I want outlets like this.

[The Daring Dufas]

When I install networks, sometimes the plate screws are Phillips head. It screws with some people's minds. (pun intended) :-)

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Mistletoes have a tendency to take off and fly away without warning. :-)

TDD

[aemeijers]

Not to mention, that if you have something on your fingers after the first handful of paper (hey, can YOU see back there?), having the paper away from the wall reduces the chances of fouling the paint or wallpaper.

[krw]

I've heard of athlete's foot, but mistletoes?

[aemeijers]

Dressing the wires in a service panel well does serve a function- makes it easier to trace and diagnose circuits. As does labeling circuits. Not just for power panels, comm panels also benefit greatly from good cable dressing. Aligning the slots in the screws is OCD.

[Michael B]

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I don't know what else they could have been.

BTW, the towel was hidden in the cabinet.

[Mark Lloyd]

I'd want the screws tightened properly. Having them all lined up looks like someone's playing games rather than doing a good job.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

It shows you're doing things other than a good job.

[DerbyDad03]

..

Scented toilet paper, like scented soap, is bad for your skin, no, I don't.

[RicodJour]

Since you're quibbling, I'll quibble, too. What you describe is not a functional difference, but a difference in ease of maintenance. Tracing and labeling circuits don't make the electrons flow more easily or lower the electrical bill. They are not functional differences. The issue of maintenance is the point I mentioned earlier - professionals make it easier for the next guy and pay attention to all aspects of their work, not just "git her done." And by professionals I don't mean people that simply earn their income in a certain area.

And? What's your point? OCD is a stupid designation made by stupid people to conveniently place other people in categories that the stupid people made up for their convenience, most likely so the stupid people could put the designated people in those stupid categories and check off the stupid ICD-9 list so the stupid insurance industry could disallow coverage more easily.

Do you think for one minute that the standout kids of your high school class wouldn't be classified as OCD? Hey, the kid never stops dribbling that basketball - OCD. That kid's got his nose stuck in a book 24/7 - OCD. What is with her and that baton?! OCD. Sure, there are extremes of anything, and OCD is no different. At the extremes where people can't function it's obviously a problem, but whether you want to acknowledge it or not, most of the stuff you admire and lust after were creations of people who no doubt would be classified by those stupid people as OCD.

If a restaurant has a sloppy kitchen that does not automatically mean that the food is bad, but it's probably a damn good indication. An immaculate kitchen is no guarantee of great food, but you're far more likely to get good food out of a restaurant where it is. And less likely to pick up some bug.

Did you ever try to get someone interested in something where they had no interest? Kinda tough, idn't it? Did you ever try to make someone _lose_ interest in something they were interested in? That's impossible. People are designed that way. It's what keeps people working late at night, makes them wake up fired up and raring to go, and it's what makes work play for some people.

Would you rather hire someone who took care with all aspects of working on _your_ building, no matter how small, or would you rather hire the guy who only worried about what the last coat of paint looked like?

That is obviously a rhetorical question as you wouldn't be dicking around answering questions to help people do the right thing in their homes if you only cared about "git her done."

There is only one thing in this world that has any truth to it - quality. And it's sad that you feel a need to disparage that which you apparently do not understand simply because you don't see a 'need'. You see, the OCD professionals have a word for people that don't take pride in all aspects of their work - a hack.

Those aligned screws? Where else is an electrician's work on display for everybody to see? It's all hidden behind the walls and behind a panel board cover. Those screws are the only things that your average person sees that the electrician has done, and as far as I'm concerned their not paying attention to the visible stuff doesn't bode well for their unseen stuff.

R

[RicodJour]

They are not mutually exclusive, Tonto. And, for the record, for those that don't know any better, most of what a professional does looks like they're just playing games. Funnily enough, you still get the benefit from those "games" whether you understand them or not.

R

[Steve Barker]

AMEN.

[Steve B]

"Nate Nagel" wrote

I am an expert welder. I can look at another welder's work, and tell from looking if it is good or not. There are certain things to look for, just as in all crafts, but those things go right over the head of a layman.

Steve

[Steve B]

Yabbut, you have to slap it underhand to get a bunch to come off fast. And that usually sends the whole apparatus shooting towards the ceiling.

Plus, it rolls off with a downward slap, saving a lot of work.

Steve

[Steve B]

Back to the original discussion, if anyone remembers ..........

On a recent kitchen remodel, I bought a box of those outlets. When I went to plug something in, it was difficult. I asked the installer to look at them. He said they were defective, and he would have to take them all out. Then he looked at the box, and figured it out. Apparently, they're fairly new, and not everyone's seen them yet.

Steve

[Steve Barker]

I too am a professional welder , son and father of boilermakers. I can most completely assure you, you CAN NOT judge a weld by appearance. If you could, then we could save millions of dollars by not having to x-ray welds. And I can also assure you that lining up screws on a damn electrical plate is the most ridiculous waste of time I've ever heard of, and it means nothing.

[Steve B]

Well, Steve, you said it, so it must be so.

You the man, Steve..............

Steve

[Evan]

That is a common practice in commercial buildings where metal cover plates are used on the outlets... It is MUCH better to have the metal cover plate come in contact with the ground pin on an outlet and plug that it would be to have it dead short across the hot and neutral pins on a plug...

So is a courtesy wrap of electrical tape around the outlet or switch device which covers the live terminals because a lot of troubleshooting is done with the circuits live to minimize any downtime... When a defect is discovered the circuit is then powered down only when repairs or modifications are to be made...

~~ Evan

[Evan]

com...

LOL... Just phillips head ?

I have seen some more secure tamper proof screws used in places where even more safety and security for the electrical connections is required...

~~ Evan