ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area What was the most embarassing mistake you made and what do you do now to prevent it?

A new member and I have enjoyed everyones posts! Wish this was around years ago!

Thought this might be kind of interesting! And at the same time helpfull to everyone who has not made the same mistake that has happened to you. You all know, those little things that you don't think about until they actually happen.

I'll Start. While pulling wire into an EMCS control panel all of a sudden I heard all of the equipment shutting down. While pulling, my hand or fish tape must have hit the switch that supplies the incoming power to the panel. (I was very cautious about it, and new it was there but didn't think I had come close to it.) I shut down the entire plant, manufacturing and all. (Very large company, They paid to have a stadium with there first initial as the name.) Needless to say I was not very popular at that moment.
Now whenever possible I'll cover the switch with a piece of styro-foam that has a hole cut out the back and tape it over the switch. Since then, the panels come with a switch guard. So, I guess I was not the only person to do this.
How about you?

[This message has been edited by wirewiz (edited 02-01-2002).]

LOL!
Saying 'all ya gotta do is hit this switch"
and having it blow apart in front of the customer.... comes to mind....

what do I do now?
I meter out everything before activation. I also stand aside any breakers, disco's etc on activation ( as well as de-activation re; decaying magnetic flux..)

I had finished the electrical trim out on a new Habitat for Humanity house and called in for the final inspection so the excited homeowners could get their CO and get the power turned on and move in.It was then I noticed that I had forgot to install the surge arrestor on the outside disco panel.I had just finished wiring in the surge arrestor when the electrical inspector rolled up and ask me to hot wire the house from the temp pole so he could hot check the house.I did as he requested and we moved to the inside to check out all the devices.After about 2 minutes something sounded like a 106 recoiless rifle going off.
We ran outside and there on the outside of the new house next to the panel/disco was a large black spot where the surge arrestor was.I FORGOT TO WIRE IN THE NEUTRAL.
The GC will never let me live that one down.
Chris

I dont feel so alone anymore. I think the worst thing that I have ever done was to terminate the second phase of a 200A panel to the neutral lug on the panel. Luckily it was noticed before the system was powered up.

Once I was told to cut the wrong conduit by my foreman. I argued but he said cut it or you're out of here, I cut it and it was still hot Used to carry the recip blade in my truck to remind me not to trust anyone!

my all time favorite ( not electrical, i know..) is witnessing a newbie asking "how far into your first trimester" a woman was.......who was NOT expecting.

there's just no comming back from THAT!

My story goes like this. I was called to a local restaurant they had just had their roof vents cleaned and in doing so the cleaning crew had pulled down some EMT. That ran to a control panel and controlled 4 different ventilators. We were instructed to get them running ASAP and then rewire the control panel. We successfully got three running and when we connected what we thought were the start leads for vent four I heard this hissing. It was the sound of the fire suppression system emptying. It was a CO2 system and by the time we made it into the kitchen past the fleeing staff the scene looked like the plumes of white smoke you see when the space shuttle takes off!

NOT A GOOD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol @ rkukl, that was a good one!

I shorted the buss in a 800A I-line panel to ground shutting down an entire manufacturing plant. Someone had fabricated a metal cover for the breaker opening and that left a 1" gap between the cover and the hot buss.

Luckily, i was wearing gloves and neither of us was looking directly at the point of the arc.

GJ

rkukl, I heard those make a terrible mess! Did you guys have to clean it? I have never seen one of those after they have discharged.

Redsy, there's a quote that says something like "never ask a woman if she's expecting a baby unless you see the baby being delivered..." When I was expecting with twins (who are now 5, thank goodness!) I was constantly asked, "Are you due any day now?" while in my 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th months.

Anyway, back to electricity....

The dumbest thing I've done so far is stand close to and touch the forearm of my husband as he yanked the clock out of the top display panel of an electric stove. He stood there with the blue sparks encircling his hand and the clock with it's tangle of wires, wondering the whole time why he wasn't feeling any shocks or jolts. Meantime, I'm doing the jig of a lifetime wondering when the heck he's going to drop the dang thing!