Topic 'Re: Fubar stuff.' in forum 'Home Improvement' - dslreports.com

Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:42:56 EDT

AVD posted :

said by intok:

said by nunya:

More.

Why are they so tiny? Can't make out all the gory details...

He's teasing the coffee table book.
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Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:30:18 EDT

intok posted :

said by nunya:

More.

Why are they so tiny? Can't make out all the gory details...

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 21:24:57 EDT

nunya posted :

said by jrs8084:

This wasn't an amateur job. You know your competitors. Do you have a gut feel about one of them?

I was brought in as a paid consultant by the insurance investigator. To maintain my "disinterested 3rd party" standing, I get paid for my time but cannot bid or do the repair work. I do this occasionally for insurance companies - it's usually for fires where I work with an outside engineer who also has "3rd party" status.
The police weren't even slightly interested in this case. The insurance company hired an insurance investigator who also hired a private investigator.
Long story short, it was a contractor who was working for the campus owner and they were in cahoots. Not enough evidence to prove it, so they paid the claim.
Here's pretty much how it has been explained to me by insurance investigators:
What the insurance company is required to do (and this depends on the state), is to notify law enforcement (police or district attorney) or an insurance board of their suspicion. If the reviewing body says they want to prosecute or there is enough evidence to deny, they hold the claim. They usually only do this on "slam dunk" cases.
Even though $100,000.00 seems like a lot of money, it could easily double or triple if litigation is involved. It's cheaper to pay it and move on (drop the customer). That's one of the reasons insurance is so expensive.
The insurance guys tell me that about 10% of premiums go straight to fraud.
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If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 19:27:19 EDT

Zorack posted : What's up with the "Who the f*** thought this was OK?" pic,a larger pic please?
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Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 19:15:11 EDT

jrs8084 posted : This wasn't an amateur job. You know your competitors. Do you have a gut feel about one of them?

Re: Fubar stuff.

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:16:43 EDT

nunya posted : I'd say they needed 3-4 guys in there for a few days. Paralleled 750 MCM doesn't exactly slide out of pipe with ease. I could see where they had a tugger set up.
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If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:40:32 EDT

John Galt posted :

said by nunya:

I believe it was an electrical contractor.

Who would have no problem selling the wire as scrap...being in the business and all.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:35:50 EDT

nunya posted : About $100,000.00 worth of copper theft. Whoever did this has a lot of time and the right tools.
About a week before, they cut the padlocks on the pole and opened the 13.8 kV cutout switches to the transformers. Stole both pad mounted transformers (4000A). Obviously you need some heavy equipment to do that.

These pictures are just some of the damage. They obviously worked in the building for days pulling out cables.

I believe it was an electrical contractor.
--
If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

Cables had a little help leaving
Empty pipes

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:58:48 EDT

leibold posted :

said by fifty nine:

The CFL tree is only 130 watts. It may look ugly but hardly a safety hazard.

I thought it looks great. I see that Leviton makes light socket Y-adapters and I have some spare CFL bulbs now that I started to experiment with LED bulbs. Time for a little Home Improvement project ;) :p

Put upside down with red and green mini-CFL it would make a nice electric Christmas Tree.
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Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 13:38:56 EDT

TheMG posted :

said by fifty nine:

The CFL tree is only 130 watts. It may look ugly but hardly a safety hazard.

I'd be more concerned about the structural integrity of all those adapters with all that weight, especially considering that this type of thing is often manufactured to low quality standards (I've had some literally come apart while screwing a bulb in).

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 11:55:04 EDT

patcat88 posted : Agree. I've built CFL trees myself. It wouldn't be safe with incandescent bulbs.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 09:28:11 EDT

fifty nine posted : The CFL tree is only 130 watts. It may look ugly but hardly a safety hazard.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:17:41 EDT

fifty nine posted :

said by telco_mtl:

wow thats a nice deal, up here if you are disconected because of a problem with your service, hydro cuts the drop at the pole and on the building "as high as the guy can reach" if you want to get re connected a sparky will provide a new triplex long enough to get to the pole... for a fee!

Here they just disconnect you remotely. Smart meter!

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:17:12 EDT

fifty nine posted :

said by Jack_in_VA:

said by sk1939:

said by Jack_in_VA:

Unnecessary expense, problems and liability for the homeowne. Of course I guess the local electricians don't care for it.

Most places say that the utilities responsibility ends at the weather-head.

Most places? or just where you are? It would be interesting to see a list of POCO's and states requirements. From what I've seen so far it's the North East that the utilities stick the customer with that expense and liability.

Electricity is no different then cable or phone that deliver their product "to the customers house" and provide the interface for the customer to connect to.

The POCO here providing the service to the meter base is consistent with acceptable provider service.

Here the coop owns the lines to your house and the meter and that's pretty much it. After the mast, everything including the meter pan is yours.

I have UG service and I own everything up to the service laterals (theirs). This means that if there's a problem with UG service laterals they fix. If it's in the meter pan, my problem.

It actually became an issue for many after Irene, last year's snow storm and Sandy because the coop refused to reconnect members with damaged service on the customer side. They had to get a sparky to fix it before they could be reconnected.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:08:26 EDT

fifty nine posted : I wish those pictures weren't so small. Looks like some real gems there.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:27:55 EDT

sk1939 posted :

said by nunya:

More.

That's just really scary.

I've seen those type of connections elsewhere (the home improvement store ones). What are they called?

Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:00:01 EDT

nunya posted : More.

Customer didn't want to fix. Wanted me to sign off saying it was OK.	And two of those are AL cables.	Zinsco. Failed to trip. $300,000.00 in damage
Concealed splices are a no-no. This one burned open.	Who the f*** thought this was OK?	CABLE GUY! OOPS.
No.		FPE Piece of shit. Jam packed. Customer wanted a new lid b/c the old one wouldn't go on any more.
Quality crafstmanship at an unnamed home improvement store. Our lights never stay on.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:17:32 EDT

sk1939 posted :

said by alkizmo:

How does that second plug even stay in place?

Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:50:33 EDT

grobinette posted :

said by AVD:

MORE PICTURES ... LESS TALKING

Best advice I've read in this thread.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:49:48 EDT

alkizmo posted :

Re: Fubar stuff.

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:45:30 EDT

AVD posted : MORE PICTURES ... LESS TALKING

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 22:45:18 EDT

BillRoland posted :

said by HarryH3:

I've got a few "Kwality Werkmunship" beauties to add. This mess was mounted INSIDE the last tank in our low pressure dosing septic system. :o This tank has a submersible pump that sends liquids to the drain field once the tank has filled to a level that trips the float switch.

Code says that there must be an alarm that sounds in the event that the level in the tank rises too high. So the genius installers put an outlet inside the tank, plugged in the power-pack for the alarm and left the alarm buzzer tie-wrapped to the plumbing in the tank. Words fail me... :o

I believe they were trying to pass a law here to require all drain field repairs to retrofit a low pressure dosing system. I know it encountered a lot of resistance, I sure don't want anything do with it.
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Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 22:12:35 EDT

sk1939 posted : Every article and book I've read have stated that the utility is not responsible past the splice point for overhead lines. Having had real estate in all the places I've mentioned, I am familiar with what the utilities have said they will cover for upgrades, storm damage, etc.

Must be nice to live down by Newport News there, since NOVA is Pepco territory still.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:28:06 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted :

Simply because you act surprised when you find out it's not the norm for a lot of the rest of the country. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just the way it is and not the norm.

Why would I be even mildly surprised by your unsubstantiated statements? You have offered no proof what so ever other than your "opinion".

I'm not saying your having to pay is bad given the responses by some indicating they are more than happy and willing to pay these costs. I would have thought the electricians would be the ones benefiting from the customer having to pay for it.

That's just the way it is.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:54:11 EDT

sk1939 posted :

said by Jack_in_VA:

said by sk1939:

Phones here end at the demarc as well, which is generally that box on the outside of your house which is standard.

Most places, because I know this is the case in San Fran, a few parts of Illinois, quite a bit of the DC area, PA, NY, and NJ. Mostly places that have power from an actual company like PP&L, ComEd, ConEd, Pepco, BG&E, rather than a local util.

That doesn't indicate a "vast majority". Why do some of you go into a "tizzy" because our utility Dominion Resources here in Virginia doesn't gouge us? Jealously? Every time this issue comes up it's the same thing. Apparently you folks want to pay for all this is the only thing I can figure.

Are you trying to tell me that Dominion Virginia Power is nothing more than a local utility company?

If so then ComeEd, Pepco, BG&E are also only players in the parts of states they serve.

Commonwealth Edison (commonly known as ComEd) is the largest electric utility in Illinois, serving the Chicago and Northern Illinois area. The service territory roughly borders in Iroquois County to the south, the Wisconsin border to the north, the Iowa border to the west, and the Indiana border to the east.

For more than 100 years, Commonwealth Edison has been the primary electric delivery services company for Northern Illinois. ComEd provides electric service to more than 3.7 million customers across Northern Illinois.

Now I would classify ComEd a local regional utility with only 3 million customers.

Dominion Resources (D) is an electric and natural gas utility. Dominion Resources has approximately 26,500 megawatts (MW) of electrical generating capacity, enough to power around 20 million homes.

As the owner of the nation's largest underground natural gas storage system, Dominion also delivers natural gas to retail customers in eleven states.

»www.wikinvest.com/stock/Dominion···_%28D%29

You probably get your natural gas from Dominion Resources.

Simply because you act surprised when you find out it's not the norm for a lot of the rest of the country. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just the way it is and not the norm.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:21:23 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted : NM

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:43:15 EDT

UHF posted : Here in Iowa I pay for everything to the pole for underground. Overhead the utility pays to the weather head. Everything else is customer provided.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:48:00 EDT

sk1939 posted :

said by Jack_in_VA:

said by sk1939:

said by Jack_in_VA:

Unnecessary expense, problems and liability for the homeowne. Of course I guess the local electricians don't care for it.

Most places say that the utilities responsibility ends at the weather-head.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:14:32 EDT

telco_mtl posted : wow thats a nice deal, up here if you are disconected because of a problem with your service, hydro cuts the drop at the pole and on the building "as high as the guy can reach" if you want to get re connected a sparky will provide a new triplex long enough to get to the pole... for a fee!

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:12:14 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted :

said by alkizmo:

said by Jack_in_VA:

The POCO here providing the service to the meter base is consistent with acceptable provider service.

Does the POCO install the weatherhead itself, or the meter base?

Here (Quebec), they don't. And the meter is "rented" :p

They provide everything including the meter base and meter. Customer only has to connect to the load side.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:10:20 EDT

telco_mtl posted :

said by alkizmo:

said by Jack_in_VA:

The POCO here providing the service to the meter base is consistent with acceptable provider service.

Does the POCO install the weatherhead itself, or the meter base?

Here (Quebec), they don't. And the meter is "rented" :p

crikey here in quebec the customer also provides the wire to the pole!

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:27:12 EDT

alkizmo posted :

said by Jack_in_VA:

The POCO here providing the service to the meter base is consistent with acceptable provider service.

Does the POCO install the weatherhead itself, or the meter base?

Here (Quebec), they don't. And the meter is "rented" :p

Re: Fubar stuff.

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 08:50:03 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted :

said by sk1939:

said by Jack_in_VA:

Unnecessary expense, problems and liability for the homeowne. Of course I guess the local electricians don't care for it.

Most places say that the utilities responsibility ends at the weather-head.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:24:49 EDT

sk1939 posted :

said by Jack_in_VA:

Unnecessary expense, problems and liability for the homeowne. Of course I guess the local electricians don't care for it.

Most places say that the utilities responsibility ends at the weather-head.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:14:24 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted : Unnecessary expense, problems and liability for the homeowne. Of course I guess the local electricians don't care for it.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:03:26 EDT

dosdoxies posted :

said by sk1939:

Customers responsibility in MD and DC.

And PA.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:37:50 EDT

natedj posted : Looks like some of these are beyond repair. Just wait a few months and the building will ignite and nature will take its natural course ... then come back and do it right.
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Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:32:53 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted : POCO in Virginia as it should be. That way they have complete control right to the house.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:27:49 EDT

sk1939 posted : Customers responsibility in MD and DC.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:52:55 EDT

cowspotter posted : Only if the POCO is responsible for the meter pan, which is not universal. I know VA makes it the responsibility of the POCO but I don't believe it's that way everywhere.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:46:44 EDT

Jack_in_VA posted : Looks like to me the POCO needs to do some repairs. The exact same thing almost burned my friends house down.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:32:07 EDT

sk1939 posted :

said by nunya:

My lights are flickering

Ya don't say...imagine that.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:42:11 EDT

nunya posted : Mud daubers. More specifically, an improperly installed fixture.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:25:35 EDT

djrobx posted : Looks like someone threw up in that exterior light fixture ("Anybody home?"). What the heck caused that?
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Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:38:26 EDT

nunya posted : That's a floor receptacle. It's a house that was built in the 70's. It was a party / vacation house in an affluent area.

The house is on slab and on a lake. Aluminum wire splices will go bad on their own without help. The moist under-floor environment, coupled with the improper copper spliced in certainly didn't help.

Floor receptacles always seem like a good idea, but they take a beating. Especially in carpet.
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If someone refers to herself / himself as a "guru", they probably aren't.

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:00:52 EDT

AMD Phreak posted : At least there is caution tape.......

Re: Fubar stuff.

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:49:18 EDT

mattmag posted :

WTF is up with the berber carpet + silicone disaster??? omg.....