Electricians

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Emergency call to a house fire (i.imgur.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Could have been worse! Aluminum wiring, kid was running a gaming PC, dual monitor setup, a PlayStation and a mini fridge on a janky power bar. Fire department cut the receptacle out and threw it outside. Lucky.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I bought a 1957 house and spent like $12k having it entirely rewired. Family thought I was nuts spending that much on something you can't see. But I don't want to die in an electrical fire. Plus, I needed some 220v outlets for my garage woodshop and redid the kitchen anyway.

It's like IT at a big corporation. People ignore it until it's a problem, don't want to spend the money. Then it's too late and you're fucked. Good thing it didn't happen when they were sleeping and take them with it.

Edit: This was not recent and I probably should of paid more. Don't expect to get an entire house rewired for 12k fyi.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you've got it to spend, $12k is not bad for peace of mind.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

12k barely covers the materials of rewiring a small bungalow. At that price you have to do all the manual labor yourself leaving only the panel to the electrician.

You can get peace of mind by having an electrician come by every year to certify the outlet connections and the panels..

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This was 6ish years ago, 1,700 square foot ranch. Done by a master electrician. Took him a while doing it in his spare time/weekend was between jobs and he was a friend. So, probably should of cost like 15k+. I knew he wasn't charging me enough money so I didn't even get quotes.

I'm a semi-peofesional finish carpenter/woodworker. Take some jobs in that as a side gig, and build furniture. Have plenty of friends in the trades, I do them favors (people who know what they're doing with hardwood finish work aren't widely available from what I've seen) and have probably gotten more than my fair share of discount jobs done cuz I refinished a door or something well for a friend of a friend etc.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Is aluminum wiring still very common to have in houses? I understand it’s not currently code-compliant.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some older houses from the 70’s around here still have it. Insurance will make you rewire if they know about it. If there’s a fire and they find out you knew about the aluminum but didn’t disclose it, they’ll tell you to beat it

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is not true in all countries.

For example in Canada some insurance companies will insure you for nearly the same price. You just need an electrician to come certify it.

It's impossible not to disclose that to insurance companies, it's public information at City Hall.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I’m in Canada and in our area insurance will want it rewired. You do have the option of getting a licensed guy to sign off on it, but you’d have a hard time finding someone to do that. Because of issues like the posted photo, I’m not willing to bet my license on it. You can check those connections once a month if you want. Shit like this will still happen because the average homeowner doesn’t understand the risks and limitations of aluminum wiring.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’ll be fine. Just a little scotch tape, then add some duct tape over it. Be good as new

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Please don't spread dangerous misinformation like this. If anyone is reading this and thinks that this can be made safe with a little bit of scotch tape and some duct tape, it cannot. You need to use electrical tape for the base, not scotch tape. Scotch tape will just get the socket drunk.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Speaking of misinformation, suggesting that an electrical outlet can drink anything is purely wrong.

Everyone knows you have to feed them using a slender fork. They act up like this because they are hungry.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

You think this it is funny to write things like these on the internet?
"Ha ha, feed the electrical socket with a fork". What if someone reading this believes what you say?
Everybody should know that outlets do not eat anything. They instead provide food. One can feel its tingly taste when putting a tongue in the outlet.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I think I see the problem.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I had a house built in 1956, but it had a fairly new panel in it. All the receptacles were three prong Decora. When I checked, none had ground conductors. Whoever did the panel replaced the wire as far as the first junction/receptacle, but left the old wire after that. After the new panel was installed the home owner had replaced the receptacles, and left it at that. At least it was all copper.

It was a bungalow with an unfinished basement, so it didn't take much time to rewire it, and it did get money off the purchase price.

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