i just found this video, and i was kind of shocked.
what i saw:
*when he opens the panel... enough "slimline" breakers??
*at about 2:42 look at where the wires come into the box
i might of missed something, so lets see what you guys can find...
http://www.howcast.com/videos/57913-How-To-Change-a-Circuit-Breaker
In the very beginning, he advises to turn off the main, yet he doesn't to it. Throughout the video, his fingers (and the wire) come dangerously close to live parts in the panel. That guy made me nervous the entire time!
I agree Ed I was waiting for him to touch something! If I were making a vidio on how to change a breaker I would at least move all the stuff from in front of the panel so I could work on it. I would certainly be counting all the circuits in that box and checking the rating looks pretty full.
Ob
He didn't turn off the main because
"...people are watching tv." Well that's all right then!
The fact that this guy is "working" on a fully live panel with no protection whatsoever really makes me nervous - considering the way he keeps poking his fingers around in there at averything...not even so much as a pair of gloves (wouldn't surprise me if he was standing barefoot on a wet floor...!)
I don't think I have ever seen a panel that size FULLY POPULATED with tandem breakers like that one is. A load calculation on this installation would be interesting.
Yeah, Allen, we certainly don't want to inconvenience the TV watchers!!
Mike (mamills)
I would also certainly be concerned about the amount of wire movement in handling that one circuit. If the circuit did fault when reset, this would be a good place to start troubleshooting.
It would have been good to say something about inspecting the areas around screw mountings for the cover to check for insulation damage or proper clearance.
Mike (mamills)
Wow! I am not an electrician, nor do I play one on TV. But I have serious doubts about the knowledge he was trying to share. Why would you touch the wire, if it is live or not. I thought there was something about a minimum clearance to panels. Does this guy make a living spreading that crap?
"Remember, it's extremely dangerous to start playing with the panel. So when you do it just be careful. You don't want to touch anything metal basically."
"So as most of us have been shocked before. You know that's just out of the outlets of your house or playing with a switch or something."
It's extremely dangerous that's why I am using one hand to film this video so I can increase the danger.
Maybe he should heed his own advice.
That's great advice for a DIY'er!
When someone gets hurt, a sharp lawyer may hunt this guy down