Sunday, September 05, 2004
That'll Be $75 an Hour...
So now I'm electrician. My friend Fred called this morning.
"Hey Chris, I was switching around some wires in my house and now my lights won't turn off. Help!"
Not surprising that he called me, with my history degree and background of sitting on my ass and watching sports. So, always willing to help those who get in over their heads I grabbed the two DIY books (with the unbroken spines) I have and set off for Fred's.
Arriving on the scene I was able to quickly deduce (thanks to numerous hours of watching This Old House) that something was amiss. Something to do with the wires or the electric system or lighting, maybe all three.
I talked with Fred for a bit to get a better idea of just what work he had done in an effort to trace the problem to the source. His actions didn't seem to rise to the level of something that should have caused the problem he was having. I knew there was more he wasn't telling me, but he insisted the he had been fully forthcoming.
Climbing into the attic I was able to surmise that the electrical work had been done by an amateur (because it looked much like something I would have done) and asked Fred about it.
He thought that the previous owner had probably done it all himself, which explained the unorthodox wiring methods.
After looking at the wires, the work Fred had done, our high school yearbook and also Fred's DVD collection I knew I had it figured out. I was about to tell Fred how we could quickly fix the problem, but then I stopped. How would he ever learn if I simply gave him the easy answer? Much better to gently lead him to it and give him the self-satisfaction of figuring it out himself.
Two and a half hours later, after about 4 dozens hints from me, he got it. When he had re-hooked up the wires, he had crossed a switch wire with the power wire leading to the lights never going off.
I was proud of him. I shook his hand and patted him on the back for a job well done.
I think this will really help his confidence, but I left him the DIY books just in case.
"Hey Chris, I was switching around some wires in my house and now my lights won't turn off. Help!"
Not surprising that he called me, with my history degree and background of sitting on my ass and watching sports. So, always willing to help those who get in over their heads I grabbed the two DIY books (with the unbroken spines) I have and set off for Fred's.
Arriving on the scene I was able to quickly deduce (thanks to numerous hours of watching This Old House) that something was amiss. Something to do with the wires or the electric system or lighting, maybe all three.
I talked with Fred for a bit to get a better idea of just what work he had done in an effort to trace the problem to the source. His actions didn't seem to rise to the level of something that should have caused the problem he was having. I knew there was more he wasn't telling me, but he insisted the he had been fully forthcoming.
Climbing into the attic I was able to surmise that the electrical work had been done by an amateur (because it looked much like something I would have done) and asked Fred about it.
He thought that the previous owner had probably done it all himself, which explained the unorthodox wiring methods.
After looking at the wires, the work Fred had done, our high school yearbook and also Fred's DVD collection I knew I had it figured out. I was about to tell Fred how we could quickly fix the problem, but then I stopped. How would he ever learn if I simply gave him the easy answer? Much better to gently lead him to it and give him the self-satisfaction of figuring it out himself.
Two and a half hours later, after about 4 dozens hints from me, he got it. When he had re-hooked up the wires, he had crossed a switch wire with the power wire leading to the lights never going off.
I was proud of him. I shook his hand and patted him on the back for a job well done.
I think this will really help his confidence, but I left him the DIY books just in case.
