Own up! What's been your biggest moment of stupidity?!

[DNS1]

My ridiculous error today made me think of this! Here's my balls-up of the day...

Doing a board change, fairly simple, small flat.

Old board out, new board up, easy peasy so start testing the circuits. First up, electric shower, total of about 50cm run of cable as bathroom is immediately behind the board.

Continuity is fine, although a bit of a pain as there was very little slack in the cable at the switch, just enough to get the probes in.

Move on to IR, and get a strange reading between L and N. No problem I think, it's the neon in the switch, so I reach round the corner and pull the cord to disconnect it. Same reading....

Clearly there's a fault either at the switch or in the run over the ceiling.... So I get up in the loft and find the cable, nothing visually wrong, but manage to feed enough slack through to get the switch off the ceiling and disconnect it. Check both runs of cable individually, no IR problems at all. At this point I have to go to the wholesalers to get another reel of 6mm as it's too tight to get to the switch and the new board.

A fair bit of faffing about in a boiling loft later, all is reconnected and ready to test again. Same problem...

It's then that I twig what went wrong... When testing the first time, I'd reached round the corner to isolate the shower and pulled the bloody pull cord for the light instead of the shower! DOH!

That's my embarrassing cock up of the day... Anyone care to share theirs?!

 

[Richard Burns]

Nice one, I have too many to list!

 

[robsparky1975]

Biggest moment of stupidity was in 2001 when starting the 1st year on sparkies course,took the wrong turn should of been a plumber lol

 

[Darkwood]

Going to a Toga party dressed as a Goat but hey thats Dyslexia for you!

 

[Farmelectrics]

Getting married lol

 

[trev]

Far too many to mention.

 

[SparkyJoe]

Bat off a main incomer while kneeling in some water sucked

 

[Des 56]

One of my regular builder clients
Today as it happened

2nd fixed his lounge sockets 10 in total
Polished chrome sockets that were left on top of the polished chrome fancy lights near the polished chrome effect fireplace

Vaguely remember the wife wanted low profile white accessories
I thought there should also be a double pole switch for that fire, but only a light switch available,same tumbler type

Job done and packing up the tools when in walks builder with wife leading the way

The chrome sockets were bought ten years ago,they were still in their B+Q packging,they were left as a gift for yours truley
Now work out the error

 

[trev]

They were bringing the sockets in with them?

 

[Des 56]

They were bringing the sockets in with them?

Not quite
I had already bought the sockets and just assumed she had decided to go all fancy chrome so I fitted the sockets that were a gift for me
Now I have to change the dam things for white tomorrow

 

[trev]

One I'll own up to. Testing time on a shop install years ago, was talking the apprentice through the testing sequence, why it's done that way and what results to expect. To save a bit of time I showed him the global IR which he immediately pulled me up on for doing something wrong. "Don't be daft" I said "it's perfect"
"No Trev you duffed it"
I decided we'd crack on otherwise I'd be there all day arguing with a daft lad. we finished everything up and I asked if he had any questions.
"Just one really" He said
"Don't the MCBs have to be on for the global IR"
Took a good few days for the dust to settle on that one.
Eeyore!

 

[Darkwood]

Using an old PAT tester class 2 appliance on wet work bench and sent 4Kv through it..... i had my belly against the workbench and got the Zap!!! of my life!

 

[markc123]

My biggest moment of stupidity....trying to explain to client (a woman) why her husbands DIY's have caused the installation to fail its periodic.

1) No sleeving on any additions, + no containment earthed where applicable.
2) Radials upgraded to 32A with 2.5mm cable to stop the 'tripping' - yes i laughed in amazement at her before you ask.
3) Cables run in cavity walls (yes some may argue this, but i cant stand it - so i made a comment to be awkward because they were being awkward)
4) spur off spur off spur off spur pretty much everywhere - standad.
5) light fittings not earthed where appropriate.

The list goes on...i know you lads have the same problems day in day out. it's all fun and games.

 

[markc123]

sorry for the use of 'periodic' you golden oldies know what im referring too but incase of the forum police...EICR sir

- - - Updated - - -

Bat off a main incomer while kneeling in some water sucked

poor bat.

 

[Kate]

Wayyyy to many to list.
Music at work. Got a few songs I can't help but dance too. Twist and shout comes on. Few people singing it, I join in and do me bum jiggle dance as im 2nd fixing. LSF cable snips slip, smash me in the face blood pouring and everyone looking cause I stopped singing must have done a lil scream

2nd year of apprenticeship...testing a void property. Board not marked so was told to go around and see which lights were working/not working.
Pull cord in bathroom....woosh!!! Pulled the flush instead, builder had removed the toilet pan day before ready for floor being latexed!!
Latex man turned up 20mins later to a flooded bungalow!!

 

[kingeri]

I was fitting approx 20 GU10 downlights, was a right ballache pulling the cables through without making extra holes, no access from above. Managed to do it, took me the best part of a day. Result looked perfect though. Homeowner came back and pointed out I'd installed them in the wrong room.

 

[Kate]

OMG that made me chuckle!

 

[telectrix]

I was fitting approx 20 GU10 downlights, was a right ballache pulling the cables through without making extra holes, no access from above. Managed to do it, took me the best part of a day. Result looked perfect though. Homeowner came back and pointed out I'd installed them in the wrong room.

priceless.

 

[kingeri]

priceless.

More like worthless. I certainly made no money on that job!

 

[telectrix]

from this moment on, you will be known as kock-up kingeri.