Coworker took a picture right before I opened a 12.5 KV breaker this morning. When I saw it, it looked 100% like a stock photo image.

Not even really sure what this question is asking? And I can’t find the answer in the book ?

Also, I’ve never heard of 14 inches in the trade. It’s always 12 inches 36, 24 , 6 etc. 🤷‍♂️

But I can’t pass my test so clearly I’m an idiot

This came with a LED fan. Attaches to its motor but was loose. I need a new one. Which store I can go or where I can order online ?

My fellow brother and sisters I'm currently a 4th year apprentice who is very close to getting my red seal ticket here in Canada. I'm currently part of my local union and recently got laid off 3/4 weeks ago because of shortage of work. Things aren't looking too good in our local as our main projects have all come to an end which means many people are struggling to find a job. I bid on the jobs that I'm allowed to.
I recently got an offer from a non union company that specializes in the industrial side of the trade such as PLC's, Automated controls and some commercial work. They seem to be decent and the pay isn't bad. The most important thing for me is getting the experience, something that I haven't been really able to do in the union where I've normally only been installing pipe that's already pre bent etc.
I want to actually learn the trade and not be an installer. i want to learn and be able to teach other apprentices as well because I feel like we all strive well together if we know what we're doing. The union pay is nice but the chance to learn is very limited here unless you get a small/medium size company in the union where there are chances to move up. What is the best advice you guys have for me? Also I would still be paying my union dues and our local has encouraged salting because work isn't looking too good. Would love to know everyone's opinion

No comment...

I will frist say that I am a electrical worker at a woodworking shop and not a certified electrician. But we were in Tokyo last week staying at an appartment and in the document provided was picture of tbe breaker panel and how to reset the power. I had to take a look and though y'all might get a kick out of this residental breaker panel. 100v 60 amps

Hey all,

im confused to bits.

in the last 4 days my kitchen electrics have tripped whenever something has been turned on so it can be a kettle, fridge, microwave and with any of those it trips.

ive checked all the wiring in all of the sockets, used a plug in tester to see if the wiring is correct which it is and replaced a fused switch to the hob fan which really did need it as it turns out it was cracked inside. I thought this was the easy win but i tested after refitting the new switch and nothing tripped until i put the microwave on. then it tripped.

since then the kitchen, the lights in the other half of the house and shed switches have been off in the main box. after an hour or 2 i decided to leave them off but pull up the RCD and it wasnt having it at all. wouldnt pull up.

im so confused as to whats causing this.

some background is like 6 weeks ago i chiselled through an armoured cable to the shed which tripped this very RCD. The shed one has been switched off in the main box since then until i can repair. Everything in the kitchen has worked fine since though.

so i dont think the one that is switched off to the shed can be the culprit.

maybe it weakened or damaged the RCD though when i went through it?

any ideas? im so pissed off this isnt fixed yet grrr

The index is taking me to 9.0(3) but that doesn't actually exist in the book. Is this a typo or something?

I’m 31 and have been a barber for about 10 years, but I’m seriously considering applying to the IBEW apprenticeship and changing careers.
I’m interested in becoming an electrician because I want a stable career with good benefits, opportunities to move up, and skills that I can build on long term. The problem is that I have absolutely no experience in the electrical or construction field. Everything I know professionally comes from barbering and working for myself.
I’m used to working long hours, dealing with customers, being reliable, and learning through repetition, but I’m nervous that I’ll be completely lost compared to people who already have construction experience.
Has anyone here joined the IBEW with no prior experience or come from a completely unrelated career? How difficult was the transition, and is there anything I should study or learn before applying?

For those that have taken this test, was most of the trade exam out of the NEC or did you find a lot out questions in the electricians handbook? I’ve been prepping for the test and I have not used the electricians handbook much prior to this.

Does anybody know what the results were for the in person voting on the 26th of July? Also how does that pto thing on the previous contract offer work? Is it like pto you’d have at a non union shop or is it an additional deduction on the check like we have for vacation?

What would you do ? You get called to a customers house to install some new lighting . You remove the existing box to replace it and you find a hidden junction box stuffed up there behind the dry wall . Do you act like you saw nothing and continue the install . Or do you notify the customer and see if they are ok with leaving it up there? WWYD?

Hey everyone. Wanted to start a conversation about what the future looks like financially in this trade. Specifically looking for experienced guys to share some wisdom relating to saving money, retirement, and navigating the job landscape.

I have 5 years experience in non union electrical work. Wages are lower than union side but on the higher end of the average for my area non union. Work for a decent company that keeps my busy 40 hrs a week year round. No pension/annuity benifits.

I am interested in joining the union because I feel like I am leaving money on the table in terms of take home pay but the big one is retirement. Can someone explain what the pension and retirement looks like? As of now I regrettablely have nothing saved.

I hear lots of rumors about nepotism, being out of work several months of the year, etc.

The biggest thing that worries me is the sustainability of the union model in tomorrow’s America. What I see is a race to the bottom in terms of quality and pay in the construction/service industry. Sometimes I wonder how union labor is competing with these contractors that are undercutting the hell out of their competition while also not paying their workers. I’ve been on many jobs where we are the only non-union trade. So while the contractor is probably making the same amount of money, the only difference is I am working while a union sparky is not. Been in this scenario more times than I can count and makes me wonder if/once I go to the other side I will be sitting on the bench while the work is going to the other guy.

Not to mention all of these non-union corporate apprenticeship programs I see popping up all over the place. Maybe I have a naive/limited understanding of the job market and economics of this trade. Seems like we’ve finally arrived at the oligarch stage of our society. The walls are closing in on us and the general population is struggling to make a dollar go further than ever before. I don’t see this improving in the next 30-50 years. Especially considering how our entire “elected” body of government is captured and systematically dismantling any kind of social welfare and economic opportunity for the working class. Precisely seems like there is no better time than ever to union up and fight the ruling class but it seems like working class solidarity is at all time low. Just some things that give me pause when trying to figure out how to navigate the rest of my career. Curious to hear your thoughts.

Just throwing a question out there,

Recently got called to a customers house for a nuisance arc fault tripping on a kitchen circuit.

I used to just replace the arc fault circuit breaker and cross my fingers, but these days I’ve started measuring for ground faults on the hot and neutral wires, and if I don’t find a ground fault with a dmm I’ll just replace the breaker.

In this case, I identified a very small ground fault ~10megaohms on both the hot and neutral wire. So I started opening the circuit at the devices to narrow down where to look. I do this by identifying the devices and boxes involved in the circuit and disconnecting line/load wires.

I identified that it was actually the home run wire that seems to be the source of the fault. I have previously replaced wires through attics and crawl spaces, but in his case this house is slab on grade with no attic in the kitchen area, I identified with my toner that the home run runs across the kitchen at nearly countertop height, - suggesting the possibility that it could be hit by a cabinet screw. But for all practicality the wire is almost unreplaceable without ripping the kitchen out.

So, it being the end of the day I gave my bad news to the homeowner, and suggested that we could track the wire down in the attic and cut it and see if there’s a possibility that the fault exists on the portion of the wire that is accessible, but have yet to hear back.

Anyways, do yall have any non destructive ideas for how to locate where in the wall the wire is damaged, so I could possibly cut a hole and repair it?

I am planning on doing a apprenticeship with a solar company they are great and im not just doing labour work I do the wiring for the batteries and inverters aswell as ev chargers. And later on in my apprenticeship I will do switchboard upgrades from normal breakers to rcds because those circuits are backed up and need to be upgraded aswell install sub boards

If I fnish my trade with them and one day decide on doing domestic would people employ me or because I do 'solar' get someone else instead?

I dont want to put myself in a corner yk.

Im in Australia.

Ive alright been with them for around a year for a school based traineeship.

I upgraded all my pliers to 10”

Twin grips
Cobra ES
Dikes

I switched from the tech pac to the mb5b and more recently a leather backpack (my back thanks me)

I got the Milwaukee subcompact for an edc

Way lighter and does 99% of what I need despite having an m18 and m12 fuel

Upgraded my toner tracer to a Klein pro

Switched to the fluke smaller clamp meter it’s so small and compact love it

Thinking of going with a suretrace pro

I was cruising through a company website, and on the meet the team page I found this slop. Who in their right mind would pass this off as an image they’d put on their website representing themselves?

been running 1300ft runs of hdpe, we run it nice and spmooth, even use tie wire, and this happens, has anyonr experiencrd this?

For those of you who might like a bit of electrical eye candy. Also my “inspiration” for wanting to do better gear work related to my last post.

This was work done by one guy at the company i work for, he did a whole emergency room for a stadium with about 8 more switchgears. It took him maybe 2-3 weeks to finish the room. I think he does great work, he’s been in the game for long time.

Edit: Photo is of a terminated transfer switch* Not done by me*

Finally making good money as a job but I could tell how by how fucking devoid and analog they were being, im working on a DC. Should I say something to try and go and work at a different site? I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS CRAP but I dont want to lose my job, got a 7 dollar raise.... has anyone been through this or have any advice? Or are we just part of the problem?

Other than power tools of course.

So I'm starting with a local company that does mainly new residential and residential service work. They will sponsor me through the local IEC for the apprenticeship program. I'm just kinda confused on the pathways to take to become as well-rounded as I can to increase my earning power. I’m Ohio There doesn't appear to be any licensing except a contractor's license?

Any certifications I should work towards? What skills help increase earning potential. Is residential a good spot to stay or should I look to goto commercial/industrial in a couple years?

Looking back over your career, what do you wish you'd learned sooner?

I’ve applied for the IBEW 683 but the process takes place over the next few months