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
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 615
J
Jps1006 Offline OP
Member
This guy found out the hard way that this is a dangerous idea: http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_...61219135409990010?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
What a clown!!.
I hope that this guy gets everything coming to him.

Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 745
E
Member
I read the article and have two questions:

1. Since when can you unplug a furnace? I have never seen a plug and cord-connected furnace, even a gas one.

2. Aren't furnaces usually on their own circuit?

OK, maybe a third question:

In light of my question #2 above, should this guy have even been touching a furnace if he assumed that killing power to a nearby receptacle would shut off the power to the furnace?

I say book 'im Danno.


---Ed---

"But the guy at Home Depot said it would work."
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 814
B
Member
I guess it depends on wher you live. I have never seen a hardwired gas furnace. Ours are always plug and cord with a fused receptacle. Of course electric furnaces are always hardwired with a fused disco.

Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 745
M
Member
I would think that at the very least, this "maintenance man" would go down for 10 counts of involuntary manslaughter. When I was reading this article in the Houston Chronicle earlier today, it really distressed me that someone can be so careless and grossly incompetent as to attempt to shut off a circuit by faulting it. In my mind, I guess justice would have been served if the outlet had blown up in his face [Linked Image].

Funny...I thought voltage testers were made for this sort of thing... [Linked Image]

Mike (mamills)

God's grace on the people who suffered loss or injury at this group home.

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Please compare this thread .

Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 272
L
Member
Hopefully other 'maintenance' people will read this and think twice about doing something so risky..I mean deadly, and call a licensed ec. What a terrible tragedy this is.


Luke Clarke
Electrical Planner for TVA.

Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 114
E
Member
What should the penalty be for the "electrician"? Stupid as this guy's alleged actions were, is it not true that this simply could not have happened had the wiring and OCP been properly spec'ed and installed?

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 101
J
Member
Here's my related story.

Once while working for a control panel builder, I was asked to perform a test of the ground-fault trip (arcing, not personnel) on a 1200A main circuit breaker in an MCC. I pushed the "Test" button, duh.

A management type who came out to witness this test said "That doesn't prove anything, we don't know if it will trip on a ground fault, all that proves is that the trip coil works." After insisting to him that this does indeed simulate a ground fault by injecting current into the sensor, he INSISTED that the only valid test was to ground one side of the breaker and turn it on! I refused to be involved in the test, expressing my extreme concern for everyone's safety (this was in 1987 by the way). I left the shop under threat of dismissal, but before I could leave they had a flunky close the breaker with a wire connecting phase A to the ground bus. Wire vaporized, sprayed molten copper all over everyone (door was open too), burned a few people through their clothes, ruined the 1200A breaker etc. etc. etc. Needless to say I was not fired, but I got out of that madhouse as soon as I could.


JRaef
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,429
L
LK Offline
Member
"is it not true that this simply could not have happened had the wiring and OCP been properly spec'ed and installed?"

No, it is not true!
https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/007629.html

[This message has been edited by LK (edited 12-20-2006).]

Page 1 of 2 1 2

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