Moving this thread over from the Audiophile Receptacle Covers one, because it deserves its own topic; those situations where ignorance, rather than gullibility, is the issue.

We have a lot of huge chicken houses in this area, operated by many folks who aren't really swift in the electrical distribution dep't., leading to many dispariging comments within the trade about "chicken house electricians"
So this farmer walks into the supply house years ago, inquires about the price of a single pole 20 amp breaker for his chicken house. Seems that the original one had burnt up. When given the price he then asked "how much is a 30?" and the same price was given. This went on for a while until the gentleman figured out that he could buy a 50/1 breaker for the same price as a single pole 20, so he got bold and bought a whole carton of the buggers, saying he had gotten much more amps for his dollar... My own experience indicates that #12 stranded will carry about 55 amps in free air, but the TW insulation got pretty soft; but as romex, it would melt., guess you call people like the farmer Job Security.

No way

A 30/1 or 50/1 breaker would be a very odd ball breaker. You will not find them for the same price as a 20/1.

a 30/1 breaker is pretty common, at least with Murray (I forget about the other brands.) I put two singles in for two separate sub panels in the attic (so each room has its own panel).

Jwhite:
No. 1. 30/1 is common to rv outlets, No. 2 the event occurred more than 10 years ago, No.3. Square D made up to a 70/1 at the time, don't know about now. Sq. D QO breakers from 15/2 through 60/2 are the same price, that has been consistent for years, why would single pole breakers be any different?

[This message has been edited by Almost Fried (edited 10-08-2006).]

Almost, I wouldn\t get to excited. I think you gave a very good description of a certain mindset. "More amps for my money" !!!! Yet, I think we've all met folks who have such a unique approach to electric work.

A friend of mine just got called by a new homeowner who roughed-in his own place - with 10-2 UF - yes, no kidding - This guy heard that 12 is better than 14 gauge, so he went one better and used 10 - Now comes the problem on trim out - the guy called my contractor friend because he can't get any devices to fit - lol - How would you like to fit a GFI in a single gang with 10 gauge UF - yikes

I had a Customer who had heard that SO cord was more resistant to damage than NM so he finished his basement with it.

Bill

Wis-sparky
I didn't have to work on it, but an acquaintance wired his 4 room cabin with 10-2 NM and used those old bevel back boxes. I told him not to call me if he ever had any problems...I can't imagine how difficult UF would be in those conditions.

The Phone Company used to come from the pole to your house with a rubber covered 2 wire, #18 copper plated steel cable called "C wire". I knew of an old timer who wired his house with that. Try running a space heater on that kind of wiring.

[This message has been edited by Almost Fried (edited 10-08-2006).]

"Electricity takes the path of least resistance".

I don't know who said this or if it was mangled from the original statement, but many people seem to think that this means that electricity ONLY takes the path of least resistance.

If that were true, parallel circuits wouldn't work

I bought a 50A Sq D single pole QO a while back and it was pretty expensive compared to a 15 or 20

Fact, the published List price for a Square D breaker style is the same for all amperages through 60A.
QO1P=$19.40, QO2P=$44.70, and QO3P=$165.00

In response to the first post on this thread. "Fried Chicken anyone?"

A chump I knew once made the statement:
"Aluminium doesn't conduct electricity."
My 14 year old son immediately retorted-
"Here , go and shove this in the fusebox!"
"This" being a piece of worktop trim.

His classic was to phone me at 11 one evening raving about 'Halley-Bopp', [ a new comet ] which he could see from his house.
Turned out H.B. was still only visible, at that date, from the Southern Hemisphere. He had in fact been gazing raptly all evening at Berry Hill Rugby Club's new floodlights. But I spent 20 minutes outside in the freezing cold, in a tee-shirt, vainly looking for it, so who was the bigger fool??!!

Alan

A few minor misconceptions that get on my nerve:

Whenever something doesn't work, and the problem is thought to be in a wire or switch, a customer say's there's a short, when 99.5% of the time, it's an open circuit, not a short.

Or when people think they can load a circuit to the breaker rating.

When people connect exterior extension cords together and expect that the connections are watertight.

When people buy powerful heaters, but turn the thermostat all the way down, it doesn't heat and they think something's wrong with it.

That you're safe from lightning indoors (you're safER, but there's still danger).

And last, but not least, every text book I have ever read through high school says that there are 2 hots coming to the house, and the neutral wire "comes through the ground. The ground is a great conductor." If that were true, it'd be much cheaper to wire a house; just get a plastic tube and fill it with dirt.

That is not a misconception, the NEC and UL both allow breakers to be loaded 100% non-continuous. (Three hours or less at a stretch)

I meant load them up for a longer term basis.

I once had a GC tell me that I shouldn't run up into the attic with my wire unless I had to "like, for lights and stuff", and that I should got horizontally from the panel whenever I could. His logic? Gravity would make it harder for the electricity to go up, and therefor this would cause "the house to use more electricity".

I wish I made this up...

One misconception I have heard many times over is how people think that because they changed their pool pump motor, table saw motor, "whatever" motor from 120V to 240V, "it costs half as much to run because the amperage is half of what it was".. No matter how you try and explain that you have doubled the voltage, so the current now is going to be half of what it was so you get the SAME output they still insist " Uhhhhh but the amps are less so it must be using less power"...

A.D

"I once had a GC tell me that I shouldn't run up into the attic with my wire unless I had to "like, for lights and stuff", and that I should got horizontally from the panel whenever I could. His logic? Gravity would make it harder for the electricity to go up, and therefor this would cause "the house to use more electricity"."

Zapped, you should tell him that if his speakers are upside down the sound will come out backwards.

Another common misconception out there is that if it works, it must be safe....I bang my head against the wall with people who complain that after we've changed over their fuse panel to a breaker panel they keep blowing the circuits.......but they didn't blow the fuses before. Of course, the panel was full of 30 amp fuses.

ROFL

One common misconception is "I have done it this way a bunch of times and nothing bad has happened, so it must be ok to do it again"

I was on a kitchen remodel where the carpenter had convinced the home owner that I was trying to charge too much because I would not tape wires up and burry them behind the new cabinet. I insisted that we run new wire to the attic and instal junction boxes. There was a heated discussion where the carpenter told the home owner that he had dun it that way a bunch of times and nothing bad could ever happen.

This carpenter/handy man, had been working for the HO for some times and they had a friendly relationship. I was called in because the building inspector discoved that he was doing electrical work without a licence.

I refused to do it his way and walked off the job. I got a call the next day to come finish it my way.

To this day, that HO probably believes that I just wanted to rip him off and that taping up the wires and stuffing them in the wall would have been fine.

lol sixer. Gotta remember that one...

When you are called out to troubleshoot something and find the problem. The Customer says "that can't be it, it worked just fine before". Before what? before it broke!