r/electricians 20h ago

Monthly Apprenticeship Thread

3 Upvotes

Please post any and all apprenticeship questions here.

We have compiled FAQs into an [apprenticeship introduction] (https://www.reddit.com//r/electricians/wiki/apprenticeship) page. If this is your first time here, it is encouraged to browse this page first.

Previous Apprenticeship threads can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/electricians/search?q=apprenticeship&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all) and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/electricians/search?q=apprentice&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all).


r/electricians Feb 16 '25

Mental Health - It’s okay to not be okay

402 Upvotes

I want to talk about mental health - especially for the boys on here. I was telling some friends this story about an old coworker the other day and thought you might want to hear it too.

I’m a woman in the trades, almost a decade in. When I started, I was often the only girl on site. I would move between projects and journeymen mentors, many of whom had never worked with a woman before. Once the old guys got over the otherness and saw me as a real person and an excellent apprentice, we’d form a friendship of sorts. I was always struck with how much more candid and vulnerable they’d be around me compared with the other guys in the shop. Their masculinity wasn’t in jeopardy if they admitted to me, a mere woman, that they were having tough time. I had one guy - 6’6” 300lbs, always growling, chain smoking, losing his shit over the smallest inconvenience - tell me he always requested me when he needed help because I made him calm.

A couple years in, I was sent to replace an apprentice on a job where the foreman had booted him in an argument. I’d worked before with this foreman, Neil, and he’d always been a chill hippie but also very particular in how he wanted things done. When I got to site he told me I was the fourth helper for this job because everyone else had been fucking useless. He was in an awful mood all the time. Picking fights with other trades and our PM. Trying to goad me into an argument by picking apart everything I was doing. Not acting like the guy I had known over the past year.

When the job was close to wrapping up, I called him out on his behaviour. “What the fuck is going on with you dude? You’re being a raging asshole to everyone and this isn’t like you.”

He stiffened and was shocked I’d said something. He glared at me and then his face softened and he said “Can I take you for lunch after we finish up tomorrow morning? We can talk but not here.”

I agreed and the next day he took me to diner nearby. We barely spoke until our food came to the table and when he had something else to focus on, he finally started talking.

He was older - 50s - and his long term relationship had fallen apart a few years before but the split had been amiable. He didn’t speak about her with any animosity but admitted he’d been lonely ever since. At the time, he’d leaned on his best friend. His friend was married and had a teenage son that Neil had known since he was born. As Neil had no kids of his own, this boy was a surrogate son of sorts. He took him camping and fishing and showed up whenever the kid needed him.

The poor kid had passed away a couple months earlier very suddenly of natural causes. Neil had no idea how to handle his grief and withdrew into himself, not wanting to be a burden on his friend. He felt selfish for how bad he felt when it wasn’t his kid.

I reassured him that how he felt was completely valid, that grief is a weight that is so hard to carry alone. I encouraged him to reach out to his friend because they both were suffering the loss of family, whether biological or chosen. And that now they were both suffering the loss of each other’s friendship as support. He was crushed at that realization, and said he would go visit them.

A few minutes passed while we ate silently. He hesitated before speaking again, “there’s something else too.”

I looked up and waited for him to continue.

He told me that last month he’d been working this job that had a been a two hour commute away. He had to leave early to get to site by 7:30. It was late fall and the drive was dark the whole way. He wasn’t too far from site when he came around a corner to discover a vehicle collision. A truck was spun out into a ditch with the driver unconscious in the front seat. A van was crushed on the side of the road, on fire and blazing in the darkness, its front driver door open. Neil stopped and got out of his van. He noticed something on fire in the road, and as he approached, he realized it was a person - the driver from the van. He ran and got a blanket to smother the fire on the person. He held them and pulled their head up to look into their face, which was so burned he couldn’t recognize their features. He said he stared into their eyes as they died in his arms.

Another vehicle had come up behind him and called 911. He sat there in the road in a daze until the emergency vehicles arrived to secure the scene. He gave his statement and then got into his van to finish the drive to work.

He was late which pissed off the GC. He tried to get to work but he was shaking so badly he couldn’t hold his tools or complete a sentence. When the GC saw him in this condition, presuming that he had shown up drunk, he kicked him off site. Neil didn’t explain, he just left.

Our PM called him after that, reaming him out for getting kicked off site. Neil didn’t explain, he just took it.

I asked him if he had talked to anyone about the incident. He said the police had called for a follow up statement but otherwise, no, I was the first person he told.

I was in shock. This poor fucking guy was struggling with the grief of losing a boy who was like a son to him and then went through an insanely traumatic experience just driving to fucking work? And he was bottling it all up? No wonder he was being such a prick. He felt all alone and like he couldn’t admit how much he was struggling.

He said he was sick of work and had lost all his passion for it. It felt pointless and draining and he dreaded getting out of bed every morning.

I gave us a few moments of silence for the weight of his confession to settle in. I looked at him and said “fuck work, you need a break.” He shook his head and tried to brush me off. “No, seriously Neil, fuck work. There’s always more work but you need to take care of yourself. What you’re going through is so fucked up and you need time to process it all. Please put yourself first.”

He didn’t want to talk anymore after that so he settled up the tab. He dropped me off at my car and we went our separate ways. I started at a new site the next day with a different crew.

A couple weeks later I got a text from Neil. “I took your advice and talked with management. Told them what happened. I’m taking a six month sabbatical. Don’t know what I’ll do yet but probably head out on an adventure. Thank you”

A couple days later I got another message from him, just a picture of a beautiful remote campsite with no one else around.

I asked, “Where is that?”

He replied, “Not telling :)”

I ended moving to a different company while he was gone, and never saw him again. I think about him often though, especially when I encounter an utter dickbag older dude on the job. Maybe he’s going through it and doesn’t know how to take care of himself, and anger is the only way he knows how to channel his emotions.

Now that I’m a foreman, I stress the importance of whole body health in our toolbox talks. If someone needs time off for family reasons, or a mental health break, or a shortened schedule, or even if they want extra shifts to use as a crutch as they struggle through something they can’t control in their personal lives, I want them to know it’s okay to ask and I won’t judge them. It’s just a job - it’s just work - it doesn’t fucking matter. Their health comes first and it’s okay to admit they’re not okay. I want them to know it’s better to ask for help when they’re slipping, rather than wait til everything has crashed and burned.

I know everyone’s experience is different, but one thing I noticed about being the woman pushing into the male-dominated trades as an apprentice/therapist is that men need permission to be vulnerable. They need to know it’s okay to show emotions and admit that they’re struggling. They won’t chance admitting weakness that they fear will get thrown back in their face. A lot of guys in trades are single and married to the job. They are lonely, often bitter, and unwilling to show weakness.

I do my best in my little sphere of influence to make it okay to be not okay. If you want the trades to be a healthier place, you need to consciously make room for the reality that people are struggling mentally, and often that starts with leaders showing vulnerability.

I’ve had depression for 16 years and I don’t hide the fact that I’m medicated. 16 years of being depressed means 16 years of not following through on suicidal ideation, and I’m proud of that. The trades saved me because it’s instilled a confidence in my abilities to create and solve problems and be the leader I was always capable of being. I needed that confidence so badly when my depression was the worst.

Be good to each other out there. Be willing to listen to people without judgement. Life is fucking hard and we work better when we know we can rely on each other when the chips are down.


r/electricians 11h ago

What is your minimum for a site visit?

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78 Upvotes

(not my work)

Customer sent me a couple of pics, and wants help correcting a few things.

  1. Rerouting EGC

  2. changing the romex originally in the conduit to something weather resistant. He used UF-B instead of THWN 🤦🏻‍♂️, probably will pass now.

  3. He also swapped a GFCI to a WR one. (I'm surprised the inspector noticed something like that)

It became clear to me that he's at the edge of his understanding, so I offered to do a clean up and reroute the ground for $350.

Travel time of 30 min makes this about 2-3 hrs. Seems expensive to me but also barely worth it to drive out there, but he may have peace of mind if someone licensed can look through it.


r/electricians 13h ago

Re organized the truck using the box underneath

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48 Upvotes

Title says it all


r/electricians 23h ago

Today on: wtf

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225 Upvotes

Feeding a 225A panel. Thankfully it's being demo'd so it has no load but who knows how long this has been running like that.


r/electricians 22h ago

Thoughts on the dangers of spray foam insulation (isocyanate) exposure?

164 Upvotes

Just recently learned about this. Been doing electrical work for a while now and never once worked near spray foam insulators.

The other day at work theres a spray foam crew showing up to my site (small restaurant new build) and we were initially told that we all had to get off site cause they cant spray with people in the building. After about 20 minutes my foreman comes back from talking with the GC and says we were told we could keep working as long as we wore n95 masks.

Then arrives the spray foam guys. They were wearing full face respirators with organic vapor p100 cartridges. At first I didnt think too much of it foolishly but oh well. So we get to work. 2 days go by and suddenly an occupational health officer wanders onto site and shuts the whole thing down. My whole crew got kicked off site and these spray foam guys are apparently being threatened with 100k fines for the company and 40k fines personally for the foreman. Apparently these guys had previously done this exact same thing and gotten caught the previous week for spraying near unprotected people.

So I started researching. Apparently spray foam insulation contains a chemical called Isocyanate. This chemical can cause whats called "chemical sensitization" and is the leading cause of occupational asthma. I guess you can inhale its vapors and fumes for a time and just think the air smells funny. However eventually its like a switch flips in your brain and your body goes "Actually im going to be deathly allergic to this permanently now." And then bang. You now have occupational asthma for life and a small molecule of this chemical can trigger a life threatening asthma attack. Apparently it can end construction careers because this chemical is found in trace amounts in tons of different materials. Spray foam is the biggest exposure point that gets people though.

The part that gets me is I later found out that n95 masks offer absolutely no vapor protection whatsoever so these guys were seemingly knowingly letting us all inhale this shit for 2 days just so the GC would be happy. The building didnt have windows or doors and also had fans running circulating air. So there was some ventilation, however from what ive read if you can smell the vapor its apparently still too much.

Ive never even thought about this stuff until last week but these spray foam guys are coming back to another site the GC is running that im on tomorrow. Theyre planning the same thing again where everyone wears n95 masks while they spray. Im planning to tell my foreman im refusing to work on the basis of unsafe work and ask to be moved elsewhere or go home until theyre done. However figured id see if any other sparkies have dealt with this stuff before.

Thoughts appreciated. Thanks.


r/electricians 23h ago

Mine is bigger than yours

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161 Upvotes

r/electricians 6h ago

I think code is optional in SC

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5 Upvotes

(no it's not my work you scoundrels)

Big panel is the sub panel

All fed by a 10-2 , single hot

No breaker , shared hot with main lug.

The homeowner just wants to pass inspection, so I'm weighing the options between replacing the old Murray panel or trying to correct the feeder for this Siemens.


r/electricians 1m ago

Who is this Lou Snoutrel?

Upvotes

And what's so bad about him anyway?


r/electricians 6h ago

Accepted IBEW 602

2 Upvotes

I was accepted to my local IBEW 602 apprenticeship inside wireman with a score of 95 and put at #75 on the list. I’m in the Texas Panhandle and we’ve got a couple big data center projects in the area. I was curious if anyone had any similar experience and how long it took them to get a call or if I just need to sit down shut up and play the waiting game now. Thanks in advance for any advice.


r/electricians 1d ago

Anybody know what this yellow goop is for?

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206 Upvotes

My coworker sent me this picture of a main breaker on a panel for a condo unit. Has anyone seen this before or know what the intention is for this?


r/electricians 1d ago

Can I join the rigid coupling transition?

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70 Upvotes

Found on my job site haha.


r/electricians 10h ago

Interested in electricity, discouraged by disability

3 Upvotes

I have visual field loss/scars in my vision, you can get a good idea of what it's like if you outstretch your right arm and hold it straight in front of you and that's my eyesight, but when I do it, my hand becomes invisible.

But I also recently had a blast building a pc and optimizing it.
What part of this field would you recommend I apply myself? Where should I start?


r/electricians 1d ago

How to replace this capacitor bank.

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124 Upvotes

My local church leader has asked me if I can help replacing this capacitors bank .
Its part of a phase converter used for the elevator and after 12 years of use they blew up.
I’ve never work with capacitors before but I do know they are dangerous because of the stored energy.
If I do it I know ill have to discharge them.
But I guess my question is to install the new ones do I just connect them and turn the power on or is there something else I need to do ?
Thanks in advance.


r/electricians 22h ago

What should I know?

21 Upvotes

I’m starting out as an electrical helper/apprentice and I’m coming in with basically zero experience.

And when I say zero, I mean zero. I don’t know much about basic hand tools, electrical work, construction, or really any trade.

I was given an opportunity to learn, and I don’t want to waste it.

I’m not afraid of hard work, getting dirty, asking questions, or starting at the absolute bottom. I know I’m probably going to feel lost for a while.

For the electricians here: what advice would you give someone starting from scratch?

What basic tools should I learn first? What should I study at home? What mistakes piss journeymen/foremen off the most?

Any advice you wish someone had given you in your first month would be appreciated.


r/electricians 9h ago

Recessed cans

0 Upvotes

Roughing in a new house for some folks and they want some recessed lights in the master bed and bath. I’ve done houses with canless but figured I’d try some cans. I’m having a ton of trouble with the stud placement and getting them squared. I don’t want the lights to be a few inches off or anything. Are there any tricks to getting them all to line up? If I can’t figure something out soon I’m gonna switch to canless to make them look cleaner.

I am licensed but haven’t done much resi work


r/electricians 23h ago

Let's Discuss Lennar

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10 Upvotes

I have spent 9 hours so far trying to figure out what was causing a 20a AFCI breaker to trip in this house. The current working solution has veen to abandon 2 receptacles for now, but which weren't a symptom of the original issue when I started.

This isn't handyman or remodel work, this is 100% Lennar, every inch of it original to the home.

Residential Service Brothers and Sisters, what are your cardboard builder horror stories?


r/electricians 1d ago

The forbidden candy cane: LSFSGU-23 for a naval degaussing system.

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77 Upvotes

r/electricians 2h ago

What do you guys think are we cooked?

0 Upvotes

Laying in bed and realized the helper used #12 solid as jumpers in the back of a 30amp twist lock is that shit going to melt


r/electricians 3h ago

Does anyone know a good place to do online electrician training as a minor?

0 Upvotes

r/electricians 2d ago

Did a double take

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604 Upvotes

r/electricians 1d ago

Got a call for flickering lights. Customer says its been like this for about 3 months. Weird is the neighbors power was fine. I guess they had a better ground.

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44 Upvotes

I checked their panel, classic bad neutral 150/90V A/B phases to ground. Checked neighboring panel and theirs was fine, funny enough.


r/electricians 23h ago

Let's Discuss Lennar

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4 Upvotes

I have spent 9 hours so far trying to figure out what was causing a 20a AFCI breaker to trip in this house. The current working solution has veen to abandon 2 receptacles for now, but which weren't a symptom of the original issue when I started.

This isn't handyman or remodel work, this is 100% Lennar, every inch of it original to the home.

Residential Service Brothers and Sisters, what are your cardboard builder horror stories?

Edit: This is ONE CIRCUIT


r/electricians 1d ago

QO-DF breakers in a 70A panel

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7 Upvotes

Not a lot of clearance here. 14 awg wire to be used. 312.6 doesn't specify clearance for 14-10 AWG. Easy enough to assemble, being only 2 breakers, might throw a piece of fish paper down at the bottom of the enclosure.

Load Center says use type QO or CTL QOT breakers. Breakers are marked Type QO.

Load Center: QO24L70S

Breakers: QO115DF

Should I send it?


r/electricians 1d ago

Kansas standard journeyman exam

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10 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I have taken the Kansas standard journeyman exam a couple times and failed. I will post my results report without any of my personal information. I studied for weeks on end using the electrical exam prep by Mike Holt. The scoring says my general knowledge is low, as well as motors and generators, it almost feels like on the test they were asking things that I have not come across in the exam prep. I think I need to change the way I am studying and wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations to hit the general knowledge section that I am missing. I work in this field every day and know what I am doing when I am working, I just don't know how to study differently or how to hit the general knowledge better. I have been an apprentice for several years trying to pass