Sounds like your electrician friend was too trusting...
Should have locked the meter in his truck while working on the power OR stationed someone at the meter base to prevent someone from re- energizing the circuit while the work was being performed...
Probably was a bad idea to leave the meter socket uncovered as part of it remains energized at all times unless the service drop is disconnected and whomever was dumb enough to put the meter back in the base could have touched the live parts inside and gotten hurt on your friend's dime as he left energized electrical equipment open where anyone could have wandered over to touch it, but then again this is why contractors are required to have liability insurance coverage...
Wow, that's got to have been a rough job, doing electric with that kind of tenants. I'm sure you've had many more experiences which were every bit as miserable.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
formatting link
.
I should know better than to use that name with you around here..... :) However, if someone grabs both wires they might see him in living color (Panavision)!!!
The Main should ALWAYS be labelled "MAIN" Personally I label all breakers, even if it dont list every outlet, at least some sort of idea what that one is for. But an electrician MUST label the main. Not sure if code requires it, but breaker boxes always come with the labels, it's not hard to stick em' on.
Sometimes a panel contains TWO or more Mains too....
What I had problems with were old buildings that had multiple apartments, and were originally just large single homes. In those you never know what meter/panel is feeding which apartment. When I worked for a rental company and had to service these places, they were a nightmare. One tenant would be paying 90% of the bill and the others paid the rest. Of course the owners didn't want to pay to rewire, so I just had to swap around wires as best as I could. I knew better than to touch any wire without putting a tester on it first. Yet, there were several times that the sparks would come flying out of a box because of old dried up insulation and the power from the wrong apt.
Then there was the drug addict who laid in bed shooting holes in the ceiling with a handgun (because of flys on the ceiling). Shot right thru a BX cable up in the attic, not to mention the holes in the roof. The idiot started shooting while I was there to fix that BX. I left. Told the owner to call me back when the guy was in prison. (I did not turn the power back on when I left either). That night the cops hauled him away. Then I fixed the wiring, and he had to reroof the place too. Amazing how stupid some people are....
I was glad to quit that job. All the properties were ghetto houses.
I wonder how many people went to check, see who was at the door?
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
formatting link
.
One of my favorite testers was just a simple socket with pigtail wires. I put two insulated alligator clips on the wires, and kept a small lightbulb in it. Just clip it on the wires and watch it while flipping the breakers. The only problem was that sometimes I could not see the light, so I made another one by mounting a doorbell and transformer on a board, with alligator clips on a wire. (no push button). Clip it on the wire and flip breakers till the bell starts sounding. It was a loud bell so I could hear it from other floors in the bldg. Radios work too if you're just doing outlets!!!
yes, it's called duct tape and a magic marker. duh. or take the meter with you. I had the power company want to charge me for 20 kw/h one month on a house we had up in the air putting a new foundation under it. I told them on the phone, "hey you better try again, I pulled that meter 6 weeks ago and it's in my truck". They had also come out and disconnected the drop at the pole. They cancelled the bill.
Whenever I want to locate a breaker I use a little circuit I made up to power a Sonalert. These things are loud and can be heard next door. One of the side effects of this the device is that the sound is so obnoxious it will motivate people in the house to help you when they otherwise would not. If the Sonalert isnt loud enough get a Klaxon horn. The neighbors will come over and help.
If it's too loud, do what I do. turn off your hearing aids, and leave the Sonalert on for a while longer.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
formatting link
.
Whenever I want to locate a breaker I use a little circuit I made up to power a Sonalert. These things are loud and can be heard next door. One of the side effects of this the device is that the sound is so obnoxious it will motivate people in the house to help you when they otherwise would not. If the Sonalert isnt loud enough get a Klaxon horn. The neighbors will come over and help.
Hey, my name isn't catchy like Godwin, but I'm going to make Young's Law Two. A home repair thread isn't complete, until someone posts a link to a Harbor Freight product.
I have spoken. Make it so.
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
formatting link
.
Considerably quieter is the "Circuit Breaker Detective" ($20) here:
The guy who put it back in probably thought some pranksters had removed it. But electricians and elevator mechanics eventually learn to put up big, "OUT OF SERVICE" signs if they still want to buy liability insurance at affordable (or ANY) rates. Business insurers have been very active at either removing or "rating" customers that have a history of safety issues.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.