A electrician friend was doing a job at a house undergoing renovation or some remodel. He was using his new drill and was impressed by the stunning performance. Eventually the sparks engulfing the drill made him suspicious: Checked and found 400V in socket. Turns out the building contractor had connected temporary power to the house and reversed two wires...
Another friend of mine (a less talented D-I-Y'er) wired a socket for his car engine heater (don't know what it's called in English). All winter long he was happy with the new heater. The car was warm in a few minutes rather than half an hour. He did eventually figure out that sockets should be connected between breaker and neutral bus, not between two breakers...
[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 11-05-2002).]
