How not to do Electric in Shop

[BobReeves]

I just bought 7.5 acres with a 30 x 40 shop that the previous owner was fixing cars in. He wired it himself and pretty sure he didn't get it inspected. This is the feed from the main entering the building through a hole just poked through the tin. The white wire you see snaking off to the right is the feed which is mostly just laying on top of the ground. The black wire was hooked to an air compressor that sat on the pad.

 

[BobReeves]

This is the breaker box in the shop. You can't see it in the picture but all the wires just go through the knock out holes with no strain relief's what so ever. Just thought I would share this with my new found friends on TBN. Kinda funny isn't it...

 

[Brian_Stephens]

rip it out and do it right or get somebody in who can... Electric panels are supposed to be works of art but not similar to those of picasso!

 

[EastTexFrank]

It's pretty scary really. It's probably worked like that for years but I'd rip it out and start again. I usually let a pro do my rewiring unless it's something simple. I don't feel comfortable doing it myself because of lack of knowledge and I know my wife feels a lot happier. She's seen some of my electrical work before, especially with the aluminum wiring we had in the house in Dallas but that's another story. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Bird]

Bob, that looks almost as bad as our place in the country looked when I first bought it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[CTyler]

Dats aright purty lookin wererin job!

 

[California]

Wow. That exceeds the chaos I'm gradually taming. I walked my barn with a 3-bulb tester and got every combination of lit error bulbs, even some not shown on the tester decal. I tagged the miswired ones.

To get by for now I made a short GFI extension cord by salvaginging a GFI from the outlet end of a hair dryer's cord, installed an outlet at the other end where the hair dryer was, and carry that around when I need to plug in a power tool. And use only double-insulated tools.

 

[RonR]

Suppose the Previous Owner's nickname was SPARKY?

 

[Golfgar4]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Suppose the Previous Owner's nickname was SPARKY? )</font>

Let's just hope that he wasn't a licensed electrician!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BobReeves]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Let's just hope that he wasn't a licensed electrician!! )</font>

Nope but his Dad ownes a consturction business, don't think I would want him building anything for me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[uhmgawa]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This is the breaker box in the shop.)</font>

That is an absolute work of art. Too bad you can't post a more
detailed picture to share the full experience. Don't see any main
lugs so it appears he fed into a main breaker box. Just grab the
first grey box off the shelf at HD..

Selling real estate with such safety gaffs is dangerous from a
liability perspective. Just curious if you had a licensed inspector
do an once-over of the property before closing on the transaction?

 

[BobReeves]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Just curious if you had a licensed inspector
do an once-over of the property before closing on the transaction? )</font>

Didn't bother, it was a cash deal at a great price and I knew what I was getting. Did go through a title search etc. to be sure we had a good legal description and clean title. This shop was the only building on the property and it was a steal even if the shop hadn't been part of it. The building is worth saving just needs some tlc and a complete re-wire.