Hey there everyone!

[Eric VerValin]

I'm new here to the forum, and thought I might say hello. I've only ever looked at one other electrical forum, and glad I found another. This one seems to have a bit more traffic, which is always a good thing on a forum.

Anyway, a little about me and why I'm posting here in this section. I've been at electrical work for about 8 years now. Probally worked about %75 of that time. (Layoffs, moves that sort of thing). I've worked for a couple of different places doing quite a bit different things. From the small to the large.. I've wired up houses, new and remodel, done some low voltage fire alarm / CCTV installs, HVAC automation at a hospital, building lock down systems and card access controls. Built many smaller retail stores, all the refridgeration electrical work for Wal-Mart supercenters. i've also been a lead guy building another 4 Supercenters..(9 months a peice) Tell me what you think of my pipe rack...

Man I can't stand to see a walmart anymore.. And now I'm working for a guy who has his electrical engineering degree, and gets many intresting projects all over the electrical spectrum. In the last 2 weeks, I wired up service to a Veal barn, and then a new Cellular tower site.


Heres a stand my boss designed on AutoCAD, I cut everything out of stock 20 foot chunks of steel on our bandsaw at the shop, then welded everything up.

Took a bit to level it, but that 480/240 D Transformer weighs in at #940, I didnt want it leaning at all.

Anyway... I've been in charge of a lot of things, probally a lot more than I should be, without a Journeymans liscence. And really over the years, I've always gotten jobs right away. Never had time to really wait to find the best employer sort of thing. usually I''ve been too busy working to get time out to take any sort of formal training or classes, and a lot of the non union guys I worked for, didn't provide any sort of schooling.

I know I know a lot more than a lot of guys out there doing what I do, but I also realized know and understand when I am not sure about something. I find myself now, always wanting to check things over a million times, because I know there is always going to be something I'll miss.


Eventually one day I'd like to finish my schooling and get my Electrical Engineering degree. I went to ITT for a year, but still have to finish that. But I wonder if I should just go to a regular state school and get the full B.S. Engineering degree. Seems to open the door to a lot better jobs, and a future that way.

At any rate, I want to pass a journeyman's test sometime soon. Its really hard to explain to people anymore that I know what I'm doing without it. 1/2 of the companies want to laugh when they see what kind of money I want, and don't have a card to go pull permits and things.

What kind of books are out there that might be good to read in preperation for such a test. And isn't there the 8,000 hour requirement thing too? Shouldn't I be able to call my old employers and have them send me a verified thing to show how much time I have doing electrical work as an apprentice?

Thanks for reading all this crap.. didnt mean for it to be such a long post.

 

[dwellselectric]

Very nice work I must say . Mike Holt has a few books on this site that you can get to prepare for you for the test and he also has online practice exams which helped me out big time! About your hours yes its 8,000 hours and you can call all of your old jobs for the hours you just have to have them fill out the correct paper work. When you fill out your application to take the test you will see the section for that. I would just make a few copys depending on how many jobs that you have had. Good luck!

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I am a resi guy but I am quite impressed with the neatness and organization of the work. Don't know much about the J man License so others will have to help.
Looks like you may be the guy that started wiring with romex and then learned pipe. Is this your work? :grin:

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

That indeed is beautiful work.

My only concern, and it could be a big one, is the raceways are supported from the bottom web of truss framing of the roof support or second story.
I do not believe (I am not 100% sure for the system you are working with) if the bottom web is designed for all of the additional weight. I myself would like to see an engineers approval for that install. Also in the area I live in, we sometimes get very large snow loads in addition.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

In your first picture, is the "power center" one of the prefab services designed and built off site and dropped in?

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Shouldn't I be able to call my old employers and have them send me a verified thing to show how much time I have doing electrical work as an apprentice?

In preparation for future tests, I would solicit your past employers now and not wait for when you need the documents. It is always more difficult to do this when in a rush getting test "stuff" prepared.
Also, they may be out of business later and/or dead.

 

[JohnJ0906]

In preparation for future tests, I would solicit your past employers now and not wait for when you need the documents. It is always more difficult to do this when in a rush getting test "stuff" prepared.
Also, they may be out of business later and/or dead.

I went through just this - past employers out of business, and I couldn't locate them. Cost me a couple of years.

Nice work though!

 

[cadpoint]

Welcome to the forum! :grin: & nice work!

What type of transformer is that, the only reason I ask is that the ones I've dealt with are only for be worked from the front and is duly noted, on the side of equipment, IE limited to the first four inches for installing the service.

This transformer seems set very high inside the housing, and turning the belly of the trannie into a raceway ? This is also different to what I'm use to!

Noting, that people have talked about here servicing a trannie from the back, and even disassembling then, I let those posts go... but I do find this one interesting!

 

[480sparky]

Beautiful work.

I, too, have had the 'honor' of doing a couple Wally Worlds. I liked the work itself, but keep the 'suits' away from me.... too much

And welcome to the forum!

 

[iaov]

Beautifull work. Worked on one Wally World. What a nightmare. They've built so many you would think they would be better organized.

 

[Eric VerValin]

Ok.. so many things to reply to... lets see if I can do this in order...

Nope.. only done 3 houses to date, one I lived in, and 2 others for friends. One I'm sure not too many have seen before...

400 AMP DOUBLE WIDE Woot Woot!! Basically becuase of his water heater and pole barn.

And the bottom side of the lower chord of the perling? Yea I been around that one lol. Supposedly your not supposed to hang anything from there, but every other trade had stuff supported back there in the loading area. Also, those pipe runs are only down there in that first 50 feet or so, the rest is on a rack once it hit the sales floor. Later on, I did re-arrange things, by using a small peice of strut above the top side of the perling, and ran some all thread down thru the other 2 racks as well, so it was all supported ok in the end. (Only did it because I was about 3 weeks ahead of schedule and needed things to do.)

And if you notice a big fat peice of black iron DIRECTLY above the front of my switchgear... lol This is the biggest reason why the pipe is where it is. You can see how 2 are under, and one is over.. I hope they never have to work on that pipe..

 

[Eric VerValin]

Yes, the PowerCenter deal, is a prefab unit. The main gear is wired up, but all aluminum garbage. Wal Mart spec's aluminum on everything... makes me nervous 4000 AMP's and all. Copper or bust if its my job... just eliminates so many ''maybe's'''.

That place was soooooooooo muddy.. one of our cowokers getting the buggy stuck again on the way to our trailer of goodies.

For those of you who know how the Wal Mart projects work... before I started on a complete store, before that job I had worked for a refridgeration crontractor who did the Rack Houses out back, and all the hook up wiring.. I was ''that guy''.. did 25 stores one summer road whoring.. good money.. very drunk.. girls in ohio are friendly.. The last 3 complete stores, I can pretty much say I know all the in's and outs now.. First store I did all the refridgeration ''side'' of the store, second store, I did the front tennant spaces, and the TLE. And the last one I did EDC1, and 4. Plus all the offices and goods stuff back there. I really didn't want to do all that.. seemed like a lot, and it was about a week of taking notes and stuff until I got my ''routes'' planned.


Now the transformer thing... I was thinking that too, but I work for an Electrical Engineer now, who has his masters, and he's ok with it.. I should maybe ask him what he thinks? I'm assuming your talkin about where the LB enters, being towards the rear of the transformer? If it helps you figure it out, I can tell you he wanted every bushing from the gear, thru my hoffman box in the ceiling, and into, and out of the transformer are all bonded together with the same peice of copper. Also have one going into the panel itself off the same ground point. That transformer is facing forward, the cover I took off is the front cover, I'll get a pic of the makeup when I get there on Monday. Crimped all connections. 3/0 coming in, 500 MCM goin out.

Walmart should learn how to pay I'll say in ''closing'' I know we were shorted for 2 stores, when we started the 3rd. They wouldn't pay, but if you don't show up to the next one.. you wont make the money... they really suck... opend 360+ of em last year...

 

[76nemo]

I am a resi guy but I am quite impressed with the neatness and organization of the work. Don't know much about the J man License so others will have to help.
Looks like you may be the guy that started wiring with romex and then learned pipe. Is this your work? :grin:

Nice pic Dennis. That is pretty work, but I perfer HR's in pipe. I like that photo, it reminds me of people who truly put pride behind their work!

 

[peter d]

Yes, the PowerCenter deal, is a prefab unit. The main gear is wired up, but all aluminum garbage. Wal Mart spec's aluminum on everything... makes me nervous 4000 AMP's and all. Copper or bust if its my job... just eliminates so many ''maybe's'''.

I don't agree with that. Aluminum is not what it used to be. When installed properly, it will be trouble-free. I can see why Walmart would spec it - hundreds of stores without copper feeders is a lot of money saved, and much less tempting to be stolen when the store is under construction, especially in this day and age.

 

[Eric VerValin]

Ok.. then answer me this... arent you supposed to retorque aluminum conductrs like that once a year or something like that? Who, and or how will that be possible when a store runs 24 hours a day? I wont stick my torque wrench under there after its on and running.

The only reason I think its bad is just from what I've seen. My friend with that 400 amp service didn't listen to me, and got aluminum. I used a snap-on torque wrench when I did the install, and still within a year his neutral was a little loose. Made his lights flicker a bit if he turned on his hot water. And yes, I know they want to save money.. but come on.. I seen these guys pay thru the ass to move a hallway over 2 feet. After the front tennant spaces were done, they wanted it moved... Got to break up a lot of red concrete for that one.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

400 AMP DOUBLE WIDE Woot Woot!! Basically becuase of his water heater and pole barn.

Eric
Was this job in Indiana?
Does your inspection outfit enforce 300.5(J)?

 

[iwire]

Ok.. then answer me this... arent you supposed to retorque aluminum conductrs like that once a year or something like that?

That depends on who you ask and some will say copper should be re-torqued. The truth is if you keep re torquing a conductor it will flatten out and may fail.

Back to your pictures. That is some GREAT looking work, it really is.

But being from New England I can't help but ask if you have heard of a new product called MC. :grin: The companies I have worked for do Walmarts, Lowe's, HDs etc and I have rarely seen that much tubing in any of those stores.

 

[The Iceman]

Nice work. I know that in florida you need 6 years experience. Your past employers need a notary signed affidavit to prove experience.
I thought I knew alot until I went for my journeymans. When I passed I realized I didn't know crap. Now that Im on this website I realize I still don't know crap.:grin:
I would recommend the Mike Holts DVDs worth every penny. Good luck.

 

[jrannis]

Welcome to the forum! :grin: & nice work!

What type of transformer is that, the only reason I ask is that the ones I've dealt with are only for be worked from the front and is duly noted, on the side of equipment, IE limited to the first four inches for installing the service.

This transformer seems set very high inside the housing, and turning the belly of the trannie into a raceway ? This is also different to what I'm use to!

Noting, that people have talked about here servicing a trannie from the back, and even disassembling then, I let those posts go... but I do find this one interesting!

Its a Y Y transformer. I can tell just by the stand its on:grin:

 

[iwire]

Its a Y Y transformer. I can tell just by the stand its on:grin:

:grin:

In my opinion the transformer stand and installation is a bit ugly but I don't see any volitions unless the area has seismic requirements to meet.

There is no violation in entering the bottom of a transformer....unless the manufacturer has prohibited it.