sulcata1619
New member
That means every residential electrician should have his license removed? That's just how Residential electicians do it. especially if they are scabs.
Electricians or Handyman?
- Thread starter eidillitih
- Start date
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Ahh we have no restriction on where the wire enters the panel. It can pass the main breaker.
There is certainly no problem placing grounds and neutrals on the same bus in the main panel. The neutral bus is bonded to ground in the main panel... they are one in the same.
In a sub panel, the neutral must NOT be bonded.
There is certainly no problem placing grounds and neutrals on the same bus in the main panel. The neutral bus is bonded to ground in the main panel... they are one in the same.
In a sub panel, the neutral must NOT be bonded.
eidillitih
Premium Member
Are control panels like computer they get out of date quickly. This house is only 8 years old. But, you right, I need to get someone over to help me. But I know it's a little too easy to pay an electrician $100+ for 30mins of work.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Hard to imagine that the panel is only 8 years old... but then I have seen stranger things. Can you get me the model number off the panel? I am curious to see exactly what it is.
eidillitih
Premium Member
I'll get the number when I can, little late right now, but hears a picture of my house it's not old at all.
douggiestyle
New member
if your really that worried about getting zapped. just pop the meter off. and throw an old pillow case and some gum bands on the thing or tape it over. do your wiring. then slap the meter back on.
eidillitih
Premium Member
I hear ya
The Professor
New member
I hope I did not sound rude earlier but you know the Redskin vs Cowboy rivalry. When it comes to plumbing the potential problem is leaks or water damage. When it comes to electricity it is fire or death. I am not being pompous I just take my job very seriously. Your panel is G.E.(thanks for the picture) For the age of the house that work is not the most visually impressive. I don't like the way they lumped all the grounds together, and only used two connectors for all the circuits. What if you ever had to remove one wire? It is a stab in type panel, and there appears to be room for another neutral and ground. Thats why I mentioned that earlier, you do not want to loosen a screw that has an existing neutral under it. Both the neutral and ground go under the same section, but the neutral and ground must be under seperate screws by code.If you throw the main you will shut down everything below the main breaker. However the two large wires going to the main breaker will still be energized. I don't know about Texas but most everywhere else you are not allowed to pull the meter. The good news is you do have room for an additional circuit. The bad news is it looks like the panel is recessed in the wall, so getting the wire in the panel with a connector might involve damage to the sheetrock. I would not recommend this work to a begginer with electric, thats just me being responsible.
eidillitih
Premium Member
Thanks, Professor I didn't find you to be rude earlier. I think I'm going to have an electrician do it. I think I can do it rather pay some to do it right. Feeding those wires would be very difficult for me I think.
The Professor
New member
X link thanks for agreeing. I have 10yrs with schooling on top of that. Again, I don't want to talk down to anybody because there are plenty of things in life I don't know about. I really take pride in my work to the point that if I feel unsure of work I did I won't be able to sleep at night. Above all you want a job like that done right with no mistakes or questionable work. I won't even recommend that people change outlets, because some of those can be nightmares. Anyone dealing with electric has probably seen over cubed outlet boxes, bx,stub wires,switch loop splices within the box. So if someone thinks they will just change it to a GFI and be done they might be in for a surprise. I feel you can never be too careful with electric especially if your sleeping in the same house you did the work in.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
It is hard to believe a licensed electrician wired that panel... I am overly neat to the point that my panels look like artwork, but then again I am not an electrician, I am a data infrastructure guy.
Everything is routed and bent neatly with wrap around self laminating labels at the panel and in all boxes. J box covers are labled with all circuits and their source and destination. No such thing as a switch traveler... they all get hot and neutral (makes it nice when it comes time to add "smart" devices, as well as prevents confusion regarding unmarked travelers).
I just finished re-wiring my entire 1958 ranch house... 2,500+ feet of 12/2, a 200A 40 space main and 3 sub panels later... I can't stand to fish another wire. You new construction guys have it sooo good!
Sadly, my work is neater and more legal than most of the residential and small commercial guys I run into daily. The big commercial guys usually perform to a much higher standard... I see some pretty sloppy work at time but am in awe at the photo of that 8 year old panel. I did neater wiring when I was in high school
Everything is routed and bent neatly with wrap around self laminating labels at the panel and in all boxes. J box covers are labled with all circuits and their source and destination. No such thing as a switch traveler... they all get hot and neutral (makes it nice when it comes time to add "smart" devices, as well as prevents confusion regarding unmarked travelers).
I just finished re-wiring my entire 1958 ranch house... 2,500+ feet of 12/2, a 200A 40 space main and 3 sub panels later... I can't stand to fish another wire. You new construction guys have it sooo good!
Sadly, my work is neater and more legal than most of the residential and small commercial guys I run into daily. The big commercial guys usually perform to a much higher standard... I see some pretty sloppy work at time but am in awe at the photo of that 8 year old panel. I did neater wiring when I was in high school
sulcata1619
New member
x-link, a scab electrician is a non-union electrician. I don't have anything against non-union guys. I have seen excellent electricians in both union and non-union. I myself am a large scale commercial union electrician. We have our share of guys that just aren't cut out for this line of work. On average commercial guys are much better than residential. In residential, if your not running you're not making any money.
Good for you Bean on your house rewire.
Good for you Bean on your house rewire.
30reef
New member
Most breaker panels are wired that way. It looks no different than the one in my home now. As I am writing this, there is a breaker that needs to be reset on my panel that tripped as I pulled into my driveway and opened the garage door with the opener. That circuit feeds the living room, garage, back bedroom and hallway outlets. Kind of rediculous huh? My home is in Phoenix and is 12 years old. A sub panel and additional circuits are on the to do list this winter. (no blanks in main panel) My father, who is not capable of doing elec. work anymore due to stroke, was an electrician at Disneyland for 37 years. He would tell stories of the amount of planning and detail that went into something as simple as bending some emt and putting up a light socket in a wharehouse. It had to be perfect , no exceptions. The Disney Co. spared no expense and cut no corners. It is unfortunate I did not learn more from him while he was still able to teach me.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
sulcata... I have been doing electrical work since I a kid
Not to get too far OT... but regarding meter sockets and service connection. Here in pittsburgh, our power company is Duquesne Light... They will not do a service disconnect and reconnect for customers, they expect the electrician to do it. They simply come check and retape the connection when it is convenient for them.
Because I did my own service panel upgrade and wiring, it was me who had to climb a ladder (fiberglass on rubber mats) and rebug my service while it was hot. Never really puckered like that before... and I used to work around a LOT of high voltage in the underground coal mining industry. There was just something unsettling about juggling two hot and one neutral service conductors while trying to get them disconnected, twisted around and reconnected.
Same goes for temp power at a job site...
As far as running and making money... the residential guys make me laugh. I watched a kid wire 40 receptacles hot the other day. After getting wacked for the 3rd or 4th time I could not resist asking him why he was doing them hot. He tried to explain to me that it was faster that way. Sometimes these guys just think they are running. I coulda wired 5 for his every two because he had to be so careful with the hot. In reality the kid was just to lazy to figure out what breakers fed what rooms, and of course his partner never labled anything.... being union it all paid the same. Kind of sad really.
Bean
Not to get too far OT... but regarding meter sockets and service connection. Here in pittsburgh, our power company is Duquesne Light... They will not do a service disconnect and reconnect for customers, they expect the electrician to do it. They simply come check and retape the connection when it is convenient for them.
Because I did my own service panel upgrade and wiring, it was me who had to climb a ladder (fiberglass on rubber mats) and rebug my service while it was hot. Never really puckered like that before... and I used to work around a LOT of high voltage in the underground coal mining industry. There was just something unsettling about juggling two hot and one neutral service conductors while trying to get them disconnected, twisted around and reconnected.
Same goes for temp power at a job site...
As far as running and making money... the residential guys make me laugh. I watched a kid wire 40 receptacles hot the other day. After getting wacked for the 3rd or 4th time I could not resist asking him why he was doing them hot. He tried to explain to me that it was faster that way. Sometimes these guys just think they are running. I coulda wired 5 for his every two because he had to be so careful with the hot. In reality the kid was just to lazy to figure out what breakers fed what rooms, and of course his partner never labled anything.... being union it all paid the same. Kind of sad really.
Bean
sulcata1619
New member
I've done many a service change. It took quite a few to used to working them live. The key to staying alive is never get to comfortable around electricity. you must respect it. I have a buddy that is also an electrician. He stands on a roof and strips back the two hots with an uninsulated knife. I Know you can't get shocked as long as you stay ungrounded, but I still wear gloves and tape the living sh*# out of my knife.
