"Out of Sight" Wiring to Order
Electrician Bill Bergman cutting a small square hole in the drywall near the reservations computer at the Chestnut Inn. A long, flexible rod with a drill bit at the end is next inserted down through the hole. The communications wiring run through the crawl space under the flooring from the dining room computer 120 feet away is then attached to the end of the drill bit."Out of sight" was an essential requirement for the proprietors of the upscale Chestnut Inn, Deposit, N.Y., when installing all-copper wiring in the 72-year-old resort. That's why Gregg and Dirk Hoehn turned to Bill Bergman. In the past few years, Bergman has created a number of patented tools that enable wiring to be run unobtrusively in existing buildings. Today, over 10,000 electricians in the U.S.A. and Canada use the tools made by Bergman's B.E.S. Manufacturing. Most of their rewiring work is done in residences.
The first big wiring chore accomplished by Bergman at the lakeside inn was security wiring for fire protection. The system not only networks the many heat and smoke detectors and alarms, but automatically closes fireproof doors in the event of fire.
Fire Hazard Eliminated
The inn is constructed entirely of local North American chestnut trees. And, because fire is a threat to such a structure, the Hoehn brothers called again on Bergman when they discovered that the wiring to the chandeliers in the lobby was shorting out. Using long, flexible fiberglass rods, new power cables were run above the ceiling to the fixtures.
Next, the Hoehns wanted the computer in the dining room connected to the billing computer at the reservations desk 120 feet away, allowing dining room charges to be added instantly to guest invoices before check-out.
To run the Category 5 wiring, small square holes were first cut in the drywall near the computer in the dining room and the one at the reservations desk. Bergman then pushed a thin fiberglass rod, with the wiring attached, down through the opening nearest the dining room computer into the crawl space under the structure.
Some of the many tools offered by B.E.S. Manufacturing that electricians use to add out-of-sight wiring to existing buildings.Then Kirk Bergman, Bill's son, entered the crawl space through an outdoor opening and, moving on hands and knees, hauled the wiring back to link it to the end of a drill bit extending down through the hole near the reservations desk. Drilling was needed because of a hidden wooden obstruction in the crawl space.
In addition to the above, Bergman had previously hard-wired the dining-room computer to a printer in the kitchen to convey food orders and also installed standalone smoke detectors in each of the 30 guest rooms. In addition to B.E.S. Manufacturing, rewiring tools are also available from Labor Saving Devices, Inc., Commerce City, Colorado, Mike Sandman, Roselle, Illinois, and Clifford of Vermont, Inc.
B.E.S. Manufacturing: 888/467-3976
Chestnut Inn: 800/467-7676
Clifford of Vermont: 800/451-4381
Labor Saving Devices, Inc.: 800/648-4714
Mike Sandman: 630/980-7710
Also in this Issue:
- Aluminum Bronze for When the Going Gets Tough
- Euros Mostly Copper
- Father of the Mint
- New Coins Mostly Copper
- "Out of Sight" Wiring to Order
- Billions of Quarters
- Copper Roofs for Residences
- Sacagawea Depicted