Electrical Knowledge Repository - Who is this site for?

Old EKR Archives: Subject - Who is this site for?
Scott Vickrey	This site is for any one interested in or working in the electrical trades. From no knowledge at all to guru. Anyone who wishes can participate. No one is excluded. It is the intended purpose of this forum to collect and make available electrical information to anyone interested in such information. In an effort to increase the quantity and quality of the internet's electrical content.
Tassabra	And those of us that have no knowledge are greatly thankful to those of you that have the knowledge and are willing to take the time to share it. Hats off to you guys!!!! You're life savers at times. Tass
bryan	I think I am in the middle somewhere,but I want to say thanks to the people from tassabra who says he has a no knowledge (which we know cannot be true because he has all of us to help in anyway we can) To the people like Scott who has most all the answers, it takes us all to make this site go from good to great. Thanks again everybody.
eleccon	I am new to this site, but it is so cool! I'm glad you put it together Scott. Electricity is such a fascinating thing that I wish I knew more, but I like to learn and this is the site to do it at.
Ryan_J	Greetings! My name is Ryan Jackson, I'm an inspector and instructor in the Salt Lake City area. I look very much forward to participating here and learning from all those who participate.
iwire	quote: Originally posted by Ryan_J Greetings! My name is Ryan Jackson, I'm an inspector and instructor in the Salt Lake City area. Hi Ryan!
Ryan_J	Whats up Bob? Was that a shot at my sounded like an AA member? LOL
iwire	Could be
SteveMc	Hi guys. I just found this site (directed by Bill's article http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_mr_addiss_neighborhood/ ), and it looks like I see some familiar faces from another forum. Hats off to all the folks that make these forums work, they are an invaluable source of information. I have this one and a couple of others bookmarked and visit daily.
Scott Vickrey	Thanks Steve and welcome to the site. As we populate the search engines with every topic It is becoming more and more possible to easily find the exact information you want when you want it. Message boards like this one are major contributers to the available information on the internet. Hats off to all their contributing members.
craig	Hello fellow sparkeys and non sparkeys. I have been sitting at home for the past couple of days, waiting for a job to be closed in. I felt guilty for not working, but now I don't because reading most of this forum has been very informative. Thanks to all Craig
Ryan_J	Steve: That sure is one good looking SOB in front of the panel in the link you provided!!!
cs409	Tassabra is a lady Bryan,,,,not a he LOL.... now we have AA meetings huh!!
lctrc789	For those of you who are interested, I am a master licensed electrician, have been since 1991. (Apprentice from 1979 to 1983) I have been in the field for 25 ears now and started out as a lineman for a local utility company and went from there . I do layouts and designs for a local contractor, estimating and still do service work when needed. I also have a small residential business that son and step son run service trucks. I have taught code classes, and have taken a lot of code classes through the years. I have been a part time electrical inspector for a while in a small town I lived in. I always think you are never to old to learn, and mnay of the older electricians never take a code class. They say OH they never change, or the old cliche well it was code when I was an apprentice LOL I like this site and it is informative and a lot of folks with some good knowledge. Thanks for letting me in and hope we cal all learn, and help each other.
journeyman491us	...Hello to all. Was surfing the web and found this site. Seems like a great site. I am a sole prop. in business for over for years now dealling mostly in residential and small commercial with a focus on service call work.
JimmyDee	Be sure to point thoes out to a moderator and we can be sure to keep them in check. Jim
Wirenutz	quote: No one is excluded. really? I've been in the trade quite a while, and have grown rather jaded due to it's manipulation by sorts that have thier own agendas... I like what i do, yet i can see that our trades direction will be piloted by short sighted profiteers cloaked in guises of safety peddaling thier wares via fear This doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out either, for example all those free trade mags we relentlessly get are greased by whom? So now my Q to you is, where do you stand when such issues are brought to light? ~W~
JimmyDee	quote: Originally posted by Wirenutz quote: No one is excluded. really? I've been in the trade quite a while, and have grown rather jaded due to it's manipulation by sorts that have their own agendas... I like what i do, yet i can see that our trades direction will be piloted by short sighted profiteers cloaked in guises of safety peddaling their wares via fear This doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out either, for example all those free trade mags we relentlessly get are greased by whom? So now my Q to you is, where do you stand when such issues are brought to light? ~W~ I've read this post over 4-5 times and I'm having a hard time figuring out what you are trying to say. I know what Scott is saying that if a person is looking into becoming an electrician, he or she is welcome here even if they know nothing about the trade. This, of course, is they are not trying to do a DIY job and want detailed instructions to do the job. quote: It is the intended purpose of this forum to collect and make available electrical information to anyone interested in such information. In an effort to increase the quantity and quality of the internet's electrical content I think this fairly well sums up what he means by his statement that no one is excluded. I think it is clear that we will, if we know the answer, give feed back to the most unlearned in the electrical trade without prejudice or putting them down for not having as much knowledge as "us that have arrived to the pinnacle of electrical knowledge" .
Wirenutz	quote: I've read this post over 4-5 times and I'm having a hard time figuring out what you are trying to say. well Jimmy, there's alot more that moves our trade along than the technical aspects, the politics inclusive has grown exponetially.... most of it appears to be self serving at times, beuracracy initself is a living isn't it? pointing these issues out becomes a hot potato doesn't it? what is so unclear about this? ~W~
Wirenutz	in other words 'excluded' right Jim ?
JimmyDee	quote: Originally posted by Wirenutz in other words 'excluded' right Jim ? Right now I don't have a clue what the heck you are talking about so I can't make any decision but keep in mind that any decision made is Scott V's to make, not mine. Jim
Alfred	I am very greatful to each and everyone who contributes. I've learned alot so far. Continue your good work. Every day means a new challange. Thanks Alfred Johnson
sparks27	I also am new to this site. I am an analog style of person. [I very much enjoy all the topics. reading the posts gives me different ways to attack my jobs.
jc808	I get the feeling wirenutz refers to increasing regulation/ stricter H+S/PPE rules Hello btw, im not a sparks, but training... UK, City+ Guilds 2330 2 year course in Electrotechnical Installation
Skip	I need held on my understanding of the electrical career.
jwhite	welcome skip. ask a specific question and you will likely get may specific answers.
Phase 2 Phase	I think maybe we should just defer to "the authority having jurisdiction"...all hail "RYAN"
open delta	I am also new here and I learn something about electrical. Though we are in different country with different code but the principles of electricity are the same. Many thanks to our moderators and contributors here.
laxnfish4	Hi all! I'm also new to the site and consider myself an amature. Thanks for all the help so far!
ray c	Hello everybody, I recently found this site and have really enjoyed the topics I have read. I am new to the industry (though not to work life), and am in a training program at a local Technical Institute. Thank you to all who have contributed to the various topics, I hope that I will be able to add to the wisdom. Ray P.S. jwhite, it is nice to find another fan of Mr. Pearts' lyrics
jwhite	Welcome to the forum ray c.
iplaypearldrums	This site informs a person of that which apprenticeships can't/won't/don't go into.
yammyman	I think what Wirenutz is saying is that the trade has begun to see a lot of changes because some people have been injured or killed in the past and now the industry has begun bowing to the pressures of the insurance companies. My god, some of the new guidelines require me to spend more time on redundant safety protocols than to do the actual work. I think all the industries are starting to see this kind of thing. Safety is a good thing but too much safety is a not always a good thing. Isn't it a personal matter? What would I do if told to do something unsafe? I remember a situation years ago when an older electrician and myself were working in a 13.8 substation cubicle. We were cleaning the stabs with colonite. He opened the shutters and I used a tick tracer to verify that the stabs were dead. The tick tracer registered a live voltage but the older electrician said we were reading the buss behind the wall and that the stabs were dead. He said to go ahead and clean them. I said,"screw you buddy, you touch them and if you live, I will clean them". He did and so I cleaned them. I was new and young but still had enough sense to not follow blindly. Can we (as an trade) make someone safe in all situations? I don't think so. I always take personal responsibility for my own safety and everyone else should too.
nosliwekim	Hi everyone. I just found this little intro/welcome section and thought I would say hi. I live in Jacksonville, FL and looking to get my feet wet in the electrical field. BTW, zero experience. I've been looking all over the internet for information about getting into the field. The best I have come up with was: a. Community college evening classes b. union and state run programs that want to start you out @ $8-10/hr drawbacks of option A - start kind of early, might have to make occational excuses to current boss as to why i have to leave work early. drawbacks of option B - starting at 9 or under is not an option when you dont live at home with parents I've been thinking about option A - take one class a semester, and volunteer a Saturday or two a month with Habitat for Humanity for the construction site experience and networking potential (and the obvious, doing Good part too ) Option B does provide free training and a job IF you get accepted into the program. Questions, comments and brutal honesty always welcome
JimmyDee	One of the things I have found interesting through the years is the number of people that quit an apprenticeship early on because they can't make it. The ones going to college borrow money, move back with parents or find any number of innovative ways of "making it" to get through their college training. Some haven't figured out that the pay of an apprentice rises rapidly and if they bite the bullet for a year or 2, they will be "making it" in a short time. I would suggest not moving into that expensive apartment and purchasing a new truck for a couple of years and get an apprenticeship that will train you to be able to do most of the work that an electrician is called on to perform. You may be able to make a little bit more now by not working as an apprentice but in the long run, a good union run apprenticeship will more than make up for any money lost because of lower wages as an apprentice. I am not saying the union apprenticeship is the only way into the electrical trade but as of to this time in my life, it is my opinion, it is the best training out there. I do have one question, why would an electrical contractor want to pay you a big wage with zero experience? Only reason I might think of is if he has a ton of ditch digging that has to be done and you doing it by hand might be cheaper than with a power machine. Jim
bytemylobster	You can only use a power machine if it is certified as an apprentice; otherwise, it cannot help you.
nosliwekim	JimmyDee, thanks for the reply. I've been getting that feeling about a union apprenticeship program. Yes the pay right out the door is lousy BUT it is also work experience, paid for education and again a REAL job in the trade. The community college route may be good for some but its no guarantee for a job while you're taking classes. Meanwhile you're trying to balance classes, hiding the classes from bosses that might not like your plans of jumping ship once you're able. Right now I'm in a semi-decent, semi-dangerous neighborhood, hardly any gunfire, my vehicle has only been broken into once but the rent is cheap(ish) and i dont have to have a roommate. And lastly, I'm not looking for a big wage. I'd just really really prefer to not start below 10. Guess we all have to bite the bullet at sometime and do whats right for us. thanks again man
Top Hand	I started my apprenticeship after I got the wife, kids, mortgage and truck. It was very hard on the family get through on such a low wage. I had to postpone my apprenticeship for a year and go work as an equipment operator for a year to keep the dept collectors away-equal pay,double hours therefore more money. As long as you notify the apprenticeship they are OK with it but they don't like it. As for Union it's true they do pay well but in Alberta I have worked with alot of union boys who were forced to leave the union because they would work on a major construction job for three or four months and then be on unemloyment for six months waiting on a list with hundreds of other electricians for there name to be picked for the next job. If you work for a small company there is more one on one work with the journeyman and due to the lack of manpower you are able to be a direct part of the more complicated parts of the trade. I worked with union guys that spent year one pounding ground rods, year two pulling wire, year three installing light fixtures, year four finally working on panels and prints, coming out with a journeyman ticket thinking they had 4yrs experience and knowledge. I may be biased but I prefer the small company's where you're a name not a number. Whatever way you choose stick with it it's worth the sacrifice.
bytemylobster	And another thing about Alberta unions and electricians, Top Hand. I was working up at Fort McMoney on a union job. What a joke. Its amazing anything got done. What was accomplished in a day, I would have done myself in a half a day. I left the union because I was embarrased to take the money the owners had to pay for unproductive work. Don't get me wrong, there was a time and place for unions...the 1800's.
JimmyDee	If this thread gets to a union/non union bashing, it will be closed in a hurry. And Mr bytemylobster, in 30 + years of work, I never saw that side of union. Maybe that is why back a few years ago, the 275 ticket was welcomed anywhere there was work. Yes there are some bad ones in the union but I sure there are a few on the other side as well. Jim
bytemylobster	I wholly agree, but it still does not dispute what I saw in a large industrial site. I am not bashing a union and resent the implication that I am. What I saw is truth, maybe the workers in general were just lazy.
rabbitgun	Long story for me and boring for readers, but similar, byte and what put me in the union years ago. I think it's about individuals and not collectives. Tis all cool.
bytemylobster	Apprentice rates in Alberta: Average Journeyman's rate - $32.00 per hour (union or non-union) 1st year - 50% or $16.00 2nd year - 60% or $19.20 3rd year - 70% or $22.40 4th year - 80% or $25.60 That's not so bad.
Top Hand	I didn't mean to sound like I was against unions, I know alot of good electricians in the union. I was strickly speaking on the educational value comparison of large companies and small companies. I don't care how you get your ticket I just want more quality electricians out there. It makes us all look better and makes repairs and troubleshooting alot less stressfull.
bytemylobster	The colored wire hurts and payday is every second Friday.
tablemlamp	I am working a floor lamp with a defunct TCI Saronno XP.P/50 transformer. It has the typical 120v hot and neutral entry, a 2 circuit exit going to a slide dimmer and and a 2 circuit exit going to the halogen light source. The mfg sent a replacement but it is a toroidal and has a different configuration Typical replacement transformers have only the 120v entry and 12v exit..... can anyone give me some feedback on how I can make this work within the given above?