I’m in the process of finishing up a built-in bookcase for a customer. When I designed the bookcase, I knew it would interfere with a ceiling can and a wall outlet.
Luckily, I was able to remove the ceiling light (easily, safely and according to normal practices). It was at a dead end and nothing was feeding off of it. I went to the light next to it and disconnected the the two wires and removed all of the uneccesary equipment. Now nothing is “hidden” up in the ceiling to cause problems later.
However, I wasn’t so lucky with the outlet on the wall. The junction box is a pass through for other items in the room. Not being an electrician, I told the customer this isn’t something I can really do safely and I told him it’s not a good idea to just pigtail off of the existing wires and move the junction box over and then cover up the old box.
The customer understood and he said he would call an “electrician” he knew. Well, the next day, this electrician came and proceded to pigtail off of the existing wires, install a new outlet a foot to the right, connect them with a piece of conduit and then cover the old box (along with the four or five wire connectors) with a slab of drywall and mud. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. Apparently he was a friend of the family who does HVAC work and he said he could take care of the electrical for him.
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Not your problem...
Not your problem...
I know, you're right. This was just a minor rant.
I just don't know why intelligent people (he's a doctor) do silly things.“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
I just don't know why intelligent people (he's a doctor) do silly things.
My BIL is also a doc so maybe theres a pattern here!
I was putting a window in for him once and I cut through some romex that was feeding most of the upstairs of an old house.
I told him that I cant just wire nut it back together and leave it in the wall, he tells me that he's got a friend(electrician) that will come right out and take care of it.
Well the electrician did the same thing as your guy, wire nutted it back together and covered it up, didnt even put it in a box, just wire nuts and electrical tape.
Would have only taken him 2 hours to run a new piece of romex up into the attic.
Doug
I hope you don't go to this Dr. with medical problems......;)
after all, he lets some HVAC hack do elec. work , who knows what shortcuts...no pun there.....the guy will take to cure your ailments
also
it occurs to me , you didn't charge the doc enough for your work
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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alsoit occurs to me , you didn't charge the doc enough for your work
You sound like my DW.
You're actually right, I could have charged more. He says he has a few more projects for me. I plan to make it up in the long run. I, in a sense, bougt a part of this first project. I knew it would have its difficulties. But, if I get some pix of it, it will be a great selling piece for future work. I'll post pix next week when it's all done.“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
ok, pics would be nice .
BTW, how did the fan remodel go in your sons room?
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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I just had a new electrician do some work on my renovation. He added a GFCI to an old bath and I asked if you would disconnect the outlets built into the old lights. One to each side of the sink. He said no problem and did the work.
We later decided to replace the lamps and found that his disconnect solution. He cut the nuetral and hot line to the outlet and put a strip of tape over the end of each wire. This was only inches away from the pigtail connections. I couldn't believe this.
This electrician will not be used again!
The tape was wrapped around the end or looped over the end?I probably would have put a wirenut over each wire-end, complete w/ insulation, and maybe taped the 'nuts to the wire.What should be done?
The cut wires were only four inches from the pigtail (wire nutted junction) I simply removed the wire from the group and reassembled the junction.
If you can't find the source, then I would use a orange wire nut on the end and tape the wire nut to the wire for added security.
You did the right thing.BTW, that's another of my pet peeves: 4" pigtails. Would it really hurt theelectrician to make the pigtails 10" long?And push-ins. My house is wired with copper-clad AU wire (mid '70's). Every outlet and switch is wired push-in - in fact none of the outlets or switches have screwsat all. Its like living in a horror house the way the lights dim and brighten as the loadchanges. I'm gradually replacing them all...OK - I'm done complaining... For now...Brooks
A friend of mine retired from the Navy. For years he claimed to be the only "non-SEAL' Navy vet in the state- and you know, for years EVERY job site seemed to have some clown who claimed to have been a Navy SEAL! It got to be pretty funny....
There's a lot of folks out there who claim to be all sorts of things. Electrical work is not any different.... indeed, as the "real thing," I find it quite entertaining to see some of these guys start dancing once they find out I'm there. ("Well, I'm not THAT kind of Electrician" seems to be one of their stock phrases!)
Anyone who would deliberately bury a junction box has no business calling themselves an electrician.
As for the Medical professions.... I have never, ever heard someone brag how cheap their doctor was! Oh, no...everyone claims to have "the best." Too bad folks don't place the same value on other trades as well.
Maybe they where talking about this kind of Navy Seal.
http://id-ideas.com/gifs/tags/navydecal.gif
I heard of a survey taken some time ago that 68% of veterans exaggerate their war records.
Because of that, and because of all the wantabees, I didn't discuss my own military background with any but those close to me and my vet buddies whose records I could verify.
And it's been 35+ years now so I don't really give a sh!t one way or the other and my Dad is dead and my Mother has Altzheimers so I don't really worry about the sensitivity issues.
But I only have to ask a couple of esoteric questions about the UDT and SEAL program to ferret out the BSers (even the internet and TLC/Discovery programs don't reveal all) and then I take great pleasure in publicly humiliating them.
And, on topic, when a tradesman, whether he/she be a plumber, electrician, painter or whatever does hack work, I do my best to either educate them, or bury them (figuratively, of course).
Edited 8/5/2006 9:01 pm by Notchman