classic blunders please

[martysparky]

Can you give an example of a classic mistake a spark could make to help create awareness of those situations where someone could come a cropper.

Simple little thing that can catch you out, an awkward situation / situation you'd advise anyone to avoid or anything that might have caught you out in the past.

Hears one: double feed in a 2gang switch, upstairs and down stair lighting, spark turns off the downstairs MCB opens plate and zapp!

 

[Hawk81]

I disconnected a small 3 phase motor from a stone polishing machine so it could be sent away to be rewound. when it came back the guy that operated the machine thought that he could reconnect it without calling me. he put the links on for star, which was right but he then connected the 3 phases on the terminals with the links. a very loud bang followed after he started the machine. motor ruined and overloads. cost them more in the long run. my advice if you are not sure do NOT connect anything up.

 

[jonnyboy1]

i had a good one a few months ago while for a small family company on the rewires in all the house was minging not changed since 60's. So i decided to refit thermostat same hole same place drilled fixing with my 28v sds !bang! Right into the incomer which was plaster deep in the wall. Every hair on my head was burned n the eyes felt like cronic sunburn for a week. Scary at the time

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I'm keeping my gob shut I will let everyone assume that I am an idiot, not willing to open my gob and confirm it.

Cheers.......Howard

 

[martysparky]

I'm sure every spark hear has a story to tell on this subject especially the ones who's been in for the long hall.

Don't be shy

Knowledge of idiotic moments will prevent the same

So lets isolate the blunder moments

 

[martysparky]

I have to admit I've very nearly drilled through a heating pipe that was in the room next to the room I wanted to be drilling into.

Measuring does not always work out.

 

[dixon9]

Ok, here goes....!

Up a ladder, stripping out and cutting old lighting circuit (disconnected), chatting away to the other spark and plasterer, grabbed hold of downstairs ring without realising and snip followed by a long fizzle due to my incredulity whilst the VDE cutters did their job. Ruined the blade edges of course - so another 27 quid for a new pair!

Months later, isolated downstairs ring as double socket accessory needed removing. Unfortunately, old kitchen ring did not form a part of this...didn´t double check with voltage tester (schoolboy error) and yes...another pair of sidecutter blades damaged. RCD did cut in but the small hole in the middle of the blades meant another trip to the supplier!

 

[kevyn]

Always check out the kitchen before accepting a cup of coffee, nothing worse than a dirty rotten hovel and then drinking out of their cups!

 

[malcolmsanford]

Ok shamed into it.

As an mouthy coming out of my time know it all, was working at the old securicor headquaters in Vauxhall. We were installing a standby generator and so runing 125mm^ singles from the geney to the main bus bar chamber, well over 100 odd meters.

Was told by the spark forman to measure the run and we will order the cable as it takes about a week to arrive, but warned measure twice now. Measured up and told him and added about 2 metres on, or so I thought.

Ghoster to run the cable over the weekend, Start 8 o clock Saturday night and by 6am Sunday morning we found out I was about 2 meters short as ordered RED/YELLOW/ BLUE/BLACK..............panic.

By about 1pm gave up trying to find the extra 2 meters, big box, big nut and bolts, some cut down bakerlite and some 35mm^ doubled to make a temp connection to get the site back on. Not enough lugs so had to make up 'U' shaped washers to take the connections nightmare Finished job 4am Monday .................not the most popular guy !!1

 

[cbw]

Dont sit on the live incomer and lean on the neutral bar..............
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.
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[telectrix]

rem. one time, was new year's day, installing intruder alarm. drilling cable entry for front door contact. BANG. straight through incoming lead sheathed supply cable. 6 MEB lads in 3 vehicles on double time.dug up drive 30metres. glad they accepted responsibility, as it should not have been behind architrave

 

[lewlec]

we were carrying out a rewire on bottom floor flat, isolated two dis boards in flat told the lads to strip out..... next day the lady from top floor flat nocked on door asking if we knew why her storage heaters were no longer working........ooops

 

[Knobhead]

Had to make off a .3 paper lead. Came the time to fit the lugs (metric 185mm) they wouldn’t fit. After a lot of swearing and hammering forced the lugs on to the cores time to crimp up and that’s it job done! It wasn’t until we were sat in the workshop later my mate just casually came out with “I don’t remember crimping that last lug!” open front of panel and sure enough 2 crimped, one not. By this time the loading was over 300A! It took a lot of fast talking to shut the plant down again and quick action before the forman showed up to find out what was going on.

 

[marksparky]

wen i was apprentice was rewiring old house with solid stone walls about 2foot thick, was drilling outside light in at joist height (or so i thought) into the floor space eventually extra long sds max bit becomes stuck..... look inside, oh dear no sign of drill wtf? go upstairs into masterbedroom oh no! id obviously measured wrong... only drilled right through the bed and the old dears bedsheets wound round the drill bit about a hundred times!