Hi Guys,
I enjoyed the chat last night about the lady that gardens with a 5 foot crow bar.
I have a burning question for Mike(Trumpy)---What's it like to hang upside-down all day & aren't you afraid of falling off?
I'm an electrical contractor in northern Illinois, USA. I've been doing this long enough to get myself in & out of trouble.
To break the ice I'll tell the tale of a personal act of stupidity, rather than sing my praises.
I was re-wiring the second floor in an old house near the Wisconsin border. It was summertime, so I was in my shorts &
t-shirt. I had been in the attic awhile, so I was dripping wet. Of course it wouldn't have been a true act of stupidity unless I left the power on. To make sure I was "effectively grounded" I knelt on the conduit next to the junction box. I was lucky enough to just get a tingle (so much nicer than taking one across the chest).
So....here are Dave's tips for survival.
Turn the power off. Use more than one tester. When I'm doing it right I use a circuit locator, then a pen-type non-contact voltage probe, then for good measure I get the end of the pair of wires in my pliers, lay my pliers against the box & cut. Watch out for multiple circuits & shared neutrals. I've had more shocks from neutrals on shared-neutral circuits than the hot wire. Now I open the panel & turn the breakers off for all circuits that are sharing the same conduit.
I look forward to some interesting conversations. Thanks Bill.
Dave (the wire-nut)
