I agree with that statement. It's always the electricians that have to problem solve the engineer's mistakes. And it's on every job that I've worked on. Some are minor Some are really bad. I'm working on a substation right now and the engineers were kicked off site and it's up to us make it all work now. I don't even know how they have a job...
That goes for any trade though. As someone whose job covers all three of electrical, plumbing and gas, I can tell you that none of the project managers or designers have a fucking clue when it comes to the practical side of the job. There is a reason that all they do is design stuff on computers all day.
Can confirm... Finishing my junior year of mechanical engineering. And 95% of my class has zero knowledge on anything technical. One guy in my class suggested welding wood to steel...
@@MakingVidsBreh why I'm dropping outta college after my first semester in an engineering program. No hard skills are taught anymore and that's not gonna get me a stable career. So, I'll try to become an electrician if I can figure it out.
I've worked on power lines for almost 10 years now (usually 7,200 volts and some 14,400 volt occasionally) I can honestly say I've never been shocked. I have blown some shit up though 😂. Stay safe man.
You would like being an elevator mechanic. We do a little bit of everything and obviously the pay rate is....well....very nice. Having an electrical background is a bonus if you're a maintenance tech
I was a 5th year with the IBEW and took a job as a helper with the IUEC I love it. I thought I knew electric before but now I realize I just knew pipe bending and pulling wire haha
@@jasonmichael5194 Thats what I'm talking about! My old mechanic came over in his 40's from the IBEW and still did the apprenticeship and was happy to make the switch. We are blessed for sure. IUEC local 1 here.
"The weather in Southern California must be sweet" . . .Unless you're doing solar work in death valley, average temp for us is 108, I do wire management so it's not too bad, but i have a heavy heart for the folks who have to slap glass all day.
Is photovoltaic effective in that much heat? Man I feel for you. I would wear shorts and no shirt I don't care what Osha says. They aren't coming out there anyway
Ive been an electrician for nearly 3 years. The tool i hate is the nail guns... even though i know its about to go off. I always flinch no matter what it pisses me off so much... Ah man some people piss me off... a woman who we was doing a house rewire for asked me how many downlights(potlights) i thought was best in the room. I made a quick sketch up it was 22 downlights and 3 pendants above her island in her kitchen. And she said she liked that so that same day i got it all done. It took me like 2-3 hours to run all the cables and then she told me she changed her mind and only wanted 4 downlights in this massive kitchen... i told her that she'd would have shadows everywhere and it wont look good and she said that she was gonna get bright lights...... 4 weeks later after the job was done we got in there and hooked everything up and i wish i took photos but it was the funniest thing because it felt like a cinema in there. She then asked if we could do what i said to begin with..... Oh and i forgot to say i told her to leave the cables up there just incase she wanted more lights in the future, but she insisted and made me rip out all the cables clipped in the ceiling... so her lovely ceiling that was freshly decorated looked like swiss cheese after i was done with it and she got charged more cos it took nearly half a day
I hate hearing switches get flipped, when I'm holding devises or wires. I sit there for a second and realise nothing happened so I'm alive and if i didn't get hit then what I'm working on isn't energised haha then i continue what I'm working on
9:25 - I work in Florida outside as a vehicle photographer, I HAVE to drink about a gallon of water on my 7 hours in the field or I'll be dehydrated and practically dying, basically just have to take a sip of water every single chance I can get. Water's easy to come by, but the electrolytes you sweat out are insane. I've started to drink pedialyte powder dropped into a 16.9floz bottle of water and I'll drink half of it or the whole thing at once halfway through my shift, that stuff's awesome. has more electrolytes than gatorade and like 1/4 as much sugar, one of the packets makes like 64floz of gatorade's worth of electrolytes. Keeping ahead of dehydration is ridiculously important on a hot job, even if you last the day if you don't figure out how to hydrate two or three days of not doing it will leave you whooped.
I’m an electrician for an hvac and plumbing co. Those guys definitely have stuff that can be screwed up that are extremely dangerous too but I know what you mean electrical is serious. Here’s what grinds my gears, equipment, cabinets or terminals that have so little working room that it’s next to impossible to land the wires.
You're right about the trades attracting fools. I'm at Lincoln tech in Melrose park, Illinois. When we were doing review for the midterm a few months ago; One of my classmates asked "Do we really have to know all this" It's like of course we do just shut up and learn.
Only been in the trade two years and I've met plenty of paint chips. As the apprentice, I often prove myself to be the paint chip in any given situation
I got burned when bugging in a service on a supermarket.The utility company was outside after a flood.they were supposed to wait to tie in the service at the street for me bug.well they were tieing the service the same time I was.Well I melted a wrench good thing I was wearing linesman gloves and standing on a pad or I would have been toast.
I'm in the AV trade, i love good electricians who know their shit. Helps us out a ton when things like outlets are where we need them, and conduits are done right. And #6 is true for us. I spend half the time field engineering installs because I never got any line drawings or plans on how to hook up the shit they ordered for the job.
What you said at 3:50 about electricians vs plumbers is almost verbatim what I tell customers. I'm a GC and try to do everything, including nearly all my own plumbing, but I limit the electrical work I do before I bring in my electrician. Gas pipe aside, the consequences for an electrical mistake are generally more severe than a plumbing mistake, an injury versus a mess for example, so I stick to the basic stuff and leave the more complicated work to my electrician. Also I found the cleanest most OCD electrician who runs a small crew and charges reasonably so it would almost be stupid not to use him.
What is often lacking in a site is an overall manager to manage trade traffic and work out schedules for the carrying out of each trade in a timely manner. I have often seen one trade clash with the other, pipes from plumbing being sited over cable trunking or stuff being painted over by careless painters or plaster being splashed over newly installed windows and fittings etc. Makes snag lists very long and costs money to rectify.....my favourite is second fix electrics being made difficult by poorly sited switch and socket boxes blocked by architraves and second fix carpentery elements ( window surrounds etc.)
i do hvac and i completely agree with a lot of it. especially number 2! i work on a lot of 3 phase 460 and 208/230 and i really liked how you mentioned it just happens.
Your boss was mad about something and so he started flipping breakers on you guys? Woah man... Not only should he lose his job but something like that could easily turn into a big lawsuit. What he did was extremely out of line, he is a huge liability to that company. Something like that in my company would get people throwing hands at the boss. A line you never cross basically.
He definitely would deserve an ass wooping but I don’t think he was saying his boss was made at them but mad about something else about the job or something. Still doesn’t excuse him from being reckless like that.
"Paint-Chip" , "less-than-scholarly" love it! 😎 I have been working with and supervising a "Paint-Chip" for over 19 years. They don't necessarily get better. Keep a safe distance, and enjoy the accumulation of very funny stories.
Yes the worst thing about the trade is the physical tole it can take on your body which can be bad in the long term, but these jobs have to be done, and they pay well😉
SOME pay well but others do not. If your job is in a publically funded venue with public or private funding on a large scale then you have some hope as inspections and upkeep of standards is mandatory and legally backed up. Once your job has a legal backing employers cannot displace you for unqualified or unskilled labour. Electricity and gas fall into these categories as do many forms of transport and marine work. All aviation work falls into this category. Unfortunately many trades do not have legal backing and are often performed to a substandard level by DIY people. This depresses pricing for these trades. I recall discussing this topic with a gas and electrics worker in a hospital setting, it appears that hospital and airport electricians are very well paid compared to the average but very difficult to get into.
I was an industrial electrician back in the day that worked on 480, 277 lighting, 220, etc. back in the day before my common sense told me to become an engineer. Had to work on many applications hot.
I'm glad your doing videos again man! I've learned a good bit and you have inspired me to not only get some awesome tools but to stick with the electrical trade. Also I'm pretty sure we live and work in the same state which is pretty damn cool. Keep the videos coming man I love them!
When your co-worker makes up a half-assed head while pulling a service and it comes apart at the last 90. Then you have to half-hitch it back the full run. I'm not bitter.
Old Man Duff I’ve been on a few wire pulls myself and it makes it interesting when someone drops something in the pipe such as a 1 1/2 connector inside a 3” Emt conduit , Last one I was on , one guy dropped his wrench down a 2” pipe he was working on 🤦♂️
20hrs after pulling 1000mcm and 4 hours making an a few underground splices i felt that way imma say it was my second worst day on the job other one had to be 28hrs on a lease in 3ft of water throwing line fuses and fault finding transmission lines
I recall an episode in a computer factory when an operator was testing DC power supplies freshly delivered from a sister factory for final assembly at our factory. She has about 20 of them lined up for power testing when one of them blew up on being powered up. After witnessing that incident I always power up every new item I receive, either at home or at work, from a safe distance by using the switch on the sockets. Suddenly erupting equipment should not happen but can be a surprise when it does.
I don't think this is just electrical work though. Shit like that happens at most companies no matter the line of work from what I hear from friends and fam😂
In case you may be lacking a little in a solid basic understanding of what the electrons do. I highly recommend the old book electricity 1-7 by Harry Mileaf. Studying that book very deeply from cover to cover is one of the best things I've ever done for myself.
I am an Electrician and no matter HOW safe you are, getting zapped STILL happens. Of course, we don't want it to happen but when you're in a shitty position or on a ladder, sometimes, shit happens...stay safe out there, Mike! Appreciate the videos! EDIT: Don't get me started on engineers...the guys who design shit BUT ARE NEVER ON THE JOB to see WTF is going on! - They design every job as if it's all new construction...I never understood how engineers never have eyes on the job! We are electricians, we can DO WHATEVER WE WANT! ruclips.net/video/mViO9mnCTBo/видео.html
I totally agree with you. I am 53 yes old, worked at San Francisco old house today. It is 3 story house. Guess what! Up and down all day long , worked on extend ladder all day. But, I appreciate that I can work sometimes in shelter in home situation. Good luck to all electricians , keep shape for work!
when i was first starting out i was a floor guy but the first month i got to actually do work i was pulling wire into a bus plug for a guy who had been doing it 30 years so i trusted him. he said it was and locked out and you know i didnt know any better that the line side was hot and he stripped a larger wire i think it was 3/0 bare and pushed and i got 2 legs of 480 in my face. everything was green, i couldnt here and i had the shakes and thats when i knew i got a lucky lesson in safety and so i totally agree with your #2
Work in the scrap business at my family’s yard running 345b Cat excavators with generators that run mags and when we work on or fix the lines I’m always nervous because it has a lot of electricity. I also enjoy working outside all day doing physical labor as well.
Amen brother!! Nailed it 100%. Funny, how in the end, no matter what, deadlines get met. Generals are happy(for the most part). Clients get keys, and on to the next one! All we can do is all we can do! Besides, jobs that run smooth, without any rfi's or changes....worry me🤔
I'm actually enlisting in the airforce to be an electrician for the E-3 sentry plan. But you were one of the big inspirations that got me interested in being an electrician. So thank you for making videos, they're great.
Great video my brother. Dude was the guy who threw up the milk name JOEL and walked like a women...lol. I worked this this dude that drank gallons of milk on the job and his name was Joel..lol we all called him Utters.
Mike , Getting Shocked 😳 is part of the trade , I’ve been dealing with Electricity for over 25 years ( it’s the Amperage that kills you 1/10th of an amp will do it ) Working on live circuits is what makes the job interesting 🧐 , been on many jobs changing out 277 volts ballasts because sometimes you can’t turn off the circuit .
james conklin 25 years and let me tell you something it's the old argument is it the Volt or the amps that kills you. I'm going to call you in a little thing called electrical science. It's not the amps that kills you it's not the volts that kills you it is when the amps in the vaults meat and you have pressure and current working in tandem also known as power or Watts. This is what will kill you voltage is pressure. Like a pressure washer. Amperage is current. You can have all the current in the world if it has no pressure behind it will not do you harm you can have all the pressure in the world if you have no current behind it there's no harm the combination of the two current Pushed by pressure is what will kill you. A better way to understand this is to look up the principles of Eli The Iceman.
Calvin Barrett Send that explanation to Google ( Quora ) , As I was going through there , both will kill you , As you should know , you can’t have one without the other and as they were saying it’s not the fall from the cliff that kills you it’s the stopping.
I live in Wisconsin.. we dont see 100+ degrees very often but there really isn't a "too cold" to work temp lol.. a lot of the winter work I got stuck doing this year was below 0. Gloves that keep ur hands warm make them useless, gloves that allow you to actually use your hands dont keep them warm
I'm so glad that you can shut a circuit off to work. In my field, there's no breaker or switches on our 48VDC, 5500A (not a typo) buses ('cause cables are pig tails, not mains) so we're always live. Why? Have you ever thought shutting down a main telephone switch? Keep up your excellent work!
damn you are lucky. In Michigan, we will be out doing services in -20 wind chill, or 100 and HUMID. In michigan it can be 85 and be miserable because of the high humidity
I’m a plumber and havc guy (we are literally called ‘Installers’ in Dutch). It’s a bit of a crossover job here. We both get to deal with dirty sewers, getting wet AND getting shocked. Getting shocked especially sucks, 230V AC is no joke, just happened to me yesterday.
thank you for these awesome vids im actually excited to get into this course im switching fields from working in a kitchen as a cook to being an electrician im excited for the new adventure
I always find it is helpful to have done some other form of work before starting training in technical roles. It makes you appreciate the role better when you have done other jobs beforehand. Catering is a very physically and mentally demanding role and is not for everyone.
I agree with all your points. Some things I would add: When talking about dipshits on the job, it's not always new guys. I've ran into some old timer guys who are someone's work dog and work extremely fast but their work is shit and borderline unsafe. Usually these guys don't know jack shit about electrical theory or they think they do but it's completely wrong. They destroy their bodies and expect you to do the same. Working with them is generally unsafe and you will learn bad habits. About the PPE yeah it sucks but it does help. I've had things hit me in the safety glasses and hard hat before that for sure could have done some damage. Also if you get used to wearing PPE try not to get un-used to it If you go to a job that is more lenient. It sucks when you are done there and you have to go back to a job that requires full PPE and not only are you uncomfortable again but you are getting hounded left and right about wearing it. Great video thanks for the content, stay safe.
Had the 'ladder shock' twice, it's a good thing i don't get startled quick. You turn off the breaker and see the lamp go out, you think you're in the clear, turns out there were 2 circuits going to the lamp
lol the light fixture one got me. you were speaking facts the whole time. but people that haven't been in the field and had to install some of these things, shouldn't have a say
My story of electric fences...as a kid, my friend and I found an electric fence, complete with the distribution box. Well, I had to test it. Grabbed the top fence wire, nothing. Next, nothing. Next, YEOUCH! The shock went up my right arm, and down my right leg to ground. That hurt!
Just subscribed! New apprentice here. Starting in a few months. Yes, I can definitely see how waiting for others to complete jobs could be super annoying. Especially when you are a very time-sensitive person and are the type to want to get your work done and out of the way. Great vid. More please, sir!
Ive been lit up testing gfci's up in a crane, my boss i had that job, his prior job he was working alongside his boss, his boss was goin over his working asking him if that circuit was secured and was, his boss went to cut into line alongside him and blew up his pliers. But will say after working on that stuff, yeah, i am more afraid of 120 than am 480, guys i work with now dont understand why as all they work on is vehicles
I worked with some trade certified electricians in my work as an electronics technician and I can say the electricians are a very mixed bunch. When they are good they are very good but when they are bad they are bad. All of them stated how good and easy it was to work in industry as opposed to domestic or non technical places of work. Worst of all were meat factories or bakeries where daily contact with vermin was a given, often on heights. Another guy trained on trawlers and had to be tops at his trade since any slip-ups with power and propulsion etc could result in a dead ship and dead crew, no fools suffered gladly there. Another guy recalled his delightful sub-zero work installing armored cable for street lighting, none of the other more senior trades people in his company would so the work so he was forced to do all the onerous jobs, such as working in sewerage pumpstations, on high street lighting pylons, etc. He immediately signed up for a degree course in Electrical Eng to get away from the physically draining and demanding aspects of the electrical tradesmans job. I recall a radio interview with a jobs expert who was forecasting the demise of many jobs due to automation and robotics displacing many traditional roles, he mentioned kitchen installers as one very safe job because the work cannot be easily or economically automated. Electricians I would say would be a close second, but like car inspections etc. you need legal and government agency oversight to keep working standards high.
If you fold the end of your electric tape over on itself you can find the tale easier. If you get in the habit of doing it every time you use it, you'll never have to search for the end.
Do you wear any type gloves when you work? In my area, and especially in commercial construction, wearing cut resistant gloves is mandatory. I TOTALLY disagree with you that it comes with the territory. You can be smart and avoid getting shocked. I'd say 50% is knowing how to avoid it, and the other 50% is good practice. Wearing work gloves of any type GREATLY reduces your chances of getting shocked. I absolutely won't dig into a j-box without work gloves. In my opinion, If you're getting shocked any more than once every five years, you seriously need to think hard about what you're doing wrong.
I Did Foundations and Framing We Were There Before The Electrians . Even Temp Power We Were There Before Using Gas power. My Body is Beat up ! Be Careful and Safe Mike .
What state are you in? Here in Wisconsin we work no matter if its -25 or its 100 lol. Granted when it's super cold we take more breaks but still. Just gotta bundle up nd keep the truck running to warm up
Union electrician local 474 for six years now, just turned out last year. Spent the last seven months working out of a local ten hours from home. Got laid off right when i wanted to come back home, happened to be timed perfectly with all these stay at home orders. I was planning on being unemployed at this time anyway. There's something nice about hearing someone else voice the same gripes I have, ESPECIALLY when it comes to design flaws. I constantly find myself bitching about that 😆
I just subscribed to your channel. I would love to become an electrician. I will see what I can do soon. Just letting you know I live in Maryland and I love 60 minutes IPA.
Im thinking of becoming an electrician but i really don't know if its the right choice for me, don't know what ill be doing in specific but i think the job would be fun, i hear its physically and mentally demanding and that's good. im just not sure on what i actually want to do in life and don't want to end up 5 years down the road and realize i don't like my job. i love working out and nutrition but the jobs i was looking at don't make enough to support my hobbies and dreams, but an electrician? the pay per hour fits with what i want in life, i need to learn more tbh
I feel the worst thing about being an Electrician is…. Everyone wants you to do work for them as if you don’t have a life of your own….. Ask them to come over to your house on Saturday morning to mow your lawn for you while you are adding an outlet for them….. I bet they’ll say they don’t have time to mow your lawn on Saturday but they think you want to add an outlet for them…. Personal time is worth more than any dollar per hour they want to pay you.
Yep, construction is tough on the body. I've watched a few of your videos now and I'm thinking that you would like the transition into an industrial maintenance type roll.
Number 6, every other trades thinks your job is piss easy - "can you just?" gets thrown around too often
Ya, and that sparkys are all whinners to huh,
going in last to remodels because "Wires are flexible"
The number one thing that sucks about being an electrician :
Working on other electrician's hack work.
Can confirm
Nathan Linerode no you cant
Mostly DIY hack work actually
duuuuddde ... the worst
Nah, its coming in after the handyman fixed it!
Now, 5 great things about being a electrician.
qzetu Going around where I live & showing off my work to my friends
Everything in his video except getting shocked. Always something new to learn also, makes it a great trade.
@@markduverger1739 What I like is that we can work on a lot of different things, I'm terrible for being bored with stuff lol.
HVAC is safer and just as essential, I think I’ll do that
@@joecoolberry911 I’m a hvac tech. I’ve considered doing my electrical too but it’s not really needed
Electrical engineers should spend years in the field before they get licensed; it gets old doing their job for them.
Its crazy how engineers are not required to do any field time, most of the time their ideas dont work.
I agree with that statement. It's always the electricians that have to problem solve the engineer's mistakes. And it's on every job that I've worked on. Some are minor Some are really bad. I'm working on a substation right now and the engineers were kicked off site and it's up to us make it all work now. I don't even know how they have a job...
also Code comes first and foremost!
That is a fact. Just finished a job where the engineer had spec'd for a 2" conduit to be terminated into a single-gang Bell box. No joke.
That goes for any trade though. As someone whose job covers all three of electrical, plumbing and gas, I can tell you that none of the project managers or designers have a fucking clue when it comes to the practical side of the job. There is a reason that all they do is design stuff on computers all day.
Can confirm... Finishing my junior year of mechanical engineering. And 95% of my class has zero knowledge on anything technical. One guy in my class suggested welding wood to steel...
originality34_34 you should’ve suggested the class to take turns slapping him
Or try doing it, fokk it. Best way to learn.🙃
How the fuck did he manage to get that far in an engineering course
@@batman7401 As a senior in Mech E, you'd be surprised. It's all math and calculations; very little practical skills are taught.
@@MakingVidsBreh why I'm dropping outta college after my first semester in an engineering program. No hard skills are taught anymore and that's not gonna get me a stable career. So, I'll try to become an electrician if I can figure it out.
One good thing about being an electrician is never having to call an electrician.
and never having the problem of not having a job. we have too much work actually.
Let's be honest, we all preach a no hot work policy, but we all do hot work 🤷🏼♂️
I don't preach it, just talk shit when someone gets hit. "Bro, the breakers are 30 ft. away! Lazy fokk!"
Yepp everyone says don’t work hot .. no one ever wants to trace a circuit and turn it off
Hot work happens everyday. “Oh you need this running? Let me just look at the prints and spend a couple hours before I fix it”
@@brandonplamndon8751 no offense but you don’t need to test for voltages
I've worked on power lines for almost 10 years now (usually 7,200 volts and some 14,400 volt occasionally) I can honestly say I've never been shocked. I have blown some shit up though 😂. Stay safe man.
At that voltage you only get one mistake so lets hold you never do.
You would like being an elevator mechanic. We do a little bit of everything and obviously the pay rate is....well....very nice. Having an electrical background is a bonus if you're a maintenance tech
Rob G plus other trades are nice to you because they have to be
I was a 5th year with the IBEW and took a job as a helper with the IUEC I love it. I thought I knew electric before but now I realize I just knew pipe bending and pulling wire haha
@@jasonmichael5194 Thats what I'm talking about! My old mechanic came over in his 40's from the IBEW and still did the apprenticeship and was happy to make the switch. We are blessed for sure. IUEC local 1 here.
@@brianhogan433You got that right!
I feel like I'd like to be an elevator mechanic?
"The weather in Southern California must be sweet" . . .Unless you're doing solar work in death valley, average temp for us is 108, I do wire management so it's not too bad, but i have a heavy heart for the folks who have to slap glass all day.
Talking about the hottest place on the entire planet. Very dangerous. Heavy heart indeed, soggy ass too.
Is photovoltaic effective in that much heat? Man I feel for you. I would wear shorts and no shirt I don't care what Osha says. They aren't coming out there anyway
No 1 is so true for Industrial electrician too.
Ive been an electrician for nearly 3 years. The tool i hate is the nail guns... even though i know its about to go off. I always flinch no matter what it pisses me off so much...
Ah man some people piss me off... a woman who we was doing a house rewire for asked me how many downlights(potlights) i thought was best in the room. I made a quick sketch up it was 22 downlights and 3 pendants above her island in her kitchen. And she said she liked that so that same day i got it all done. It took me like 2-3 hours to run all the cables and then she told me she changed her mind and only wanted 4 downlights in this massive kitchen... i told her that she'd would have shadows everywhere and it wont look good and she said that she was gonna get bright lights...... 4 weeks later after the job was done we got in there and hooked everything up and i wish i took photos but it was the funniest thing because it felt like a cinema in there. She then asked if we could do what i said to begin with.....
Oh and i forgot to say i told her to leave the cables up there just incase she wanted more lights in the future, but she insisted and made me rip out all the cables clipped in the ceiling... so her lovely ceiling that was freshly decorated looked like swiss cheese after i was done with it and she got charged more cos it took nearly half a day
I'm prone to PTSD and so I'll file a complaint about the nail gun if no warning is given... I'd hate to hurt myself or someone...
Is that cause people end up hitting wires inside the wall , so it's tramatizing.
Well if she didn't complain about y'all or anyone else's "rework" still a good customer right? Still annoying though huh.
I hate hearing switches get flipped, when I'm holding devises or wires. I sit there for a second and realise nothing happened so I'm alive and if i didn't get hit then what I'm working on isn't energised haha then i continue what I'm working on
Moral of the story, you got paid, ladys roof is ugly, and she wasnt mad at you. Sounds like it all worked out
9:25 - I work in Florida outside as a vehicle photographer, I HAVE to drink about a gallon of water on my 7 hours in the field or I'll be dehydrated and practically dying, basically just have to take a sip of water every single chance I can get. Water's easy to come by, but the electrolytes you sweat out are insane. I've started to drink pedialyte powder dropped into a 16.9floz bottle of water and I'll drink half of it or the whole thing at once halfway through my shift, that stuff's awesome. has more electrolytes than gatorade and like 1/4 as much sugar, one of the packets makes like 64floz of gatorade's worth of electrolytes. Keeping ahead of dehydration is ridiculously important on a hot job, even if you last the day if you don't figure out how to hydrate two or three days of not doing it will leave you whooped.
I’m an electrician for an hvac and plumbing co. Those guys definitely have stuff that can be screwed up that are extremely dangerous too but I know what you mean electrical is serious. Here’s what grinds my gears, equipment, cabinets or terminals that have so little working room that it’s next to impossible to land the wires.
You're right about the trades attracting fools. I'm at Lincoln tech in Melrose park, Illinois. When we were doing review for the midterm a few months ago; One of my classmates asked "Do we really have to know all this" It's like of course we do just shut up and learn.
Yep. If they don't want to learn it they should leave.
Only been in the trade two years and I've met plenty of paint chips.
As the apprentice, I often prove myself to be the paint chip in any given situation
I got burned when bugging in a service on a supermarket.The utility company was outside after a flood.they were supposed to wait to tie in the service at the street for me bug.well they were tieing the service the same time I was.Well I melted a wrench good thing I was wearing linesman gloves and standing on a pad or I would have been toast.
I'm in the AV trade, i love good electricians who know their shit. Helps us out a ton when things like outlets are where we need them, and conduits are done right. And #6 is true for us. I spend half the time field engineering installs because I never got any line drawings or plans on how to hook up the shit they ordered for the job.
What you said at 3:50 about electricians vs plumbers is almost verbatim what I tell customers. I'm a GC and try to do everything, including nearly all my own plumbing, but I limit the electrical work I do before I bring in my electrician. Gas pipe aside, the consequences for an electrical mistake are generally more severe than a plumbing mistake, an injury versus a mess for example, so I stick to the basic stuff and leave the more complicated work to my electrician. Also I found the cleanest most OCD electrician who runs a small crew and charges reasonably so it would almost be stupid not to use him.
I love when painters walk in the room (fully suited up) and start spraying 5 ft away from you.... 🧐🙄🤬
What is often lacking in a site is an overall manager to manage trade traffic and work out schedules for the carrying out of each trade in a timely manner. I have often seen one trade clash with the other, pipes from plumbing being sited over cable trunking or stuff being painted over by careless painters or plaster being splashed over newly installed windows and fittings etc. Makes snag lists very long and costs money to rectify.....my favourite is second fix electrics being made difficult by poorly sited switch and socket boxes blocked by architraves and second fix carpentery elements ( window surrounds etc.)
i do hvac and i completely agree with a lot of it.
especially number 2! i work on a lot of 3 phase 460 and 208/230 and i really liked how you mentioned it just happens.
I've seen a steel fish tape cross all 3 phases of a 480V panel, didn't see much for about 10 minutes after that. Brightest light ever.....
Your boss was mad about something and so he started flipping breakers on you guys? Woah man... Not only should he lose his job but something like that could easily turn into a big lawsuit. What he did was extremely out of line, he is a huge liability to that company. Something like that in my company would get people throwing hands at the boss. A line you never cross basically.
I'm an electrician in ireland. If you did that here you would goto jail without passing go.
He definitely would deserve an ass wooping but I don’t think he was saying his boss was made at them but mad about something else about the job or something. Still doesn’t excuse him from being reckless like that.
@@uppercutshurt5199 Fuck its outright attempted manslaughter, guy cant plead ignorance
"Paint-Chip" , "less-than-scholarly"
love it! 😎
I have been working with and supervising a "Paint-Chip" for over 19 years. They don't necessarily get better.
Keep a safe distance, and enjoy the accumulation of very funny stories.
Yes the worst thing about the trade is the physical tole it can take on your body which can be bad in the long term, but these jobs have to be done, and they pay well😉
SOME pay well but others do not. If your job is in a publically funded venue with public or private funding on a large scale then you have some hope as inspections and upkeep of standards is mandatory and legally backed up. Once your job has a legal backing employers cannot displace you for unqualified or unskilled labour. Electricity and gas fall into these categories as do many forms of transport and marine work. All aviation work falls into this category. Unfortunately many trades do not have legal backing and are often performed to a substandard level by DIY people. This depresses pricing for these trades. I recall discussing this topic with a gas and electrics worker in a hospital setting, it appears that hospital and airport electricians are very well paid compared to the average but very difficult to get into.
I hate electricity! The best attitude for an electrician, it keeps you alive.
Why do you hate it?
"Some terds go on the floor" LMFAO 😄
Had me rolling there lol
I’ve been in the construction trade since I was 12 and I’m a contractor now. Every year I work in 20-115 degrees in southern CA.
I was an industrial electrician back in the day that worked on 480, 277 lighting, 220, etc. back in the day before my common sense told me to become an engineer. Had to work on many applications hot.
I work hot daily it aint that bad if you work smart im an industrial maintenance electrician so troubleshooting and hot work are part of the job
@@burnedupsparkytipsandrevie9597 If someone can't work hot they probably shouldn't be an electrician
"The heat is in the tools!" - when someone complains about being cold haha.
I'm glad your doing videos again man! I've learned a good bit and you have inspired me to not only get some awesome tools but to stick with the electrical trade. Also I'm pretty sure we live and work in the same state which is pretty damn cool. Keep the videos coming man I love them!
Wushnang nice cod montages
When your co-worker makes up a half-assed head while pulling a service and it comes apart at the last 90. Then you have to half-hitch it back the full run.
I'm not bitter.
Old Man Duff I’ve been on a few wire pulls myself and it makes it interesting when someone drops something in the pipe such as a 1 1/2 connector inside a 3” Emt conduit , Last one I was on , one guy dropped his wrench down a 2” pipe he was working on 🤦♂️
Always swerve on pulling someone elses work, unless you know they are competent.
Fat Thor I was told long time ago , you bend the pipe , you pull the wire for it , That hasn’t been the case for quite some time 🤦♂️,
6:37 Oh how many times I've gotten home at the end of the day and wish I could have just said "I'm a little bitch" and just given up on a wire pull!
20hrs after pulling 1000mcm and 4 hours making an a few underground splices i felt that way imma say it was my second worst day on the job other one had to be 28hrs on a lease in 3ft of water throwing line fuses and fault finding transmission lines
I've used man power ...tuggers... mini excavators ....vans and trucks to pull in feeders... what ever it takers
He's like got PTSD from anything electrical 😂
I recall an episode in a computer factory when an operator was testing DC power supplies freshly delivered from a sister factory for final assembly at our factory. She has about 20 of them lined up for power testing when one of them blew up on being powered up. After witnessing that incident I always power up every new item I receive, either at home or at work, from a safe distance by using the switch on the sockets. Suddenly erupting equipment should not happen but can be a surprise when it does.
In my experience, lots of coworkers have life problems that affects their work - they'll even take it out on everyone.
yup most people cant control their emotions, when they are having problems at home
Leave your problems at home
I don't think this is just electrical work though. Shit like that happens at most companies no matter the line of work from what I hear from friends and fam😂
@@johndavis8746 true, people needa think about how their shitty mood affects other people too
In case you may be lacking a little in a solid basic understanding of what the electrons do. I highly recommend the old book electricity 1-7 by Harry Mileaf.
Studying that book very deeply from cover to cover is one of the best things I've ever done for myself.
I am an Electrician and no matter HOW safe you are, getting zapped STILL happens. Of course, we don't want it to happen but when you're in a shitty position or on a ladder, sometimes, shit happens...stay safe out there, Mike! Appreciate the videos!
EDIT: Don't get me started on engineers...the guys who design shit BUT ARE NEVER ON THE JOB to see WTF is going on! - They design every job as if it's all new construction...I never understood how engineers never have eyes on the job!
We are electricians, we can DO WHATEVER WE WANT! ruclips.net/video/mViO9mnCTBo/видео.html
I totally agree with you. I am 53 yes old, worked at San Francisco old house today. It is 3 story house. Guess what! Up and down all day long , worked on extend ladder all day. But, I appreciate that I can work sometimes in shelter in home situation.
Good luck to all electricians , keep shape for work!
i hate extension ladders lol
when i was first starting out i was a floor guy but the first month i got to actually do work i was pulling wire into a bus plug for a guy who had been doing it 30 years so i trusted him. he said it was and locked out and you know i didnt know any better that the line side was hot and he stripped a larger wire i think it was 3/0 bare and pushed and i got 2 legs of 480 in my face. everything was green, i couldnt here and i had the shakes and thats when i knew i got a lucky lesson in safety and so i totally agree with your #2
Work in the scrap business at my family’s yard running 345b Cat excavators with generators that run mags and when we work on or fix the lines I’m always nervous because it has a lot of electricity. I also enjoy working outside all day doing physical labor as well.
I was shocked before. I can confirm that you become 15% faster when running
Amen brother!! Nailed it 100%. Funny, how in the end, no matter what, deadlines get met. Generals are happy(for the most part). Clients get keys, and on to the next one! All we can do is all we can do! Besides, jobs that run smooth, without any rfi's or changes....worry me🤔
I'm actually enlisting in the airforce to be an electrician for the E-3 sentry plan. But you were one of the big inspirations that got me interested in being an electrician. So thank you for making videos, they're great.
Great video my brother. Dude was the guy who threw up the milk name JOEL and walked like a women...lol. I worked this this dude that drank gallons of milk on the job and his name was Joel..lol we all called him Utters.
Glad to have you back making videos Mike
Mike , Getting Shocked 😳 is part of the trade , I’ve been dealing with Electricity for over 25 years ( it’s the Amperage that kills you 1/10th of an amp will do it ) Working on live circuits is what makes the job interesting 🧐 , been on many jobs changing out 277 volts ballasts because sometimes you can’t turn off the circuit .
james conklin 25 years and let me tell you something it's the old argument is it the Volt or the amps that kills you. I'm going to call you in a little thing called electrical science. It's not the amps that kills you it's not the volts that kills you it is when the amps in the vaults meat and you have pressure and current working in tandem also known as power or Watts. This is what will kill you voltage is pressure. Like a pressure washer. Amperage is current. You can have all the current in the world if it has no pressure behind it will not do you harm you can have all the pressure in the world if you have no current behind it there's no harm the combination of the two current Pushed by pressure is what will kill you. A better way to understand this is to look up the principles of Eli The Iceman.
Calvin Barrett Send that explanation to Google ( Quora ) , As I was going through there , both will kill you , As you should know , you can’t have one without the other and as they were saying it’s not the fall from the cliff that kills you it’s the stopping.
I have similar complaints about being an industrial welder at a precast company lol!
I presume the "Paint chips" were lead? 😂
HEY MAN don't knock it, the lead chips have a sweet metallic taste you grow to love ok.
Just going to school to become an electrician this November. Caught your channel when looking around and appreciate the content.
Glad you are back Mike!
Trust me there’s a whole bunch of “Paint chips “working in the meat processing industry also
im with you and all but im an hvac guy we cant installed an ac without power we have to wait for you guys too
Being an electrician means you can roofing, nailing, screwing, fixing, cutting, measuring and then have knowledge.
Its taught and its awsome.
Yeah, being an electrician in SoCal is great with 100 degree temps from July-September. We really are lucky with the temperatures here.
Brian mccully *laughs in vegas 102° weather in April*
Number one all day man, the plumbers on this row of townhouses I'm on are killing me
You should look into becoming a Maintenance Electrician . The hours & pay are better. I started out doing commercial work & decided to make a change.
I live in Wisconsin.. we dont see 100+ degrees very often but there really isn't a "too cold" to work temp lol.. a lot of the winter work I got stuck doing this year was below 0. Gloves that keep ur hands warm make them useless, gloves that allow you to actually use your hands dont keep them warm
I’ve had to work in -20F to 115+F. Builds character! Lol
I'm so glad that you can shut a circuit off to work. In my field, there's no breaker or switches on our 48VDC, 5500A (not a typo) buses ('cause cables are pig tails, not mains) so we're always live. Why? Have you ever thought shutting down a main telephone switch?
Keep up your excellent work!
Watching this video in my apprenticeship program to become a journeyman electrician in Southern California, San Diego to be exact. Cool vid bro 🤙
damn you are lucky. In Michigan, we will be out doing services in -20 wind chill, or 100 and HUMID. In michigan it can be 85 and be miserable because of the high humidity
I’m a plumber and havc guy (we are literally called ‘Installers’ in Dutch). It’s a bit of a crossover job here. We both get to deal with dirty sewers, getting wet AND getting shocked. Getting shocked especially sucks, 230V AC is no joke, just happened to me yesterday.
That comment about other trades bitching about not having light. I felt that deep in my soul
Been shocked several times before some times it was my fault a few of them times it just happened
thank you for these awesome vids im actually excited to get into this course im switching fields from working in a kitchen as a cook to being an electrician im excited for the new adventure
I always find it is helpful to have done some other form of work before starting training in technical roles. It makes you appreciate the role better when you have done other jobs beforehand. Catering is a very physically and mentally demanding role and is not for everyone.
Don’t do it trust me
Thanks Mike for all your videos, i finally join here.
Happy to see you back to posting
I miss being an electrician... used to do Industrial work... now I’m just a CDL Driver but I’ll come back to it
I agree with all your points. Some things I would add:
When talking about dipshits on the job, it's not always new guys. I've ran into some old timer guys who are someone's work dog and work extremely fast but their work is shit and borderline unsafe. Usually these guys don't know jack shit about electrical theory or they think they do but it's completely wrong. They destroy their bodies and expect you to do the same. Working with them is generally unsafe and you will learn bad habits.
About the PPE yeah it sucks but it does help. I've had things hit me in the safety glasses and hard hat before that for sure could have done some damage. Also if you get used to wearing PPE try not to get un-used to it If you go to a job that is more lenient. It sucks when you are done there and you have to go back to a job that requires full PPE and not only are you uncomfortable again but you are getting hounded left and right about wearing it.
Great video thanks for the content, stay safe.
Had the 'ladder shock' twice, it's a good thing i don't get startled quick. You turn off the breaker and see the lamp go out, you think you're in the clear, turns out there were 2 circuits going to the lamp
Nightmare fuel
lol the light fixture one got me. you were speaking facts the whole time. but people that haven't been in the field and had to install some of these things, shouldn't have a say
I Never been on a job where there weren’t a flood. Lol plumbers
My story of electric fences...as a kid, my friend and I found an electric fence, complete with the distribution box. Well, I had to test it. Grabbed the top fence wire, nothing. Next, nothing. Next, YEOUCH! The shock went up my right arm, and down my right leg to ground. That hurt!
I found a piece of chicken in my bed. I havent eaten chicken in bed in 3 days
Just subscribed! New apprentice here. Starting in a few months.
Yes, I can definitely see how waiting for others to complete jobs could be super annoying. Especially when you are a very time-sensitive person and are the type to want to get your work done and out of the way.
Great vid. More please, sir!
Huffing fiberglass, asbestos, concrete dust, drywall dust, mold, potent solvent vapors
And everyone is scared of the Rona
Is there any sort of protective gear that can keep us from being shocked or electrocuted?
Gloves and boots.
Ive been lit up testing gfci's up in a crane, my boss i had that job, his prior job he was working alongside his boss, his boss was goin over his working asking him if that circuit was secured and was, his boss went to cut into line alongside him and blew up his pliers. But will say after working on that stuff, yeah, i am more afraid of 120 than am 480, guys i work with now dont understand why as all they work on is vehicles
I worked with some trade certified electricians in my work as an electronics technician and I can say the electricians are a very mixed bunch. When they are good they are very good but when they are bad they are bad. All of them stated how good and easy it was to work in industry as opposed to domestic or non technical places of work. Worst of all were meat factories or bakeries where daily contact with vermin was a given, often on heights. Another guy trained on trawlers and had to be tops at his trade since any slip-ups with power and propulsion etc could result in a dead ship and dead crew, no fools suffered gladly there. Another guy recalled his delightful sub-zero work installing armored cable for street lighting, none of the other more senior trades people in his company would so the work so he was forced to do all the onerous jobs, such as working in sewerage pumpstations, on high street lighting pylons, etc. He immediately signed up for a degree course in Electrical Eng to get away from the physically draining and demanding aspects of the electrical tradesmans job.
I recall a radio interview with a jobs expert who was forecasting the demise of many jobs due to automation and robotics displacing many traditional roles, he mentioned kitchen installers as one very safe job because the work cannot be easily or economically automated. Electricians I would say would be a close second, but like car inspections etc. you need legal and government agency oversight to keep working standards high.
Temp thermostats are great for jobs in the winter. They keep the house between 60-65 degrees. Ask HVAC if they have one, I bet they do.
If you fold the end of your electric tape over on itself you can find the tale easier. If you get in the habit of doing it every time you use it, you'll never have to search for the end.
Well that was random.
@@mnbeardie I noticed his tape was not folded.
Lol, I have residential experience for years, but recently started working commercial. This last year has been exactly what you described. 😂
Waiting for an update video on how your tech mc tool setup now that you've had for a while but love the content keep up the great work 👌👍
HVAC service tech here, it's the exact opposite for me in residential. I mostly have to troubleshoot and fix what the electrician fucked up.
I got lit up last night, honestly that comes with the territory!
Do you wear any type gloves when you work? In my area, and especially in commercial construction, wearing cut resistant gloves is mandatory. I TOTALLY disagree with you that it comes with the territory. You can be smart and avoid getting shocked.
I'd say 50% is knowing how to avoid it, and the other 50% is good practice. Wearing work gloves of any type GREATLY reduces your chances of getting shocked. I absolutely won't dig into a j-box without work gloves. In my opinion, If you're getting shocked any more than once every five years, you seriously need to think hard about what you're doing wrong.
Hahahah, I love the "bonus bitch"
Number 6 other trades don't have the same amount of cost with continued education and tools but make the same amount of money if not more
I Did Foundations and Framing We Were There Before The Electrians . Even Temp Power We Were There Before Using Gas power. My Body is Beat up ! Be Careful and Safe Mike .
How long have you been doing electrical are you close to being. Master electrician?
Mike you need to post some more videos man that's why we subscribed
What state are you in? Here in Wisconsin we work no matter if its -25 or its 100 lol. Granted when it's super cold we take more breaks but still. Just gotta bundle up nd keep the truck running to warm up
Union electrician local 474 for six years now, just turned out last year. Spent the last seven months working out of a local ten hours from home. Got laid off right when i wanted to come back home, happened to be timed perfectly with all these stay at home orders. I was planning on being unemployed at this time anyway. There's something nice about hearing someone else voice the same gripes I have, ESPECIALLY when it comes to design flaws. I constantly find myself bitching about that 😆
Jamming your thumb on a 3/4 connector when pulling wire
I don't do much of my own electrical work in my house. But when I do, I keep the circuit live and drink beer when doing it. Dogfish Head rocks!
11:00 When they're lit up, thats when they're on
I just subscribed to your channel. I would love to become an electrician. I will see what I can do soon. Just letting you know I live in Maryland and I love 60 minutes IPA.
Im thinking of becoming an electrician but i really don't know if its the right choice for me, don't know what ill be doing in specific but i think the job would be fun, i hear its physically and mentally demanding and that's good. im just not sure on what i actually want to do in life and don't want to end up 5 years down the road and realize i don't like my job. i love working out and nutrition but the jobs i was looking at don't make enough to support my hobbies and dreams, but an electrician? the pay per hour fits with what i want in life, i need to learn more tbh
I just started my first electrical job about a month ago, I gotta watch out for this stuff.
C ruclips.net/video/85ePwWunoIs/видео.html
So many different types of material and parts needed. Always missing something no matter how well planned or stocked.
I feel the worst thing about being an Electrician is…. Everyone wants you to do work for them as if you don’t have a life of your own….. Ask them to come over to your house on Saturday morning to mow your lawn for you while you are adding an outlet for them….. I bet they’ll say they don’t have time to mow your lawn on Saturday but they think you want to add an outlet for them…. Personal time is worth more than any dollar per hour they want to pay you.
Yep, construction is tough on the body. I've watched a few of your videos now and I'm thinking that you would like the transition into an industrial maintenance type roll.