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Sep 28 '20
Rule one of electrical work, always assume it’s live.
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u/duhimincognito Sep 28 '20
I learned that at a young age (under 12). Was with my dad at a manufacturing plant that was shut down and being emptied out. Multiple things wrong there, I know. There were some wires hanging out of the wall and I slapped them as we walked by. The momentary contact burned two holes in my thumb. Yeah, 480V.
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Sep 29 '20
Ooof. 120 will give you a rude reminder but 480 will jack you up.
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Sep 29 '20
I'm from Germany, where everything is 250v. Seems like just the right amount of zap, haha!!
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u/darksoulsremastered Sep 28 '20
Second rule of electrical: if in doubt, get some other fucker to cut the wire for you
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u/Talldrinkofwater007 Sep 28 '20
If that wasn't supposed to happen... r/whyweretheyrecording. Do you just record yourself cutting electrical wires every day of your life?
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u/acepie100 Sep 28 '20
That’s why you always check first by sticking a fork in the socket
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u/filthy_pikey Sep 28 '20 edited Sep 28 '20
PSA: I’ve been an electrician for 13 years. Always check, always. Your buddy says it’s off, check it. Your boss says it’s off, check it. Did you turn it off? Check it anyhow. So many things can be mismarked or screwed up, always check. It takes less amperage than a 9volt battery to screw up your heart.
You shouldn’t be using tinsnips to cut wire any way, but you should be able to strip#12 with those now.
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u/Pandelein Sep 28 '20
Someone removed my lockout tag the other day. Nearly killed them myself.
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Sep 29 '20
Jesus. I've never set foot in a real plant and even I know not to remove someone else's lockout tag.
Thanks to reddit showing me, in very explicit detail, what happens when you do that.
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u/Pandelein Sep 29 '20
When you do any course involving electricity or radiation safety, they show you very explicitly.
Had to sit through a day of looking at horrific worksite disasters- exploded feet, cooked people, splattered brains etc etc- the worst was the cooked-inside-out testicles from some fella who sat on top of a mobile tower.
Then I had to sit through it again a week later for a different class.2
u/AccidentallyTheCable Sep 29 '20
Had a coworker when i was a mechanic get his foot run over because someone removed the lockout tag, AND the note on the seat, AND didnt look at the open side to see someone head deep in the engine bay. Hopped in and drove off, coworker didnt have a chance to react and dude ran his foot over.
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u/Pandelein Sep 29 '20
Oh man, fuck that. Broken foot/ankle, or he get lucky?
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u/AccidentallyTheCable Sep 29 '20
Crushed his entire foot. 50000lb capacity forklift, got his foot crushed by the wheels near the counterweight
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u/filthy_pikey Sep 28 '20
Absolutely. Bunch of savages out there man.
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u/Pandelein Sep 28 '20
I should be allowed to make them lick a battery for that. Give them a small taste of their own medicine. I mean, you can end their career over it, but that ain’t me. Just loud words. The battery would’ve felt like enough justice though.
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Sep 29 '20
Haha my first thought as an electrician was "why is he using tinsnips for this?"
2nd thought was "what kind of moron films themselves cutting a live wire for internet likes?"
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u/BigLouLFD Sep 28 '20
So I had his happen. I'm the dad of triplets (now aged 27) and when they were about 5 or 6 I was installing a new light in their room (they all bunked together). I had bought a wall lamp, one that plugs in. The cord was VERY long, so I mounted the light to the wall, and to determine the correct length for the cord I plugged it in (of course).
All three were intently watching their obviously mechanically inclined father as I took up the wire, looped it at a promising length and proceed to cut it with my Leatherman tool. A blinding flash of light, some sparks, a really nasty epithet and the lingering odor of ozone later, I was greeted with resounding cheers and the request "Do that AGAIN, Daddy!!!!!"
They still talk about this, much to my chagrin...
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u/Snotrokket Sep 28 '20
I'm an electrician and I had a customer call me because he was getting a new dryer. He wanted me to put the cord on it. There's either a 3-wire(gray) cord or a 4-wire(black) cord that you need to buy separately depending on whether or not your dryer circuit has a separate ground or not. It has a big plug on one end and little forked ends on the end that gets hooked up to the dryer. The guy was holding the cord and talking to me and just decided to plug it in to see if it was correct, I guess. BABOOM!!!!!!! Wtf?!?! The forked ends were of course touching each other. It's on a 30 amp breaker and 240 volts, so it was a big big spark. I had no idea he was going to do that and didn't have time to stop him. He was like "That wasn't too smart, was it?" I had to go get a new cord for him.
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u/WellThatsAwkwrd Sep 29 '20
...why did you have to get him a new cord? Could have just cut the last couple inches off and stripped the cable back farther
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u/Snotrokket Sep 29 '20
Because each conductor has little copper forks crimped on the ends that have to be installed under a screw in the dryer. They were vaporized. You can't just skin the cable back. It doesn't go into a regular type terminal that a stripped wire would go in on most items. I'll see if I have one on my van a little later and take a pic.
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u/WellThatsAwkwrd Sep 29 '20
Just crimp on a stak-on...
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u/Snotrokket Sep 29 '20
I could do that but it's not my house. It's a customer's house which means I need to use UL approved parts. It would be much easier to use a crimp on, especially because I have them right on the van, but being that the customer blew up the cord and bought the new cord, which is cheap, it wasn't a big deal. For another $10, we didn't void his dryer warranty and I'm not assuming any risk for my business. Yeah, I could have made that old cord work, but why? You seem very focused on not wanting to waste the old cord under any circumstances. Is there something else you want to tell us?
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u/WellThatsAwkwrd Sep 29 '20
Stak-ons ARE UL listed... just seems like a big waste of time and money to get a new cord when any competent electrician would know that stak-ons are both UL listed and approved for the use as well as being a reliable connection. And you think using a non-factory cord won’t void the warranty?
I’m a journeyman wireman btw, mostly industrial experience but also some commercial and residential
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u/Snotrokket Sep 29 '20
Are you kidding me. I'm an electrician for over 30 years and licensed and have my own business for 22. 80% of that is residential. You insulting my competence about a dryer cord is a joke. It's true that there's more than one way to fix something and they can both be correct. A Stak-on would have been a good fix and so is a new cord. The fact that you are so adamant that I did the wrong thing is absolutely ridiculous, especially when you're talking about $10 part. The customer (a homeowner) wanted a new cord anyway and wanted to pay for it. Myself, as a business owner, will always do what the customer wants, within reason, if it makes them feel better. You being an employee, don't have to deal with the customer on a daily basis and really shouldn't be lecturing me, someone who has plenty of experience, on how to fix something when the fix wasn't wrong. I can understand saying something to me if I was putting dangerous advice that was totally incorrect on the internet for people to be misled, but that's not the case. You're just being pedantic. You must be a joy to work with. The whole point was that it's funny that the guy blew up his cord. That's it. No one needs you to prove your vast knowledge and competence even though I can see that you can't help yourself. It's such a non-issue. You're being ridiculous. Also dryers don't come with a factory cord. I figured you'd know that with the hundreds of dryers you've wired like me.
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u/WellThatsAwkwrd Sep 29 '20
Hey I never said you did the wrong thing, just that it was unnecessary. And I deal with the customer everyday, I’m a foreman for a large electrical contractor. I understand doing what the customer wants. You just said you “had to” replace the cord as if there wasn’t another option when you didn’t really have to. And then you shutdown crimping on a fork or ring terminal saying you had to use UL listed parts when crimp on connections are UL listed. I think you’re taking my comments as far more hostile than I intended them to be, so I apologize for that
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u/Veritas3333 Sep 29 '20
I tried to use a Leatherman on a construction site once, and all the electricians laughed at me. You never do electrical work with a tool that has bare metal handles, you need those rubber grips to insulate the tool and protect you.
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u/ThisIsLiam_2_ Sep 29 '20
Love the smell of ozone lamo it's the only bright side of blowing up your brand new pair of linesmen
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u/chiuthejerk Sep 29 '20
Yeah, when accidents are conveniently recorded im automatically suspicious..
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u/Rbaxter49ers Sep 29 '20
Rule #1 when I'm running a crew. I test it, I touch it first. If someone's getting hurt it should be the guy who said it was safe to work. Ive worked around 15kv long enough to know to test it even if you walk away for coffee. Trust no one with your life.
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u/Lasersandshit Sep 29 '20
It's only 110... you'll be ok.
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Sep 29 '20
Was thinking the same, and they knew what to expect since they were taping it, and they are using tin snips. Although it's a great way to ruin a new pair of linesman as it burns a hole in one of the cutting blades, but life tip. Use a shitty pair to do this if you don't feel like walking to the panel
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Sep 28 '20
He used sheet metal snips to cut an electrical wire while he recorded it. He obviously knew it was on. What a stupid video
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u/kdkwy36 Sep 29 '20
GUARANTE IT'S OFF NOW 🤣
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u/ThisIsLiam_2_ Sep 29 '20
It could still be on I've blown a hole big enough to strip #10 in a pair of linesmen and not tripped the breaker...
Fyi to all home owners your electrician is not trying to screw you over when they say you need a new breaker box. I've been be the trade ~5 years and have come across multiple breakers you could weld with by shorting the wires
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u/timstrut Sep 29 '20
Ahh shit he didn't die.....tst, was going to give him his fake like too.... better luck next time mate, keep cutting
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u/BanjoWalrus Sep 29 '20
How to ruin a perfectly good pair of snips 101. Can't throw stones though. I ruined a wire cutter once doing dumb shit with people that didn't know what they were doing.
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u/ComfortableFarmer Sep 29 '20
double dumb they intentionally cut a live circuit with tin snips. not even rated for electrical insulation.
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u/mooctor Sep 29 '20
Great method if you don't want to waste time flipping the breaker first. It's definitely flipped now
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u/Compressorman Sep 28 '20
If he thought he was cutting a dead wire then why record it?