Secret code language

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

stars13bars2

Senior Member
In my territory if I asked for a minerallac strap I would get that deer in the headlights thing, but if I asked for a minnow lite strap everyone would know what I wanted.
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
stars13bars2 said:
In my territory if I asked for a minerallac strap I would get that deer in the headlights thing, but if I asked for a minnow lite strap everyone would know what I wanted.
Click to expand...

Well - thats what I get.... :roll:

FYI - I'm doing pick up work with other EC's due to the employment market being in the tank....

But in the last few months I have worked with a bunch of different people. Which is not new to me, but I keep coming across people who either have thier own ways - some of which can be unorthodoxed IMO. But - when I speak to them I am used to other people in the trade knowing what I am saying without having to draw pictures - especially since they all speak English as a first language. But the sparky lingo seems to be dying... And for that matter some of the skills...

How about this?

"Double butterfly the conduits right to the black iron, and kick a 90 to the wall for a 5S."

After some more describtion - because the person was clueless to what I was saying - "oh I'll just do it myself..."
 
PetrosA

PetrosA

Senior Member
Location
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
e57 said:
...

How about this?

"Double butterfly the conduits right to the black iron, and kick a 90 to the wall for a 5S."

After some more describtion - because the person was clueless to what I was saying - "oh I'll just do it myself..."
Click to expand...

I started bending a long time ago, but I never heard some of that slang ;).

Here's my guess without seeing the site:

Offset to the right to follow a truss, then bend a 90 where they hit the wall to land in a 4 11/16" (2100) box.

How close am I?
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
PetrosA said:
Offset to the right to follow a truss, then bend a 90 where they hit the wall to land in a 4 11/16" (2100) box.
How close am I?
Click to expand...
Close....

'"Double butterfly (a type of tie-wire lashing) the conduits right (directly) to the black iron (Old wrought iron C-channel used for framing in older commercial buildings here prior to the late 40's), and kick (a single 10-45 degree bend - to) a 90 (bend at) ~ the wall for a 5S(4-11/16 box)."

In another recent thread about tie wire - I felt compelled to make a diagram of the butterfly - which is slightly modified from 'square lashing', closer to 'diagonal lashing' but since this is 'tie wire' it's not necessary to go for full-blown boy scout or ship riggers knots. And if you are say working with black iron or on rebar - examples of it are everywhere.

I think during some part of electrical apprenticeship there should be this 'day' where they are given over to a rod busting crew to tie rebar under my friend Mike - a foul-mouthed and abusive Irish concrete contractor. :D
 
K

knoppdude

Senior Member
Location
Sacramento,ca
I would know what both minerallac and round house mean, because someone told me when I was an apprentice. I have also heard the term round robin, and rainbow used with regard to installing a set of conductors that includes black/red/blue/white, and green. I have heard that the high leg on a center grounded delta is refered to as a stinger leg on the west coast, and the bastard leg on the east coast. I can't find any of these terms in the NEC, but they are used in the field.
 
quogueelectric

quogueelectric

Senior Member
Location
new york
Prairie farm= Office with a lot of partition furniture. When a loud noise is made all the heads pop up one at a time randomly throughout the office like prairie dogs.
 
PetrosA

PetrosA

Senior Member
Location
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
e57 said:
No...... The colors on a baseball - Black label, white skin, red stitching...
Click to expand...

I'm gonna guess three wire?

Even simple ones like what you call the two switched wires in a three way can be a problem. I was taught that they're "shunts" but most guys I know call them "travelers." Everyone seems to agree on "point" though.

One I think is especially amusing is GP. It's any unmarked line out of an existing panel that needs something written on the label. I've seen whole panels marked as "GP lighting" and GP recepts."
 
Last edited:
L

LawnGuyLandSparky

Senior Member
quogueelectric said:
Prairie farm= Office with a lot of partition furniture. When a loud noise is made all the heads pop up one at a time randomly throughout the office like prairie dogs.
Click to expand...

"Prarie dogging" - make a loud sound within a floor full of cubicles after guessing or betting your partner how many heads will pop up over the partition walls. Or loudly and poigniently use the word "asbestos" on one end of the farm, and guess how long it takes for someone from the other end to ask you about the asbestos problem...
 
Besoeker

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
LarryFine said:
Grand party on a military installation? :grin:
Click to expand...
I like that!
You should be good at cryptic crosswords.

On the secret code business, a lot of what gets posted here is in jargon that I have to pause and think about. And maybe still don't get.
Things like Romex, nm, etc. I can understand. For us Brits, ground is earth yellow/green in colour of course. For you, dirt is earth, soil. Here dirt is something else. You have raceways for conduit, ampacity for current rating....

We also have jargon and some local colloquial terms for materials and tools.
And example...
We use Unistrut (trade name). It's galvanized steel channel. Fixing panels to walls is one application. There are channel nuts that can be slotted into the channel at any point and they come with a spring that holds them in place.
Our guys call them Zebedees. Perfect description.
But only if you were of a certain age and grew up in UK, Watching BBC television....
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
PetrosA said:
I'm gonna guess three wire?

~ most guys I know call them "travelers." Everyone seems to agree on "point" though.

One I think is especially amusing is GP. It's any unmarked line out of an existing panel that needs something written on the label. I've seen whole panels marked as "GP lighting" and GP recepts."
Click to expand...

Yep - a 3-wire MWBC - usually the "Home-run"...

Travellers - I know them as nothing else... But I have heard them called A/B switch legs by one guy who never worked commercial around here which would refer to something else... (Commonly offices would need two switch legs to comply with energy codes in CA - commonly called A/B switching.)

As for GP or "General Purpose" - I see it as a cheat... But thankfully, "Billy-Joe's Bedroom" will soon be a code violation....
 
TOOL_5150

TOOL_5150

Senior Member
Location
bay area, ca
e57 said:
As for GP or "General Purpose" - I see it as a cheat... But thankfully, "Billy-Joe's Bedroom" will soon be a code violation....
Click to expand...

I use L&P for circuits that arent labeled when I do a service upgrade. I hate doing it, but tracing the circuits is time, and the customers usually dont want to pay me to find them out.

As far as the code, when does that change, and how so?

~Matt
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top