Burned up outlet

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chevyx92

Senior Member
Location
VA BCH, VA
Here's what happens when you don't tighten a screw. Can't believe it lasted over a year like this. Let me ask this too. Is an electrical contractor still responsible for their work in the event that their work caused a house fire and they had a clause that said warranty only 12 months? I'm thinking they would be held responsible if this had indeed burned the house down. What you say?
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
chevyx92 said:
Here's what happens when you don't tighten a screw. Can't believe it lasted over a year like this. Let me ask this too. Is an electrical contractor still responsible for their work in the event that their work caused a house fire and they had a clause that said warranty only 12 months? I'm thinking they would be held responsible if this had indeed burned the house down. What you say?


How would you prove that the somebody else didn't touch it after he left?
 

chevyx92

Senior Member
Location
VA BCH, VA
chris kennedy said:
Heres what happens when your helpers cell phone rings.
And after all this time I wasn't allowing cellphones on my jobs because they weren't getting work done. This is a good reason to not allow them as well.
 

kbsparky

Senior Member
Location
Delmarva, USA
I've seen similar failures from receptacles that had the screws tightened during the initial installation.

High amps flowing thru these receptacles can cause the terminals to weaken, even if the current was not being taken at that particular outlet.

Things like plug-in portable heaters, or window A/C units have caused failures like those seen here. It may not have been faulty installation, but rather an el-cheep-o outlet being used for more than it was designed for. :mad:
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
The reason it didn't burn the house is because it was properly installed with JB and all. However it is quite obvious that they did not tighten the screw.
 

chevyx92

Senior Member
Location
VA BCH, VA
kbsparky said:
High amps flowing thru these receptacles can cause the terminals to weaken, even if the current was not being taken at that particular outlet.
Maybe but you could clearly see the screw had not been tighten what so ever. Theres no way it just loosen it self all the way without loosening others.
 

wireman71

Senior Member
I'm sure the EC is still liable if there was a fire. This is definetly a case of negligent wiring. Good reason to have insurance...
 

chevyx92

Senior Member
Location
VA BCH, VA
stickboy1375 said:
How do you know the HO did now replace this receptacle?
Are you saying an EC isn't responsible for after the installation of their work, Under the assumption that maybe someone else messed with it? They wouldn't hire an EC to do the work if they could have done it originally don't you think?
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
chevyx92 said:
Are you saying an EC isn't responsible for after the installation of their work, Under the assumption that maybe someone else messed with it? They wouldn't hire an EC to do the work if they could have done it originally don't you think?

I am saying an EC is responsible for their work, but anyone could have made that mistake thats all...


Heres a perfect example, my friends brother-in-law just bought a house, changed all the devices out himself, is the EC still responsible?
 
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chevyx92

Senior Member
Location
VA BCH, VA
stickboy1375 said:
I am saying an EC is responsible for their work, but anyone could have made that mistake thats all...
Right anyone being the EC is what I was saying. I mean the homeowner could prove they installed it. Ain't that good enough in court considering they are the hired contractor to do this work that the Homeowner could not? I see what you're saying too but at what point do you stop the "Well someone else could have messed with it after I left" even if a day or a year went by?
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
chevyx92 said:
Right anyone being the EC is what I was saying. I mean the homeowner could prove they installed it. Ain't that good enough in court considering they are the hired contractor to do this work that the Homeowner could not? I see what you're saying too but at what point do you stop the "Well someone else could have messed with it after I left" even if a day or a year went by?


I see your point, like Dennis said, up to the lawyers at that point...
 

don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
Good advertizing for arc-faults.
That appears to be a series fault and the currently used AFCIs do not directly detect that type of fault. It only detects that type of fault when it does enough damage to become a parallel arcing fault or a ground fault. It does not appear to me that it reached that point yet.
Don
 

Energize

Senior Member
Location
Milky Way Galaxy
stickboy1375 said:
I see your point, like Dennis said, up to the lawyers at that point...

Which is a very good reason to check your insurance if you are an EC. Seems for years I carried liability insurance, but I did not learn the extent of my insurance ignorance until I switched carriers.

I did not have any protection for attorney fees to represent me in case I had a serious case which could have went to court. I had coverage in case I lost, but I had no coverage for my legal fees, win or lose.

If I ever had a serious situation (which is the reason I had insurance in the first place) that would have dragged through court for months or years, even if I won, the attorney fees - easily in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a death or equally serious case - would have bankrupted me.

What are the chances of that happening? Remote. But it only added $97 a year to my premium ($3,000 attorney deductible), and it bought me peace of mind.

Which is all insurance does anyway.
 
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