[CdotJdot]

Today I summoned the smoke out of a brand new $2200 control board. Please share with me some of your guy's most costly mistakes and what your boss had to say about them. Happy New Year.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

That's a big OOPs --- I don't make mistakes-- it is always the helpers fault.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Truthfully, I shorted a power company trany that cost me a grand. IMO, the trany was faulty since it blew and didn't trip especially with a quick short. Working hot ----oops

 

[backstay]

Today I summoned the smoke out of a brand new $2200 control board. Please share with me some of your guy's most costly mistakes and what your boss had to say about them. Happy New Year.

$2,200, can't top that. When anyone screwed up we would tell them there would be a picture of it on their next check.

 

[Next72969]

Truthfully, I shorted a power company trany that cost me a grand. IMO, the trany was faulty since it blew and didn't trip especially with a quick short. Working hot ----oops

blow a transformer here and lipa will send a bill north of 10k

 

[Next72969]

blow a transformer here and lipa will send a bill north of 10k

an old coworker of mine drilled through 2/0 seu on a pool job once. Im surprised the windows didnt blow out on the block. But we got out of there in time.

 

[sparky402]

I did locating for a few months and located a property but the locator didnt pick upa phone line just the ug power so i assumed it was in the same trench. Well a 900 pair main phone line got hit. Not sure what it cost to repair.

 

[Next72969]

Anyway my big oops was wiring two hvac units on the load side of the relay one late night. They ran all night and burnt the motors out.

 

[Tsmil]

My first big oops happened when my boss had me change out my first vfd. He had found the vfd to be dead and handed me a new one and told me to swap it out. I did so without checking the specs myself. Powered it up and in about 3 seconds smoke began to pour from it. Supply was 575v but new vfd was only rated for 230v. I have never installed anything since then based on someone else's word.

 

[Meadow]

Truthfully, I shorted a power company trany that cost me a grand. IMO, the trany was faulty since it blew and didn't trip especially with a quick short. Working hot ----oops

POCOs always blame the electricians.

blow a transformer here and lipa will send a bill north of 10k

If they would use a 10K fuse than it would be costing 10K in money.

 

[cc2kj]

Anyway my big oops was wiring two hvac units on the load side of the relay one late night. They ran all night and burnt the motors out.

Don't you mean the line side?

 

[Pete m.]

Mine was busting a sprinkler head in the Tacoma Mall with a scissors lift while demoing some conduit for a tenant fit up.

Didn't cost the company much but I thought for sure I was fired.

I think it was my first day on the job.

Pete

 

[mbednarik]

A drove a ground rod into a gas line. $600.

 

[JRaef]

First time I had to change SCRs on a Medium Voltage Soft Starter, I didn't think to look at how they were oriented when I took the bad ones out. That's because on low voltage units they had pins in them so they could only go back in one way, but not so on the MV versions. So having not paid any attention, I had to take a chance. I got it wrong. About $2500 worth of SCRs and $750 worth of MV fuses, gone in less than a second. Now whenever I take something apart, I take pictures with my cell phone along the way. That has come in VERY handy.

 

[denny3992]

First time I had to change SCRs on a Medium Voltage Soft Starter, I didn't think to look at how they were oriented when I took the bad ones out. That's because on low voltage units they had pins in them so they could only go back in one way, but not so on the MV versions. So having not paid any attention, I had to take a chance. I got it wrong. About $2500 worth of SCRs and $750 worth of MV fuses, gone in less than a second. Now whenever I take something apart, I take pictures with my cell phone along the way. That has come in VERY handy.

Hundreds of pics on my iphone when takin anything apart

 

[denny3992]

Ex boss hit a verizon fiber line...20k till it was fixed. Because he couldn't wait for pa one call to locate!!'

I dont remember anything over $1k

Except for the grnd rod into a h20 line at a friends house! That was a freebee! It was 40' to curb stop and i was replacing service due to it catching fire on outside of house!

 

[mbednarik]

It wasn't me, but I seen a contractor take his directional drill right into a 4" PVC with 600's in it. It was service conductors and made a hell of a bang. I was the hardware store across the street when it happened.

 

[Meadow]

Mine was busting a sprinkler head in the Tacoma Mall with a scissors lift while demoing some conduit for a tenant fit up.

Didn't cost the company much but I thought for sure I was fired.

I think it was my first day on the job.

Pete

Hope it was a dry pipe system. Gives you time to get your flukes from being water damaged:whistling2:

 

[Awg-Dawg]

Mine was busting a sprinkler head in the Tacoma Mall with a scissors lift while demoing some conduit for a tenant fit up.

An HVAC guy did it a Good Sam a few years ago on a job.

Every since then, Ive always found out where the valves are that are controlling the area we are working in.

 

[wildleg]

I consider it fortunate if I don't have to evacuate the building after I screw up. Let's just say, it's happened more than once, but not lately.