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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 151
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You know, speaking of that distinctive BOOM (and ROAR for the big stuff) when hots and grounds connects, I swear you only have to hear that once to have that burned into your memory. After that one time, you can hear that from some distance off, and know EXACTLY what that noise was. Almost an erie feeling...
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 112
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for some reason, the old ditty about "old" electricians and "bold" electricians just popped into my head...
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 642
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I do not know which is a louder sound 1) the fish tape hitting the main or 2) the dropped screwdriver crossing the buss I have a screwdriver that I show newbe's that was 8" long Its now about1 1/2" long.
ed
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 33
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I usually have my spotter available at the panel. Or simply remove the Meter.
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 597
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'66
I well remember my third day on the job. I was as green as they come, and cocky with my two, count'em, two, years of coll-idge in lek-trick engineerin'.
I followed along with my boss to a short order resturant in downtown Fremont, NE. The service was rather heavily loaded and would occasionally lose a 200 amp main fuse. This resturant was 1/4 mile down a fat conductored 2400 volt line from the downtown coal burning PoCo. The service location used to be at the back of the resturant, but a dining room addition had been added and the service was left unchanged, but was now enclosed in a 3' x 3' closet. The bottom of the 200 Amp fused safety switch service disconnect was seven feet above the floor.
So. . .Paul has me get the 4' ladder and steady it for him. He climbs up on it, with his shoulders against the wall above the door and his head in the cobwebs, and he proceeds to use his "pry bar screwdriver" to tighten the lugs on the line side of the disconnect. The driver slipped off and was jammed into the case and I hit the floor. I glanced back as I heard, even above the ringing in my ears from the arc, this HUM-M-M-M-M and I saw that Paul had crouched while still on the ladder, leaving the driver welded to the lug and the case. As I watched, he took stock of the situation, reached up and batted the driver with his arm, breaking it free and releasing another enormous shower of molten metal.
I was jumping with adrenalin.
Paul very calmly got down and retrieved his driver, examined it and then complained about the poor quality of tools these days.
I was hooked.
Al.
[This message has been edited by ElectricAL (edited 12-08-2002).]
Al Hildenbrand
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 83
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Many years ago I took a short call for a contractor who was installing a panel in a very noisy food processing plant. It was summertime and his kid was on summer break from high school. So dad made him come to work for the day. It was more like babysitting to keep the kid out of trouble. As it was quite obvious that the kid did not want to be there. We were going to be pulling in the mains so the panel was still completely dead. I was unrolling and measuring off the cable, The contractor told his son to go stand by the panel and let him know when the fishtape he was pushing in came out of the pipe. You would think this would be a simple job for any newbie.
It was a brand new 1/8" fishtape that his dad was pushing into the pipe. I'm sure you know how springy a new fishtape is. It still has that perfect curl to it and a very sharp hook at the end. Junior begrudgingly moped over to the room where the panel was and stood around in front of it, not paying any attention. The kid couldn't hear the tape coming through the pipe, so he didn't wake up from his daydreaming when the tape emerged upward from the underground conduit. What did wake him up was when the perfect curl of the steel directed the hook right up his nose!!!!!! It then hooked on his adnoid and he couldn't remove it! We could hear him screaming over the sound of the machinery. Blood was everywhere. His dad, who was a real looser himself, was pissed that he had to cut the end off his brand new fishtape and take his son to the clinic to get it removed.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 267
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Pearl; ROTFLMAO, That has got to be the best story ever told on this site. I could picture the whole thing while I read it.
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 111
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If anyone sees you short the fish tape, jut tell them you are getting the factory smoke out of their panel I had almost same scenario, 480v critical panel in hospital remodel, At least I was in flashing distance of medical care !! he he , seriously, I think we should be more careful as electricians. We get kind of complacent because we work with it everyday. I ask GOD to guide my hands each day I work with electricity. I have lost a buddy to carelessness with electricity. Stupid Suicide cord. Be careful out there , guys! ANd have a merry christmas
I did not get as think so badly as you shocked I did.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
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Posts: 28
Joined: February 2011
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