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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 187
HCE727 Offline OP
Member
I had to put a gfi outlet outside of one of my customers house, no biggie,right? Well when I was taking my measurments inside the house, I noticed a heat line going to the 1st floor, in which I thought I had enough clearance. I proceeded to drill my holes, the first hole thru the brick with a hammer drill, then an auger bit thru the joist, up against the brick to get inside. The auger got stuck, so I pushed it a little. Don't you know I hit that heat line. It was so close to the to the holes that I drilled, that the whole heating system emptied into the driveway with not a drop of water in the basement! Lucky for me that my brother-in-law, who is a plumbing contractor, was in the area and he came out to repair it. Believe it or not!


Hank
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 507
G
Member
"Don't you know I hit that heat line. It was so close to the to the holes that I drilled, that the whole heating system emptied into the driveway with not a drop of water in the basement!"

So is that good luck or bad luck?

Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 187
HCE727 Offline OP
Member
Bad luck, that I hit the pipe, good luck, that there was no water in the basement and bro-in-law came to repair it!


Hank
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 821
S
Member
I'd say you're damn lucky!

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 693
L
Member
I'd say that you should make more careful measurements in the future.


Larry Fine
Fine Electric Co.
fineelectricco.com
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 187
HCE727 Offline OP
Member
No s***, you are a genius Dr. Fine, I guess you are perfect.


Hank
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 135
B
Member
If you aint makin mistakes once in a while, you aint working. I'd say ya got real lucky, could've been a lot worse.

Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 751
E
Member
30 years ago I put a ship's auger into the 3/4 inch water main in my cousin's basement. What a mess! I needed a bath anyway, but I forgot the soap!
I still have flash-backs to that moment every time I drill any basement joists. But, that is my reminder to always check the other side PRIOR to pushing the bit through to the other side.


Earl
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 187
HCE727 Offline OP
Member
BobH, that is a great quote!


Hank
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,233
H
Member
Years ago when I was an apprentice, we were working in an old shopping center. I was installing pipe along a baseboard area and I went to nail in a strap to hold the pipe. When I hit the nail, it didn't move. I told my boss about it, I wasn't sure why the nail wouldn't budge. He said that it must have been that old metal kick plate along the wall and he wanted me to give the hammer a good wack and drive that nail home. Well wouldn't you know that the reason the nail wasn't moving was that there was a water pipe right behind the wall and when I hit that nail real hard, the water came spraying out like crazy. I tried to stop the water by putting my finger over the hole and I sceamed for the boss. Well after some time we found the water main, shut it off and had to repair the pipe before we could go home that day. BTW, we worked late that night and the boss use to call my "The Little Dutch boy" because I looked like I was trying to put my fingure in the dike to stop the leak.


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