VegasSparky
Member
I'm colorblind and have various techniques to get me by. I would enjoy hearing from other people in the trade about this subject. I haven't told anyone that I'm colorblind in my local.
Colorblind electricians???
- Thread starter VegasSparky
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As I recall, there's various kinds of colorblind (colorblindedness? colorblindness?).
I worked with one guy who didn't know he was colorblind until he got into doing commercial. In residential, it didn't matter....he only worked with black, white, red and bare.
But when he started doing commercial, he didn't know that blue got thrown into the mix, as well as brown, orange, yellow, gray, green and the occasional purple/violet and pink.
Seems he couldn't tell the difference between blue and green, so when he made up a box, they got tied together.
As far as I know, he's still an electician, but he just needs to have another set of eyes when he's on a commercial job. He needs to ask someone to bundle the wires that are to be made up together. From there, he's fine. I don't think he makes up any 3? panels, though.
I worked with one guy who didn't know he was colorblind until he got into doing commercial. In residential, it didn't matter....he only worked with black, white, red and bare.
But when he started doing commercial, he didn't know that blue got thrown into the mix, as well as brown, orange, yellow, gray, green and the occasional purple/violet and pink.
Seems he couldn't tell the difference between blue and green, so when he made up a box, they got tied together.
As far as I know, he's still an electician, but he just needs to have another set of eyes when he's on a commercial job. He needs to ask someone to bundle the wires that are to be made up together. From there, he's fine. I don't think he makes up any 3? panels, though.
brantmacga
Señor Member
- Location
- Georgia
- Occupation
- Former Child
i'm colorblind w/ blue and green as well. sometimes they all just look grey. the lighting conditions make a big impact on me too. i'll get wire that i know is green, and wire that i know is blue, label them, and put them in my pocket. now i have a reference. a small flashlight (or picture phone flash bulb) helps out too when i'm in a darkened area. oddly enough i was not colorblind until i had corrective eye surgery. i think it just has something to do w/ how the dr. reshaped my lenses and how they reflect light.
VegasSparky
Member
I'm red/green colorblind. Deductive reasoning is a pretty good method of figuring out the functionality of the wires in an existing J box. Even if the wires are all the same color, you can deduce their function.
When I am pulling in wire, then making up. I read the color of the spool and take note of differences in shade. I might not be able to tell the color, but I can see that one is lighter or darker than the other. When I know the color of the lighter and darker wires, from the label on the spools, I make up the boxes accordingly.
What gives me problems is 277/480 colors, when I do make-up without pulling in the wire myself.
When I am pulling in wire, then making up. I read the color of the spool and take note of differences in shade. I might not be able to tell the color, but I can see that one is lighter or darker than the other. When I know the color of the lighter and darker wires, from the label on the spools, I make up the boxes accordingly.
What gives me problems is 277/480 colors, when I do make-up without pulling in the wire myself.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I worked with a guy who had trouble with red and green. I couldn't figure out why all of the red circuits were tripping when I turned them on. He latter confessed that he had trouble distinguishing those two colors. 
VegasSparky
Member
Why is there such a long delay in the posts going up. I'm new here. Are there many inflammatory posts?
VegasSparky said:
VegasSparky, when you first register your first few posts must be approved by a moderator or administrator, after this they will appear immediately.
This is to prevent spammers from having their post show up.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Roger
VegasSparky
Member
Thank's, Roger, that's understandable.roger said:
tallguy
Senior Member
True enough in 99% of situations, assuming that the person before you was competent. It's that other 1% that would give me pause... there's a world of difference between construction and service/old work -- particularly in residential which has all sorts of wild stuff like Chicago 3-ways that might confound an otherwise sane person.VegasSparky said:
Interestingly enough, we just had a thread about colorblind electricians the other day.
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
I worked with a colorblind electrician for a very long time. When pulling wire, he sometimes had to read the tag on the roll, or write it on himself if it didnt' say (after asking someone). He seemed to get along just fine. Low lighting situations seemed to be more troublesome. He sometimes asked me, for instance, "is this blue or green"? I guess he could tell they were different shades, but just not which one. After he got that sorted out in a given lighting level, he was good to go. I can't recall having to fix any of his screw-ups myself, nor do I recall others fixing his work. I suppose there are different degrees of color blindness too? I don't think that a color blind electrician would get along very well doing service work. There's really nobody to ask, unless you have a helper along all the time.
infinity said:I worked with a guy who had trouble with red and green. I couldn't figure out why all of the red circuits were tripping when I turned them on. He latter confessed that he had trouble distinguishing those two colors.
I worked with that guy too but it was orange and green. His name was Ron.
What the??? Why didn't he TELL somebody?
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
brantmacga said:
I guess if that's the case, I'll scratch that off my to-do list! I'd rather squint.
Some guys are embarassed about it, but I don't know why. There are many colorblind electricians out there, and there's a lot of really good ones at that.220/221 said:
brantmacga
Señor Member
- Location
- Georgia
- Occupation
- Former Child
my mother has the same problem. that one has always amazed me at how almost opposite colors can't be identified.
i've never told anyone outside this forum and my wife that i have trouble. i guess i wouldn't want people to feel i'm functionally inadequate when it comes to performing my job (sound like an ED commercial). anyway, i figured i could spill the beans here. you guys wouldn't have a clue who i am if we met on a job somewhere.
Minuteman
Senior Member
- Location
- The Sooner Nation
brantmacga said:
Your secret is safe here. Just don't join the bomb squad.
Rampage_Rick
Senior Member
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
Like you can tell the difference between duct seal and plastic explosive :wink:Minuteman said:Your secret is safe here. Just don't join the bomb squad.
(this is sure to set of an alarm in the NSA's server farm, a.k.a. "Echelon")
Rampage_Rick said:
That's another trick I like to play on the cubbies.... pull out a hunk of duct seal. They ask what it is. I say "C4. Plastic explosive. You know, the military demolitions stuff you see in the movies....." Then I pick up scraps of wire and start sticking them in.....
LawnGuyLandSparky
Senior Member
Or tape 4 road flares to a wind-up clock, and leave it right inside a gang box. :grin:
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