Ratted someone out today...

Status
Not open for further replies.
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Normaly, I don't care about if someone has a permit for what they are doing or not - NoMFB....

But today - this guy comes across the street and asks, "Are you an electrician?" (Me the guy with wire in hand....) Yeah..... So this guy starts describing that he has 'like 200 volts on one leg' of his panel and just blew up a cash register in a coffee shop across the street - I can see the smoke still clearing!!!!! So I ask, "Are YOU an electrician?" He says yes... I look up at the transformers feeding the building in plain site, and say its a high leg delta - its normal, and for some reason describe one to him.... And how yeah back in the day I too have blown stuff up, wait 'why am I telling you this???????' I ask myself... "Sorry I don't have time to talk...." Busy working....

So anyway coffee time - I'm sitting my truck with my home brewed thermos - with full vantage of this guy still fiddling in the panel - then the front lights go on - flash bright - then black. (Just high legged the HPS lights out front...)

Then at lunch - the coffee shop this dope is in has a sign saying "Open at 11am" is still closed and the dope is still in the window scratching his head and flipping breakers... All through lunch I think to myself - he is probably trying to figure out why all the motors are reversed now....

3:45 I'm packing up and get a call about scheduling an inspection - from an Inspector.... And I look over and that guy is still fiddling in that panel, the shop is still closed and I look up above the coffee shop and 'people might live there' I think to myself...... And I stop dead in the tracks of my little conversation of weather I need an AIC letter on not on some other job with the Inspector, and said "Right now - I'm on (Blah & blah) and across the street at (Blah blah - well known coffee chain) there is some idiot that has no clue to as what he is doing on a high leg panel - blowing stuff up - doubt he has a license or a permit...."

As said - normally I could care less - but if someone lived above this place I could not have it on my conscience. How many "Hail Mary's" do I owe?
 
e57 said:
As said - normally I could care less - but if someone lived above this place I could not have it on my conscience. How many "Hail Mary's" do I owe?
Click to expand...
I'd say none, in fact maybe you have a credit now :)

On the other hand, I remember how confused I was the first time I ran into a high leg service. Luckily I was smart enough to meter it, then stop and figure out what the heck was up before doing anything else...
 
My only problem with what you did is that it sounds as if you feel that you did something wrong.

I don't understand why people feel bad about taking action when they see somebody doing something wrong.

You did the right thing.

I won't bore you all with the story of the altercation I had with the guy who parked in a handicapped space a couple of weeks ago. :rolleyes:
 
This guy may or maynot be an electrician.At best its fair to say he is uneducated.A cheap volt meter was all he needed.Someone has a huge bill to pick up.If he is licensed and pulled permit then no problem if not then you helped our trade by turning him in.I also giving you credit.Be smart move to put your buisness card on his front door.
 
don't even know if he needs permit might be doing repair work..hope he has good insurance and lawyer..loss of days worth of business plus several dollars worth of new appliances..Plus the hassle maybe it is good education for both parties..
 
e57 said:
But today - this guy comes across the street and asks, "Are you an electrician?" (Me the guy with wire in hand....) Yeah..... So this guy starts describing that he has 'like 200 volts on one leg' of his panel and just blew up a cash register in a coffee shop across the street - I can see the smoke still clearing!!!!! So I ask, "Are YOU an electrician?" He says yes...
Click to expand...

If a guy comes across the street and ask me if I'm and electrician then I feel that I should be able to ask him a couple of questions. The most obvious question is " who do you work for". If I know the contractor I may call them ( or advise the employee to call in and get help) and tell them they have a problem out in the field as a professional courtesy.

If he's a hack or handyman then there is nothing wrong with reporting him.
 
e57 said:
How many "Hail Mary's" do I owe?
Click to expand...
That's easy: 53! If you're into HM's at all, you will probably know the significance of that number. Anyway, if you can't take a moment to be thankful when your conscience has led you to the right choice, it might become harder to successfully plead forgiveness when you make the wrong choice.
 
e57 said:
Normally, I don't care about if someone has a permit for what they are doing or not - NoMFB....

But today - this guy comes across the street and asks, "Are you an electrician?" (Me the guy with wire in hand....) Yeah..... So this guy starts describing that he has 'like 200 volts on one leg' of his panel and just blew up a cash register in a coffee shop across the street - I can see the smoke still clearing!!!!! So I ask, "Are YOU an electrician?" He says yes... I look up at the transformers feeding the building in plain site, and say its a high leg delta - its normal, and for some reason describe one to him.... And how yeah back in the day I too have blown stuff up, wait 'why am I telling you this???????' I ask myself... "Sorry I don't have time to talk...." Busy working....

So anyway coffee time - I'm sitting my truck with my home brewed thermos - with full vantage of this guy still fiddling in the panel - then the front lights go on - flash bright - then black. (Just high legged the HPS lights out front...)
Then at lunch - the coffee shop this dope is in has a sign saying "Open at 11am" is still closed and the dope is still in the window scratching his head and flipping breakers... All through lunch I think to myself - he is probably trying to figure out why all the motors are reversed now....

3:45 I'm packing up and get a call about scheduling an inspection - from an Inspector.... And I look over and that guy is still fiddling in that panel, the shop is still closed and I look up above the coffee shop and 'people might live there' I think to myself...... And I stop dead in the tracks of my little conversation of weather I need an AIC letter on not on some other job with the Inspector, and said "Right now - I'm on (Blah & blah) and across the street at (Blah blah - well known coffee chain) there is some idiot that has no clue to as what he is doing on a high leg panel - blowing stuff up - doubt he has a license or a permit...."

As said - normally I could care less - but if someone lived above this place I could not have it on my conscience. How many "Hail Mary's" do I owe?
Click to expand...



I am going to guess that the coffee shop ( that probably has green awnings ) won't be open today either.
If you believe you need to say "hail Mary's" you need to think that you may have been put there at that time to save someone ( maybe the "electrician" ) from a fire.
As far as permits if someone knows what they are doing "who cares?" but when an idiot walks in and starts blowing stuff up and then keeps blowing stuff up :-? then I say "turn them in" :grin: These are the guys that cause us to look bad. I only hope the city nails this guy to the wall.
 
e57 said:
Normaly, I don't care about if someone has a permit for what they are doing or not - NoMFB....

But today - this guy comes across the street and asks, "Are you an electrician?" (Me the guy with wire in hand....) Yeah..... So this guy starts describing that he has 'like 200 volts on one leg' of his panel and just blew up a cash register in a coffee shop across the street - I can see the smoke still clearing!!!!! So I ask, "Are YOU an electrician?" He says yes... I look up at the transformers feeding the building in plain site, and say its a high leg delta - its normal, and for some reason describe one to him.... And how yeah back in the day I too have blown stuff up, wait 'why am I telling you this???????' I ask myself... "Sorry I don't have time to talk...." Busy working....

So anyway coffee time - I'm sitting my truck with my home brewed thermos - with full vantage of this guy still fiddling in the panel - then the front lights go on - flash bright - then black. (Just high legged the HPS lights out front...)

Then at lunch - the coffee shop this dope is in has a sign saying "Open at 11am" is still closed and the dope is still in the window scratching his head and flipping breakers... All through lunch I think to myself - he is probably trying to figure out why all the motors are reversed now....

3:45 I'm packing up and get a call about scheduling an inspection - from an Inspector.... And I look over and that guy is still fiddling in that panel, the shop is still closed and I look up above the coffee shop and 'people might live there' I think to myself...... And I stop dead in the tracks of my little conversation of weather I need an AIC letter on not on some other job with the Inspector, and said "Right now - I'm on (Blah & blah) and across the street at (Blah blah - well known coffee chain) there is some idiot that has no clue to as what he is doing on a high leg panel - blowing stuff up - doubt he has a license or a permit...."

As said - normally I could care less - but if someone lived above this place I could not have it on my conscience. How many "Hail Mary's" do I owe?
Click to expand...

I dunno. The only 'evidence' you had is your opinion of what MIGHT be happening accross the street. You have not actually seen the panel inside, taken a measurement, etc., in other words you jumped to conclusions.

I wonder if during your coffe break you could have walked over and asked him if he needs any help, press him a little more on his licence issue, and if you are certain that he performing illegal work advise him that he should not be doing something that he is not qualified to do and if he persisted, letting him know that he is being reported.

That's what I would've done and my conscience would have not even a ripple of a question wether I did the right thing or not.
 
pbeasley said:
On the other hand, I remember how confused I was the first time I ran into a high leg service.
Click to expand...

My boss drilled me on the ins & outs before I was allowed to even get near one. Consequently, I have no stories to tell.

I've floated a neutral or two, though.
 
weressl said:
I dunno. The only 'evidence' you had is your opinion of what MIGHT be happening accross the street. You have not actually seen the panel inside, taken a measurement, etc., in other words you jumped to conclusions.

I wonder if during your coffe break you could have walked over and asked him if he needs any help, press him a little more on his licence issue, and if you are certain that he performing illegal work advise him that he should not be doing something that he is not qualified to do and if he persisted, letting him know that he is being reported.

That's what I would've done and my conscience would have not even a ripple of a question wether I did the right thing or not.
Click to expand...

There is no way I would have set foot, unless invited by the owner, on that property. Calling the AHJ was the right thing to do. If everything was on the up and up, there should be no problems. If things were amiss, it is up to the AHJ, the contractor and the owner to sort out among them. I have been on commercial retail jobsites before where the AHJ showed up because a rival business saw me there and wanted to pimp the owner. Everything on my end was in order and there were no problems. It just added to my credibility as far as the AHJ was concerned.
 
weressl said:
I dunno. The only 'evidence' you had is your opinion of what MIGHT be happening accross the street. You have not actually seen the panel inside, taken a measurement, etc., in other words you jumped to conclusions.

I wonder if during your coffe break you could have walked over and asked him if he needs any help, press him a little more on his licence issue, and if you are certain that he performing illegal work advise him that he should not be doing something that he is not qualified to do and if he persisted, letting him know that he is being reported.

That's what I would've done and my conscience would have not even a ripple of a question wether I did the right thing or not.
Click to expand...

In a perfect world, that would be a great approach. However, since it is not, and the guy in all probablity was not licensed/qualified for the work, he might not take being told he has been reported. Especially if the one that reported him is in a service van/truck with a name on it. Call me cynical, but flat tires or abuse from a guy getting my number is of great concern.

Furthermore, if he is legit, then the AHJ may check in and find all to be in order. No harm no foul.

c2500
 
I think like you, in that it's really none of my business what another guy does. But, if I was on the phone with the inspector at the moment you were, I'd have mentioned it too and wouldn't have felt bad about it. I just wouldn't have gone out of my way to dial the phone purposely to report it. I'm not the electric police.
 
acrwc10 said:
[/color]


I am going to guess that the coffee shop ( that probably has green awnings ) won't be open today either.
If you believe you need to say "hail Mary's" you need to think that you may have been put there at that time to save someone ( maybe the "electrician" ) from a fire.
As far as permits if someone knows what they are doing "who cares?" but when an idiot walks in and starts blowing stuff up and then keeps blowing stuff up :-? then I say "turn them in" :grin: These are the guys that cause us to look bad. I only hope the city nails this guy to the wall.
Click to expand...

Nah - this one has a giant bagel out front - local chain... And yep - he was there again today poking around at it for a while... Right there in the front window. No apparent code cops on the city pay-role... Or at least I didn't see them today. It was open today and customers were right up behind him putting cream in thier coffee this morning.

Anyway - so when the guy came over and for whatever reason told him the voltage was normal as the building I was in is on the same transformer and started explaining what a Delta system was to this dope (Did not want to mention his lack of english skills because I don't think that makes a difference either way) but he had no idea of what I was talking about, but he did ask if I would help him... (Only reason I felt any guilt at all.) Until I told him my rates. :rolleyes: And I did ask what it was he was doing in the first place. "Moving the panel back so they can use the counter." It was on the front edge so it had work-space originally - he was 'correcting' that so it didn't have work-space any longer. And I just said - "Oh no code book huh? Sorry no way I can help you unless you put it back." That was the end of my conversation with him.

So from that - I figure I could tell a few things: No code compliance, if he did have a permit it wasn't gonna pass, if he didn't have a permit and got all the stuff in there to 'work' who knows how it it would be? But if it did - somebody gets to move it back some day... Because he had no clue that the purpose of the job he was doing was un-doing a correction to comply with code. But in the mean time who knows what is happening in there - all I can see is him nervously swapping wires on breakers in what looks to me a half-assed attempt to unscramble an egg. But no permit cops desended from the sky today.... Looks like if he ever gets the stuff working - he'll get away scott-free...
 
I wonder how many circuits with shared neutral will end up wrong.Working and right are not the same.This is a fire waiting to happen.You did all you should have done.Let it up to the inspector.Last thing you need is your name being bashed as a trouble maker.Very sure he is not getting paid after all he burned up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top