I looked after service calls this week. It's an amazing field of work.

The new kitchen counter plugs quit working. The owner was looking at the panel and turned the red handled breakers off, because red should be off.

Another customer complained that the new dryer plug didn't work. Put the clothes in, close the door, and nothing. I reached over and pushed the start button.

In an office, they complained that one of our guys didn't didn't pull any data wires. The telephone guy got there first and put telephone jacks on every wire and punched them all into his equipment. More telephone outlets than you could shake a stick at, but nothing for data.

The electric meter checked out okay, so the wiring must have been bad, right? Turns out it costs a lot to heat a 3 car garage with electricity.

The HVAC guy told a restaurant owner that he could do three zones off one roof-top unit, so he put in 3 VAV valves, left 3 ordinary stats and 3 actuators. "What do you mean that there's more to it than just hooking them up?"

The best was the gal who wanted all the wires removed from her house because the neighbours were using them to spy on her. Her, I referred to another contractor. I couldn't resist.

I can't believe some guys get to do this all the time.

Glad you enjoyed your week

You mean you didn't poke your head up into an attic and moan as you observe more flying splices and overstuffed, coverless j-boxes than you can count while wishing you hadn't answered the phone?

Or reset any GFI's that had sprinklers pointed right at a protected receptacle?

Or try to convince both the customer and the utility engineer that they have on the phone that the 60A a/c feeder 5' from the service entrance is pulling the 200A service down 14% because the transformer or utility conductors are undersized or have bad connections, not that the house wiring is "bad".

Or try to convince a homeowner that her candelabra bulb in her dining fixture did not "explode" due to faulty wiring but more likely the glass failed and just fell over onto the dining table, shorting the filament and tripping the ckt in the process?

Or explain that the reason the garbage disposal switch isn't right next to the sink is because there is solid framing and a vent pipe in the wall preventing it from being placed there?

I'll stop there.

I was in some facet of the service business for 30 years at a place that looked for 1 hour response time 24/7.
It is the best job in my opinion because you never know what will happen tomorrow. The day you think you have absolutely seen everything you see something new.
I was sorry to see my business go away but it led me to the inspection business that wasn't bad either. Again, just about the time you thought you would never see anything stranger, somebody did it.

If you wanted to be outright cruel you could have told her about laser bugs where they bounce an IR laser off of a window and decode the the AF modulated on the laser by the vibrating glass from the sound within the room.
She would have had someone out to remove the windows along with the wires.

I've known people who swear "they" can watch you through your TV.

I just like the 4 hour minimum (OT). In and out (unless serious)in an hour.(call outs after hours of course)."We'll send someone tomorrow".

I Love service. The challenge and the foolishness. Keep the installs and 'real'labor. I thrive on the challenge and satisfaction of fixing a dilemma.

+ nice stories with the guys at the end of the day.