Re: Circuitously Related

[Jim Davis <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 4:04:28 PM UTC-4, ABLE1 wrote:

> >=20
> >=20
> > My worst one (the reason I own the 1" spline drive rotary hammer) was a=
=20
> > vertical through a floor in an old post office building.=C2=A0 Almost 3=
 feet=20
> > of structural concrete that was well aged.=C2=A0 (Built around 1920 I t=
hink.)=20
> > We found a smaller 3/8 or 1/2 (I forget) that was long enough to drill=
=20
> > all the way through, (just barely) with the Makita SDS+ drive, but=20
> > nothing big enough for SDS so we went to the 1" spline drive and punche=
d=20
> > 1-1/2" holes.=C2=A0 We would use the SDS to punch a pilot all the way=
=20
> > through, then drill from both sides with the spline drive to make the=
=20
> > holes big enough for our wire bundles.=C2=A0 Took 3 days to make 4 hole=
s.
> >=20
> > I remember that job very well.=C2=A0 F-ing electrician stole all my con=
duit.
>=20
>=20
> Shoot the electrician!!!  Not that bad here.  Had a electrician use my
> holes for his romex runs in a new construction job a number of years
> back.  Said my piece with the GC.  Electrician pulled and re-ran his
> wires.  The sad part was that I had a couple of Low Voltage wires
> already in those holes.  Fortunately there were no wire burns on the
> sheath.   It really is sad when you think about the extra work that
> is needed to get the the job done right!!

Jeeeze. You guys are a lot nicer than I am.=20

Just as a precursor to these stories, I must say that I am always aware of =
how my work may interfere with other contractors and go out of my way to co=
ntact them before proceeding if I don't see a workaround to a conflict of u=
se of space, time or whatever. Occasionally other contractors do not recipr=
ocate.  =20

Through the years I've had various occasions to have inconsiderate or downr=
ight nasty contractors invade my space. Most memorable ......

A doctor that had been my customer for many years was moving to a new build=
ing and wanted me to install a new alarm system. Since he was moving some o=
f his equipment in while renovations were going on he wanted the alarm syst=
em in early and he would come and arm and disarm the system for contractors=
 as they appeared on the job. There was a space downstairs beside the basem=
ent stairway where I mounted a piece of plywood for the alarm panel. The al=
arm system worked well until after they moved in. A few months later they h=
ad a problem and called me for a service call to change the entry and exit =
doors so employees could come and go through the back door instead of havin=
g to walk through the waiting room. Had to run new wire so I go down to the=
 basement and where my alarm panel had been mounted now was the telephone s=
ystem KSU. MY alarm panel had been removed from the board and was hanging b=
y a nail from a ceiling rafter. Still working, of course.=20

Hmmmmmm!............... Aghhhhhhhh!

So, ........=20
I had another piece of plywood in the van and was able to manipulate the ca=
ble from the alarm panel so that it looked  pretty ok but not the way I wou=
ld usually find acceptable. But certainly not the way it was originally. My=
 first impulse was to go up and report what had happened to the doctor but =
 I realized that the event would have very little significance to him. I ra=
n the new wire for the new entry exit door and got the system working the w=
ay he wanted it.=20

THEN :=20
I went out to the van got a piece of scrap metal and my hacksaw. I put a ra=
g on the ground and proceeded to cut a number of cuts in the scrap metal. I=
 gathered up the cuttings and the very last thing I did before I quickly le=
ft the building was to go down to the KSU and sprinkle the iron filings lib=
erally over the PCB's.=20

BOY THESE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM --- YA JUS NEVER KNOW WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS YER=
 GONNA HAVE WITH THEM ...... RIGHT?

I didn't have to go back for a long time so I don't know what happened.

Another time had to do with a plumber who burned the insulation off of all =
the wires in a sizable cable run when he was sweating a copper pipe in the =
basement. Again, I didn't say anything to the GC for what could he have don=
e about it? The result was me drilling a series of 1/16 inch holes drilled =
randomly in the main PVC waste pipes and in the second floor PVC from the s=
hower and toilet. I drilled in the top sides and bottom so that it didn't a=
ppear to be vandalism / intentional. And not a lot of holes but some strate=
gically so they were aimed at the drywall ceilings and walls. =20
 =20
i GUESS IT MUSTA BEEN A DEFECT IN THE PIPE FROM THE MANUFACTURER that cause=
d him to have to open the sheet rock and replace all the PVC because he had=
 no idea which pipe was good or bad. Other than his transgression to my wir=
es he must have been a good plumber because he had the foresight to test th=
e system before the construction was totally completed. Lucky him.  It was =
really, really sad to see all the extra work he had to do. Tsk, tsk. But it=
 was MUCH MUCH longer than it took me to cut and splice all the burnt wires=
. =20

There have been others events but those are the two most memorable.

I'm sure they never knew their misfortune was because of their inconsiderat=
eness or carelessness=20

But I did.

Don't f&8# with the alarm guy.