Electricians

-dustin · Dec 5, 2004

my dad's an electrician (master certified electrician, i believe?). he didn't finish high school and didn't go right into it. don't know his past, but i think he just did odd jobs, learning as he went. since i've been born, he's only had 3 different jobs, including a failed business of his own. today, he works for about $18/hr (which is probably a good deal higher than the average wage in town), 8 or 9hrs a day, plus he does his own work on the side. rarely has a saturday and sunday off. he loves it, though. then again, he also likes the people he works with. he was offered a job doing work all around Texas, being paid $30/hr + given a new super duty Ford as a 'work truck' with gas paid. he opted to turn it down, in favor of is his current job, and side jobs.

N8 v2.0 · Dec 5, 2004

I was an electrician in the Seabees. When I got out, I got a slot in the local apprenticiship program run by the IBEW. It was a 5 year long program and I decided to take a leave of absence in my second year to go to college and get a degree in electrical engineering.

I know a large number of union electricians that earn $20-30K per year more than your avg Elect Enginerd but you can't have any time off.

It's a good trade and learning a trade is always a good career move.

In the local area IBEW union jurneymen are pulling in $22-25/hr for an inside wireman and more if you are a lineman working for the electric power company.

wooglin · Dec 5, 2004

I put a new flourescent light in my kitchen today, does that count? (Probably not since the damn thing still doesn't work.)

lux · Dec 5, 2004

NineFingers -- I recently closed my electrical contracting business. I've been a wiremonkey for 10 years and worked in a lot of facets of the industry. My favorite, by far, was industrial machinery wiring/maintenence. AC/DC drives, PLCs, motion control, etc... That stuff was fun, AND, I didn't have to crawl up under your nasty-ass crawlspace or up in your 3' attic space in the middle of July to do it!!!

If you want, PM me with your phone number and I'll answer any questions for you I'm able.

Skookum · Dec 5, 2004

My pal is a sparky with the Union. You gotta work pretty hard and take schooling for around 5 years, then when you top out at Journeymen you make around $35 and hour plus bennies and get dumb lazy and fat just like all Sparky's are. :monkey:

lux · Dec 5, 2004

Skookum said:
...dumb lazy and fat just like all Sparky's are.

Do I look dumb lazy and fat, biatch?
:eviltongu

Wumpus · Dec 5, 2004

NineFingers said:
fatality rates?

http://www.electrician.com/osha_bulletin.htm

http://www.coshnetwork.org/Background Info.htm

MMike · Dec 5, 2004

V=ir.....

lux · Dec 5, 2004

MMike said:
V=ir.....

Man, you said a mouthful there.

Skookum · Dec 5, 2004

lux said:
Do I look dumb lazy and fat, biatch?
:eviltongu

Go play with a fork and a light socket sparky....

lux · Dec 5, 2004

Skookum said:
Go play with a fork and a light socket sparky....

Or how 'bout that time I grounded myself to one leg of a 480volt panel. Woke up on the floor and then tasted copper for a friggen week.

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 5, 2004

N8 said:
I was an electrician in the Seabees. When I got out, I got a slot in the local apprenticiship program run by the IBEW. It was a 5 year long program and I decided to take a leave of absence in my second year to go to college and get a degree in electrical engineering.

I know a large number of union electricians that earn $20-30K per year more than your avg Elect Enginerd but you can't have any time off.

It's a good trade and learning a trade is always a good career move.

In the local area IBEW union jurneymen are pulling in $22-25/hr for an inside wireman and more if you are a lineman working for the electric power company.

Wow, our Jurneyman wages here in Nor Cal range between $34-$55 an hour, but the again the cost of living is so much greater. Damn 20 years ago I was making $15 an hour as an apprentice plumber not bad for just out of high school living at home back in 1984.

Toshi · Dec 5, 2004

NineFingers said:
Damn I'll move to NorCal... that means apprentice's make between $17-26.50 an hour.

make sure to check out how much rent is in the bay area before you jump ship :think:

Snacks · Dec 5, 2004

Brian HCM#1 said:
Wow, our Jurneyman wages here in Nor Cal range between $34-$55 an hour, but the again the cost of living is so much greater. Damn 20 years ago I was making $15 an hour as an apprentice plumber not bad for just out of high school living at home back in 1984.

My ex-husband just turned out last summer. He is making $40 an hour. Pretty good money and great benefits, but remember it's a huge commitment. 5 years of schooling and some of the testing really turns a lot of people off. He makes more on side jobs durning the weekend than 40 hours durning the week.

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 6, 2004

Toshi said:
make sure to check out how much rent is in the bay area before you jump ship

Exactly, theres always a catch

N8 v2.0 · Dec 6, 2004

NineFingers said:
I can't believe that you didn't get credit for the years spent as a Seabee. I was in the Navy, personel, and those guys were always out there bustin' there @ss! You'd think they'd award at least a journeyman's cert. to a four year term electrical seabee!

Yep.. you'd think so BUT... what it did get me was a foot in the door in a very tough to get into from the outside clique and I was often left on the jobsite solo as a first year apprentice without the supervision of a journeyman (something that is taboo in the union).

Where my Seabee schooling paid off was college where I gained a couple dozen hours of credit for all the A, C and advanced skills schools I attended in the Navy.

N8 v2.0 · Dec 6, 2004

MMike said:
V=ir.....

I prefer the more 'refined' version of E=ir

Originally Posted by Brian HCM#1
Wow, our Jurneyman wages here in Nor Cal range between $34-$55 an hour, but the again the cost of living is so much greater. Damn 20 years ago I was making $15 an hour as an apprentice plumber not bad for just out of high school living at home back in 1984.

I just checked the IBEW website for our area and scale is $21.80/hr.

If you really want to make BIG BUCKS.... become a plumber!! But you can't be afraid to wrestle bare handed with poo... :dead:

SkaredShtles · Dec 6, 2004

lux said:
Do I look dumb lazy and fat, biatch?
:eviltongu

Well, you don't look fat........... :monkey:

-S.S.-

wooglin · Dec 6, 2004

wooglin said:
I put a new flourescent light in my kitchen today, does that count? (Probably not since the damn thing still doesn't work.)

Hey! It does work! Well sorta. There's a glimmer of light at one end, but the whole bulb doesn't light up. Any ideas why that may be from you pros out there? The whole fixture is brand new, so I'm reasonably sure its a wiring issue. Not enough power getting through maybe? Should I have cleaned the leads?

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 6, 2004

N8 said:
If you really want to make BIG BUCKS.... become a plumber!! But you can't be afraid to wrestle bare handed with poo...

Thats why I did new construction, mainly custom homes.

N8 v2.0 · Dec 6, 2004

wooglin said:
Hey! It does work! Well sorta. There's a glimmer of light at one end, but the whole bulb doesn't light up. Any ideas why that may be from you pros out there? The whole fixture is brand new, so I'm reasonably sure its a wiring issue. Not enough power getting through maybe? Should I have cleaned the leads?

Could be several things... like a loose connection... not only the one you made up in the junction box but on the fixture itself. It could also be that you have one or both bulbs not seated correctly in the holders. Since the fixture is new there is a small chance that the ballast is bad... this happens occationally.

wooglin · Dec 6, 2004

N8 said:
Could be several things...

Thanks. I'll check all that when I get home.

DRB · Dec 6, 2004

How convenient of a thread?

Is a GFCI breaker better than the GFCI outlets? I've got a GFCI breaker that seems to be going bad and I was wondering if I should replace it with a normal breaker then change the first outlet in the circuit to GFCI outlet.

dh girlie · Dec 6, 2004

lux said:
Do I look dumb lazy and fat, biatch?
:eviltongu

No...no not at all...maybe a little like Ed Norton...

edit: Ed Norton the actor, NOT Ed Norton from the Honeymooners...

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 6, 2004

DRB said:
How convenient of a thread?

Is a GFCI breaker better than the GFCI outlets? I've got a GFCI breaker that seems to be going bad and I was wondering if I should replace it with a normal breaker then change the first outlet in the circuit to GFCI outlet.

Just replace the breaker with a new one, all the receptacles its on are already wired for the GFCI breaker.

DRB · Dec 6, 2004

Brian HCM#1 said:
Just replace the breaker with a new one, all the receptacles its on are already wired for the GFCI breaker.

Why I was asking was that if there is no difference between the two, I could get the reset inside the house as opposed to outside in the circuit box.

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 6, 2004

DRB said:
Why I was asking was that if there is no difference between the two, I could get the reset inside the house as opposed to outside in the circuit box.

There is no difference.

N8 v2.0 · Dec 6, 2004

DRB said:
Why I was asking was that if there is no difference between the two, I could get the reset inside the house as opposed to outside in the circuit box.

If it were me, I'd simply change out the first receptical to a GFI as you suggested. Unless it was a bedroom outlet breaker.. then I'd install an arc-fault breaker in the panel UNLESS the wiring was old and the circuit didn't have a dedicated neutral for it.

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 6, 2004

N8 said:
If it were me, I'd simply change out the first receptical to a GFI as you suggested. Unless it was a bedroom outlet breaker.. then I'd install an arc-fault breaker in the panel UNLESS the wiring was old and the circuit didn't have a dedicated neutral for it.

Then you'll have to change the GFCI breaker to a regular one, or when the GFCI receptacle trips the breaker will probably too when it comes to reseting it.

N8 v2.0 · Dec 6, 2004

Brian HCM#1 said:
Then you'll have to change the GFCI breaker to a regular one, or when the GFCI receptacle trips the breaker will probably too when it comes to reseting it.

Yep... forgot about that...

....by the time you buy a new breaker and a GFI receptical you'd be way cheaper if you just bought a new GFI breaker...

lux · Dec 6, 2004

dh girlie said:
No...no not at all...maybe a little like Ed Norton...

edit: Ed Norton the actor, NOT Ed Norton from the Honeymooners...

[blush]Why, thank you.[/blush]

Brian HCM#1 · Dec 6, 2004

N8 said:
Yep... forgot about that...

....by the time you buy a new breaker and a GFI receptical you'd be way cheaper if you just bought a new GFI breaker...

Bingo

lux · Dec 6, 2004

DRB said:
Why I was asking was that if there is no difference between the two, I could get the reset inside the house as opposed to outside in the circuit box.

That's what I'd recommend to a customer. As long as you know which receptacle is the first in the string, you're good to go.

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