"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote:

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:16:32 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:
"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote:
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:46:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:

Let me guess - Federal Pacific Electric? Extremely Bad Juju...

I wouldn't have bough the property if there was any FPE installed.
It was an ITE EQ12F 125 A 12 circuit panel. I kept the scorched cover
as a souvenir.

EQ... EQ? Pushmatic? Or standard "Industrial Interchange"? Never
really had problems with Pushmatics, just occasional bad breakers that
won't reset and need to be swapped.


They were standard breakers. I would have replace the panel if they
were Pushmatic.



That, or move.

Only if you're a renter and you can pack your things in three
suitcases, send out two change of address postcards, and go.


I could fill at least three tractor trailers right now.


For most of us with large piles of "Stuff" to deal with and many
other encumbrances, it's better to stay where you are at and modify
the environment to be safer.

It was the main breaker burning and one buss bar burnt in two. A few
more seconds, and the wood paneling would have caught fire. After that,
the whole house would have been on fire.

Not if you'd have left the door closed - that's the whole idea
behind UL insisting on the steel enclosure for breaker panels and
self-extinguishing plastics for switch boxes, so if something catches
fire on the inside it stays on the inside. At least long enough to
burn itself out.

Flames were coming out of the closed door, about two feet up the
paneled wall. After the fire was out I found that the asshole
electrician had knocked out almost every knockout on the box, and ran
the four aluminum conductors through separate holes, allowing plenty of
air to get into the box. Some of the Romex was burnt a foot away from
the box, inside the wall.

Holy S#*%... You didn't say it was deliberately rigged to burn down
the house on purpose...


I didn't know how bad it was. A private inspector was hired before I
signed the papers, and he claimed to have inspected all the panels.


That work wasn't done by any electrician unless he was certified
brain dead. And couldn't have been inspected by any competent AHJ or
they would have blown a gasket instantly.


There are too many fly by night electricians in Florida, who manage
to get defective work passed by inspectors. Its no wonder they skip
town after six months, or so. If they didn't, someone would kill them.
Remember Hurricane Andrew? That area has the tightest electrical &
building codes in Florida, yet most of the damaged homes revealed
substandard work that city inspectors signed off.

A friend of mine called the other day. He is disabled, and his home
was damaged by the hurricanes a few years ago. He lives on a tiny Social
Security Disability Pension, so he qualified for the city's program to
repair selected homes. It took almost two years for them to finish the
repairs, then six months later the kitchen ceiling collapsed. The roof
work was signed off by the city inspector, yet he didn't go up on the
roof, to see that the soft spots were gone. Now, the city tells him
it's his problem, and that if he doesn't pay to replace the entire roof,
including all the plywood they are calling in their low interest loan
and taking his home.


Even a helper learns real fast you don't leave open KO's in a wall,
and every cable gets a connector at the box. And when in doubt you
grab a brick of Duct Seal and stuff the holes.

-- Bruce --


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