Customer says "I smell pine burning"

[220/221]

Service call, no power to lights/receps. Troubleshooting in my mind, on the way there, I am hoping it's easy money backstabbed recep. Walking up to the front door I knew it would be more complicated. I noticed a piece of UF with a cord cap and a bunch of UF tacked up under the eaves. Homeowner is a handyman, this could be tough.

He does fess up and tell me of some splices he put in the wall when he cut the opening and, looking at the recep on the wall, I knew (95%) that the issue would be there. He says that he has smelled pine burning recently.

Uh...yeah, that's pine burning, along with tape and wire nuts. It's not a great pic but the top plate had a nice black mark started.

About 8 years ago this clown decided to cut an opening in the living room/dining room partition wall. He ran into a few cables and figured he could just reroute them.

There were TWELVE open splices in this wall.

Had to pull off paneling AND drywall. I started by just cutting openings. Ended up taking off the whole wall. Attic space was only about 24" so I left jboxes in the living room.

 

[wbalsam1]

I'm not able to see the pics.

 

[JAMAN]

Good work OP. I hope on the way out the door you gave the HO a smack across the head.

 

[growler]

He does fess up and tell me of some splices he put in the wall when he cut the opening and, looking at the recep on the wall, I knew (95%) that the issue would be there. He says that he has smelled pine burning recently.

When people get all bent out of shape and say electrical work is not rocket science and that anyone should be able to do it this is the type of work I think of.

The guy did get it to work and what he failed to do wasn't something major, $3 worth of boxes and covers but it could easily have started a fire. Typical handyman work.

By the way those are great pictures.

 

[Karl H]

I see a 334.30 violation. But I won't tell anyone.

 

[satcom]

Open it all up, is a good job

 

[480sparky]

Three pix that will be well used in our never-ending quest for "Hire an Electrician!!!!"

 

[220/221]

I see a 334.30 violation. But I won't tell anyone.

Is that staples? I'm not a big staple fan

I'm just glad I found it in the wall. It was a mess getting it all torn out. The HO helped. He was there the whole time, feeling bad because of what he had done.

I know that the house is full of his and the previous HO's handywork. Work is slow but I really didn't want to do anything else there.

 

[NolaTigaBait]

Work is slow but I really didn't want to do anything else there

haha, thats great...i love those calls when you are scared to look in the attic, cause you know you will see the above pics...i can only imagine what else is behind those walls

 

[peter d]

Is that staples? I'm not a big staple fan

OK, you know I don't take you to task about the snap in bushings, but not stapling? Cmon! :-?

 

[SEO]

I hope that you spell out on your invoice exactly what you repaired and add a disclaimer for all other existing problems yet to arise.

 

[chris kennedy]

but not stapling? Cmon! :-?

How would you swing a hammer in that space? Just tap, tap, tap with your Kliens?

This is a job for a few CJ6's.

 

[220/221]

OK, you know I don't take you to task about the snap in bushings, but not stapling? Cmon!

Staples are like potential little heating elements.:wink:

Banging a piece of metal over a piece of plastic doesn't seem safe.

I hope that you spell out on your invoice exactly what you repaired and add a disclaimer for all other existing problems yet to arise.

Of course. This one also gets an actual letter sent.

 

[peter d]

How would you swing a hammer in that space? Just tap, tap, tap with your Kliens?

This is a job for a few CJ6's.

We get paid to figure out solutions to problems like that. I'd probably put some 3M stackers in there instead of the CJ6's you mentioned, or use the tyraps with the screw hole in them for a cable or two to stay compliant with 300.4(D).

 

[peter d]

Staples are like potential little heating elements.:wink:

Banging a piece of metal over a piece of plastic doesn't seem safe.

Granted, we always use insulated staples here in New England anyway, and in Massachusetts uninsulated staples are not allowed by the state code. But is stapling a wire correctly really that hard? A staple is no different than a 2-screw romex connector. You can tighten the screws too much or you can overdrive a staple.

 

[walkerj]

I have never seen an insulated staple.
I love staples and am not a fan of stackers.

As for the wiring, I am sure 220 strapped it down after the pic was taken.

 

[480sparky]

I have never seen an insulated staple.
I love staples and am not a fan of stackers.

As for the wiring, I am sure 220 strapped it down after the pic was taken.

Now you have.​

 

[peter d]

Insulated staple, New England style:

 

[iwire]

I really want to know why they bothered putting in a doubled 2 x 8 header that does not support anything.

 

[480sparky]

I really want to know why they bothered putting in a doubled 2 x 8 header that does not support anything.

Maybe they already had the 2x8s on hand. 2x4s would have done it, but maybe, since the guy's a true electrician, he went above and beyond building codes and overbuilt it.