On becoming an electrician

Jovec

Jovec

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Kajiimagi said:
99% conduit fill huh?
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Hyperbole of course, but even with the convenience of apps to help calculate fill, you would be surprised how many people want to stuff four #8 AWG and even four #6 into 1/2" EMT because 3/4" is too expensive, let alone trying to deal with turns where 1" would make things so much easier. Or the fact that 8 THHN and 8 nm-b do not have the same ampactiy rating. Or the charger being considered a continuos load and speccing for 125% of the amperage. Happens all the time where I live given the prevalence of electric cars and chargers. These are people beign paid to do work for someone, not the store people.

DIYers have their own issues. Had one guy use 16-2 Lamp cord to run power to his detached garage he converted to rent. Had another guy who was trying to bring power to a electric pump motor 500 feet away - he knew he needed something bigger than #12 but was thought #10 was enough.
 
Jovec

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Hatorade said:
Who is pulling 16+ 12g wires through 3/4 EMT?
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Again, hyperbole to a point, but not as much as you might think. The concept of free space for compliance, thermals, and ability to be pulled through turns is foreign to many who get paid to do this work (hopefully not licensed electricians).
 
Borzak

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Ask someone who considers themself a semi pro electrician about 3 phase. Everyone puts their two cents in including the guy at home depot.
 
Hatorade

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It was going smoothly, dang rebar or the like got me before I noticed…
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Hatorade

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Had to pull all these connectors off the copper, Canadians must spend a fortune on these compared to the cheap pieces of shit we use here in the states.
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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Hatorade said:
Had to pull all these connectors off the copper, Canadians must spend a fortune on these compared to the cheap pieces of shit we use here in the states.
View attachment 633427
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weatherhead looks like aluminum wire to me. Keep in mind Canada is cold, you use cheap shit it dies. You have to use heavy duty stuff.
Also , and this is me talking out my ass, I thought CA was 50hz, perhaps that is a contributing factor?

Over all I agree, USA stuff is as cheap as possible. The downside of capitalism.
 
Hatorade

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Kajiimagi said:
weatherhead looks like aluminum wire to me. Keep in mind Canada is cold, you use cheap shit it dies. You have to use heavy duty stuff.
Also , and this is me talking out my ass, I thought CA was 50hz, perhaps that is a contributing factor?

Over all I agree, USA stuff is as cheap as possible. The downside of capitalism.
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It was a mix of copper and aluminum. We put this brass and copper box on the scales was 3500 pounds and change plus all the transformers put this trailer at just under 6200 pounds of my math was right. No idea how much bright copper will come out of it but we will see.
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Hatorade

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Kajiimagi said:
you get to keep any of that $$$?
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John Candy Reaction GIF


I did get into it with my boss though, he trying to get me to go on an out of state job for a month or two for base pay, a room and a 50 dollar a day per diem...dude lost his mind. I told him straight up I would rather quit or be fired as that is just insulting... after some heated back and forth I am still getting fucked but barely. I am doing it for the experience and the hours, sooner I get my journeyman's the better.
 
Kajiimagi

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Hatorade said:
John Candy Reaction GIF


I did get into it with my boss though, he trying to get me to go on an out of state job for a month or two for base pay, a room and a 50 dollar a day per diem...dude lost his mind. I told him straight up I would rather quit or be fired as that is just insulting... after some heated back and forth I am still getting fucked but barely. I am doing it for the experience and the hours, sooner I get my journeyman's the better.
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Wow we got $20 a day per diem when I was in the field forever ago. He doing that to keep you in a job or what? Cuz speaking from both sides (I went into management pretty early in my career) sometimes what looks like being fucked is really being looked out for.

Tell you a weirdish story. As stated I started running my own projects pretty early. I was 2 states away in KY and we were the only project in the entire town that was using aluminum wire so I had to order it all to the site at once (to cover shipping) then mid project we get this huge change order that basically made 4+ full reels of 750mcm (FUCK A KCMIL!!!!) xhhw al wire useless. End of the job it's still there , I asked the office what they wanted me to do with it and they said the shipping cost was higher than the value of the wire.

I had all my guys show up on a Saturday to clean up, and everyone that did helped put all our scrap wire , including those full spools of 750 , on a trailer and took it to a scrap yard. Sold the full reels still on the reel for .05 a pound. Split all the money up between my guys and we went out shooting the next day. To be clear, I also paid them OT if applicable.
 
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BrutulTM

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Kajiimagi said:
Wow we got $20 a day per diem when I was in the field forever ago. He doing that to keep you in a job or what? Cuz speaking from both sides (I went into management pretty early in my career) sometimes what looks like being fucked is really being looked out for.

Tell you a weirdish story. As stated I started running my own projects pretty early. I was 2 states away in KY and we were the only project in the entire town that was using aluminum wire so I had to order it all to the site at once (to cover shipping) then mid project we get this huge change order that basically made 4+ full reels of 750mcm (FUCK A KCMIL!!!!) xhhw al wire useless. End of the job it's still there , I asked the office what they wanted me to do with it and they said the shipping cost was higher than the value of the wire.

I had all my guys show up on a Saturday to clean up, and everyone that did helped put all our scrap wire , including those full spools of 750 , on a trailer and took it to a scrap yard. Sold the full reels still on the reel for .05 a pound. Split all the money up between my guys and we went out shooting the next day. To be clear, I also paid them OT if applicable.
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Big companies especially just don't want to mess with scrap. My brother was an electrician at an oil refinery and they sold scrap every once in a while. I also did several wiring projects around the ranch with wire that was rescued from the refinery dumpster. Once they sold $20,000 worth at one time. That was split between 10+ guys but still a nice bonus. I'm not sure how officially it was approved by the company but I got the impression that they were okay with it just disappearing so they didn't have to figure out what to do with it and do the paperwork.
 
Kajiimagi

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BrutulTM said:
Big companies especially just don't want to mess with scrap. My brother was an electrician at an oil refinery and they sold scrap every once in a while. I also did several wiring projects around the ranch with wire that was rescued from the refinery dumpster. Once they sold $20,000 worth at one time. That was split between 10+ guys but still a nice bonus. I'm not sure how officially it was approved by the company but I got the impression that they were okay with it just disappearing so they didn't have to figure out what to do with it and do the paperwork.
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oh when I worked for the BIG company, one of the top 20 in the US , we had to return all scrap, even cat 5/6 and RG cable. You'd get fired for scrapping your own wire. Maybe it went on I dunno. I was only in charge of the $$$$ on those and wasn't in the field all the time. Hell not only did we have to return it, the job had to pay for the warehouse to come pick it up.
 
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