Just for something a bit different, tell everyone a funny story that happened to you or a workmate, Just so we don't get in trouble - no people or company names.
I'll start...
A few years back, 1st thing in the morning completing our paperwork from the day before, making a coffee in the break room and chatting away to the apprentice while he unloaded the dishwasher, He asks me "Greg, I'm kind of thinking about some kind of thing that I'm really good at and making that the thing I want to do, what do you think I'm good at?"
I thought for a moment as I stirred my coffee, thought about how this 2nd year apprentice thinks he knows everything about everything, the answer I gave him was "Well you a pretty good at unloading that dishwasher, maybe you should stick to that!" throwing my spoon in the sink I walked away, the other guys who hear the conversation broke out in laughter as I left the room.
I did say sorry to him later on that day. But it did make him a little more humble and he did turn out to be a halfway ok Electrician.
Tell everyone your funny story
Re: Tell everyone your funny story
Not sure if this is funny, but when I read Alec's recent post under metal bench tops and he mentioned earthing gang nails, that brought back a memory for me when I was a newly registered electrician in the very early 80's or late 70's whenever gang nails were introduced into the building system. In those days the electrical inspectors were from the local Power Board and they decided if the power was to be connected or not as they completed the inspection (of the whole installation) and hung the meters, they were GOD as far as I was concerned and you never questioned them!
Back then it was not uncommon to be registered at the age of 19 (this was my case) so here you were young and newly registered up against the master who appeared only to want to find a fault in this young persons work, will he found a gang nail near the man hole with TPS cables clipped across it but the plate was not earthed!
Well he was happy and quickly started to write out his defect on the permit form, "gang nail NOT earthed", so there was no way I was going to install an earth to this plate so I used my young brain and found a piece of hardboard, so I put that between the plate and cables and had a PASS but still the defect was noted as he had to prove (I assume) back at the office that he had completed his job successfully. I never questioned them or asked for a reference (not at my age and experience)!
I soon learnt the trick was to leave something easy for these inspectors to find (until you gained their trust or you put some years on yourself) otherwise they would hunt and hunt for something eg even a shroud missing from a lamp holder.
Remembering these guys rolled up to the job with their home made test bell for continuity and their crank handle insulation tester and went through everything (or some did).
The other one they use to like was cables not clipped in the low part of the roof space, if the distance was greater than the permitted distance for cables not having to be clipped between the ceiling joists and roof trusts, so the fix was you nailed a piece of timber on the roof trust to reduce the gap.
I was probably not sure of some of the requirements back then under the 1976 Wiring Rules but what I did know was leave a fault for them to find and do as they say, rightly of wrongly.
I am sure others will have stories as well?
Cheers Peter
Back then it was not uncommon to be registered at the age of 19 (this was my case) so here you were young and newly registered up against the master who appeared only to want to find a fault in this young persons work, will he found a gang nail near the man hole with TPS cables clipped across it but the plate was not earthed!
Well he was happy and quickly started to write out his defect on the permit form, "gang nail NOT earthed", so there was no way I was going to install an earth to this plate so I used my young brain and found a piece of hardboard, so I put that between the plate and cables and had a PASS but still the defect was noted as he had to prove (I assume) back at the office that he had completed his job successfully. I never questioned them or asked for a reference (not at my age and experience)!
I soon learnt the trick was to leave something easy for these inspectors to find (until you gained their trust or you put some years on yourself) otherwise they would hunt and hunt for something eg even a shroud missing from a lamp holder.
Remembering these guys rolled up to the job with their home made test bell for continuity and their crank handle insulation tester and went through everything (or some did).
The other one they use to like was cables not clipped in the low part of the roof space, if the distance was greater than the permitted distance for cables not having to be clipped between the ceiling joists and roof trusts, so the fix was you nailed a piece of timber on the roof trust to reduce the gap.
I was probably not sure of some of the requirements back then under the 1976 Wiring Rules but what I did know was leave a fault for them to find and do as they say, rightly of wrongly.
I am sure others will have stories as well?
Cheers Peter
- Rating: 50%
Re: Tell everyone your funny story
Stories of "old times" like that will probably raise a few laughs among the younger set
and some wry smiles from those of us with similar memories.
I remember a job where the local inspector/god reckoned the main earth wasn't good enough.
So next day we added another electrode, and he came back - still not good enough.
Next day we trenched across the lawn and laid bare copper wire electrode - still not good enough.
More trenching, and more wire, another fail. More trenching, more wire, and by then I was fairly buggered.
After all only apprentices dig trenches; tradesmen have better things to do!
Eventually god gave it the OK - and we were left to pacify the owner, whose lawn was now a complete mess.
Which of course was all about dragging the system neutral down to somewhere close to earth.
Thank goodness there's no longer any arbitrary value for effectiveness of electrodes.
---------------
Would be nice to think, nearly 30 years since Electrical Supply Authorities lost their god-like status, that those days were behind us.
But unfortunately while these stories are amusing to look back on, it ain't funny at all to know it's still happening./
We still have people in positions of authority who are haven't kept up and/or who simply don't understand today's rules.
People are being hauled before the EWRB, on merit-less complaints - and sometimes found guilty;
over matters that simply are neither a problem, nor a breach of any requirement.
All because of ignorance & misunderstanding at all levels - right up to Board.
And we still have networks who invent their own "rules" - and (ab)use their monopoly position to enforce them
(comply or don't get connected).
Sorry, getting grumpy again.
and some wry smiles from those of us with similar memories.
I remember a job where the local inspector/god reckoned the main earth wasn't good enough.
So next day we added another electrode, and he came back - still not good enough.
Next day we trenched across the lawn and laid bare copper wire electrode - still not good enough.
More trenching, and more wire, another fail. More trenching, more wire, and by then I was fairly buggered.
After all only apprentices dig trenches; tradesmen have better things to do!
Eventually god gave it the OK - and we were left to pacify the owner, whose lawn was now a complete mess.
Which of course was all about dragging the system neutral down to somewhere close to earth.
Thank goodness there's no longer any arbitrary value for effectiveness of electrodes.
---------------
Would be nice to think, nearly 30 years since Electrical Supply Authorities lost their god-like status, that those days were behind us.
But unfortunately while these stories are amusing to look back on, it ain't funny at all to know it's still happening./
We still have people in positions of authority who are haven't kept up and/or who simply don't understand today's rules.
People are being hauled before the EWRB, on merit-less complaints - and sometimes found guilty;
over matters that simply are neither a problem, nor a breach of any requirement.
All because of ignorance & misunderstanding at all levels - right up to Board.
And we still have networks who invent their own "rules" - and (ab)use their monopoly position to enforce them
(comply or don't get connected).
Sorry, getting grumpy again.
- Rating: 50%
Re: Tell everyone your funny story
Got called out to one of my customers who had been smelling a cigarette like smell over the previous two weeks.
Client wondered if there was faulty wiring, as he had cowboys put a new switchboard in and remodel the bathroom before he employed my services.
Cowboys COC stated main earth under house below switchboard, there wasn't one at all!
Fixed that one Christmas eve along with a bunch of other non compliant stuff that the cowboy and other electricians had done.
Big house, 9 bedroom, deck is bigger and you have to crawl under it, longest length, to get under the house.
Started making my way under the decking with owner peering in behind me.
Got near to entering under house and noticed a couple of "Big Cock" energy drink cans.
Called back that these weren't here the last time I was under the house.
Crawled to gap in foundation stone, entrance to under house bit and called out you best come out the owner is about to call the cops.
A dishevelled man emerged from under a filthy quilt inner, in the far corner.
There were empty food wrappers and energy drink cans everywhere under the house.
As he crawled towards me he apologised and said he was leaving.
The poor guy also said that the mob were after killing him and he was going through a bit of a hard time at the moment.
He stank to high heaven and I estimate from all the food wrappers and empty tobacco pouches, that he had been under there for at least two weeks if not three.
I asked if he wanted a bag to collect all his 'possessions' (rubbish).
As he crawled past I noticed he had no shoes on and his shoes were over by the quilt.
I told him it was his smoking that busted him.
He totally freaked the home owner out as he crawled out as I had crawled further in to get the shoes he'd left behind and the owner thought he'd done me in.
Poor guy was terrified and fled immediately.
I even managed to talk one of the cops into crawling under with me and bagging up all the guys 'possessions' (rubbish), so that they could take it away and hold it for him in case he needed to claim it.
I still think about that half full carton of smelly custard in that insulated supermarket bag as the cop car drove away.
I wonder if it leaked out?
Client wondered if there was faulty wiring, as he had cowboys put a new switchboard in and remodel the bathroom before he employed my services.
Cowboys COC stated main earth under house below switchboard, there wasn't one at all!
Fixed that one Christmas eve along with a bunch of other non compliant stuff that the cowboy and other electricians had done.
Big house, 9 bedroom, deck is bigger and you have to crawl under it, longest length, to get under the house.
Started making my way under the decking with owner peering in behind me.
Got near to entering under house and noticed a couple of "Big Cock" energy drink cans.
Called back that these weren't here the last time I was under the house.
Crawled to gap in foundation stone, entrance to under house bit and called out you best come out the owner is about to call the cops.
A dishevelled man emerged from under a filthy quilt inner, in the far corner.
There were empty food wrappers and energy drink cans everywhere under the house.
As he crawled towards me he apologised and said he was leaving.
The poor guy also said that the mob were after killing him and he was going through a bit of a hard time at the moment.
He stank to high heaven and I estimate from all the food wrappers and empty tobacco pouches, that he had been under there for at least two weeks if not three.
I asked if he wanted a bag to collect all his 'possessions' (rubbish).
As he crawled past I noticed he had no shoes on and his shoes were over by the quilt.
I told him it was his smoking that busted him.
He totally freaked the home owner out as he crawled out as I had crawled further in to get the shoes he'd left behind and the owner thought he'd done me in.
Poor guy was terrified and fled immediately.
I even managed to talk one of the cops into crawling under with me and bagging up all the guys 'possessions' (rubbish), so that they could take it away and hold it for him in case he needed to claim it.
I still think about that half full carton of smelly custard in that insulated supermarket bag as the cop car drove away.
I wonder if it leaked out?
- Rating: 33.33%