My journeyman told me to never trust a homeowner's 'simple fix' story

Got a call for a flickering light. Guy said he just changed the bulb. Found a melted wire nut in the box from a previous DIY attempt. He had spliced a 14 gauge wire to a 12 gauge with the wrong size nut. Took me an extra hour to trace and redo the whole run. Anyone else run into this kind of hidden problem after a 'simple' story?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_park269d ago

My buddy had a service call for a dead outlet in a kitchen. The homeowner swore they just plugged in a toaster. He found a junction box behind the cabinets full of twisted wires and masking tape. That simple plug replacement turned into a full afternoon rewire job.

ellioth379d ago

That "just plugged in a toaster" line is always a red flag. You have to assume any old house has hidden surprises like that tape job. Budget extra time for the simple calls because you never know what you'll find.

the_simon9d ago

That masking tape discovery is the stuff of electrician nightmares.