SouthWire - New website

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A/A Fuel GTX

A/A Fuel GTX

Senior Member
Location
WI & AZ
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Electrician
Wire should be treated like refrigerants.......you must be certified to buy it. That would eliminate all the hacks you see in the big box stores with a cart full of electrical supplies with a basic wiring book on the top of the pile.
 
roger

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
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Retired Electrician
Pierre, I don't have a problem with DIYers, and giving them advice is up to the advice giver.

If we flip the coin, the big box stores (which are for DIYers) sell and cater to contractors.

Roger
 
Pierre C Belarge

Pierre C Belarge

Senior Member
Location
Westchester County, New York
I do not have an issue with who they sell to. I do have an issue with a company like South Wire joining the multitude of ranks that already exist, explaining how to do electrical work.
If they want to help the DIYers, they could teach them about the safety of our industry and the pitfalls of the work. To me that would show a company truly cares. Otherwise, it is another ploy strictly employed to increase their bottom line, with disregard towards the professional who is the majority of their sales.
JMHO
 
S

SEO

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
The problem I have with DIYers is they have little or no skill and they don't pull permits. It's a recipe for disaster. Everyone has heard the saying I'll do it right it's my own house.
 
roger

roger

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Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
SEO said:
The problem I have with DIYers is they have little or no skill and they don't pull permits. It's a recipe for disaster. Everyone has heard the saying I'll do it right it's my own house.
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But, if they do pull a permitt and perform the wiring correctly.....

What I'm more scared of is the DIYer back yard mechanic putting brakes on his car or bolting up a front end then coming at you and others on the highway at 70 MPH, they don't have to have any one inspect their handy work.

At least the DIYer performing wiring on his own house has the hazzards pretty much confined to himself and his family.

Roger
 
C

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
SEO said:
The problem I have with DIYers is they have little or no skill and they don't pull permits. It's a recipe for disaster. Everyone has heard the saying I'll do it right it's my own house.
Click to expand...

So Southwire shouldn't try to cater to diy'ers because some don't pull permits...?

I honestly could careless about who Southwire markets to on their website or if "do-it-yourselfers" is the first link above "residential" and "commercial." Seems like some folks like getting worked up over nothing.

EDIT: Roger beat me to it.:cool:
 
peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
I would hazard a guess that DIY sales make up the tiniest fraction of Southwire's total yearly sales. Southwire does produces lots of NM cable (and every other type of building wire) but they also sell MV cable and utility products. I hardly consider them a DIY oriented company. ;)
 
mivey

mivey

Senior Member
jxofaltrds said:
Do you see any problems with this how project?
http://www.southwire.com/retail/disposalUnit.htm
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I see some amateur hour editing. They should stick to what they know. It sounds like some 3rd party add-on to their site.

One of the steps:" Pull the wire from your existing power source into the switch location. Install the two wires in the switch box". Not a lot of detail for the DIYer.

Another step: "Using pliers, loop the black wires to the screw terminals clockwise on the switch". Now we go to gross detail.

Another step: "Wrap the switch with electrical tape to protect the terminals." Now it's just gross.
 
W

wptski

Senior Member
Location
Warren, MI
Maybe auto parts stores should only sell parts to licensed auto mechanics. Plumbing supplies should only sell to licensed plumbers.

If HomeDepot and Lowe's only sold to licensed trades people they wouldn't be in business.

Every time this comes up, I have to ask how much carpentry, plumbing, auto, etc. do you do instead of hiring somebody? You'd be two faced to say that somebody can't do your work but you can do theirs!
 
H

hardworkingstiff

Senior Member
Location
Wilmington, NC
wptski said:
Maybe auto parts stores should only sell parts to licensed auto mechanics. Plumbing supplies should only sell to licensed plumbers.

If HomeDepot and Lowe's only sold to licensed trades people they wouldn't be in business.

Every time this comes up, I have to ask how much carpentry, plumbing, auto, etc. do you do instead of hiring somebody? You'd be two faced to say that somebody can't do your work but you can do theirs!
Click to expand...

And you have to buy your asprin from a Doctor because we can't have you practicing medicine without a license.

The biggest problem with a DIY'r is when the home gets sold. My neighbor just sold his house after owning for 4 years and he bought it from Tom who was a DIY'r. The guy that just sold it said "I should have known better than to buy a house from a handyman".
 
W

wptski

Senior Member
Location
Warren, MI
hardworkingstiff said:
And you have to buy your asprin from a Doctor because we can't have you practicing medicine without a license.

The biggest problem with a DIY'r is when the home gets sold. My neighbor just sold his house after owning for 4 years and he bought it from Tom who was a DIY'r. The guy that just sold it said "I should have known better than to buy a house from a handyman".
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When one is refering to DIY'r, I don't think that the medical field comes to mind.

Where do you draw the line? At your trade only? So you hire somebody for anyother work except electrical?

There are bad DIY'rs and bad licensed trades people. You call them a "hack" here.

I just replaced two original outside lights. I expected and ran into rusted screws. Had to soak a inside bracket screws with Liquid Wrench but still had to use pliers on one screw. No wonder, instead of a 8-32 screw, they rammed in two sheet metal screws! I had to run a tap into the holes. A DIY'r didn't build this home.
 
B

brother

Senior Member
Location
"I have learned, in whatsoever STATE I am, therewi
I agree, I would not want to restrict the rights of a person to work on their own house.
I have done my own minor plumbing repair (replacing a faucet) to patching sheet rock.

The laws in my area are there for a homeowner to have to request a permit to have work checked out. But to deny them to do the work is wrong. That would make me mad.

This story reminds me of the one one post where a Homedepot/Lowes guy refuse to sell to a customer because they didnt 'seem' like they knew what they were doing. thats just not right!!
 
Pierre C Belarge

Pierre C Belarge

Senior Member
Location
Westchester County, New York
brother said:
Heres the Circuit Detective, he's also helping 'DIY'ers . I bet you might really hate this guy Pierre!!


Solve Home Electrical Problems Yourself !

http://www.thecircuitdetective.com/index.htm
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If you read my posts, it is not DIYers or their sites that I have issue with. It is a company that depends on the professionals to keep them in business. And that company is now, in my opinion, stepping on the hand that feeds it by explaining (and doing so poorly) to their own customers how to cut the professional out of the loop.
Read my second post, it sums it up.
 
B

brother

Senior Member
Location
"I have learned, in whatsoever STATE I am, therewi
Pierre C Belarge said:
If you read my posts, it is not DIYers or their sites that I have issue with. It is a company that depends on the professionals to keep them in business. And that company is now, in my opinion, stepping on the hand that feeds it by explaining (and doing so poorly) to their own customers how to cut the professional out of the loop.
Read my second post, it sums it up.
Click to expand...

Ok, I got your point Pierre. But isnt that guy (the circuit detective) doing the same thing?? Hes actually an electrical contractor helping the 'DIY' and cutting himself and other electrical contractors out of the loop.
 
I

itsunclebill

Member
Location
CO
Occupation
99% Retired Electrical Contractor
Although it wouldn't stop un-permitted work completely, I see no reason why there shouldn't be a requirement to show a permit or license to buy panels, meter cans, conduit, can lights, and wire. This still gives the latitude to buy parts for repairs.

Short of some kind of weird high school science experiment what can you do with any of this stuff that doesn't require a permit if done legally? You are no longer preventing a homeowner from doing their own work, you're just doing a bit more to see they are doing it legally. And, in the process, you'd be helping limit the number of under cabinet lights the handyman can tie into the small appliance circuits with #14 wire.

I absolutely do not understand why we force electricians to have insurance and continuing education when we sell the materials to do the job to anbody who can whip out a credit card - the last sore point being a $14,000 standby generator and transfer switch almost completely destroyed by the homeowner who bought it from an electrical supply house. What permit? I didn't know..........
 
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