# Nightmare



## OKInspector (Oct 1, 2008)

A Building Inspectors Nightmare!!! This is a local ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS home/shop. This happened several years ago so I can answer very few questions about it. I know there was an electrical fire (suprise) and we were called in to look at the situation. It's sad that people think that they know more than the code and it ends in loss of life.


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## OKInspector (Oct 1, 2008)

*More Nightmare*

More of the same electrical hazard


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## Josue (Apr 25, 2010)

How did they do that!!!

Can´t believe how people do things that way. I think it´d be easier to do it right, than to make that...that... whatever you call it!

If you´r not going to do it right... don´t do it!


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## sparky.jp (May 1, 2009)

"Yessir, my buddy who's uh professional elektrishun told me he read it on the internest that excess electronicons can leak out of th' wires due to th' old insulation n' such n' build up in th' panel somthun fierce and after awhile it'll just blow the whole g-darn thing apart so I went right out and took all of the covers off straight away . . ." 

All I know is, it sure is a lot easier to hook up everything when the whole building is one giant J-box!

Doesn't surprise me a bit. Same reason lots of contractors don't have a nice home - after hammering and sawing all day at work, it's the LAST thing they want to do when they get off work.


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

This one is easy. Code violations 1-900. Best guess, place will burn down.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

I am not an electrical inspector but this is different. How could there be an electrical fire that did not involve the electrical? Am I missing something?


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

RIVETER said:


> I am not an electrical inspector but this is different. How could there be an electrical fire that did not involve the electrical? Am I missing something?



I once saw a news story on TV about an abandoned house that burned to the ground. The fire chief stated something to the effect that they couldn't figure out what started the fire since the electric had been turned off.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

480sparky said:


> I once saw a news story on TV about an abandoned house that burned to the ground. The fire chief stated something to the effect that they couldn't figure out what started the fire since the electric had been turned off.


I know what you mean. I was going over a Las Vegas fire report with multiple deaths...over twenty years after the fact, and it is scarey how things can be documented wrongly.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Great pics.. thanks for posting and welcome to the forum... :thumbsup:


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## OKInspector (Oct 1, 2008)

I should have been more clear. It was an electrical fire caused by the wiring in the house, this wiring is in the shop. We as inspectors were only called in due to the incredible lapses in judgment pictured above...


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

Check between the service drop and the meter. I'll bet the SE disappears behind the siding, and gets tapped to feed the panel all his baseboard heaters are on.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Not to justify the work, but...

If any inspector of mine ever posted pictures of the private areas of my home, I'd do everything in my power to have him fired, or at least make him spend money on an attorney.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

FWIW, it doesn't look like any of that mess has been touched since the early 80's. It's looks like "vintage hack work", done with a lot of recycled material.


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## etb (Sep 8, 2010)

In the first pic, panel on the right with plywood back: does anybody know what those two vacuum tube looking things are??


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## OKInspector (Oct 1, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> Not to justify the work, but...
> 
> If any inspector of mine ever posted pictures of the private areas of my home, I'd do everything in my power to have him fired, or at least make him spend money on an attorney.



I agree..... That's why I waited til the projects have been be fixed, it's changed ownership, the previous owner died, and it has been 5+ years
Could still get me in trouble :whistling2:

Thanks for reminding mejk


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

OKInspector said:


> I agree..... That's why I waited til the projects have been be fixed, it's changed ownership, the previous owner died, and it has been 5+ years
> Could still get me in trouble :whistling2:
> 
> Thanks for reminding mejk


Gotcha. :thumbsup:


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

etb said:


> In the first pic, panel on the right with plywood back: does anybody know what those two vacuum tube looking things are??


Before transistors, vacuum tubes were used as diodes. ? It does look like a tube socket huh.


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## etb (Sep 8, 2010)

miller_elex said:


> Before transistors, vacuum tubes were used as diodes. ? It does look like a tube socket huh.


I was thinking along that line (tube diodes have three terminals). I see 4 terms although 2 might be bridged, though it looks like line power going in. But that under the tube is more than just a socket: today it finally dawned on me that it's probably a mercury contactor! I've never seen one with the glass tube exposed.


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

That's pretty bad. I used to work for a few EC's that had shops that looked like this. I'm not kidding. That's when I realized that just about any idiot can be an EC and that it wouldn't take too much effort to become a good one.


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## MaintenanceGeek (May 18, 2010)

*Gulp*

Thta just turns my stomach. I am amazed that the place lasted as long as it did.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Most former EC shops usually have a "free" electric panel tied in somewhere. I did some work on a former shop of an EC that became a hair salon, and found the 100 amp main lug "free "panel tied directly out of the service troft. The customer was corrupt like myself so for a slight fee, I quickly forgot about what I found.


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## TooFarFromFenway (Jul 15, 2011)

MDShunk said:


> Not to justify the work, but...
> 
> If any inspector of mine ever posted pictures of the private areas of my home, I'd do everything in my power to have him fired, or at least make him spend money on an attorney.


I know I am new here, but have some inspection experience. 

Here in Florida, any reports or pictures taken by an inspector working for the city/county, are available under the FOIA. You wouldn't get past the intitial filing. 

That could be different elsewhere, as I am not knowledgeable of other states. 

But, I certainly would understand your frustration.


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## 3xdad (Jan 25, 2011)

Are you positive it was an EC's shop? i'd profile it more like a slightly off kilter engineer's experiment lab.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

MaintenanceGeek said:


> Thta just turns my stomach. I am amazed that the place lasted as long as it did.


This is also a 1 year thread.:thumbup:


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

TOOL_5150 said:


> This is also a 1 year thread.:thumbup:


Good thing his response was also a year ago. I think you quoted the wrong person.


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## BestMan (Jun 19, 2011)

Hey man a shoemaker never has shoes.


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## steelersman (Mar 15, 2009)

I seriously don't see what the big deal is....


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