CASUALTIES OF WORK

Posted byThe ElectricianPosted inUncategorized

Whenever performing any type of installation, always alert your customers to the CASUALTIES OF WORK. There’s always much to consider, whenever building as well as bidding. In this case in particular, a panel installation grew into a complete sevice install, from the utility taps down to the meter socket, and from the meter socket to the panel itself.

Initially the customer wanted to install 2 new circuits, 1 in the living room and 1, in the dining room. This issue here was the previous panel didn’t allow for FUTURE EXPANSION, the system wasn’t grounded via electrode, the mounting board wasn’t ¾” plywood and was rickety as hell. In addition it was completely rusted out which renders it as unsalvageable.

New Meter Enclosure
Previous Panel

Immediately after seeing this beauty, my next steps led me outdoors where the meter itself was located to assess the meter enclosure itself as well as the service entrance cable exiting the building towards the meter enclosure and up to the utility taps. And sure enough, the meter enclosure was rusted out, the base wasn’t securely mounted to the enclosure, the jaws were rusted out and the neutral terminal lugs were corroded due to oxidation. In addition, the jacket on the service entrance cable was deteriorating. At that point, I had made a full assessment, and consulted with the customer while doing a walk through, so that they could get a visual on what all needed to be done, and how much things were going to cost in order for me to proceed.

After an agreement had been made, I drafted a contract to present to the customer for signature or shake and used the 50% deposit to purchase the materials for the job. But imagine if I had tried to install those 2 circuits by adding tandem breakers to that relic of a panel, or if I tried to pull the meter in an attempt to sever the power to the property to complete the panel install and the jaws would’nt let go of the meter because the base wasn’t secured to the enclosure and it was still connected to the line side via utility taps… To make a long story short, SAFETY IS KING and time is money, take your time and assess the CASUALTIES OF WORK, and afford yourself peace of mind or it will come back and bite you on the ass.

Published by The Electrician

I began my career in electricity in 2005 when I roped my first house alone ,just off of basic instruction. It was then that I knew exactly what I wanted to do professionally. Shortly after I enrolled myself into Orleans Technical Institute in Philadelphia , where I studied Ohms Law , electrical theory just to name a few. I began my apprenticeship working under Master Electricians Allan Carroll and Willis Harrison of A/C Services in Philadelphia. I spent years under they're supervision running circuitry for residential and commercial properties in and around the Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. My thirst for knowledge and understanding is what continues to drive me to this day. I've successfully acquired my Master Electricians License ,and have legitimized my status within the industry. I've been privileged to work all around the country and yet I am but a student of life because, there's so much more to learn. My purpose for this blog site is to help usher the advancement of future electricians because it's pretty tuff when you're just starting out , and there isn't many available avenues that offer a solid education or decent information. It is my mission to display valuable information for higher learning , trade secrets and our industries cutting edge tools.

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