I feel for the guy, and his family. but you all know , you play with fire .... it'll play back ......... sometimes you'll just get burnt hairs and sometimes it doesn't let go until it's good and done. bonding and grounding is very cheap really I'd bet the man spent untold times on insurance. that it would have cost to have done it right. .... properly, in a neat and craftsman like manner May his tragedy not be in vain.

I believe, therefore I do. Cutting corners can mean life or property.

Thanks for the story. It will serve as important information to pass on.to the students in the class that I will start teaching covering Residential Wiring and the use of the NEC at one of our local Technical Institutes.

I just had an incident at the house my son and his wife purchased within the last year. For whatever reason the person that wired the Central Airconditioning unit used 12/2. This would have been fine if it wasn't for the fact that the unit was rated at 240V, 30 amps. I kept what was left of the fuse box to show the class how important it is to wire electrical units properly.

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon practice by laymen who think they understand electrical. I have seen many similar situations.

We should take special caution when dealing with electricity and if we are not sure of what we doing turn it over to the expert.

We SHOULD NOT TAKE ANY CHANCE WITH ELECTRIC, ALWAYS GET SOMEONE WHO KNOWS TO TAKE CARE OF PROBLEM.DO NOT TRY TO SAVE A DOLLAR AND CAUSE MORE DAMAGE AND DEATH. PLEASE THINK OF SAFETY FIRST.

Can it be better explain? In one sentence it said, We started with pulling the meter and then checking the main to make sure all electricity was off & then it said That's when they shut the power off to the house

I thought I had seen it all till I saw a house completely wired with lamp cord (fixture wire) , no grounds what so ever. Thank god the new owners knew better and hired me to rewire! Thank god no one got hurt. There was 115V between the bathroom sink and the light bar on/ and includeing the vanity mirror. night mares happen -------------- Hire a pro Don't play games with electricity!

Dead is forever...... If you don't work safely with electricity .You get forever!

i'm sorry that happen.let that be a lesson learned to people out there doing electrical work on there own.call a licensed electrician.

Life is very precious, sorry to hear of your neighbors passing. Like my neighbors they quickly become friends and any such passing is hard to understand.

Take care...

Saving a thousand or so dollars by doing it yourself and wrong can be very costly.

From your description, that was a accident waiting to happen & exceedes the old 1960's training films about basic workshop/electrical safety I was subject to in Middle School. Having an open ground on a metal cage bonded drop light in itself is damgerious, but add that to the rest.... Too bad. Blessings

I usually dont reply on this board but I felt I had to about this one.

I see this all the time, it's a wonder more people dont die this way or more buildings dont burn down from junk electrical like this!

Plug into a GFCI or use a GFCI pigtail at all times, especially under a house laying in the cool moist dirt.

Dont trust that the service is grounded either, many plumbers I talk to have no clue what a ground is so I find CW grounds disconnected after re-pipes!

Take care guys and be safe out there!

Dan Filipi

Was money saved at the expense of ones life? Isn't that the bottom line, serve the mammon that kills?

The danger is always there with electricity. GFCI's and AFCI's have been invented to help the new installations, and in remodeling. Electricians always need to make sure our customers are where of the danager of improper wiring. Electrical is easy, anyone can connect this or than. Heard it a over the years more times than I care to admit. It is a hard sell sometimes, but the results are worth it.

I just survived a similar situation in Mexico. I've learned that the ground wire is seldom used even when available at the service entrance. In my case I had an air conditioner replaced by the local installer. I had commented that I was disappointed he had cut off the ground wire and was told it was never used. He had brought the two hot legs and a neutral from a metal box to a new metal box with no metallic conduit or ground wire.

The next day I was evaluating the installation while standing barefoot in a puddle of water -- condensation from the air conditioner. When I touched the top metal box I received a shock that far exceeded any I've ever experienced. With my Fluke, I verified the box was energized at 120 volts. After shutting off the power, I found that the local "expert" had used duct tap after twisting the hot wires together. One of these wires was poking through the tape and was contacting the metal box. Without a grounded box, the 30 amp breaker never tripped.

Please everybody, be especially cautious when around electrical components in outside the United States.

What in the world happened to common sense?

The average individual and even some electricians do not realize how little the amount of current it takes to kill someone, especially in a damp situation. The Macho tact is taken by many that if you are tough electricity wont' hurt you! That is a deadly attitude that has carried over from the introduction of electrical systems in the 1870's until just the last few years. What a shame. Electrical safety should be taught in school from kindergarden up and there should be public service spots on TV sponsored by utilities etc. I hope the individuals family members are doing ok. May the Lord Bless them.

Thanks Rob, we continue to use this type of information in our safty meetings. Greg

I have to agree with Mr Clapp.Electrical safety classes should be a part of the core learning from the early ages on through to graduation. Many times will some one take a short cut and survive. It only takes one time where all the required parts are there to cause a loss of life or injury.. Given the proper information as to what "could happen: hopefully this type of thing could be avoided...

Work Safe , Be Safe!

WT