Working for nothing?

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ritelec

ritelec

Senior Member
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Jersey
I do alot of "free" work.. I'm a sucker that way…

But I hate when I work, do something to help someone out, then get bit in the butt for doing so..

Years ago……… did a service call, tripped GFCI………. nice guy, no charge………. backed out of driveway, hit wall, $500 damage to truck..

Last year…… did some electric work, paid, done. Owner had two open 3" drains in the driveway? OK, I'll be a nice guy, get a couple plugs and just close them for him. One plug fell in the pipe…… saw it, tried to get it with the snake…..lost it and it went deeper..

I heard a rush of water and saw toilet paper.. jeez.. luckily it cost 300 bucks to have it rootered to the street and I didn't have to come up with 2 or 3 grand to open the driveway.


Yesterday….. 9 hrs of misc. electrical repairs… was asked if I could drill a hole in the bottom of his wall mounted AC that was holding water………. I screwed up and drilled into the condenser coil.
Was about to pay 1200 for a new AC and company to install (total +- 1500) to replace a 15 year old AC…..

Long or short of it, found out I might be able to have it brazed and recharged.. talked to owner… he suggested no charge for the electric, he would take care of AC…


Note to self………. sometimes keep your hands in your pocket.


Thank you for letting me vent.
 
ritelec said:
I do alot of "free" work.. I'm a sucker that way…

But I hate when I work, do something to help someone out, then get bit in the butt for doing so..

Years ago……… did a service call, tripped GFCI………. nice guy, no charge………. backed out of driveway, hit wall, $500 damage to truck..

Last year…… did some electric work, paid, done. Owner had two open 3" drains in the driveway? OK, I'll be a nice guy, get a couple plugs and just close them for him. One plug fell in the pipe…… saw it, tried to get it with the snake…..lost it and it went deeper..

I heard a rush of water and saw toilet paper.. jeez.. luckily it cost 300 bucks to have it rootered to the street and I didn't have to come up with 2 or 3 grand to open the driveway.


Yesterday….. 9 hrs of misc. electrical repairs… was asked if I could drill a hole in the bottom of his wall mounted AC that was holding water………. I screwed up and drilled into the condenser coil.
Was about to pay 1200 for a new AC and company to install (total +- 1500) to replace a 15 year old AC…..

Long or short of it, found out I might be able to have it brazed and recharged.. talked to owner… he suggested no charge for the electric, he would take care of AC…


Note to self………. sometimes keep your hands in your pocket.


Thank you for letting me vent.
Click to expand...

:lol: Been there more than once. You have to laugh, otherwise it gets to be a burden.
 
I've been lucky, most of my mistakes, were because of someone's previous mistake.

I was doing a small TI one day in this shopping center. I just kind of glance out the window and see a police car come racing into the parking lot, then another and then another. Hmmmm, wonder what's going on. I walk out the front door and there are two officers with their guns out peeking into the door of the pharmacy next door. Well better go back inside. A bit later they come over and ask me what I'm doing and if I messed with the alarms at all. Nope nothing to do with next door or tripping his silent alarm. A little later I go to run a flex though the hole I had drilled earlier in the top plate and there is a bundle of torn up wire that I had caught with my auger bit and didn't even notice. The alarm wires went out of the pharmacy, into the suite I was working on and then back into the pharmacy. :ashamed1:
 
ritelec said:
I do alot of "free" work.. I'm a sucker that way…

But I hate when I work, do something to help someone out, then get bit in the butt for doing so..

Years ago……… did a service call, tripped GFCI………. nice guy, no charge………. backed out of driveway, hit wall, $500 damage to truck..

Last year…… did some electric work, paid, done. Owner had two open 3" drains in the driveway? OK, I'll be a nice guy, get a couple plugs and just close them for him. One plug fell in the pipe…… saw it, tried to get it with the snake…..lost it and it went deeper..

I heard a rush of water and saw toilet paper.. jeez.. luckily it cost 300 bucks to have it rootered to the street and I didn't have to come up with 2 or 3 grand to open the driveway.


Yesterday….. 9 hrs of misc. electrical repairs… was asked if I could drill a hole in the bottom of his wall mounted AC that was holding water………. I screwed up and drilled into the condenser coil.
Was about to pay 1200 for a new AC and company to install (total +- 1500) to replace a 15 year old AC…..

Long or short of it, found out I might be able to have it brazed and recharged.. talked to owner… he suggested no charge for the electric, he would take care of AC…


Note to self………. sometimes keep your hands in your pocket.


Thank you for letting me vent.
Click to expand...

"No good deed goes unpunished." - Clare Boothe Luce
 
How true.

I went there and looked in the hole.. Man……JUST got it.

Was going to drill by the back of the leg.. the bit rolled alittle.. about an 1/8 of and inch…thought it no big deal ..but.. JUST got it.

Close only counts in horeshoes and hand grenades ………………………………………



and when drilling weep holes in AC units..


Okay.. building my bridge and getting over it.
 
Some A/Cs are designed to hold the condensate inside the case where the fan can splash it into the condenser coil.
That makes it important to get the angle right during installation so that the excess drips on the outside rather than the inside. :)
 
lent a cabinet maker scaffolds and pickup truck to haul them. backing truck up to get closer to scaffolds i hit his car, man that corrola was no match for dodge diesel with liftgate,
 
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