A few times over the years of being a service electrician, I committed the unpardonable sin: I left my tools at home. This usually occurred after I was working on a home project and I failed to remember to put my tool bag back in the truck. It's a sinking feeling when you're at a … Continue reading Troubleshooting Truth – Step 6 Possess The Right Tools
When I was working in the field as a service electrician, I hated going to the supply house. If I was on a job site, I wanted to finish and move onto the next job. How did I prevent a trip to the supply house? I kept common times in stock. From receptacles to switches … Continue reading Troubleshooting Truth – Step 5 Keep Common Items In Stock
I live in the south, and, in the south, bad weather comes in all shapes and sizes. From thunderstorms to tornadoes and hurricanes, we see it all. And, with bad weather, come the inevitable power outages. And this leads to calls for generators, because most people can't seem to survive a few hours without power. … Continue reading Troubleshooting Truth – Step 4 Process of Elimination
Over my many years of troubleshooting in the electrical field, one of the first things I would do would be to interview the owner. I could glean a lot of information that could possibly shorten the repair process. "Where were you at when it happened?" "Did you do anything right before the problem occurred?" "Have … Continue reading Troubleshooting Truth – Step 3 Interview the Owner
Glen was a maintenance man at a local apartment complex that I worked at many times over the years. We became good friends during this time and I always enjoyed working there. He was always appreciative of the work I did there which usually involved troubleshooting and repair of something in an apartment. He would … Continue reading Troubleshooting Truth – Step #2 Know the Era the Building Was Built
I spent many years as a service electrician. This position required the ability to perform a wide variety of electrical tasks. I had to be able to wire a new house, remodel a commercial space, repair industrial equipment, install generators, and perform many other electrically related jobs. But one of the main tasks of a … Continue reading Troubleshooting Truth – Step #1 Know the Construction Methods
It was a warm Friday afternoon and I was just finishing a long day at work. I was working at the local Ford dealership when I saw the clouds rolling in. I could tell by the way they looked that a bad storm was rolling in. The high clouds were moving in a different direction … Continue reading Assessing the Situation
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