RE: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring

One of the most important facts to remember about electricity is:

"We never know what we don't know"

Sounds obvious and silly but its not. In other words, we never
know how much of the ice berg of danger is invisible to our=20
awareness.

You mentioned the dangers of electrocution during install but are
you sufficiently aware of the dangers of electrocution to humans
after the install because incorrect earth grounding?

How about after the fact fire hazards due to incorrect wire
bond contact pressures? Insufficient clearances? Wrong breaker
size? Wrong insulation types for the application? Fires and
electrocutions caused by wire insulation damage done by rodents?

How about the fact that all home insurance policies I am aware of
will not pay out for claims if the cause is traced to incorrectly
and unprofessionally installed electrical wiring?

If you research accidental deaths in the home, deaths caused by
home owners doing their own electrical wiring is right up there
with smoking in bed and cooking while sleeping.

I suspect that every last one of those victims felt exactly the
same way you do about doing their own electrical work for just
about exactly the same reasons.

Anyway I think I have made my safety point by now and I see no
purpose in beating this issue any further.

Your life and the lives of your family are in your hands and=20
will depend on what you do next. Not to mention the lives of
anyone in the future that might occupy that residence after
you have moved on. And your associated perpetual liability.

"My advice is free and worth every penny!"

-Christopher Erickson
Network Design Engineer
5432 E. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 529
Anchorage, AK 99508
N61=B0 11.710' W149=B0 46.723'
Meade 16" LX200 SCT
www.data-plumber.com

"Monetary contributions to support the=20
Data-Plumber.com archives are always=20
welcome via PayPal to cerickson@gci.net"
=20

> -----Original Message-----
> From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org]=20
> On Behalf Of Adam Bultman
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 9:25 PM
> Cc: aklug@aklug.org
> Subject: Re: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring
>=20
> Christopher Erickson wrote:
> > Okay, I'll bite.
> >
> > What's your life worth?
> >
> > What are the lives of your family worth?
> >
> > If someone were willing to give you $500 to spin a revolver
> > with one bullet and hold it to your head and pull the trigger,
> > would you do it?
> >
> > Would you do it for $750?
> >
> > Would you drive a steady 85MPH to Seward without a seat belt
> > on a snowy Friday night for $750?
> >
> > Forgive me, I am just trying to get a feel for what you think
> > your life is worth.
> >
> > -Chris
>=20
>=20
> Holy Hyperbole, Batman!
>=20
> Yes, there is an element of risk.
> Yes, there's a chance I could die.
> Yes, I'd be working with things that are powerful enough to kill me.
>=20
> However:
> No, I'm not an idiot.
> No, I'm not a clod that pokes himself in the eye when trying=20
> to pick his
> nose.=20
> No, I'm not going to charge forth and, as my first task, lick=20
> the wires
> behind the circuit breakers.
>=20
>=20
> If I used "how dangerous is this" as a gauge of what I am=20
> willing to do,
> you'd have one grungy, housebound Adam - since I could easy slip on a
> bar of soap in the shower and kill myself, slip on the ice on=20
> the way to
> the car and kill myself, or run off the road in my car and kill
> myself. Heck, not much of a misstep with the ol' Mach3 Turbo and I'd
> cut my own throat. But, I'm sorry, but I'm not near=20
> wealthy enough to
> pay everybody to do things. I can't afford $250 (that's=20
> seriously what
> toyota wanted) to have my brakes changed, so I do it myself. I can't
> afford $400 (minimum!) to have a radiator changed out, so I do it
> myself. Can't afford a new engine in my last car, so I=20
> change out parts
> myself. Had I had a garage earlier, I would have changed out my CV
> joints, too, and I would have saved myself $427. Doing my own pre-cat
> would have saved me another $700 (minus parts, of course.)
>=20
> I guess my point is, I'm not scared. And I'll continue=20
> researching this
> and find out what's required. And then, I'll do what I find is
> necessary, and if required, I'll tap a friend of mine on the shoulder,
> and, for the cost of a pizza or a steak on the grill (the=20
> steak, not the
> pizza) I'll get it done, and do my best to keep stayin' alive, stayin'
> alive, stayin' aliiiiiiiiiiiiiive.
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Adam
>=20
> --=20
> (21:24) < adamb> @roulette
> (21:24) <@ironbot> adamb: *click*
> (21:24) < adamb> ironbot: Where's my $500 ?
> (21:24) <@ironbot> I don't have a clue!
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> >
> >
> > =20
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org]=20
> >> On Behalf Of Adam Bultman
> >> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 8:16 PM
> >> To: aklug@aklug.org
> >> Subject: Re: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring
> >>
> >> If it were to be only a couple hundred dollars, I might=20
> jump on it. =20
> >> But I can see a far, far, FAR higher bill than that for=20
> >> running a bunch
> >> of cable :(
> >>
> >> Adam
> >>
> >> Christopher Erickson wrote:
> >> =20
> >>> As an engineer and a licensed electrician, my advice to
> >>> you is to hire a licensed and bonded electrician to do
> >>> it once and to do it right.
> >>>
> >>> Pretend that your life might depend on it.
> >>>
> >>> Real-world liability ramifications should prevent the=20
> >>> best and most qualified people from giving you random=20
> >>> advice about electrical systems over the Internet.
> >>>
> >>> There are a dozen other factors and questions that you
> >>> have not addressed.
> >>>
> >>> My apologies but lawyers rule the world, not engineers.
> >>>
> >>> This could be the best couple of hundred bucks that you
> >>> ever invested in your future.
> >>>
> >>> -Christopher Erickson
> >>> Network Design Engineer
> >>> 5432 E. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 529
> >>> Anchorage, AK 99508
> >>> N61=B0 11.710' W149=B0 46.723'
> >>> Meade 16" LX200 SCT
> >>> www.data-plumber.com
> >>>
> >>> "Monetary contributions to support the=20
> >>> Data-Plumber.com archives are always=20
> >>> welcome via PayPal to cerickson@gci.net"
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> =20
> >>>
> >>> =20
> >>> =20
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: aklug-bounce@aklug.org [mailto:aklug-bounce@aklug.org]=20
> >>>> On Behalf Of Adam Bultman
> >>>> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 6:00 PM
> >>>> To: aklug@aklug.org
> >>>> Subject: Some non-computer questions about electrical wiring
> >>>>
> >>>> Good evening, everybody. I know this is off topic, but I'm=20
> >>>> not too hot
> >>>> (ha!) with electrical wiring, and while I've been googling=20
> >>>> =20
> >> for info, I
> >> =20
> >>>> can't find it all together in the way I need it.
> >>>>
> >>>> I have a building, about 11' by 7.5' that will soon be=20
> >>>> =20
> >> insulated, and
> >> =20
> >>>> finished with drywall. There's already pre-wired boxes=20
> >>>> =20
> >> (although the
> >> =20
> >>>> plugs themselves aren't there yet, there's just the wire=20
> >>>> coming through
> >>>> the boxes) and there's another already existing box on=20
> >>>> =20
> >> the outside of
> >> =20
> >>>> the building (which I imagine is to hold outdoor plugs.)
> >>>>
> >>>> I have to run wire to this "shed", as I'll call it, and I=20
> >>>> don't know the
> >>>> best way to run wire. The guy at Lowe's suggested 8 awg wire=20
> >>>> run to it,
> >>>> which breaks down from 240 volts into (I think) two 30 amp=20
> >>>> =20
> >> circuits of
> >> =20
> >>>> 110 volts apiece. Maybe the wire running out was 240 volts=20
> >>>> and 30 amps,
> >>>> to be broken down into two 110 volt, 15 amp circuits. It's=20
> >>>> all greek to me.
> >>>>
> >>>> Anyway, there's a pile of wire in said shed, and it is 10=20
> >>>> =20
> >> awg wire. On
> >> =20
> >>>> it is written:
> >>>> "E30445 (UL) AWG 10 CU 3 CDR WITH AWG 10 GROUND TYPE=20
> >>>> =20
> >> UF-B 600 VOLTS
> >> =20
> >>>> SUNLIGHT RESISTANT"
> >>>>
> >>>> I've gathered that it's 10 gauge wire, with a 10 gauge=20
> >>>> ground, and that
> >>>> this is cable which is designed to be buried. I'm=20
> guessing it can
> >>>> handle up to 600 volts; but I'm not sure if this is what I=20
> >>>> need. I wish
> >>>> I had a rangefinder; I couldn't really guess how far it=20
> is from my
> >>>> breaker box or my outdoor electrical box to the shed.=20
> >>>> =20
> >> Let's say, 100
> >> =20
> >>>> feet or so.
> >>>>
> >>>> So:
> >>>> 1. Is this the gauge and style of wire I should run?
> >>>> 2. What voltage / amperage combination is recommended for=20
> >>>> =20
> >> this wire?
> >> =20
> >>>> 3. What would you think is a proper wire for my=20
> >>>> =20
> >> application (which is,
> >> =20
> >>>> turn the 'shed' into my office, once I insulate, drywall,=20
> >>>> =20
> >> paint, and
> >> =20
> >>>> electrify it.)
> >>>> 4. Can you think of any 'gotchas' I should worry about? =20
> Apart from
> >>>> killing myself?
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks for any / all info...
> >>>>
> >>>> Adam
> >>>> ---------
> >>>> To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> >>>> with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> =20
> >>>> =20
> >>> =20
> >>> =20
> >> ---------
> >> To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> >> with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
> >>
> >>
> >> =20
> >
> >
> > =20
>=20
> ---------
> To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
>=20
>=20

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Received on Wed Jan 24 06:34:13 2007