Had Fun Today

onhand

Got electrocuted 5 times today. Installing recessed lighting in cathedral ceilings and for some strange reason every time I began to thread the wire thru the junction it would pop me but the tips were covered and I was like what the ???? Finally I realized the wiring was so old and the heat in the cathedral ceiling had softened up the wire so bad that it was sliding off like warm butter and making contact with the junction box. Replaced a few feet of it with some new Armorlite and was a snap after that. DAMN HEAT!!! :Thumbs:

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Ted :Thumbs:

mdshunk

I'll add that to my list of reasons why untrained persons should not do electrical work.

I can only imagine how a handyman would have transitioned from NM cable to MC cable within a cathedral ceiling cavity.

Speedy Petey

Jeeze, even I would learn to turn OFF the breaker after the second or third time getting hit.

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Teetorbilt

I usually shut off the power when working, am I missing something here? Is working 'hot' a new trend that I have missed?

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

mdshunk

I really only work hot on three occasions:
1) farm poles, where there's no main disconnect
2) commercial customers with many computers and poorly labeled breaker boxes
3) health care facilities

There's never a good reason to work hot in a home. Sure, I do it from time to time changing a switch or a receptacle or somthing small like that. Changing/adding resessed lights while the circuit is energized is counter productive. Surely these lights were controlled by a wall switch that could have been simply snapped off.

I'm not so sure that I'm ever all that proud of getting shocked.

Teetorbilt

md, I usually have my most 'shocking' experiences on the small jobs.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

K2

On my part time lighting job we work hot most of the time because we are working at night and we need the lights to see. I've been nailed by 277v. 20 or 30 times in 5 years. In the early years i would get it pretty good but after a few times you learn. Allot depends on how much contact you have to the hot, (a 12 wire will get you more than an 18 guage, generally), and of course how well you are grounded is probably the bigger issue. A couple of times i was charged but not grounded but my head was close to the grid ceiling. I noticed my hair standing up trying to make ground. To me a 120 volt night was like a slacker night, not too much to worry about. The worst hits I've seen the guys take is when they "think" the power is off. If I think the power is off I always touch the wire to ground. <P>
I watched a show on the high volt linemen and how they work that hot, They actually get charged when they are 5 to 10 feet away from the line. Looks like some serious stuff. RT

ProWallGuy

I saw that show too. They don't get paid enough IMO.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

K2

I just read the original post. That whole scenerio does not sound good. I've seen wire jackets cooked and brittle around the fixture but nothing like butter. Better have md come over and take a look at that. Those splices,( ??) sound really bad. RT<P>

" Too old to die young"

onhand

Trained or untrained if the cable in the ceiling is in bad shape and very old it is going to peel with the slightest touch. Working with the wires being live I would bet everyone in here has done it. Finally Mdshunk to help you with your imagination of how I transitioned the cable......



I would appreciate any other methods some of you would have completed this task without replacing all the cable? :Thumbs:

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Ted :Thumbs:

Speedy Petey

But the question still begs....why did you have to work on them live?????
Especially knowing the wires were dry and crumbling.
Maybe I'm missing something.

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K2

Sounds like your cans may be cooking your wire and may do it again. Allot of cans need airflow to cool and that may be tough in a rafter space. A compact fluorescent would be allot cooler. Compact fluorescent have come a long way in 5 years but allot of people don't like them so they take them out. If you were getting shocked, were your wires hitting ground once in a while and if they were, the breakers were not tripping? From my remodel experience I've noticed that Federal breakers don't like to trip and they were used into the 70's. I would think that cooking wires and Federal's could spell trouble. Not trying to p anyone of here just thought I might have some useful info anyone reading this thread. RT.<P>


"To old to die young"

onhand

Good point Rob, also reason they were live is there were "OTHER" pros there (Tiling guys) at the same time that refused to have to work in the heat and I aint wainting on complainers like that, I had work to do!

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Ted :Thumbs:

Teetorbilt

I had a good day today too. New empty house, cranked the A/C down to 70, only answered pertinant phone calls. I think that I had a vacation!
6:00. Went and installed a basic marine sound system. 5th anniversery gift for a friend of an amigo.
So much for the good day, now hot and covered with fiberglass dust.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein