ECN Electrical Forum - Discussion Forums for Electricians, Inspectors and Related Professionals
ECN Shout Chat
ShoutChat
Recent Posts
Increasing demand factors in residential
by gfretwell - 03/28/24 12:43 AM
Portable generator question
by Steve Miller - 03/19/24 08:50 PM
Do we need grounding?
by NORCAL - 03/19/24 05:11 PM
240V only in a home and NEC?
by dsk - 03/19/24 06:33 AM
Cordless Tools: The Obvious Question
by renosteinke - 03/14/24 08:05 PM
New in the Gallery:
This is a new one
This is a new one
by timmp, September 24
Few pics I found
Few pics I found
by timmp, August 15
Who's Online Now
1 members (gfretwell), 32 guests, and 14 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 49
J
Member


The lesson is in the struggle, not the victory.
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,213
S
Member
Looks like reasonable advice. Maybe everyone here can suggest other tips for other homeowner DIYs that find this forum in a google search wink

Better yet, maybe we can find some of those KBR guys who wired up Iraq- I hear they found great ways to save time and money on electrical installations... For instance, did you know the phones wire works just as well as the #12/2 when you runs out and american contractor needs electricty outlet for laptop? Does not work so well for coffee pot.

(Please note, I'm BEING SARCASTIC! Do not try this at home... at least not if you like your home.)

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 558
R
Member
First tip I can suggest to homeowner / DIYs is to throw away that book that everyone seems to have titled "1001 Uses for Lamp Cord".

A.D

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,381
Likes: 7
Member
IMHO, the best advice to give HO's/DIY's is to hire a professional; licensed if the locality has licensing.



John
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 853
L
Member
Originally Posted by SteveFehr
Looks like reasonable advice.  Maybe everyone here can suggest other tips for other homeowner DIYs that find this forum in a google search ;))


Don't use the word "juice". Coz I'll just give ya my card .

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 11
M
Member
Wholeheartedly agree with above post...hire a pro. If the Diy'ers need a reason....send to various arc blast injury pic websites. Just the pics alone should be enough to convince them not to mess with electricity


"We can do it, you can't help" said my son to the HD guy
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,213
S
Member
Now, no need to scare the DIYs that badly, you're not gonna get much arc blast out of a residential service, especially not where the DIYs are working and the net result of the arc fault it a scorched piece of #12 and a tripped breaker. Showing them how their house burned down because they did something stupid, THAT would be more responsible of us!

This stuff isn't rocket science, the basics of residential electric are easy enough for anyone to understand and do properly. Sure, it gets compliated in some of the details, but 99.9% of DIY homeowners aren't going to be doing that. And 100% of them should be getting it inspected from their AHJ to make sure they're not going to burn their house down, that's the real problem- not so much that they're doing a few random things wrong, but that they don't fix their mistakes.

And let's face it, a lot of DIY mistakes aren't exactly huge satefy hazards. Only leaving 4" of wire at the box vice 6", for example. Or routing romex directly to a water heater or garbage disposal without conduit. Or tapping a light off the 20A GFCI kitchen circuit. Yeah, it's wrong and poses some sort of risk, and exactly the sort of mistake someone not intimately familiar with the code would make, but it's not exactly a smoking short circuit. If a DIY asks me a question, I'm going to tell him how to do it right, not tell him to hire a pro. (Well, unless he's trying to replace his panel or wire up a pool, or something like that.)

Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 812
Member
Quote
This stuff isn't rocket science, the basics of residential electric are easy enough for anyone to understand and do properly. Sure, it gets complicated in some of the details, but 99.9% of DIY homeowners aren't going to be doing that. And 100% of them should be getting it inspected from their AHJ to make sure they're not going to burn their house down, that's the real problem- not so much that they're doing a few random things wrong, but that they don't fix their mistakes.


"Inspections? Permits? Why do I need those? I pay the government enough in taxes! I ain't gettin' no permit. Now hand me that lamp cord!"...

100% should be get it inspected, I'll make a wild guess that 40% do.

Ian A.


Is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Did anyone read the comments below the article?

Scary. grin

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
I was yacking with the structural inspector and my mason today and apparently there was a recent meeting in the building department where they were all told they should be a little more cooperative with "owner/builders" so they would come in for permits.
I like to think my complaining may have had something to do with it.
It is really a win-win if homeowners would get a permit and right now the inspectors have the time to help them out a little. I had the suggestion that they double the permit and plan review fees for people who want some extra guidance through the process. I would have paid triple if they could have shaved 3 or 4 weeks off the permit process.
It really took me 10 weeks but I was in a funk for 5 weeks over the idiotic bureaucracy and lost the will to go on. My wife finally kicked me back into the game.


Greg Fretwell

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5