- Location
- Massachusetts
Maybe (likely?) it was different in each area. 50 years ago around here you could go into Sears and purchase panels, wire, breakers, fuses boxes most anything a HO might need.
Maybe (likely?) it was different in each area. 50 years ago around here you could go into Sears and purchase panels, wire, breakers, fuses boxes most anything a HO might need.
Plenty of hack ECs out there. One plumber I hired turned out to be a hack so I wound up just fixing the install myself rather than looking for another plumber.Livelihood= yours as in choosing to be an EC.
Manufacturers and distributors only care about their profits, not that you could be losing business or your job because of their policies. Nor do they care about some hack putting himself or his family in danger.
This is just typical of the social climate in this country where nobody takes responsibility for anything.
-Hal
Pete & re-PeteI already said that. :roll:
Plenty of hack ECs out there. One plumber I hired turned out to be a hack so I wound up just fixing the install myself rather than looking for another plumber.
AHJ inspections are no guarantee of a good or safe job done either. Sometimes it is more about the permit fee and property tax increases than safety.
Some jurisdictions may have a very good program but I have found that to be rare. YMMV.
I already said that. :roll:
Yeah, but it means more when I say it.
Yes, I completely forgot I was dealing with the Master of Electricity. :ashamed1:
This isn't a totally new issue.
Some 50 years ago, almost every licensed electrical contractor had a store front that sold parts to walk-in DIY customers. Most of the time the sale was made by one of the office staff, many of which were not qualified to answer questions or provide advice (the knowledgeable staff was out working on jobs). The one I used the most was Kafura Electric, because I could ride my bike there.
Maybe (likely?) it was different in each area. 50 years ago around here you could go into Sears and purchase panels, wire, breakers, fuses boxes most anything a HO might need.
This isn't a totally new issue.
Some 50 years ago, almost every licensed electrical contractor had a store front that sold parts to walk-in DIY customers. Most of the time the sale was made by one of the office staff, many of which were not qualified to answer questions or provide advice (the knowledgeable staff was out working on jobs). The one I used the most was Kafura Electric, because I could ride my bike there.
I still sell "over the counter" items occasionally. Usually items you won't find at local hardware store or local store is sold out of an item.Sure, I remember that but they were selling repair/replacement items, not panels and coils of wire. But those storefronts were sure a good way to get jobs.
Yup. The Sears catalog. I always thought a lot of the major electrical items were for people in rural or farm areas where everyone did there own work. Here, the local store didn't carry much beyond replacement items.
-Hal
Sure, I remember that but they were selling repair/replacement items, not panels and coils of wire.
-Hal
It is also a liability issue , most home owners are required to purchase a permit for the work that is done and to have it inspected by the local authority . This is done so the work is covered by insurance to protect all involved....The issue is not the material you can purchase. It is the enforcement of the existing laws and licenses that are required to install electrical systems.
Long before HD and Lowes came to town, we had the small regional "big box" stores that everyone has forgotten about. I remember they had a full electrical department where you could buy panels, breakers and pretty much everything to do a residential project.
As I stated earlier:
There should be a law to limit the purchase of electrical items besides one box of outlets, one box of switches, and a few covers.
To buy anything else, it should be required that either you are an electrical contractor, or have proof of an electrical permit prior to selling parts.
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It is my opinion that it should be required to have a license to purchase electrical material.
do you agree?
here is why I think this
as an electrical contractor I have to have a masters license to be in business and in my area it takes 7 years in the trade just to take the test. So once you have that you must have insurance and then a county business license. If you have people working for you they are required to have a journeyman's license in which you must have four years in the trade before you can test for this license. So my problem is that anybody with a check or cash can walk into a big box store or an electrical distributor and buy all the wrong material. I see this all the time. go to a job and all mismatch material. Mismatched wire to panel or circuit breakers plastic box with MC an so on and on.
My proposal would be that you must have a license to buy panels, disconnects, wire, boxes, CB, meter cans, etc. allow items like light fixtures, devices, wall plates, light bulbs, small quantities of wire ( like under 100') and under 6 AWG to be purchased without a license. In my area you can take a easy test to do wiring in your own home. So a homeowner can take the test and purchase the material he/she would need to do wiring in there own home.
This is a really simplistic brief proposal but I see all time time people buy all the wrong material for the job. for the large majority of us who are working hard to install the correct materials in a professional manner I think it makes us look bad and unsafe when we allow anybody to buy all the wrong material.
As I stated earlier:
There should be a law to limit the purchase of electrical items besides one box of outlets, one box of switches, and a few covers.
To buy anything else, it should be required that either you are an electrical contractor, or have proof of an electrical permit prior to selling parts.
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It sounds great on paper,
and I get where you are coming from.
No, it sounds awful on paper, on a forum or on TV.
Yes, protect my choice of livelihood by forcing homeowners to hire us. That is where I think 99% of this is coming from.