Rant about Electricians

[kanewolf]

@dylan.c

Not necessarily. In the state I live in, doing this in a workplace technically requires a permit and an inspection, with a master electrician required to pull the permit. Silliness in my opinion.

Commercial is VERY different from home owner.
But I doubt you would want to be too near 500A 480V service without the arc flash protection that commercial electricians have available.

[JohnRob]

@dylan.c

corporations that want to sell widgets

I agree with this 100%. However I had been part of the Inovelli forum and looking at what some homeowners have run into suggests there are crazy people out there doing electrical work, either for their home or hiring out as "handymen".

PS I'm not an electrician, worse I'm and engineer

[dylan.c]

Feel free to ignore...

@kanewolf

500A 480V service

Serious stuff for sure. In many cases the boundary for energized 480V is 12 inches. plenty comfortable (and safe) at greater distances. Depending on the rating, the proper PPE for energized 480 could be a simple as adding a face shield and gloves to standard FR shirt and pants. But I'm not trained in this, so i could be missing something.

And when de-energized you can dig right in. But even that I leave that to those with proper training and experience unless there is something I need to get my eyes on.

@kanewolf

doubt you would want

Be careful with your assumptions. I'm responsible for the reliability and proper operation and maintenance of my facility's entire electrical system...consisting of redundant 13.8kV feeds, a 4160 distribution system, 6 medium voltage substations, 2x 1MW generators, and numerous 1200A 480V motor control centers and panelboards. None of which I will mess with unless one of my properly trained electricians has given me the all clear. Not boasting or trolling, just helping explain my perspective. I try to make clear that my opinions are just that... opinions. Others will almost certainly have different and equally valid opinions. And I try even harder to not make assumptions about the abilities and experiences of others.

At the end of the day, I do my best to follow the rules that my jurisdiction sets. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.

[jshimota]

I'm with you - not ignoring, agreeing.

[dylan.c]

@jshimota

agreeing

Although I did realize that MY ranting really has nothing against electricians... mostly about the bureaucracy. No problems at all with most of those who practice the trade.

[kanewolf]

@dylan.c

None of which I will mess with unless one of my properly trained electricians has given me the all clear.

I believe that validates my original statement. And, I bet you ask them to show you proof of lock-out/tag-out -- I would.

[JohnRob]

@kanewolf

500A 480V service

With great power comes great responsibility.

[marktheknife]

OP didn’t mention when this “new” place last had an electrical renovation, or how old the house is.

Obviously that can make a gigantic difference in terms of work required to meet smart home-friendly wiring standards in 2024.

And ultimately, I agree with this:

@aaiyar

Should have thought about all the issues that concern you before you bought your new place.

Expectations should always be verified before a transaction as big as a home purchase, whenever possible.