Re: Taking Over DIY Work
where a fire starts and what caused it are separate issues. A wire may be energized from remote location. One of the last jobs I did, there was a fire at the other side of the house two years later. The insurance company wanted to know if there had been any recent electrical work, not any recent electrical work in that location.
makes doing "old work" a little risky. If a wire wasn't energized when I got there, and I couldn't see it's whole path, then I wouldn't energize it, even if I could find the end, load, plug, j-box.
The actual last job that I did before knee ops, was one with a 20' high basement the length of the house, and most of the depth. From a distance, it looked like the giant spider of the world lived here. There was no space free from hanging and sometimes bare conducting wires. Joe Todesco would have run out of film. I bid it with quite a bit of leeway, as the contractor was inserting a 2nd floor below original single level. It was a logistical headache to run out to change, remove, reroute, energizing necessary circuits for occupants.
When done, the inspector was expecting to see at least some problems, considering all the illegal wiring that had been done, but there was only one extra box to terminate live knob and tube from somewhere in the upper closed in walls. I used it for hall smoke. Lots of doubled, 4" deep, 4x4's. I had told owners that I would need to open walls in the upper floor if I could not trace actual wires, and they were open to that. Never needed to do that.
I bid it without specifying exras that I included, so everyone was more than happy that I did not charge for all the extra trips. But not everyone was happy about the few thousand extra in the job at first. It was just such a rat's nest that it scared everyone off.
I know several electricians that will NOT do old work. And a few that charge quite a bit to do it. I have worked on other DIY'ers and for some contractors doing DIY repairs, but only as an hourly employee and no assumption of responsibility.
There are a lot of electricians who break into contracting by doing work no one else wants, but the learning curve can be painful if to code.
If I was doing "old work", I would want it in print on contract with liability clauses that I would have to be notified before repair or destruction of any claim, that I would have the right to investigate and verify any claim. That failing to notify me was waiving my responsibility. I would also want the same clause in my insurance coverage. I do not know the correct legal way to do that, but I wouldn't want to do old work anymore without it.
I know that there are a lot of electricians who use this site who do old work. What are your takes on the insurance/liability issue?
paul
