Wet Fish tape

T

Tbrzezicki

Member
Location
Jefferson Wisconsin
At the shop we have a company fish tape. I'm the only electrician but one guy apparently likes to unclog pipes with drain water in them and gets it all wet inside, and when I picked it up it was still dripping after he wiped the outside of it down. I yelled at him don't ever do it again , he laughed and said go talk to the boss about it. I went to him and believe it or not he backed him up telling me it's my job to make sure it's dry, then he said check it with a megger if i want. I couldn't believe my ears as I was thinking I could have gotten killed if I fished it in a 480volt panel. So I told the plant manager, and he IS a electrician as well. My question, is this against OSHA regs?
 
H

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I know of a guy that was pushing a fish tape into a live gear. The GC told him to stop, he told the GC it was his job and he was going to do it anyway. A few minutes later, a boom, and it burned the fish tape in two. Then the idiot tried to pull the piece that was left off the buss bar! He was sent fishing!
 
infinity

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
If you're going to run a fish type into a live panel at least use one that is non-conductive so even if you screw up there is no boom.
 
ptonsparky

ptonsparky

Tom
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
A rusty or dirty fish tape is a PIA. Then add the bent up twisted mess you get back from the plumber.

Poking it into a live panel even makes it more fun.

Get you own. Don't do the live panel thing for your own safety. Yes, we've all done it at one time or another. OSHA has made us aware.
 
G

garbo

Senior Member
I worked in two shops where the turd tossers ( plumbers ) always took our newest fish so we had to lock them up where not one boss had a key and left a rusted fish for them and they complained that it was too hard to pull out tape. Told them to remove the entire length , wipe it down then run scotch brite over it then oil it. They tried telling us that was our job.
 
PaulMmn

PaulMmn

Senior Member
Location
Union, KY, USA
Occupation
EIT - Engineer in Training, Lafayette College
ptonsparky said:
Get you own. Don't do the live panel thing for your own safety. Yes, we've all done it at one time or another. OSHA has made us aware.
Click to expand...
I agree-- 100' Fiberglass will set you back $120 or so. Label it with your name, "Hands Off," (use the marker with the blinking ink). And keep track of it!
Sharing tools is why most mechanics have their personal tool carts with their personal tools!
 
X

xformer

Senior Member
Location
Dallas, Tx
Occupation
Master Electrician
garbo said:
I worked in two shops where the turd tossers ( plumbers ) always took our newest fish so we had to lock them up where not one boss had a key and left a rusted fish for them and they complained that it was too hard to pull out tape. Told them to remove the entire length , wipe it down then run scotch brite over it then oil it. They tried telling us that was our job.
Click to expand...
1706727354214.png
 
G

garbo

Senior Member
You are correct . WD40 is much better then oil. Have a few 50 year old tools in my garage that rust up and will apply WD 40 on them overnight then wipe it off and reapply another coat. Not the best product for freeing up rusted on nuts or fasteners.
 
G

garbo

Senior Member
PaulMmn said:
I agree-- 100' Fiberglass will set you back $120 or so. Label it with your name, "Hands Off," (use the marker with the blinking ink). And keep track of it!
Sharing tools is why most mechanics have their personal tool carts with their personal tools!
Click to expand...
I worked in large maintenance shops as an sparky but always had the most personal tools and finally stopped leaving my two tool chest & tool Cart unlocked during working hours. Guys would borrow a tap or drill bit and just placed the one they broke back without replacing it. Had a good selection of 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2" drive 6 & 12 point metric & SAE sockets and some guys would mix them up or didn't bother to put them back on socket rails.Boss once told me that I wad not a team player because I refused to let anybody use my meters. Told him that I never share 6 things,: my test equipment, insulated tools,PPE, razor, tooth brush or underwear.
 
hbiss

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
Tbrzezicki said:
At the shop we have a company fish tape. I'm the only electrician but one guy apparently likes to unclog pipes with drain water in them and gets it all wet inside, and when I picked it up it was still dripping after he wiped the outside of it down.
Click to expand...
I would never use a fish tape in one of those silly holders. Real electricians use it loose and know how to coil it. :cool:

-Hal
 
rambojoe

rambojoe

Senior Member
Location
phoenix az
Occupation
Wireman
hbiss said:
I would never use a fish tape in one of those silly holders. Real electricians use it loose and know how to coil it. :cool:

-Hal
Click to expand...
Have you ever seen a real electrician pull on the whole tape case for leverage? Thats got to be pet peeve #346... Ruins the whole thing.
I must admit i used my personal to get debris out of the main drain vent on my kitchen riser a few years back. I couldnt even get the full length down the pipe till i put a huge loop leader on it... I still ended up using acid. Im not even sure one could get a fish tape past the first underground °90... But why a plumber would reach for that instead of a plumbers snake i have no idea...
How does one meg a steel tape anyway?
 
ptonsparky

ptonsparky

Tom
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
rambojoe said:
Have you ever seen a real electrician pull on the whole tape case for leverage? Thats got to be pet peeve #346... Ruins the whole thing.
I must admit i used my personal to get debris out of the main drain vent on my kitchen riser a few years back. I couldnt even get the full length down the pipe till i put a huge loop leader on it... I still ended up using acid. Im not even sure one could get a fish tape past the first underground °90... But why a plumber would reach for that instead of a plumbers
How does one meg a steel tape anyway?
Click to expand...
Have the plumber hold it off the ground. Apply test voltage
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top