Close Call

[jeff43222]

While I was finishing up a service upgrade today, I went to check the electric range to make sure it was working properly. The homeowner told me that it wasn't. I found a loose connection in the fuse cartridge, so I figured the new panel would solve that problem.

After I went to plug in the range, everything seemed OK (clock was working). As I was pushing it back into place, the back corner of the frame touched an abandoned gas pipe, and sparks flew all over the place. The metal from the frame of the range melted to the gas pipe; I had to force them apart. I went to reset the breaker and broke out my multimeter to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was 122V on the range frame.

I shut everything off and took everything apart, and I found what I expected -- some clown reversed one of the hots and the neutral in the receptacle (three wire). I told the homeowner what I found, and she was pretty upset, as this house is soon to be a rental unit.

Today could have turned out a lot worse for me than it did. Let's be careful out there.

[ October 10, 2005, 09:20 PM: Message edited by: jeff43222 ]

 

[peter d]

Re: Close Call

The more stories I hear like this, the more it drives home the point that you can't trust anybody!

This will remind me to test, test, and test again.

 

[Leitmotif]

Re: Close Call

This gives me more reason to withstand mockery from others (wuzzamater don't trust your own work?) when I use VOM to make sure I got the right wires in the right "holes" and make sure they stayed there and dont fall out and hit the box.

Dan Bentler

 

[busman]

Re: Close Call

Just another reason not to use the Neutral to Ground appliances.

Mark

 

[peter d]

Re: Close Call

Originally posted by busman:
Just another reason not to use the Neutral to Ground appliances.

Mark

This problem was cause by an unqualified person doing electrical work, not 3 wire circuits.

 

[bthielen]

Re: Close Call

I agree that you are probably correct but is it possible that the person doing the electrical work was qualified but a mistake got by, dangerous as it was?

We all make them. If we didn't, there would be no need for inspectors to double-check our work.

Bob

 

[peter d]

Re: Close Call

Bob,

I totally agree. Even the best screw up, and I didn't want it to sound like I was saying that professionals don't make mistakes. But an error that grievous sounds like an amateur mistake to me.

If it was a professional error, he had no excuse to leave the installation without testing it first.

[ October 12, 2005, 02:54 PM: Message edited by: peter d ]

 

[jeff43222]

Re: Close Call

Nope -- this was an amateur job. The unsupported receptacle was on the end of a run of unsupported Greenfield, connected with a big NM connector, and the whole run of Greenfield was wrapped in electrical tape for some reason. Inside the receptacle, the white #6 Cu wire was clearly connected to one of the hot lugs. I have a hard time believing a licensed pro would do all this stuff wrong.

The big lesson I learned from this is that I'm not touching any more appliances until I verify the wiring is correct. I've heard stories about people being killed because of installations like this one.

 

[jimwalker]

Re: Close Call

Keep your hot stick in shirt pocket and use it.You were lucky you didnt get shocked