Wait, 10,000 from just one tree? That's an insane amount of nuts to deal with. I can't even imagine the mess in someone's yard. It makes you respect landscapers a whole lot more.

But what about getting a good bond?

Exactly, and @avery_smith22 is right about the check working. But calling it just a system working misses how fast it can go wrong. That noise was the only warning before a total break. It's not a close call when you find it, it's a close call because you were minutes from not finding it at all. The real lesson is trusting that gut feeling when something sounds new or off.

Oh man, that plaster and lath is the worst. You basically have to treat those walls like solid rock. Good call on the conduit, sometimes you just need a clean shot through the mess. Fishing through cold air returns is a classic move too, right? Gets the job done when the walls fight you every inch.

That old plaster is basically a faraday cage. Had to fish cable through a cold air return once in a similar place.