All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Joe Splitrock standard outlets in a house are not gfci. Please give us an example of a real situation that would be dangerous using a tamper resistant outlet on a circuit that doesn’t have a ground. Again, it is just the same as having a 2 prong outlet, just the user might assume there is grounding. Would it be dangerous vacuuming or plugging in a tv or a light. Of course gfci’s are required on bathrooms and kitchens anyways. I’m just trying to hear a real example of the danger you are warning about. Not saying it’s not there, just not sure what you are envisioning being a big danger. Just don’t say a hairdryer etc in the bathroom because we all know there must be gfci in the bathrooms and kitchens and I’m talking about the rest of the house. Also, I did not advocate against starting your circuit with gfci to branch outlets, it just can be hard to work an old system like that when the start of your circuit could be found in a light box or have some weird combos of wiring using white neutrals as hots etc etc. his options are to work with what he’s got or overhaul the whole system. Again, my point is, if an outlet exists, it’s safer for children to have a tamper resistant outlet that’s 3 prong on a groundless wire, than a 2 prong that’s not tamper resistant. Children won’t be able to read whether the outlet is groundless or not. Most people won’t understand this and might be scared of the unknown. So what is a real scenario where this becomes a real dangerous threat, more so than having the outlet function as a 2 prong? If you can convince me, I could change all the outlets back to 2 prong on one of my flips but my concern is children and I think tamper resistant 3 prong is safer. Liability is another question, I’m just searching for the safest solution if you’re not going to rewire.

@Miles Stanley changing a 2 to a 3 prong can’t make the outlet any less safe. The benefit would be you can use tamper resistant with 3 which protects children. To say it’s not to code is probably accurate, but is it safer, less frustrating? I would say so. There is a lot of stuff that’s not to code. Basically any house built before the 70s or 80s is almost entirely not to code, but it’s good to come up with cost effective solutions.

@Neil G. Haha, that’s so funny “liberal/ hipster” etc. hmm... close to nature?? Dang it, this would have almost only described Oregon 10-15 years ago, but now... there’s so many local hero hipster brewers, I can’t tell if it’s even special anymore. You might look into Asheville for close to nature, but the city doesn’t seem too impressive (yet?) and the land around it seems hard to deal with. I’m interested in your search.. you’re on a good wave length. As far as the next Amazon of hipster, this might get a little dirty. Better yet, get on Chipotle and Trader Joe’s websites and see where their newest stores are besides major cities. Places with hometown hero Brewsters that I’ve seen recently are Johnston City, TN (close to nature). Maybe check out Knoxville. These areas are going to put you close to extreme nature and have some Nashville rubbing off on them a little. Charlotte seems to be going a little hog wild and you might look outside of there and anywhere between there and Raleigh.

@Miles Stanley you can still hook the 3 prong outlets up to a hot and neutral without the ground. It will work fine, and then it looks normal. As for laptop protection, I think the surge box protects that(?) on the laptop cord. On a recent flip I’m doing, there is no grounding on a similar aged house. They did have the panel grounded and some of the wires they used have a ground but most don’t. I installed tamper resistant outlets (don’t cost much more) but it’s safer for kids incase they want to play with the outlet(avoid). For safety, you can easily replace all the breakers to make sure they will trip in certain instances. I can’t say lacking the ground is as safe as having it, but driving isn’t safe, nor is cooking etc in certain applications. Having outlets without the ground or “two prong” outlets is pretty ghetto in my opinion. I’ve seen 3 prongs on groundless numerous times. Someone please advise if there is some extreme risk I don’t know about by changing out to standard outlets. Replacing wiring is a ton more work than expected (experience) and involves a lot more detail than hoped for. To do it right involves lots of “homerun” wires that feed to specific purposes to comply with code. For example, each bathroom should be fed independently with their own 20amp circuit that feeds Gfci outlets. A kitchen must have a designated 20 amp gfci circuit. A washer needs a dedicated wire generally and an electric dryer also. Also, there will probably need to be an independent wire run for the microwave, dishwasher and garbage disposal. To meet code now days you can’t just have 4 circuits anymore, so I would be very clear about what is being performed by the electrician when they say full rewire to code compliance. Generally the panels also need 2 -8’ grounding rods driven into the ground. It’s a lot more detailed than it used to be and could end up being pricier if your electrician doesn’t stay true. Also, count the cost of the wall work(!) because they will be cutting into your walls when they can’t fish a wire. I’d say the best time to do a rewire is when your panel is somewhere it does not make sense and you find a proper place for it... then rewire.

@Steven Lowe ok, makes sense! Thanks

@Jay Hinrichs I filed one once in CA, and the homeowner did surface due to his mortgage being effected. I filed it myself. State License board said it could cost a lot more to follow through in court with a lien though. I ended up dropping it because I didn’t want to go to court after being threatened with a lawsuit. I don’t think it would be worth going to court over for anything less than $10k. The homeowner got his free work in exchange for me dropping the lien. A family member looked this guy up and he had lawsuits with family members, contractors etc. Unfortunately, there are people out there using people to gain at their loss. I still don’t know how expensive it really would be to follow through with a mechanics lien in a lawsuit.

@Peter Kozlowski this “contractor” is the most professional contractor I’ve ever heard of. He writes up a literal contract with you for $125. Agrees on a progress payment of 50%.. I can imagine him coming out, bidding the job.. going home and typing up a proposal, hoping he gets the contract. Did you sign? He comes out and thinks he’s finished the work and hopes to get paid the same day (ridiculous since it all needs to be inspected in detail). He expects to get a check in the mail? Then you find details that were not to par when you take a closer look the next day. You tell him it’s unsatisfactory, and he tries to come back out and fix... Calling his impatience, you let him know his attitude was bad and he should not return. At this bid price, the quality should meet all your expectations! Did he request a deposit?? What is the scope of work, and were there any change orders, inspections... or employees involved? I hope he included overhead and the materials in that price! This contractor sounds like a perfect “Pursuit of Happiness” scenario, where he just can’t win. Spends $25 on gas round trip each time he comes out because he can’t afford to live in your area (typical). Hope his next job is a success because if he keeps going this way, he ain’t going to make it in CA at those rent prices!

@Peter Kozlowski he just might be able to file a lien because he doesn’t need a license to do handyman level work under $500 etc. You didn’t even let him try to finish the work. It’s obvious you both are a perfect match. You willing to lose your piece of mind and pay the guy to focus on more valuable things, and him thinking about how he can threaten you to get $75. This is so ridiculous. I’m surprised you can even pay someone $75 to come out and do anything on your house, let alone show up.

@Michael Galvis I’m all about tear down and new construction, but these sound like they’d only work remodeled, which is probably not worth the time. Its frustrating walking away from “deals” but always way over estimate construction costs and time with something as complex as tearing down an adjoining building. Very interesting though...

@Jackson Sandland in my mind it’s important to know I’m going to meet a person at the property and they are going to be around to pay me progress payments. Contractors who’ve been in the business a while know how to narrow down their clientele.