Electricity in NOLA

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tallgirl

tallgirl

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Glendale, WI
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Controls Systems firmware engineer
Rather than continue to divert the conduit bending thread, I thought I'd briefly share with y'all where I'm at.

I've contacted the Louisiana state licensing folks and left a messaging asking them to get back with me on the basic question of unlicensed people running conduit. I repeated stressed that I was asking about conduit and not about conductors. I'm also struggling with the NOLA city services directory to find someone who'll both answer their phone and answer my questions. I have a message out to my volunteer group to try and arrange either training or meetings with city officials when I'm back in New Orleans in a few weeks.

Rather than assume things aren't going to go my way, I'm starting to work on training materials, with liberal quotes from the NEC, and prolly some drawings (I have a nice 3D CAD program for drawing such things).
 
You in NOLA?

You in NOLA?

I just starting participating in this great website last night tho I have know of it for years. (I reached out for help cause I am buried in my first newbie foreman job....Seems the architect may be more confused than me).

Anyway, I saw this thread and am intrigued or whatever. Why? cause I was living in a Winn-Dixie parking lot one yr ago on Gentilly blvd, near the Industrial Canal. I went to the gulf coast for Katrina and Rita, and you could say I gotta around a bit. I was sent as Red Cross but after 4 days, I left them in San Antonio in a "borrowed" rental as 'Rebel Red Cross'---they were too slow. I traveled to Lake Charles, Cameron and finally stayed 8 days in NOLA. I dropped in at NOLA'a local in Metarie to say hello and at Lake Charles, LA Local I helped unload some special IBEW bottled water & hooked up their computer after Rita kicked their arse.

Hey, anyone from Lake Charles, they owe me a t-shirt and I never signed their book!:mad:

Anyway, what's your volunteer group? What are you trying to do?

BTW, I just got a rare email from some of my fellow grassroots animal rescuers. They said 9th ward looks the same as 1 yr ago. They are gonna send a video clip to me in email. I spent alittle time in St. Bernard Parish and that place is not what you would say, full of southern hospitability. In fact I got chased out of town. But I did get a friendly 1 hr tour of Pump Station #6. This guy, who seemed sincere, said his pump house not Army Corp of Engineer was what dried out NOLA. I believe him.

Looking forward to hearing details.
 
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sparky252 said:
Anyway, what's your volunteer group? What are you trying to do?
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Rather not say who I work with (it's a Google and privacy thing), but we're the folks with the Blue House that was the first place in the Lower 9 with electricity.

What I'm trying to do is find a way to get around the underabundance of electricians. I rang up the group this morning and found that the electricians who were supposedly down there for the past two weeks don't seem to be where they were supposed to be. So ... either we find a way around the shortage of electricians in The Big Easy or we wind up with houses that are still just bare studs on the inside.

As for Katrina stories, I spent my first 3 days P.K. (post-Katrina) across Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish cutting trees. I got there on Friday, we cleared the road by Saturday night, then I went east to Pearl River looking for trees in need of cutting. I spent Rita where I live expecting her to pay us a visit, but she turned north and was way east of here. I went back in December to gut houses and was immediately drafted for electrical work when it was discovered I knew the difference between the white wire thingy and the black wire thingy ;) I'll be back in NOLA again later this month because I'm stupid and addicted.

I'd believe anything someone running a pumping station tells you. I saw the pumps they were running by the 17th Street Canal. Compared to a Wood Screw Pump, they were nothing. Might as well get a bucket.
 
I posted a couple replies but will summarize here briefly. I was told by a Lake Charles, LA local electricians, that they do not have licensed electricians in LA. "You don't need a license".

I was just reading the EMT/Smurf Tube/Romex thread. I think I might try smurf tube. I can bend pipe if you need help still. What are you using to drill out the holes in the stud? HoleHawg. You in wood studs, 2 X 4? Would the driller actually need an "X" or crosshairs drawn on the stud to hit the center, to maintain 1.25"?

I had a good experience building a house w/ all WOMEN volunteers for HFH..Habitat for Humanity. Those women, most NO experience, did well and eagerly followed directions. They laughed and enjoyed themselves. So, some volunteers can be damn good.

I know what you mean about being addicted to help. I know alot of the animal resucers were that. Many passionate groups in animal rescue as well as politics.

PM me more....My speciality is thinking outside the box and being resourceful. I would enjoy coming down there as a bldg volunteer in near fuure but am stuck here for right now.

P.S. "Lower 9th ward...Blue House...If you are in St. b I might not be welcomed. They don't have my name but they were not all so nice" What is the safety issue? Who's watching who? Politics, etc. I never did get it clear the lower 9th ward boundaries. Are those cars still piled up at the east perimeter of St. B, to create their own barrier, like the wall between East & West Germany years ago? St. Bernard Parish is in their own world. They had their on roadblocks/checkpoints behind/within the New Orleans checkpoints. Even oth parish folks say St. B is "different".
 
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sparky252 said:
I was told by Lake Charles, LA IBEW local hall that they do not have licensed electricians in LA. "You don't need a license".
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It's false that you don't need a license, but true that Louisiana doesn't license electricians per se.

See http://www.lslbc.louisiana.gov/index.asp

Louisiana licenses contractors, and their licensing board administers exams for various specialties within that contractor-llcensing framework. So there is a Master Electrician test, for instance, that a licensed contractor can take to expand the scope of a contractor license.
 
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Louisiana law requires that anyone "contracting" for work having a value in excess of $50,000 have a license. I believe (but can't cite anything from Louisiana law) that renovations valued at more that $7,500 also requires a license. The law also takes into consideration subcontractors.

My interpretation of that has been that since we're restoring entire homes, we fall under the $50,000 requirement. There's an exclusion under the law (Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 37, Chapter 24, Sec 2150.1 (7)) for "Home Improvement" services rendered gratuitously, which very likely applies since that's what we do (on account of we're a volunteer organization ...)

However, as sparky252 (and others, including myself) have said, licensing is a good thing, even if licensing isn't strictly required by state law. I would never encourage anyone to take advantage of any exclusion under the law that allowed them to perform electrical work without a license and without supervision of a licensed electrician. That's just insanity.
 
tallgirl said:
I would never encourage anyone to take advantage of any exclusion under the law that allowed them to perform electrical work without a license and without supervision of a licensed electrician.
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I would, but then I'm a bit of an anarchist. I checked into the Louisiana codes before I went down there last February to help my sister repair her house in Rita-ravaged Lake Charles. I took full advantage of the legal exclusions so I could help her out. Granted, no money changed hands, there was no contract, I probably could've passed their contractor exams, and I'm insured out the wazoo, but I still did the work unsupervised and uninspected. It felt great to be a weekend warrior in a place that sells boudin, though I'm sure I missed out on some of the DIY fun by not going to Home Depot to ask for advice. :)

At least my long-retired-electrician uncle was there to give me a hand. It made him feel useful, though I think he got tired of me making jokes about the quality of house wiring and construction down there.

While I was back in my home state, I took the Rita/Katrina devastation tour, from Lake Charles south all the way to the lower 9th ward of New Orleans. It made for a sober Mardi Gras celebration. This photo was taken at ground zero, across the street from the lower 9th ward levee break, in late February: http://tirebiter.net/new_orleans/ninth_ward_1.jpg I was amazed it still looked like that half a year after Katrina, I hope they've at least hauled away some of it by now.
 
hardworkingstiff said:
Seems to be that with the slow down in residential work across the country that it won't be too long before you may be able to get some residential electricians.
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Great Idea! Very valid point! I am disappointed more individuals don't volunteer or seem to not do anything w/o $ compensation. When I mention to construction workers that I, a electrician, was in the gulf coast. They usually light their eyes up and say "Yea, I thought of going cau$e there is alot of work ($)." That rubs me the wrong way alittle. I don't think it occurred to some to give free time.

I actually "enjoyed" my 2 weeks in Tx/LA and it was somehow real easy. Almost like I had a guardian angel on my shoulder as a "tool partner".

And, as my Mom says, "There are Givers and there are Takers in this world".

I hope I don't sound like a martyr. I just feel very strongly about this.

"Grass Roots efforts Rules!"
 
This photo was taken at ground zero, across the street from the lower 9th ward levee break, in late February: http://tirebiter.net/new_orleans/ninth_ward_1.jpg I was amazed it still looked like that half a year after Katrina, I hope they've at least hauled away some of it by now.
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I don't recognize that pile of trash, so I'm not sure which way you were facing.

Most of the area where the barge was sitting has been "cleared", along with the barge (which I think was still there in February). A couple blocks further down river ("east") there are still houses that are smashed to bits.

Lawsuits are holding up most of the remaining demolition in that area. It's not that FEMA can't send a crew with a bobcat and front loader to the house and have it shoved in a dump truck with a few hours work.
 
ceknight said:
I took that photo, then turned 90 degrees left and took this one that you will recognize:

http://tirebiter.net/new_orleans/ninth_ward_3.jpg

Yeah, they had just started finally doing something with the barge while I was down there. Glad they finally got rid of it.
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I recognize that!

I saw it from a distance several times. By the time I had the free time to go check it out closer they had it well guarded and I wasn't going to mess with the guys in the Humvees.

I was there for Mardi Gras as well. If you saw a white Corvette out by the Blue House that would have been me. I'd planned on going to a few parades Mardi Gras day, but when it came time to go I just didn't have the heart.
 
tallgirl said:
I was there for Mardi Gras as well. If you saw a white Corvette out by the Blue House that would have been me.
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I did drive by the Common Ground house. Don't recall seeing a vette there, I think it might've stood out from the surroundings almost as much as my van with NY plates. :)
 
ceknight said:
I did drive by the Common Ground house. Don't recall seeing a vette there, I think it might've stood out from the surroundings almost as much as my van with NY plates. :)
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It should be parked back by there again in a couple of weeks. Assuming they ever answer my e-mail (grrr). I have 13 pages of "how to play with PVC" written thus far, complete with pictures I whipped up in CAD.

Here's one of them --

BasicWallDetail.jpg
 
tallgirl,
The drawing looks good, but if you are dealing with people who have no experience, I think that you will need to show the required condcuit supports.
Don
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
tallgirl,
The drawing looks good, but if you are dealing with people who have no experience, I think that you will need to show the required condcuit supports.
Don
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She did, Don. Arn't the boxes supporting the conduit? :D :D :D

BTW: I can't believe the big residenial EC's havn't jumped on the work. Makes me think theres something somebody isn't telling about. I smell a rat, or in this case a fish out of water!
 
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kingpb said:
She did, Don. Arn't the boxes supporting the conduit? :D :D :D

BTW: I can't believe the big residenial EC's havn't jumped on the work. Makes me think theres something somebody isn't telling about. I smell a rat, or in this case a fish out of water!
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It's sheer numbers, plus logistics, plus supply.
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
tallgirl,
The drawing looks good, but if you are dealing with people who have no experience, I think that you will need to show the required condcuit supports.
Don
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I will in other pictures. The CAD program I have can't "bend" an extruded solid, so doing that would require that I construct a small offset by hand, then insert that between a piece of straight conduit, in order to show the conduit clamped against the stud. That picture is where I illustrate height differences between boxes for switches and receptacle outlets, so I didn't want to complicate it with clamps.

Oh -- if there are any graphics any of you would like me to create that are also useful in the book I'm writing, please let me know.
 
Nice CAD work.... Back on topic, I'll repeat the advice of "Smurf tube" for your specific purpose if allowed by code there. (I would check, but thier site seems to be down? IBC with ammendments?) If so would also suggest plastic boxes, and plastic rings. Just for cost and ease of use to the totally unskilled. Also cheap, and could be re-claimed in future flooding... Simple rules of "Less than 360 degrees of bend - point to point" - "Less bends the better" are pretty easy to follow. From what I understand, you are trying to just get some sheet-rock progress work done, and pull later? That might be your ticket...

As for operationally, I would suggest having an Electrician lay-out the work for others. (If allowed to do so) You can use a method like this, and feel free to use this document if you like.

While seaching for NOLA amendments, I found this gem: I think we discussed this before?
Electrical Inspections Update - A new ordinance allows electrical inspections to be waived by consent of the homeowner and their licensed electrician. The homeowner and electrician will need to print and sign the official certification form and submit the original with a copy of the Class 'A' Electrical license when all work is complete and the location is ready for power.
This will serve as the inspection, and the property will be signed off on by the city for Entergy to restore power.
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Ref: http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx

And, I am not a lawyer, but it seems by the wording, that if you are not handling "conductors", you should be OK. (See Sec 2725 on page 52) http://www.cityofno.com/resources/portal37/Building_Code0903.pdf But would still need your electrical contractor to inspect the work. But you would need to have at least one Electical contractor on your side, and with plenty of leeway given to volunteer organizations - you might not have much of a problem.

I have some friends who left before the storm, then went back to pick up some peices, put them into a bag and leave. Both were in industries that would take too long to recover before they lost big. Now they seem to be doing better than they were before the storm. But in Marthas Vinyard, MA... It gets cold there, and they miss home..... ;)
 
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