Neighbor's heavy up

Status
Not open for further replies.
hey_poolboy

hey_poolboy

Senior Member
Location
Illinois
I have been watching a neighbor of mine (3-4 houses down) installing a 200a service this weekend. The POCO usually hits our town on mondays, and thursdays, so they took the weekend to slap up the new service to be ready for monday.

My question is this. These two guys have been at this since saturday morning, and it is now sunday afternoon. They have worked fairly steady on it, but aren't even close to done. Would it put me in a compromising position to see if they needed a hand or advice? It is apparent they don't know what they are doing, and I'd hate to see the guys house burn down.

No, we have no inspection except what the lineman will do prior to slapping in the meter.

thanks,
Mike
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

If you are truly concerned, and you know your neighbors well enough, I can't see any harm done in offering some neighborly advice. The worst the can do is say "Get the heck out of here" and start throwing acorn clamps at you. :eek: The best they can do is say "Sure, we'd be happy to get a hand here."
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

You can be neighborly and help out and if everything goes okay, you will be a great guy and the hero of the day. If something bad happens or things get screwed up later, you will be the jerk who didn't mind their own business and obviously didnt do a good job helping out.

Sometimes it is best to just let things be and not get involved unless asked. Then again, there are not enough people in this world looking out to help a neighbor.
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

Thanks guys!
I am almost to Stew's point, but now my wife is gone and my daughter is asleep.
Bryan had a good point, and that is what I was woried about. These guys are puting a MDP right inside the wall where the meter is, yet they bought and installed a 200a breaker and WP enclosure to install outside the wall as well. I'm betting that they still bond the neutral to the can inside.

Besides, they wasted $200 on that disconnect. All the beer thay've drank, I'm not sure I want to get involved now anyway.

Boy, I sound like one of those nosy naighbor's that nobody wants. :D
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

Ah, yes, the good friends/neighbors that you help out. Something subsequently goes wrong and then it's
"the licensed pro helped me". Maybe we'll see you on Judge Judy soon. :D
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

Not a chance!

The only time I've helped neighbor's in the past is for things like fixing a car or roofing. I don't think I want to be the one in charge. I'll save my help for when they can tell me what to do.
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

In that case, I'd send my neighbor across the street over to help. It just so happens that he's also an electrician. Then I'd just stand back and make comments like, 'Hmmm...I wouldn't have done it like that!' :D
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

This brings up a good question.

A licensed EC sees his next door neighbor installing a service improperly in a place (like mine) with no inspection. He goes over to say hi, and offers no advice. Two years later the house burns down due to something in the service equipment. Is it probable that he would face litigation for not acting to sagegaurd his neighbor from his own foolishnes?

That's terribly big-brotherish, but just hypothetical. :)
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

Originally posted by hey_poolboy:
This brings up a good question.

A licensed EC sees his next door neighbor installing a service improperly in a place (like mine) with no inspection. He goes over to say hi, and offers no advice. Two years later the house burns down due to something in the service equipment. Is it probable that he would face litigation for not acting to sagegaurd his neighbor from his own foolishnes?

That's terribly big-brotherish, but just hypothetical. :)
Click to expand...
I say this is not a good question and the reason I say this is because it shows how screwed up our society is that you even have to think about this. We are a bunch of wussy little babies always looking to blame somebody else. The minute our feelings are hurt we immediately feel we are entitled to cash. Makes no sense to me.
Ex. get hot coffee, spill it on yourself because you are a retard, get millions of dollars. :mad:

The answer to the question is probably kiss your house goodbye.
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

hey_poolboy...I wouldn't worry about a civil suit for not giving advice to neighbors that didn't ask for it. I would worry about criminal charges for stalking of the premises. It is apparent that you know way to much about your neighbors business for it to be a casual observation. An electrical license gives a person the right to perform electrical work for money ( to hold themselves out as a professional, to advertise services), it doesn't give anyone the right to trespass or spy on his neighbors. So put those binoculars away before the neighbors get the wrong idea about you and call the police or being intoxicated decided to shoot a pervert ( peeping Tom ). Getting drunk and burning your own house down is still a freedom protected by the constitution ( if it's not, it should be ), just like the right to shoot nosey neighbors. I'm only joking about the right to shoot nosey neighbors but the wisdom of minding your own business is ages old. In our great country, I have never herd of anyone getting into trouble for not getting involved. There is no Good Samaritan law for electrical work.
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

I may be wrong about this, but I think that the only professions that have a legal obligation to render assistance are the medical profession and law enforcement. Here's an example of what I mean: If a doctor witnesses a car striking a bicycle, and sees that the bicyclist is injured, and if the doctor just walks away, and if the bicyclist dies, then I believe the doctor could be held legally liable for failure to render aid.

That last statement may or may not be true. But I believe that no other profession has a legal obligation to intervene when something inappropriate is observed. Certainly our profession does not carry that obligation.

All that aside, if I were to observe something that I believed would create a risk to human life, I believe that I would intervene.

If you were concerned about legal obligations, or if you didn't want your neighbor to believe you were just out to make some money, you could send an anonymous letter. Obviously you can find out the street address. You could mail a letter, saying that you observed the work that the owner was doing, that you believe that the work was done incorrectly and unsafely, that you wish to offer no insult but rather are concerned that someone could be seriously injured or killed, and that you strongly urge the owner to seek the advice and assistance of a professional electrician.

If you don't do at least some little thing, how will your conscience handle the next 10 to 20 years? Will you from time to time wonder if this is the day that that house burns down? Remember,
An accident waiting for a place to happen will, given time, find that place. ? Charlie Beck, 2005.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

Thanks guys!

I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea here. I was out mowing my yard and everytime I drove that direction I saw that side of the neighbor's house.

I don't sit around and snoop on my neighbor's with binoculars. :(
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

Dont know about the rest of you but my being an electrician is a guarded item.I do not want neighbors knowing and don't want the extra work that might pay only a few beers.If i want overtime i can get it and get paid.Helping out leaves you with no insurance if you get hurt and with no licence to cover any mistakes you might make.Install a high fence ;)

[ October 10, 2005, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: jimwalker ]
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

It must have something to do with the neighborhoods where we live.

I live on an 80 acre country home about 2 miles east of a small town, pop. 1,300. I am fortunate to live in an area where neighbors are still neighbors. What I mean is that whenever someone needs help, it is easily found. There are many times that the help shows up whether one is looking for it or not. It's not just meanial labor help either. Voluntary help can be found from neighborhood craftsmen and women including electrical, excavation, cement work, block laying, carpentry, drywall, welding and fabrication, and diesel or gasoline mechanics. Many times, compensation is offered and sometimes it's accepted and sometimes it isn't. We don't keep tabs on who has done the most or who owes who a favor. We don't worry about being sued. So far we have worked safely and no one has had an accident as a result. I don't feel a need to lock my doors or protect my equipment from theives. Heck, we rarely knock on each other's doors when we stop by for visits. It's like one huge neighborhood family. I personally believe that our ties to our church has a lot to do with this.

I do some farming part-time and it is not uncommon to come home from work and find a piece of equipment missing because a neighbor has borrowed it. Sometimes, this is an inconvenience but they don't live too far away and if they are still using it, another neighbor probably has one I can use. We spend a lot of time helping each other out with our field work and no one worries about getting paid. For me, being a part-time (hobby) farmer, I can understand this but many of these neighbors are full-time farmers so when they take time away from their business responsibilities to help me, I am truly fortunate and grateful.

Bob

[ October 11, 2005, 08:43 AM: Message edited by: bthielen ]
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

It's not uncommon to come home and find a piece of equipment missing here Bob, the only difference is that you are not likely to ever see it again. The place you describe sounds like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting, a place most of us can only dream about. The place where I grew up was something close to that( a few more thieves and a little more violence ) but nothing like today. Even that place no longer exist, crack cocaine & fast money seems to have replaced mom's apple pie. I wish you luck on keeping your little bit of heaven but I wouldn't count on it. Sooner or later some developer will convince everyone that the place will be a lot better covered with shopping malls, condo's and sub -divisions and you don't get all that without bringing in every low life on the planet.
 
Re: Neighbor's heavy up

be carefull of trains as soon as public transportation is offered there goes the neighborhood. been there time to go further north
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top