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This story is stolen from EC&M Magazine, as submitted by Walter Wallis of Middletown, N.J.:

"In a chemical plant where I worked, the soda products unit was undergoing major production improvements, including bringing in more water and electricity. The plumbers made the final connection to the 3-inch galvanized water pipe they had stubbed in earlier, and turned on the water. Suddenly, everything in the plant went silent. Water was spewing out of every starter fed from the wiring gutter the 3-inch conduit was connected to."
Posted By: LK Re: The Ultimate "OOPS" ... or is PVC better? - 04/10/07 08:03 PM
I read that STORY and wondered how anyone could mistake rigid conduit, and where were the wires in this conduit? missing a few facts with this STORY.
Posted By: ITO Re: The Ultimate "OOPS" ... or is PVC better? - 04/10/07 09:02 PM
I did a clean up one time where the previous electrical contractor found out the hard way that the UG duct bank conduit was full of water.

He crawled in the manhole, put a mouse on a string, started the compressor up, then proceeded to flood a hot switchboard in the building.

This was a big plant and they were really unhappy about it.
The guy lives in my hometown. I don't know, but might have to track him down to clarify a few things smile
We had just installed a large vault with 8 stress cones at a large campus. The man hole cover was clearly marked Electrical Danger High Voltage. The soccer field flooded so the grounds keeper hooked up a pump and removed the man hole cover and put the discharge hose in the vault. Big mess and darkness all over campus. Rod
"No wonder these pipes don't woik, dem's fulla wois" nyuk nyuk.

"Dis house sho goin crazy!"

laugh
This as a regular gag in the old post silent movie era. The 3 stooges, Marx brothers and WC Fields all used it. It always ended up with luminaires squirting water. Back in the olden days when the existing gas pipes got wires pulled through them this was not that crazy an idea.
Posted By: Tiger Re: The Ultimate "OOPS" ... or is PVC better? - 04/11/07 09:59 PM
A little off topic...I've never seen wires pulled through gas line. I have a hard time believing wires could be pulled through the 90 degree fittings.

Dave
i did see few older home have old gas pipe that genrally are 1/2 some case 3/4 inch pipe and they ran the wire inside but for sharp 90degree bend that part that i just cant figure it out with out tearing the wire apart like that.

one case it did actally happend to me whistle one pipe did actally charged with natural gaz and some how the homeowner change the fixure and did not put proper seal on the pipe and i did do the trouble shooting and saw a spark next thing i got flameball went by my head i just swear for a min then found out that someone did change pipe connection and i guess what it did when i loosen up the wires on lumimaire capony cover and got me by suprise.

Merci , Marc
I read that same story. Reminded me of when I was a helper working in a high-rise and the laborers needed to pump off the rain water that had accumulated on the upper floors. They dropped the hoses into the nearest galvanized pipe and turned on the pumps... and a couple of stories below the mechanics installing the guts in the fire-alarm panels got an un-expected shower. The galvi was a rigid FA riser.

-John
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