What Mistakes Have You Done?

[Paul.M]

On site today and I had an Ashley backbox that was loose on one side because the plasterer is rubbish (another story). Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick fix by putting some fire foam on the dodgy side to hold it in the cavity wall. The walls are full of the stuff anyway.


I'm there putting a bit in at a time so not to over fill the void. Ok a bit more as nothing is showing. Ok a bit more, still nothing foaming back at me. Ok a lot more until it starts foaming back at me..... That was a bit of a mistake.

One of the building site labourers said "are you sure your not going through the other side?"

Me "No, don't think so mate. Let's just have a look to check." Then I saw this coming out of the other room:-

Paul you rounded door handle. I've only gone and put way too much in and its now running down the wall like a slow moving waterfall! Btw this picture was taken just as the flow began, ten seconds later I was too busy to take a pic but it was worst than that!

Twenty mins spent cleaning the foam from the other backboxs and cables, another 40 mins cleaning the bloody foam from my hands and screwdriver, what a prat . Oh, that's a £40 socket that I've just wrecked, its in the bin, they can clean it if they want because I'm not.

Head spark just laughed at me and then banned me from using the foam gun again unless supervised! Think he was joking but I'll put that to the test tomorrow .

Lesson for today Paul, don't be out done by the words of wisdom from a builders labourer again lol.





What silly mistakes have you done in the past? This could be an interesting thread if people own up?

 

[DurhamSparky]

Carried out a IR test on a circuit that had work colleague attached to other end of it....!

Worked for Mr Electric... (biggest mistake)

replaced a blown fuse wire with a snip of 1.5 .. (temp perm fix)

bought a rover 420di

become a sparky and not a train driver..

 

[Guest111]

Carried out a IR test on a circuit that had work colleague attached to other end of it....!

Worked for Mr Electric... (biggest mistake)

replaced a blown fuse wire with a snip of 1.5 .. (temp perm fix)

bought a rover 420di

become a sparky and not a train driver..

Oh the good old days! remember when half the plugs you opened on jobs had foil from a smoke packet round the fuse?

 

[Jabbajaws]

The first time l ever installed smoke alarms, l omitted the earth, (thinking that well they made of plastic so l didnt need it) until l realised once that everything was in and fully plastered that l couldnt perform a Zs reading for the certs... Duh!!!!

 

[PEG]

Got my stihl saw out to trim some stone for me mums Dunsley boiler stove base,forgetting my mate had borrowed it previously.Checked the fuel and pull cord,never checked diamond disc was tight.Got warmed up and up to warp speed (5000 rpm) as i started the cut she jumped and set off like Usain Bolt,over junction of cul-de-sac,up kerb,over pavement main road,another kerb,off tree root along pavement past old folks home to end up rattling on deck as in cartoons.Total trip of 80 metres plus 4 PM on a weekday afternoon! Carried it back to the origin of its escape hugging it like a naughty child...

 

[Npt88]

Went to see a mate on a job he was doing in an accomadation block, Needing a 'Number 2' asked him where the toiliets were and off I went. Sat down nicely minding my own bussiness and hear 2 girls come in chatting away in the cubicles next to me. I was in the females loo!! I couldn't leave until they finished and left 20 mins later incase we walked out at the same time and I looked a perve!!

 

[DNS1]

Worked on a sound stage in Sheffield years ago when I was a sound and lighting technician...

All the power went through a DB which was under the stage and I had to go and connect a few things up during the concert. Crawled back out and was very confused to see 2 guys waving at me frantically. I shrugged my shoulders and gave them the look of "what are you on about?"

Turns out I was crouched in front of their transmitter which was sending a line of sight link to their broadcast truck, and me being in the way had just knocked out the Galaxy FM live broadcast!

Oops!

 

[Paul.M]

"

Turns out I was crouched in front of their transmitter which was sending a line of sight link to their broadcast truck, and me being in the way had just knocked out the Galaxy FM live broadcast!

Oops!"



That was you! I was listening to that at the time, few years ago.

 

[trev]

"
and me being in the way had just knocked out the Galaxy FM live broadcast!

I've often considered knocking out the Galaxy FM presenters because of the awful music they play

 

[Paul.M]

Bank holiday weekend last year, Friday 3 o'clock job and knock. Putting the front panel back on the cu in a bar/nightclub and I knocked one of the mcbs off without noticing. Packed up my gear and just about to leave when the manager asked me why the music isn't working? Checked board and turned the mcb back on.

Not as simple as that, ho no...... I've only knocked off the supply to the main computer hub that controls the music, tils, cctv and it up links to their head office. A really good system when it has power, without power it needs an IBM computer engineer to come out and reset it! I stayed until after 5 o'clock for him to turn up and he was there for a few hours afterwards, god knows how much that costs? I didn't get the blame in the end, the computer system has a back up battery system that failed so I got off the hook on this occasion and the company I was working for didn't have to pay the call out bill plus any loss of earnings for the club.

Bricking myself for quite a few hours that night until I called the manager up and heard music in the background. Shutting down a bar/nightclub just before they open on a busy Friday night! Note to self, make sure everything is switched on before leaving.

 

[edrobbo8]

Used to work for a farmer during Summer a few years back, and was sat on the slurry pump while he was out spreading the slurry around the fields. 10pm at night and he calls to say switch the pump off and pack up, all done. Great thinks I, Friday night, in the pub for a few before closing........

Disconnected the pipe going from pump into slurry tank, everything is turned off, I forget that although the pump is off, there is an amount of slurry in this 12 inch pipe that is under pressure......undid the big clips and WOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Head to toe in slurry.

Driving home like a complete idiot to get showered and going down the Fosse Way at over 100mph (dead straight road, 1030 at night), what's coming the other way? Yep, the rozzers........I think being head to toe in slurry convinced them I was in a rush to get showered!!!! Managed to get off with a slapped wrist as they had no proof.....

Worst Friday night I have ever had!!!

 

[Jonny66]

According to sparks1973 in the thread " meter tails too long" I may have implied applying diversity to instantaneous water heaters, and as such must now be punished by torture or death. In my defense it was a slip of the tongue and I have never conversed with the devil or the NIC EIC.

 

[trev]

Heretic, even your name would imply the devil's work if it had another 6. You must be burnt

 

[tidyboiler]

Used to work for a farmer during Summer a few years back, and was sat on the slurry pump while he was out spreading the slurry around the fields. 10pm at night and he calls to say switch the pump off and pack up, all done. Great thinks I, Friday night, in the pub for a few before closing........

Disconnected the pipe going from pump into slurry tank, everything is turned off, I forget that although the pump is off, there is an amount of slurry in this 12 inch pipe that is under pressure......undid the big clips and WOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Head to toe in slurry.

Driving home like a complete idiot to get showered and going down the Fosse Way at over 100mph (dead straight road, 1030 at night), what's coming the other way? Yep, the rozzers........I think being head to toe in slurry convinced them I was in a rush to get showered!!!! Managed to get off with a slapped wrist as they had no proof.....

Worst Friday night I have ever had!!!

Is the Fosse Way in Chedworth or near?

 

[Jonny66]

Ok if you insist, but can I be burnt on friday, I've got to install some lights tomorrow with just the use of some toilet roll tubes and sticky back plastic and satans will, oh sh*t alright I am a witch burn me then.

 

[DNS1]

Not my mistake, but one a friends employee made...

Doing some building work for a client, a hole needed to be drilled through an outside wall...

Unfortunately, directly the other side of that wall was the recently filled oil tank!

Cue nearly 1000 litres of oil, a foot deep in the conservatory!