” module). However, I would check out comparisons with Envisalink (do a search in this community) as Konnected is NOT UL approved as a stand alone security system (if that is important to you or your insurance company). Many here have gone with Konnected, while many others have gone with a UL approved stand alone security system (such as DSC) integrated to Hubitat with Envisalink. Just make sure you are fully educated about the pros and cons of these (and other systems) before committing. Good luck with your project!

Konnected is amazing. I use it extensively.

For me though, cost is the main concern. That being said though, despite the low cost, I can't fault it.

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Can you use your wired PIRs as trigger events in C7? I have an original EN1550 (DSC) with a siren, keypad, & battery backup.
I think Envisalink requires me to upgrade the PC1550 to PC1616 so that would require 2 boards needing to be purchased.

Thank you guys for your input

Short answer, yes. =p