The Most Awesomely Bad Electrician Ever

[NightTrain]

I'm currently engaged in analyzing a severely problematic microwave system providing internet and phone to remote areas.

People rely on their phones, internet and above all, 911 for emergencies. This system provides that, but for some reason it isn't reliable - we're talking a jaw-dropping 34% reliability of service recently.

This picture is just one of many major problems I discovered today, and any electrician / telecom guy will look at this and want to kill someone. It is one of many that I've found so far, but the most humorous because it's so stupid.

Behold!



That is a commercial breaker panel, with a 6-gauge cable, bolted to a plywood floor.

Awwwww yeah.
@Gunny unleash the beast.
@jimnyc please rotate

[Gunny]

I'm currently engaged in analyzing a severely problematic microwave system providing internet and phone to remote areas.

People rely on their phones, internet and above all, 911 for emergencies. This system provides that, but for some reason it isn't reliable - we're talking a jaw-dropping 34% reliability of service recently.

This picture is just one of many major problems I discovered today, and any electrician / telecom guy will look at this and want to kill someone. It is one of many that I've found so far, but the most humorous because it's so stupid.

Behold!



That is a commercial breaker panel, with a 6-gauge cable, bolted to a plywood floor.

Awwwww yeah.
@Gunny unleash the beast.
@jimnyc please rotate

Ummm ... you're f-ing fired comes to mind. It ain't like you got to work at this. If you don't know how to figure the sh*t out yourself, there's a whole section on grounding in the NEC. If that ground was actually a ground, the largest wires you could have as feeders would be #2s.

The panel has to be grounded to a ground rod 6 ft deep, it has to be grounded to the foundation steel now, and it has to be grounded to the nearest cold water pipe to the service entrance. Screwed into a piece of wood means that panel is shit if it gets hit. Electricity goes to ground, period. You don't provide it a path, it makes its own.

I'd turn the entire panel off at the service before I'd touch it. And I'll work a hot panel, but not with that Mickey Mouse rig. Did I mention fire the idiot?

[Black Diamond]

Ummm ... you're f-ing fired comes to mind. It ain't like you got to work at this. If you don't know how to figure the sh*t out yourself, there's a whole section on grounding in the NEC. If that ground was actually a ground, the largest wires you could have as feeders would be #2s.

The panel has to be grounded to a ground rod 6 ft deep, it has to be grounded to the foundation steel now, and it has to be grounded to the nearest cold water pipe to the service entrance. Screwed into a piece of wood means that panel is shit if it gets hit. Electricity goes to ground, period. You don't provide it a path, it makes its own.

I'd turn the entire panel off at the service before I'd touch it. And I'll work a hot panel, but not with that Mickey Mouse rig. Did I mention fire the idiot?

Bring in trump to fire him???

[Gunny]

Bring in trump to fire him???

Y'know, I take my electricity like I do loaded firearms ... serious as instant death. If I was Rick, he goes or I go. I'm not willing to die for an idiot, or some boss can save a little coin. I've done some wild crap with electricity, but it was always calculated and I new exactly what I was dealing with. Meaning, it was usually MY work. Going n behind someone else's is like probing for mines, as rick's pic can attest to.

[Black Diamond]

Y'know, I take my electricity like I do loaded firearms ... serious as instant death. If I was Rick, he goes or I go. I'm not willing to die for an idiot, or some boss can save a little coin. I've done some wild crap with electricity, but it was always calculated and I new exactly what I was dealing with. Meaning, it was usually MY work. Going n behind someone else's is like probing for mines, as rick's pic can attest to.

and you're probably used to 480.

[Russ]

So this electrician thinks that plywood is a conductor? Or does he think it counts as 'ground'?
I'm actually kind of surprised that Obama didn't nominate this electrician to be his Secretary of Energy.

[Gunny]

and you're probably used to 480.

Define "used to". Never been hit by 480. Knew some guys that did. No Bueno. I've worked it and am used to that. Most commercial places use 277/480v services mainly for their lighting. LOTS less expensive to run. Receptacles and most usual devices are 120. Some use 240, but that is usually equipment -- two 120 hots and no neutral.

But, the service needs 4 grounds, minimum. Some circuits require individual grounds (separate ground per circuit). Usually hospital/clinics or computer systems.

Oh, and a piece of wood is NOT a ground. Might as well not bother. Just pray the main trips before you get hit.

[aboutime]

So this electrician thinks that plywood is a conductor? Or does he think it counts as 'ground'?
I'm actually kind of surprised that Obama didn't nominate this electrician to be his Secretary of Energy.

Good question Russ, but....HOW DO WE KNOW OBAMA DIDN'T???

Seeing that GROUND in plywood made me think. That electrician was so dumb, he thought the WOOD from the TREE, was still in the ground. Wonderful RED NECK, LIBERAL THINKING AT WORK???

[Gunny]

So this electrician thinks that plywood is a conductor? Or does he think it counts as 'ground'?
I'm actually kind of surprised that Obama didn't nominate this electrician to be his Secretary of Energy.

One would assume he thinks it's a ground. Can't think of anything else you conduct to a screw .

[Gunny]

Good question Russ, but....HOW DO WE KNOW OBAMA DIDN'T???

Seeing that GROUND in plywood made me think. That electrician was so dumb, he thought the WOOD from the TREE, was still in the ground. Wonderful RED NECK, LIBERAL THINKING AT WORK???

I have to admit ... 17 years as a commercial electrician and I've NEVER seen anything this dumb. And trust me, I've seen some DIY "stuff". Give "dad" the DIY Home Depot "Wiring 1-2-3' book and a screwdriver. Kept US in business.

[NightTrain]

So this electrician thinks that plywood is a conductor? Or does he think it counts as 'ground'?
I'm actually kind of surprised that Obama didn't nominate this electrician to be his Secretary of Energy.

One would assume he thinks it's a ground. Can't think of anything else you conduct to a screw .

Yeah, that green 6 gauge cable is supposed to ground the breaker panel chassis - but of course, it is doing absolutely nothing by being screwed into the non-conductive plywood floor. Even if it were a steel floor - which it is most certainly not - electrifying that under your feet is a Real Bad Idea. This cable should have gone directly to the main ground bar and it's mind boggling that anyone would even consider doing something like this.

The only explanation for this is that this guy knows absolutely nothing about electricity and is a severe menace to himself and everyone around him.

I have to admit ... 17 years as a commercial electrician and I've NEVER seen anything this dumb. And trust me, I've seen some DIY "stuff". Give "dad" the DIY Home Depot "Wiring 1-2-3' book and a screwdriver. Kept US in business.

Yesterday at another site we found the exact same thing done by this guy - another breaker panel "grounded" to the plywood floor with a 1" screw.

This is just one of literally hundreds of examples of lack of professionalism and outright stupidity I found - others were much worse.

I took 491 pictures over the last 3 days, and only half were of wildlife and scenery - the other half were documenting & troubleshooting what this particular clown has done to a $40 million communications system. It's a wonder that it works at all, to be honest.

Monday is going to be a Real Bad Day for this guy when my partner goes in and gives a Power Point presentation on our analysis to the CFO, CEO and COO of this company. They just spent a bunch of money for us to do that analysis for them and they're not going to like the price tag it'll take to rectify things. It's going to be a good summer.

[Gunny]

Yeah, that green 6 gauge cable is supposed to ground the breaker panel chassis - but of course, it is doing absolutely nothing by being screwed into the non-conductive plywood floor. Even if it were a steel floor - which it is most certainly not - electrifying that under your feet is a Real Bad Idea. This cable should have gone directly to the main ground bar and it's mind boggling that anyone would even consider doing something like this.

The only explanation for this is that this guy knows absolutely nothing about electricity and is a severe menace to himself and everyone around him.



Yesterday at another site we found the exact same thing done by this guy - another breaker panel "grounded" to the plywood floor with a 1" screw.

This is just one of literally hundreds of examples of lack of professionalism and outright stupidity I found - others were much worse.

I took 491 pictures over the last 3 days, and only half were of wildlife and scenery - the other half were documenting & troubleshooting what this particular clown has done to a $40 million communications system. It's a wonder that it works at all, to be honest.

Monday is going to be a Real Bad Day for this guy when my partner goes in and gives a Power Point presentation on our analysis to the CFO, CEO and COO of this company. They just spent a bunch of money for us to do that analysis for them and they're not going to like the price tag it'll take to rectify things. It's going to be a good summer.

Feel free to quote me. My responses are right out of the National Electrical Code. Chapter 2. Article 250 is the Bible on grounding and bonding.

[NightTrain]

Feel free to quote me. My responses are right out of the National Electrical Code. Chapter 2. Article 250 is the Bible on grounding and bonding.

Oh, believe me, buddy... I have a couple copies of NEC and one stays in my clipboard. There's been a couple of times I didn't & got confronted with a weird question, though, and that's when I'll call someone who does and they will look it up for me. But on this stuff, I know it by heart.

Here's another one for you :



No inspection window to verify full penetration of copper into the lug.

Lug was previously a 2-hole, but cut down to a 1-hole - goodbye, UL listing! Goodbye, zinc coating! Hello, unmitigated corrosion!

Zero No-Ox was applied. This would have corroded like hell even without the lug modification, especially when you consider this is about 200 yards away from the Pacific Ocean.


And this is a brand-new building, not even in service yet, so the excuse can't be made that you were "Getting It Done" to bring back the network in an emergency. I've been on a mountain top many times and had to do stuff like this to bring back a network that had gotten knocked down - but it was quickly brought back up to Code on the very next trip when I had the proper materials. This crap is just plain inexcusable.

He didn't even have the decency to file that lug down after whacking it with his Nines.

[GravyBoat]

that stuff is code in tijuana where the electrician who installed that was trained

they have a great electrical trade school in tijuana with donkey shows at recess