Is there any interest in a Electrical education thread?

[ultrarunner]

IMO...The single most contributing factor to DYI electrical issues is not comprehending the importance of tight connections...be it on a new light switch, under a wire nut in a jb or under a screw on a breaker etc., etc...

It happens with the pros too...

Had 3 new package units installed for the image center... MRI and CT...

One of the units was tripping the breaker about 6 months in... the installing general sent out the electrical contractor and then all was good... a few months later same thing...

So I take a look up on the roof and the one of the lugs was loose on the unit side... factory assembled I guess... funny thing is it worked for months until warm weather was upon us.

 

[ultrarunner]

I used to take a lot of things apart as a young kid... not even a teen... if someone was throwing out a motor, gas or electric... dad would bring it home for me to take apart...

I made a little test bench and went to town...

Then one day my budding career almost ended...

A good friend of my parents came over for a visit... he was an aerospace Electrical Engineer and read my folks the riot act... saying how dangerous it was and that I could electrocute myself or burn down the house... and a 10 year old has no business with things he is too young to understand... I had already replaced the refrigerator defrost timer and the wig-wag on the washing machine by age 10 on my own... and was working on the family cars... tire pressure, check the fluids, change the wipers, cleaning battery terminals... etc...

Anyway... my Dad became very concerned and we had a long talk about being safe... keeping the area clean, not working on things where my younger brothers could get into it... etc...

It almost ended my budding career... the funny thing is I doubt the EE was good at fixing anything hands on... but later he taught at Santa Clara University...

 

[Industrial Toys]

I left the trade on account of the recession and also wanted to work around "smarter" people. I had worked in various Engineering fields and missed learning from people. Not saying there aren't smart electricians, but I never met any while in that field.

A couple of years ago I was doing some security work in a manufacturing plant. Their in house electrician of decades was scratching his head because he could not find a breaker to shut off a circuit. But the conduit had multiple circuits and he was only shutting off a breaker at a time, so he was getting induced voltage (with his high impedance DVM) . He could not understand that. Yet, he sees himself as a real hot shot. It was embarrassing. Did I say, that's a reason I left the field?

Still wished I had got my ticket.

 

[cqaigy2]

It happens with the pros too...

Had 3 new package units installed for the image center... MRI and CT...

One of the units was tripping the breaker about 6 months in... the installing general sent out the electrical contractor and then all was good... a few months later same thing...

So I take a look up on the roof and the one of the lugs was loose on the unit side... factory assembled I guess... funny thing is it worked for months until warm weather was upon us.

That seems it would be scary to dump power on the MRI.

I've run into the similar thing on a medical laser, one of the lugs was just a little loose, but it was inside the machine, buried behind a monster transistor passbank. One of the phases would drop off at a seemingly random times. Took a while to track down, after checking each and everything up to that point.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sorry... the 3 package units are HVAC to condition the space where the imaging equipment is located...

 

[jaxs]

I was considering only general knowledge that might help a homeowner stay out of trouble, such as basic AC concepts like wire/breaker sizing, Wire length and voltage drop, GFCI usage etc., but your right... It would probably devolve into bickering, and sometimes bad advice.

I worry about the do-it yourselfer that is likely to hurt himself, or worse his family by not knowing some basic concepts... That was me years ago...luckily we survived relatively unscathed.. and wiser. Others lost their homes.

I read through this thread and what everyone agree's on is that if there was a way of keeping"BAD"advice from posting,things can be accomplished. "IF"you were able to have 3 to 5 people collaborate on an ongoing thread that talked about a single issue(wire size vs breaker size) for x days,take questions then move to another issue,that "MIGHT"accomplish something. I haven't explored features of this site,is there provisions for private messaging so that thread leaders can discuss upcoming "lesson plans"?

Fortunately, I think someone that is quite clueless isn't usually going to attempt electrical work. I'm sure there are exceptions. You know what they say about a little knowledge.

:laughing::wave::rotfl: Far more exceptions than you seem to be are aware of. One could argue a thread as proposed might convince some just how clueless they are and that they should leave it to a pro.

 

[Industrial Toys]

My step Dad was an electrician in a Hot Mill. He told me one day how a cabinet door with 600 volt closed on him while working on the cabinet. He thought a Rat was chewing on his elbow.

Anyway, he always used to go on about how stupid he thought the extra ground was in our system. He was from Germany. Maybe they didn't have it there. So, it's possible if you asked him how to do something, you could have got some dubious advice.

 

[MossRoad]

I started by reading books on basic home wiring. Look - PICTURES! hahaha

Anyhow, its a good place to start.

Get some parts, make up some test circuits on a workbench, put it together, learn to use a circuit tester, meters, etc...

basic home wiring books - Google Search

 

[jaxs]

I was considering only general knowledge that might help a homeowner stay out of trouble, such as basic AC concepts like wire/breaker sizing, Wire length and voltage drop, GFCI usage etc., but your right... It would probably devolve into bickering, and sometimes bad advice.

I worry about the do-it yourselfer that is likely to hurt himself, or worse his family by not knowing some basic concepts... That was me years ago...luckily we survived relatively unscathed.. and wiser. Others lost their homes.

I left the trade on account of the recession and also wanted to work around "smarter" people. I had worked in various Engineering fields and missed learning from people. Not saying there aren't smart electricians, but I never met any while in that field.

A couple of years ago I was doing some security work in a manufacturing plant. Their in house electrician of decades was scratching his head because he could not find a breaker to shut off a circuit. But the conduit had multiple circuits and he was only shutting off a breaker at a time, so he was getting induced voltage (with his high impedance DVM) . He could not understand that. Yet, he sees himself as a real hot shot. It was embarrassing. Did I say, that's a reason I left the field?

Still wished I had got my ticket.

It's interesting you mention master electricians, lack of knowledge and induced voltage in a single paragraph. Induced voltage as far as I can tell,isn't something one must understand. Most will never use it in their intire career unless in a building engineering or manufacturing invoroment. I've always felt a short course on DC circuits would make better electricians and should be required. Not only is it easier to understand the whys and what fors of wireing a building,induced voltage is used alot in DC circuits. If a person was using AC in teaching the basics,induced voltage would be buried so deep in theory most would have dropped out of the class before reaching that point. How this relate's to our situation is a person trained in electronics often confuses things almost as bad as people that don't know what they are talking about. I need to lie down :fever:I'm not sure I even understand what I just said. :laughing:

 

[kcflhrc]

There is plenty of good electrical wiring information on the internet already. For me, wiring falls into 3 categories. The right way, the wrong way, and the acceptable way. For most the acceptable way is going to work fine. The problem with most electricians is it's their way or no way. Being in the Telecom industry for 38 years I have seen all kinds of crazy wiring so nothing much surprises me any more. A picture is worth 100 words, and there is plenty of photos on Google on how to do electrical work.