Electrical Problem

abonear

Hi I need some help in this matter.

If a plug is installed with the wires reversed. Meaning the wires that
suppose to go on the brass is on the silver, would that cause
a back feed and to much electicity can come out and burn a
tv.

We accidently did this...we installed a new plug..customer called
stating to much electricity was comming out of the plugs. She
had an electrician come out and he said we were the problem.
We went back and checked and we found that to be one thing
we did wrong. We corrected the problem and we thought okay
never again. Leason Learned pay attention and keep away
from electicity. We thought ...switching the plug..no big deal
$10 fee and we thought customer happy.

Customer now wants to sue.

Any suggestions.

Thanks

mahlere

get a lawyer

Boogga

Try to sort it out with them without going to court. Mediate with them and maybe just fix up their tv or whatever because it is usually cheaper for you and less embarassing. It sounds like they want something out of you and are just threatening to sue you and seeing your reaction.

Boy you americans love to sue each other. That's crap! I think us Australians are following suit aswell, sadly.

Good luck mate.

For all you people in Australia......Enjoy Australia Day Holiday!

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Teetorbilt

Time to pony up for a new TV!

Your basic incandescent lamp wouldn't know the difference but anything electronic (amost everything today) can be pretty finicky as you have discovered.

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JohnJ0906

Did you test the outlet before you left?

abonear

We did and it worked fine.

So I'm not sure..wow...this is a sad day...I hope she will not sue..
real hard leason learned.

So I guess by your answers..we screwed up..

mickeyco

Does the TV have a polarized plug?, if it does you owe them a new TV, if not you can try and argue the case.

mahlere

he did electrical work illegally. he did electrical work without a license.

i'm sorry, i hope they sue him.

mickeyco

I think you can do electrical work in California under a certain dollar amount without a license, not 100 percent sure, but I did read it somewhere.

PipeGuy

Feedback? Over voltage? Burn the TV? No..no..no.

If the TV's power plug can be inserted into an outlet either way (with the blades in either of the 2 positions) then it's absolutely not your fault. If one of the blades is wider, to allow insertion in only one position, then I'd say the customer may have a legitimate beef.

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CE1

Doing electrical work without a licence..Not good

Inserting a two prong plug in a receptacle that is wired wrong should not cause a TV to go south. The reason for a polarized plug is for safety reasons and not necessarily for operational reasons. The internal wiring on an appliance is wired with reference to the grounded conductor (neutral) for safety reasons.

It might of been a previous problem on the circuit that caused the TV to go south. The poster did not say why the receptacle was replaced and I question what was wrong before the receptacle was replaced.

Carry On!

abonear

Well under California Rules...anything under $500 bucks we can do.
So we did not brake any laws in that respect.

The problem is that we hooked up the black wires where the white
wires needed to be..so I'm wondering could that be the problem.
Or could the house have wiring problems..that now she is trying
to pin down on me. Plus one thing that was noticed that there
was no ground wire threw out the house.

As for the plug why she wanted it changed...She did not mentioned any problems with the plug..just that she would like to have a new plug.
Now thinking back....there had to be a problem.

Speedy Petey

Man, I hate to be so blunt, but after this paragraph I can honestly say you have NO place doing electrical work. ESPECIALLY for paying customers.
Are you are actually asking "...if too much electicity can come out..." ??

If you tested the receptacle you would have seen that it was reversed polarity. You obviously did not test it, at least with anything more than a neon lamp tester.

You replaced a receptacle. You say there was no ground. Did you use a 3-prong grounded receptacle? If so what did you connect to the ground screw?

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mdshunk

Handymen have their place in the marketplace. This is just another example of why doing electrical work is not included in that. Fixing the screen door, hanging a few pictures, installing a new doorknob... fine. Electrical work... eh, not such a good idea.

Sparky Joe

Doesn't every electronic device that is plugged in to the wall(like a TV) first run the power through a transformer so the TV can use it?
If so then it don't matter if polarity is reversed, Hell afterall it is alternating current(AC) we're talking about right?

I agree with Speedey, why did you change the receptacle? Is someone making you out to be a paycheck, you seem a likely candidate, hahaha

DAVIS081404

[quote=Speedy Petey;183237]Are you are actually asking "...if too much electicity can come out..." ??


Speedy didnt you see the post that referenced placing your wires at a downward angle, because electricity flows down hill...........Maybe the TV set is positioned below the receptacle. With no way to stop them electrons no telling what could happen.

DAVIS081404

Remember CSLB has a stipulation about doing unlicensed work regardless of dollar amount. You must state in writting to the customer that you are not licensed for the work you are performing. Even if it is under $500 they can cause you problems. I would try to remedy the situation and sneak away withan expensive lesson learned.

Where are you in CA? Im in Bakersfield

abonear

Very true..I'm in South La. You know..I'm aware it was a bad call.,
It was a plug...just one stinking plug..The lady asked me to please
change it and I did'nt think it would be a huge problem..

Again..all I charged was a $10 doe'nt ever cover my gas..Specially here
in California. But again..if It's my fault..I will deal with it..I definately
will try to fix it by paying the damm tv and ofcourse refunding her
$10 but I just did not know this can cause such a problem.

I think she definately had electrical problems...prior me getting there
and I basically took the baite.

Oh..and Yes...I did tell her I was NOT a Certified Electrician.

DAVIS081404

By CA Law telling the consumer is not enough to satify the requirement. This applies to any unlicensed work not just Eletricity and not just under $500. CSLB requires written notification before any work starts, it also requires this in advertising. Best of luck

Sparky Joe

So then does that make you certifiably resposible? I don't think so.
If a customer hires a handyman to do things, it is basically saying they are too lazy to do them themselves, which in turn relates that this customer couldv'e incorrectly wired this receptacle had they not been so lazy.

But California is probably THEE most consumer oriented state(that I know of).

But now I'd like to know; you wired this receptacle, burned up a TV, opened the recptacle again, and then realized the white wire goes on the white screw? Or had you always known and just made an honest mistake and somehow had a messed up tester that said it was right?