It was inevitable.

omega50 · #1 12-19-2017, 07:28 AM

The child becomes the master.

Ouch

Working on our home reno yesterday changing every duplex receptacle and single pole switch to white because the 30+ year old plugs were all ivory/beige and dated.

Going good until I get to a switched receptacle in the living room where one of the duplex receptacles is switched so you can control a table lamp from the front door if it is plugged into the top plug.

Never encountered this before and wired the new switch just as the old but when I energized the circuit both plugs had power and the switch made no difference.

Called my 28 year old Industrial Electrician apprentice son and he uses the exact same tone of voice that I guess I have used on him whenever he has asked a question that I felt was common knowledge.

Dad,Did you knock out the side tabs?

Side Tabs I queried?

And he over explains in great detail as though I was mentally deficient in regards to what I clearly should have known

I think he has been waiting 28 years for that payback. Enjoy your moment son-You deserve it.

But I am re-gifting half of the booze that I was going to give you for Christmas.

bezzola · #2 12-19-2017, 07:33 AM

Lol. I have been there done that

Stinky Buffalo · #3 12-19-2017, 07:45 AM

Priceless!

My kids are getting to that age where I am becoming an embarrassment to them ("Dad jokes", etc.) I'm lovin' it.

CaberTosser · #4 12-19-2017, 07:48 AM

Look out for those side tabs on your kitchen outlets as well, you could have split receptacles fed by a two-pole breaker (each outlet having a dedicated hot supply). Miss breaking those tabs and they'll let you know when you try turning on the breaker!

Your homes build might have preceded that practice, and these days they're using 12 gauge 2-wire and 20 amp breakers to kitchen counter plugs rather than 14 gauge 3-wire and a two-pole breaker.

Sincerely, your plumber

elkhunter11 · #5 12-19-2017, 07:53 AM

I received a call from my neighbor whose wife was an apprentice electrician at the time, and who had changed out a receptacle, only to discover that the other receptacles on the circuit no longer worked. She had confused the line and load side of a GFCI because she had never hooked one up before .

jgib01 · #6 12-19-2017, 08:38 AM

That's a great story right there. Having messed up many a 3-way switch, I hope my son or daughter becomes an electrician so (s)he can explain them to me

Hooter · #7 12-19-2017, 10:03 AM

That gave me a good chuckle. I can hear the tone of your sons voice now, coupled with the sound of his eyes rolling as he explains the intricacies of electricity to his father....

CaberTosser · #8 12-19-2017, 10:20 AM

I recall having to explain to my sister when I was 15 and she was 18 that you couldn't shut off electricity in an extension cord by folding it in half like you can with water coming out of a garden hose......

6MT · #9 12-19-2017, 10:29 AM

Too funny!

wwbirds · #10 12-19-2017, 11:12 AM

I have the same 4th year electrical guy giving me eye rolls when he had to come fix the kitchen plug I installed. Smart "gas" comes to mind!

glen moa · #11 12-19-2017, 11:48 AM

How old are you ? How could you not know about side tabs. I hope you didn’t hurt yourself with the screwdriver. Lol. Jk.

Merry Christmas

Au revoir, Gopher · #12 12-19-2017, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

I recall having to explain to my sister when I was 15 and she was 18 that you couldn't shut off electricity in an extension cord by folding it in half like you can with water coming out of a garden hose......

reminds me of

ARG

trevoroni · #13 12-19-2017, 03:54 PM

I wonder if those tabs are the reason for a mystery switch in my house...
It's been 3 years and I can't figure out what it does. I figured it should go to an outlet but I've tried them all in the room that the switch is in.

That or the electricians just put in a switch with dead ended wires to drive me slowly insane.

Is there an easy way to figure out which plug the switch was supposed to control?

TrapperMike · #14 12-19-2017, 05:30 PM

Trades men do have a weird sense of humour. Had house stuccoed and the stuccoed over plug in. Till this day don’t know where it is. Even had electrician out to find it but think he’s in on the joke.

dodger · #15 12-19-2017, 07:17 PM

This thread has been a fun read. Thanks guys.

Dodger.

270man · #16 12-19-2017, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Look out for those side tabs on your kitchen outlets as well, you could have split receptacles fed by a two-pole breaker (each outlet having a dedicated hot supply). Miss breaking those tabs and they'll let you know when you try turning on the breaker!

Your homes build might have preceded that practice, and these days they're using 12 gauge 2-wire and 20 amp breakers to kitchen counter plugs rather than 14 gauge 3-wire and a two-pole breaker.

Sincerely, your plumber

Thanks Caber, but I think I'll call an electrician. I will PM you if I need a plumber, though. lol

bobtodrick · #17 12-19-2017, 07:27 PM

I remember how a friend once told me that is kids, when they were young teens just seemed to think he was an idiot...but when the hit their mid 20's they told him how much he'd changed and become pretty smart for an 'old' guy.
Unfortunately my kids (14 & 16) have hit the age where they think I'm somewhat of a doddering old fool

Hopefully I'll get 'smart' soon

Smokinyotes · #18 12-19-2017, 07:56 PM

Im just hoping i live long enough that just maybe someday i might be as smart as my 18 year old son cause he knows everything.

bloopbloob · #19 12-19-2017, 08:03 PM

I work with a guy who once called me over to look at an electrical issue on a rotating welding table. He believed everything he was saying, which is scary. Things were sparking around some hydraulics and motors when they shouldn't. He found the problem though! The welding lead (ground) was mounted too high off the floor. Electricity flows downhill, so we should mount it closer to the floor. I had to walk away quickly, just to not rudely hysterically laugh in his face. He truly believed electricity runs downhill.... as he explaind it is the path of least resistance....

threeforthree · #20 12-19-2017, 08:04 PM

Great post loll

tullfan · #21 12-19-2017, 09:52 PM

So when we bought our house and got settled in. I called my parents and got my dad on the phone( I love him to pieces) and said. Hi dad, im standing on the porch with the lights on and heating the outside. Ha,how you like that. He was just about to reply when my wife yelled at me. He heard her cleary tell me to shut the door and turn off the light. Lol. He laughed and said goodnight.
Parent, its funny how much smarter they are the older I get.
Tullfan

HyperMOA · #22 12-19-2017, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trevoroni

I wonder if those tabs are the reason for a mystery switch in my house...
It's been 3 years and I can't figure out what it does. I figured it should go to an outlet but I've tried them all in the room that the switch is in.

That or the electricians just put in a switch with dead ended wires to drive me slowly insane.

Is there an easy way to figure out which plug the switch was supposed to control?

Get a drone at night to hover over your house. When you hit the switch see if your roof lights up with "merry Xmas 1986."
One of my favourite Simpsons episodes.

Jack Hardin · #23 12-20-2017, 07:32 AM

Hire a teenager while they still know everything.

CaberTosser · #24 12-20-2017, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bloopbloob

I work with a guy who once called me over to look at an electrical issue on a rotating welding table. He believed everything he was saying, which is scary. Things were sparking around some hydraulics and motors when they shouldn't. He found the problem though! The welding lead (ground) was mounted too high off the floor. Electricity flows downhill, so we should mount it closer to the floor. I had to walk away quickly, just to not rudely hysterically laugh in his face. He truly believed electricity runs downhill.... as he explaind it is the path of least resistance....

Is his proof that electricity flows downhill the fact that lightning directs from the sky towards the earth?

jgib01 · #25 12-20-2017, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trevoroni

I wonder if those tabs are the reason for a mystery switch in my house...
It's been 3 years and I can't figure out what it does. I figured it should go to an outlet but I've tried them all in the room that the switch is in.

That or the electricians just put in a switch with dead ended wires to drive me slowly insane.

Is there an easy way to figure out which plug the switch was supposed to control?

Oh my! I have one of these too, and it never dawned on me that this could be what it is for. I have the mystery switch inside my back patio, so originally thought it was for the outside receptacle. I tried something in that receptacle shortly after we moved in (like 6 years ago), and nothing doin' with the switch. When it warms up, I'm going to pull the receptacle out of the box and see what mystery wires are running into it.

trevoroni · #26 12-20-2017, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

Get a drone at night to hover over your house. When you hit the switch see if your roof lights up with "merry Xmas 1986."
One of my favourite Simpsons episodes.

I've got a receptacle in the eve for Christmas lights that is controlled by a switch by the front door. The switch in question is in the living room beside the one for the lights and the one for the ceiling fan.

It's a new house and I even have a picture of the wall with the box in question before the switches and the drywall were installed. The picture even goes as far as to show "S.Fan, S.Lght, and S.Liv" written on the stud beside the box. I've tried all the plugs in the living room to no avail.