Appliance guy is going to kill someone

[GG]

So I go on a call to hook up a dish washer that has no power. The owner leads me to the kitchen where the DW is already installed. She said the appliance co. said they had 2 techs and they were sending her their top guy with 20 years exp. The tech told her there is 0V at the DW junction box. So I go to pull the DW out of its hole and sparks start flying. I then go to the panel and shut of the main. HO starts complaining about how now she is going to have to reset all her clocks. Tooooo bad. I get the DW out and the top tech had left 2 wires hanging out of a jbox that were touching the DW, that was the spark show. I turned the main back on and sure enough had 120V at the 2 wires. I asked if the top tech had used a meter to determine if there was no power. She said no, he used a screwdriver. You have got to be kidding me. Nope, he touched the wires with his screwdriver and he said they're dead. So top tech guy didnt even have a voltage tester yet (Name of company has been deleted by a forum moderator) is sending this guy out and charging top dollar and he dosent even own a tester. I pray that I never have to go behind this moron again. He is going to hurt himself or worse an unsuspecting electrician who has to go clean up his mess. Rant over.

 

[480sparky]

Sparks flying and nothing tripped?

Are these the same wires that the tech shorted out with his screwdriver?

Something doesn't add up here.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I'm guessing he didn't short them out, he just touched them with the screwdriver and when he didn't see a spark, he figured no voltage.

 

[GG]

No ground wire so Im assuming he touched his screwdriver accross each wire individually to the metal box jbox and when it didnt trip the breaker he thought it was dead. If you work with electricity you have to have a meter. He must go through alot of screwdrivers.

 

[mivey]

No ground wire so Im assuming he touched his screwdriver accross each wire individually to the metal box jbox and when it didnt trip the breaker he thought it was dead. If you work with electricity you have to have a meter. He must go through alot of screwdrivers.

Or they go through a lot of techs

 

[480sparky]

Or they go through a lot of techs

Would certainly keep their labor costs down. No one is around long enough for a raise.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Kind of like having the job of starting the mob bosses car in the morning. BOOM!

 

[iaov]

He might of had one of those screw drivers they sell at the Destroy It Yourself stores with the voltage sniffer. They are lousy screw drivers and lousy voltage sniffers. When using any kind of tester you must first do something to prove your tester works!!

 

[wawireguy]

I got a dryer last year.. install monkeys "we can wire that up for you", Me "I'll pass on that" : )

 

[brother]

I have seen some 'new voltage' testing screw drivers (inductive types,Im serious and not being funny) they actually light up when touching the hot wire.

Maybe he actually had one of those.

 

[electricmanscott]

I turned the main back on and sure enough had 120V at the 2 wires.

The "flying sparks" tripped the main breaker?

 

[LarryFine]

The "flying sparks" tripped the main breaker?

No, the OP did:

I then go to the panel and shut of the main.

 

[electricmanscott]

Got it now. :smile:

 

[kjw444]

This is sort of funny because I just rewired a kitchen that had a small fire because of the dw installer. He installed a metallic j box and spliced in the gl circuit. No wire nuts but he used tape, box not grounded aside from where minimal bare was touching and no cover. It lasted about 4 months before the fire. The panel was ten feet away and the house had a 3' crawl space.......

 

[TexasMaster]

I wonder how it feels when the big 20yr vet has to admit it's time to call a real electrican, and good thing he didn't hookup anything, he probably would have done something equaly stupid. Mabey he'll never check the batteries in his crappy tick if that's the case.:grin:

 

[surf more]

what kind of panel in that house??

 

[jeremysterling]

Plausible scenario: After appliance guy left and before OP showed up, the HO turned on the backsplash mounted "disconnect" switch.

 

[electricmanscott]

This is sort of funny because I just rewired a kitchen that had a small fire because of the dw installer..

That is funny. :grin:

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

A reason the circuit breaker may not have tripped:
With the conductors just touching and not making constant contact as he pulled the dishwasher out, there was not enough current across the conductors over the short amount of time to open the overcurrent device. Look at time-current curve tables for CBers and you will see there is a minimum amount of current necessary over a certain time frame to open the overcurrent device. This is not atypical. It is the same reason that when a conductor shorts against a box, it may not open the overcurrent device.

 

[480sparky]

That is funny. :grin:

Funny because kjw444 wired it, or funny because there was a fire?