[Articles] How not to run your electrical wiring (VIDEO)

[CT Droid]

This video has been showing up in many places, but since I haven't seen anyone here talk about it, figured it's time to post it. Hard to believe it's real, but let me know what you think





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[RAM]

I only have 2 things to say:

WOW!!!

It doesn't surprise me.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Cue the, as a professional installer we see these things all the time, AHJ, inspection, posts now...

 

[Digger]

I cant see the video since its blocked by a filter where I am but I have seen some very "insane" wire runs.

One that comes to mind was in a bathroom of a resturant they ran romex through the baseboard heating (touching the fins) across the room and then up the wall to power the hand dryer. That was around Lancaster PA and I remember going there a few times over a 5 or 6 year period and noting that the Romex was discoloring.

 

[BLH]

One of my coworkers had a back porch. Where the lights would go dim, with even the slightest load.
Investigating the wiring. Found the previous owner had wired it with 300 OHM TV Antenna Twinlead.

 

[gatchel]

If it works it's fine....Right?

They do need some more staples along the fece line to make sure it's supported every 48"... :lol:

 

[hult]

I see the problem. The installer forgot to knot together the extension cords to the opener cords.

So when the garage door openers fall off the ceiling and into someone's head through the windshield as they drive into the garage ( the openers appear to be attached only by nails driven vertically upward into the joists) the openers will be unplugged during the fall.

It would be much preferable to have cords knotted together and stay connected so the door continues to close and no one disturbs the (now) 'sleeping' driver.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As a practical matter, this installation is not nearly as scary as some, in large part because all the wires and warts are exposed, and readily seen, and easily removed. To me it looks like a temporary, get-me-through-this-week installation that became permanent. Human nature.

I rebuilt one old Victorian house in which years ago folks had buried rubber-insulated extention cords inside the walls, the rubber of which had hardened, cracked and fallen entirelyoff the copper wire in places. And deteriorating rubber hoses interconnecting sections of live steel gas pipes inside the walls. And like that ...

... Marc

 

[Monk]

HEY - isn't that Beelzerob's house?

Speaking of him, haven't seen him round for a while....

We miss ya Beez!

 

[wuench]

But since it plugs into a socket at the end it qualifies as a legal disconnect. Just like an extension core.

 

[tmbrown97]

Added bonus that the last two links (at the lamp socket and the brown extension cord) are not grounded, so none of this run is; and it's definitely not on GFCI either.

 

[video321]

I would have been impressed if it was the neighbor's house he tapped off of

 

[tmbrown97]

I would have been impressed if it was the neighbor's house he tapped off of

I was partially expecting that as they were following the wire

 

[murphy]

Precious video.
At least as a bad example.
I hope the home-insurance company of this house will see it too.

 

[electron]

I can't imagine how the real estate agent would even allow this house to go on sale like that, and it definitely won't pass an inspection.

 

[JimS]

Pretty bad but I have seen worse. One house had the wires from the utility spliced in the wall - no box, just split bolts as I recall and some tape. There were three fuse boxes fed from the splice. It had been that way for years. The house ended up getting knocked down because it had other major problems besides electrical.

A few years ago I lived in a town with no electrical inspectors. Actually no building inspectors at all. They just wanted you to fill out a form when building so they could get it on the tax role. I didn't believe it when moving there but checked into it and it was true. My real estate agent when I was looking to buy a house mentioned to someone that I was picky about electrical work after I pointed out live wire splices with no boxes hanging out of walls a few places. The area seemed to have quite a few house fires. Go figure.

The house I bought there didn't have anything that bad but the owners had replaced a 3 way switch with a standard switch. What to do with the extra wire? There is a screw on newer switches for ground so they just hooked it up there so the face plate screws were hot. When I replaced the main panel and updated some wiring the power company just sent out a crew to move the power connection (switched from overhead to underground). They asked me if I was ready for them to turn it on. I said yes and asked if they wanted to go inside to look at anything. They said no, that they were just there to hook it up and they had other things to do. They said if there was a problem it would just blow the overload on the pole. Good thing I had double checked my work!