# Pub Wiring



## crazymurph (Aug 19, 2009)

This morning at 6:00 am I met with the owner of a local watering hole. He was having some painters come in and needed me to remove anything electric that was in their way and also replace an exit fixture. The building is quite old and has been a bar since prohibition. When I removed the exit fixture, what a surprise! The fixture was wired with lamp cord. The lamp cord went into the ceiling of an entryway where there was an old work box in the ceiling. I removed the blank cover and saw there was no wire in the box. I removed the box and found an old piece of BX wire nutted to an older piece of NM. This was in a wood framed ceiling with luan plywood. Further investigation I found the old NM went to a box hidden in the plaster ceiling. The lamp cord for the exit fixture and a lamp cord for a fixture in the entryway were plugged in to a recepticle in this hidden box. What was originally an hour or 2 project took till noon, thats with a trip home for some more tools and a trip to Lowes. I got everything back up to snuff before the pub opened at noon. The owner is cool, he wants things right and he is willing to pay what is needed. So i got some good cash today and had a few beers and a burger on Wally. Now the owner wants some panduit to hide all the speaker and CATV wires that look like $hit on his freshly painted walls.


----------



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

The panduit is his spec. Give him what he wants to pay for. He can always paint it to match. Sometimes, I think that just painting the wires looks just as good as putting up panduit or wiremold.


----------



## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I would be much more comforable wiring a bar than a church.


----------



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

drsparky said:


> I would be much more comforable wiring a bar than a church.


From your avatar picture, you seem to be more of a man of ease and leisure. I can see that. :thumbsup:


----------



## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

You'll find that most bar work is done by patrons who after a few consider themselves an electrician. I've come across a few doosies myself.


----------



## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

crazymurph said:


> This morning at 6:00 am I met with the owner of a local watering hole. He was having some painters come in and needed me to remove anything electric that was in their way and also replace an exit fixture. The building is quite old and has been a bar since prohibition. When I removed the exit fixture, what a surprise! The fixture was wired with lamp cord. The lamp cord went into the ceiling of an entryway where there was an old work box in the ceiling. I removed the blank cover and saw there was no wire in the box. I removed the box and found an old piece of BX wire nutted to an older piece of NM. This was in a wood framed ceiling with luan plywood. Further investigation I found the old NM went to a box hidden in the plaster ceiling. The lamp cord for the exit fixture and a lamp cord for a fixture in the entryway were plugged in to a recepticle in this hidden box. What was originally an hour or 2 project took till noon, thats with a trip home for some more tools and a trip to Lowes. I got everything back up to snuff before the pub opened at noon. The owner is cool, he wants things right and he is willing to pay what is needed. So i got some good cash today and had a few beers and a burger on Wally. Now the owner wants some panduit to hide all the speaker and CATV wires that look like $hit on his freshly painted walls.


Lamp cord used in bars in Upstate NY?

SAY IT AIN'T SO!!! :thumbup:

Jesus... you guys practically treat SE cable as giingerbread moulding! Man is there some art up there or what???

But seriously, I go upstate a lot and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's like stepping into a time machine back to the 1940's... I love old school.


----------



## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

The two bars that I've done serious renovations in have been THE WORST nightmares I have ever had. Sub panels in bathrooms, suspended ceilings, undersized A/C condensers wiring, ceiling fans supported by rope, and of course grounding and bonding issues everywhere, especially grounding and bonding issues! Of course both these bars only had replaced what they were willing to pay for so things like #6 neutral for 300 amp 3Ø service were left intact. I'm left to believe that some bar owners would prefer that the place burn to the ground to collect the insurance instead of making the life-saving repairs.


----------



## sparkmaster (Mar 3, 2010)

well i gess the good thing about this job is free beer lol


----------



## crazymurph (Aug 19, 2009)

sparkmaster said:


> well i gess the good thing about this job is free beer lol


 I think that was the beginning of all the troubles.


----------



## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

I had a small job at a topless bar here locally, just a few cash register plugs etc. Everything else seemed to be kind of slipshod but I wasn't there to save the world. At one point, I heard someone holler "Where's my strippers". At first I thought they had hired another electrician.:whistling2:


----------



## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

Most bars around here have been wired by the owners friend or brother-in-law..
Total right offs.. 
As for looking nice? Well I guess it due to most bars being too dark to see all the wires/cables strung across the ceiling..


----------

