Ever had a job that made you feel like you looked like an idiot to the buyer/agent/seller?

Flat-tip screw hit a wire at the panel sending out a shower of sparks and tripping the stove breaker. Boss doesn’t want to pay for an electrician to go out and the homeowner claims I said it was my fault. Homeowner upset with me for frying the wire, boss upset with me because when I explained to the homeowner what happened, I used the possessive pronoun, “I”, as in, “I hit a wire when I was replacing the panel”, which the homeowner is using to say I am accepting responsibility. Boss will have to eventually send a sparky out to at least take a look I am sure.

Thing is, this is the fourth screw up so far this year that I will have to chip in for. At this rate I’ll be back to swinging a hammer by the end of the year.

Anyone else have any stories worse than mine to make me feel better? :slight_smile:

At that rate just feel blessed that you still have a job.

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When I’m in a panel and I think the wires are potentially in the way of the screws I use my voltage sniffer to gently move them away, I imagine that wasn’t a fun experience. Glad you didn’t get shocked!

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I am sure we all have stories. I let a tub overflow once. I discovered it while standing in the kitchen as the light fixture above began to rain on me.

I left a furnace safety switch off in the attic in the middle of summer on a home 1 1/2 hours away. Home owner was pissed his house got hot, refused to enter the attic for me and flip the switch. Consequently, I made a 3 hour round trip to flip a switch.

I drove 45 minutes to the wrong house, consequently was over an hour late to my inspection with a crowd including the buyers contractor waiting for me.

I went on another inspection and forgot to load my ladders, of course the attic was a scuttle hole. Had to leave my client to go and buy a ladder.

I finally just had to slow down. If your boss is pushing you, you may need to speak up. After about a year, the mistakes just trickled away because I went at my own pace.

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You are lucky you lived thru that.
Please observe where all wires are before you attempt to reinstall the cover.
Always look @ where the screws will go.
If something even a little looks in the way, put that screw aside, don’t use it & mention in your report not put back it’s a hazard.

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Yeah, me too. Better it happened with me than with my clients later down the road. I will make a conscience effort from now on to look for wires in the way, even with the “safe” flat-tipped screws.

Yeah, mine haven’t been so much from me forgetting things so much as saying the wrong thing.

My list of screwups this year:

  1. Roof was icy and I told the lady I would have to return at a later date to inspect it. Boss said our policy is to inspect as everything is on the day, and I had to pay her reinspect fee.

  2. Called out galvanized supply in a crawlspace. Went to reinspect something else a month later and noticed a pinhole leak at a connection of that galvanized so I called that out as well. Buyer was furious that it wasn’t on the initial report and I apologized for missing it though I did mention that galvanized should be replaced. Well, after lawyers were called my boss decided to replace the galvanized based on me saying that I had missed it.

  3. Agent called a month after a job asking about an interior door that had a pretty good ding in it that wasn’t on the report. I mentioned that the door functioned despite the dings and we don’t report on cosmetic deficiencies. He wasn’t having that and called my boss. Boss told me that next time I need to just have the agent talk directly to him. Went halfsies on that one.

I could do this job a lot better if I didn’t have to talk to anyone.

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Yes, lesson learned. Sometimes it is good to see the lesson summarized after having dealt with it hands on.

Things happen. I baked the packing materials in an oven, overflowed a tub, hit a wire in the panel putting the cover back on, left a gfci tripped and the deep freeze thawed out. It’s just part of business. When it happens, if it’s something we cause we take care of it. If it failed under normal testing we dont.

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Not getting distracted by clients/homeowners/etc when doing an inspection will help prevent mistakes and omissions. When I look back, that is when I made mistakes.
I will also push wires back when I am in a panel if there is a chance of the screw contacting it. I also carry panel screws with me to replace any pointed or non-panel screws.
Mistakes happen. Learn from them and own up to them. We have all been there!

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I’ve soaked the installation manual that was rolled up tightly on the top shelf of a dishwasher on an inspection where the homeowner has carried out many new renovations himself. Fortunately for me part of the installation instructions were to remove all packaging contents of the dishwasher prior to operation. The next step was for the installer to operate the dishwasher for proper function. This was not a professional installation otherwise these steps would have been performed.

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If you are going to be in a live panel with a screwdriver, using one with a insulated shank would be helpful, insulated tools are made, there is more that can be said about live work, but not going further.

I once emptied a 14 story office building out onto the street a few blocks from the US Capitol because someone took the pins out of the hinges of a large fire alarm panel.

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  1. Called out galvanized supply in a crawlspace. Went to reinspect something else a month later and noticed a pinhole leak at a connection of that galvanized so I called that out as well. Buyer was furious that it wasn’t on the initial report and I apologized for missing it though I did mention that galvanized should be replaced. Well, after lawyers were called my boss decided to replace the galvanized based on me saying that I had missed it.

A month later? I would have said “AT THE TIME” of the earlier inspection, the leak was not observed, What has happened since then cannot be determined, is not covered by the earlier inspection and we do not offer a home warranty on the products (unless you do offer a warranty) inspected. Knowing me I would probably say something like “Fortunately for you, we will not charge you another inspection fee for reporting additional new problems”

In other words, go pound sand

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Your boss is folding on things that are not your fault. For example, the door and the pin hole leak. You reported both of those correctly both times. He is paying for things because it is the cost of doing business. His choice, not your fault.

Re-inspect on the roof, he made a good point. Just a learning curve, no harm no foul.

Frying the electrical wire? You exceeded the SOP at his direction, these are the risk associated with exceeding the SOP. He should pay for it and be glad you were not injured and suing him.

Keep your chin up and do your best. He either appreciates you or he doesn’t. If he can’t handle the headaches that come with a multi inspector firm, move on away from him.

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Oh, and one more thing. Does he provide you with all of the protective gear needed to remove an electrical panel safely? You and him need to talk.

Im down in Texas; it’s part of our state’s SOP to remove the panel cover.

Though there is nowhere in the SOP that says we have to replace it :thinking:

I use a battery powered screwdriver to move the screws but I do have insulated manual screwdrivers. Mostly use them for poking deteriorated wood.

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I appreciate the words of encouragement. I’ve got 600 inspections under my belt since starting in '19 but still end up feeling like a noob on occasion.

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Yeah, it was leaking from years of rust. You are right, though, I should have said it wasn’t observed during the first trip out there and I did already call out the galvanized supply lines. I think the lady was having serious buyers remorse after plunking down $1.6mm for a junk house near downtown austin.

This made me laugh out loud! That’s almost worth the story.