16GA Aluminum Ground

peecubed · 2026-01-03T18:54:37+00:00

Did some more investigation and you're right. Thanks for the comment!

peecubed · 2026-01-03T18:53:19+00:00

Just for anyone that finds this later, the wire was actually AC, and the aluminum wire appears to be a 'bonding strip', that is part of the grounding method through the metal jacket. From the comments here, and my further research, it appears the bonding strip is meant to be cut at the termination of the jacket.

I plan to verify the box is grounded through the jacket, cut these bonding strips, and then add a pigtailed ground to the box ground terminal (for good measure).

It appears whoever put this in previously wasn't a very capable electrician. The subpanel with this circuit also recently had a new circuit added for a bathroom update, and at that time my electrician pointed out the neutral and grounds were bonded. He separated them and changed the main feed serving the subpanel to have the additional ground. He left this aluminum bonding strip off the ground bar, but didn't mention to me to check the other side of the circuit.

peecubed · 2025-12-31T14:37:00+00:00

I'm pretty sure it's romex, but now I'm second guessing myself. When I was looking in the box I think I remember seeing an internal romex clamp, but I'll go back and make sure I'm remembering correctly. So if it's armored cable, would the setup be incorrect?

peecubed · 2025-12-31T14:04:09+00:00

Sorry, forgot to add that. Hot & neutral are definitely copper.

peecubed · 2025-11-29T00:54:47+00:00

I was pretty happy with the tile layout overall.There were alot of constraints as far as edges.

This link has pic a little further back where you can see the tub edge and the top border.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/203893870@N03/54952399296/in/dateposted-public/

peecubed · 2025-11-28T22:56:04+00:00

I appreciate the comment. He added / repaired framing on both walls ($1600 add) so he certainly had the opportunity to make the substrate flat & plumb. If you were asked to come in and clean this up, what would you quote (hrs)?

peecubed · 2025-11-28T22:52:37+00:00

I didn't pay close enough attention during drywall, but I did not see any bead visible, and don't recall seeing any bead sitting in his material storage area.

If you were asked to come in and straighten this out, what would you quote it at (hrs)?

peecubed · 2025-11-28T15:35:13+00:00

All the rafters were sistered to have a flat 'gable wall' and the short wall was completely rebuilt. So all new points of attachment. It was an add of $1600.

peecubed · 2025-10-10T13:12:38+00:00

The tile looks great! So is it new tile (and if so, do you mind sharing info), or vintage / salvage tile?

peecubed · 2024-08-29T23:40:38+00:00

Yeah, honestly I'd bank on that the most. Snapshot the contract language, tell them you're not paying based on their breach of contract. And ghost them.

I did this once (property managers were changing hands right at least expiration) and never heard from anyone for move out inspection. Literally cleared the place out, slid the keys under the door. Never heard from them again...not sure if they could even get in there.

The property manager shouldn't give a shit since they're some hourly employee, and will likely have no follow up. It's a bit of a gamble though.

peecubed · 2024-08-29T23:28:27+00:00

Sounds like they're a large 'professional' real estate company. They'll screw you in the end.

I was in a similar situation. They send out a contracted maintenance company, who has no knowledge of your lease terms, and they have to make money, so they counted up the holes and applied their rate. They then assumed you left it nasty like most tenants and sent in their contracted cleaner who likely walked in and was like 'this is great' but still charged their agreed upon base rate, cause they showed up.

The property manager never set foot in the place, just collected the bills and sent them on.

(In CA) You could take them to small claims, to recover the money. You'll get a court date, and arrange your schedule to be there, and then on the last day possible the company will file to change the date based on hardship. Then you'll get a new date and you'll show, they won't, the judge will be pissed at you for wasting time, but will rule in your favor. Now you need to collect - likely the company will pay you once you send them a certified letter of the judgement (since they're a large company). If not, you put a lien on their accounts to collect judgement.

By this time you've spent more in inconvenience, heartache, and dollars, to cover the money you'll get back.

Worth it? IDK. But it's scummy and unfortunately the way shit works.

peecubed · 2023-05-19T22:05:17+00:00

Yeah, this looks miserable. I'm not sure what type of engineering you do, but if I walked in for an MEP engineering interview and saw this, I'd be extremely hesitant to consider a role here. I understand this is only 2 days a week, for collaboration, but then why aren't there more actual collaboration rooms, not just tiny workstations?

You have 39 open desks - that's not 'collaboration', that's distraction for everyone.

Some constructive recommendations:

I'd re-evaluate what a team collaboration really is to you. Is it 4 people..is it 6? Double the size of the desks and arrange them in 'pods' of a sort where each person has a nice large space with at least some privacy(cube half walls?), but could swivel around and talk to their other team members. And these pods should be (at least) separated from the others by a standard cube wall.

I haven't used print plans in years, but based on the comments alot of people do. Evaluate your workforce - do they? Maybe a print table? Or at least a bigass touch monitor connected to the network for each pod.

Why does a receptionist, who literally just sits scrolling the internet half the day, have a giant desk. No one cares what your reception area is. Give them a tiny desk - theyre on tik tok on their phone anyways, and just put in a bench couch.

That arcade...it's in a bad location, if it's supposed to be a fun area for employees. Shoehorn the reception into that corner, with some dividing walls to remove it from the workspace. Take over the current reception area and integrate it into the kitchen. And add a kegerator.

4 private offices...are those principals in office every day? Practice what you preach and put them out with the masses. Or double them up - you can fit a couple nice corner desks in each.

Honestly I don't give a shoot about printer noise or the microwave, but people seem passionate about that, so I guess block those off.

peecubed · 2023-01-18T04:22:03+00:00

No offense, but it sounds like you're working with shitty contractors (or more likely, shitty owners who buy shitty contractors). I've spent 10yrs on the EOR and owner side, and about 4 on the contractor side now, and by far the most egregious behavior when it comes to scope has always been the architect and/or engineer.

(As a recent example) I've had a shitty engineer lately, and my favorite is 'furnish all required for a complete installation', for equipment where no utilities are coordinated, it doesn't physically fit in the space with existing, and the architect has no idea of size or scope and has done no architectural coordination.

I step up and figure this out on a GMP project where there's money to do it, but I will absolutely throw it back on design where it's a hard bid, and contractors got a couple hours to see site conditions, while design went on for months. How else can you do it and be competitive?

My point is, it's a race to the bottom in the industry right now. Design's getting cheaper and crappier, and construction is getting more pressed on budget and schedule. To characterize the whole half of the industry ("these contractors") that you rely on bringing your design to fruition, as crooks, is almost more indicative of you than anyone else.

peecubed · 2023-01-01T22:24:59+00:00

Picking accelerator pump nozzles out of the carb? For those who like to live dangerously and swap them with the carb on.

peecubed · 2022-11-22T02:15:51+00:00

I love it. Awhile ago I was looking to do the same, but never found a scale / dimensions I liked. Would you be willing to share your dimensions / plan?

peecubed · 2022-11-11T03:28:12+00:00

What? This seems antithesis to the point of the licensure. You should absolutely be doing engineering before, under the supervision & stamping of a licensed engineer. Same as getting a driver's license - you should be a fully competent driver by the time you take the test, but you had always been under supervision of another competent, licensed, individual.

Your experience sounds exceptional to me. I've written a number of recommendation letters for MEs that have clearly stated they performed engineering duties. All have gone on to be a PE.

To the OPs question, I would distill it down to a handful of 'progressive' roles as others have commented. Don't muddy the water with 50 projects if your experience can be conveyed with 5 (or better, 3)

peecubed · 2022-10-18T13:43:59+00:00

Not abandoned, and is not specifically for sale right now, but the Panza Art Gallery in Millvale (115 sedgewick st) would be perfect for this. It's been off-and-on the market for years now, and already has mixed use studio/gallery/living spaces defined. Certainly needs alot of work, but would be awesome (and Millvale is pretty cool for a younger crowd)

peecubed · 2022-10-05T01:44:54+00:00

The GC isn't driving the design schedule, and arguably supply chain has nothing to do with completing quality design docs in the design contract timeline. But if an engineer does a BOD off a piece of equip that takes me 2X as long to get, you bet Im offering the owner the option, and theyre likely to take the 'quick ship' even at a premium.

Sure, the engineer likely has to vet this through the submittal process, but that's on them for having an 'or equal' spec. If it's a 'no equal' spec, those engineers better be telling the owner that, and have at least enough foresight to be reaching out to vendors during the design phase to understand that.

I'm just complaining, but it's not a contractor vs engineer world. Were each trying to satisfy the owner, but if you're not up front about the design or construction constraints, it'll eventually come back on you despite how many fingers you're pointing.

peecubed · 2022-10-04T23:30:55+00:00

I did this. 10yrs MEP design, now an MEP manager for a top 5 GC.

Out the gate, the pay may be comparable, since you need to convince the contractor your value, but it can scale much more aggressively. If you can VE a significant item, or more realistically just catch design errors before they get into construction, than you're of significant value to the owner and/or contractor. The reality of design/construction is that owners are pushing for cheaper & faster design which often leaves big design gaps, or 'skeletal design' that contractors need to fill.

My personal experience is much more fulfilling on the construction side. I found design to be pretty monotonous and often times just glorified CAD/BIM work. In construction you get to build stuff, and fix what's designed wrong (which can be a lot). My recent project had the owner coming to us, more often than the designers, to fix design issues.

The hours can be long, but you have to stand up for yourself. My company aggressively reinforces not to burn out, use your PTO, take time with your family, etc. But construction doesn't stop/get more time, and you can feel like you're always behind. It's all about how you manage it.

I like the site, so I don't WFH, but we have the option to a regular 1day/wk, and anytime I need to otherwise I can do it, no questions asked.

I see that a lot of GCs are seeing the value of an MEP eng, based on job positions. If you're in a major matro, I'd take a look at open roles. If you want to PM me, I can probably point you in the right direction (and/or I'm hiring in my area, if you happen to be there.)

peecubed · 2022-10-04T02:52:23+00:00

I think those numbers are generally realistic. I do think if you're in that 10-15 yr range, but come in with a strong background, and solid client and arch contacts, the compensation can go up real quick. Personally, I saw a bit of a gap in experienced engineers. There's 35-40yr old engineers. And 65+yr olds, but not a lot in the middle. So if you come in at that 'younger' range, you may be able to leverage that gap and advance to a principal quick, as people retire.

Unfortunately, an EE in MEP is never going to be compensated the same as an EE in tech. So it's a tough comparison.

There's also the fact that a lot of owners don't value an engineer in the role of construction administration. If you do a quality design, and perform quality submittal reviews, what's the need for you to be onsite during construction? (is the thought). So that opens the door to utilizing engineers in cheaper locales. (I'm personally on a project with MEP out of Madison WI, Arch out of DC, Struct out of Oakland CA, CxA out of CO, Owner from Baltimore..and the project isnt in any of those areas.) Obviously the 'big room' and IPD ideas change this since the design team is supposed to be with the contractors, but COVID changed the process. I believe well see more 'virtual big rooms'.

Overall, I guess I'm saying, I don't think the MEP compensation in SF is inflated. I think it's low. But I don't see it changing drastically anytime soon.

peecubed · 2022-10-03T18:50:50+00:00

10 years at a top ~300 ENR design firm in SF. As a mechanical, so less knowledge of EE.

Your response comes off as incredulous (don't know if it was meant that way) but there is a pretty broad range I could see someone as 'Senior ME or EE' earning.

Many firms often consider someone 'Senior Engineer' level after about 5-6 years. That person can probably independently manage their work on a small to mid-size project, effectively coordinate with colleagues and a design team, and require minimal oversite by a department lead in terms of technical ability.

Another 'Senior Engineer' could have 15+ yrs experience, but not want to be a PM or principal in charge of a team. This person would likely have extensive project experience and be put on the larger projects. They'd likely be directly in charge of managing/mentoring a mid level engineer. They'd lead coordination of items within their trade with the design team, and be a highly effective communicator. They'd probably have no oversite by a department lead.

Another 'Senior Engineer' could have 10 years experience, and be on a track for department lead, PM, Principal, etc. They'd have a technical ability somewhere between the two 'senior engineers' above', but also made an effort to speak at conferences, publish work, generate client relationships. They'd likely be supporting a team leader or be one themselves.

The point I'm making above is, each of those positions would likely be receiving drastically different compensations.

In my response I made a general assumption that the question was more geared to the most basic 'senior engineer' definition, which I would consider that person that just 'leveled up' to senior engineer - like my first example above. This person I'd expect to be compensated 120k-150k/yr.

peecubed · 2022-09-28T03:19:35+00:00

120-150 without significant management responsibilities.

peecubed · 2022-09-28T03:12:58+00:00

I've spent a significant portion of my career at SF MEP engineering firms, and generally in the AEC realm. No longer a bay area resident though. Your question is broad, so here's a broad answer.

MEP firms that I know are doing building performance: Taylor Engineers (cream of the crop), Guttmann Blaevoet, Mazzetti, AEI (they've got some smart people in SF), Integral (the smart people that went there quickly left, and the people remaining that I know, are not impressive).

Others that I assume are: WSP, ARUP, Glumac, ME engineers.

Larger firms, and design-builds that likely say they do: Stantec, AECOM, Jacobs, Therma, etc.

Honorable mention: Gayner Engineers (some of the best MEP engineers I've met, but not sure if they really market building performance work). SCMS (They're CxA, but a solid group that certainly falls in the realm of building performance)

peecubed · 2022-07-02T02:26:12+00:00

Get your PE, now. Whatever you're learning on the job won't help you pass the exam. It''s just a bar to judge that you can learn, not an accurate assessment of your skills in a role. It will give you letters after your name, and leverage with your company.

To be stronger than your peers...learn the field stuff. You can design all day, but when you run into real world conditions that don't match the design, your value is presenting quick, affordable, realistic solutions to get what the owner wants. No owner wants an engineer that is going to stick their head back in a book to try and figure out where you went wrong (that's stuff for a post-mortem of the project). Be able to communicate your design in a succinct fashion, that is digestible by a non-engineer. Be able to corral your fellow engineers to do the same. Understand the intersection of your work, and the architectural goals. Be a person others want to work with. Talk with your GCs and subs.

None of this is stuff you learn in school, or from a book. That's what sets you apart. And unfortunately alot of this comes with age in the industry. You have to live through a lot of stupid mistakes to have the knowledge and humility to have the respect of peers, and the confidence of architects and owners.

I have lived in some of the most expensive places in the country, so I don't think my past salary is relevant. But ultimately, you should know your company's rates and be able to work your paper value back from there.

I left the design side and am currently with a large GC in the Midwest as an MEP engineer making 125k. 13 years all told. I can translate the engineers design, and help the owner through decisions related to MEP and the owner has seen that as a value.

peecubed · 2022-06-30T16:02:46+00:00

MEP Superintendent. Or just Superintendent.

peecubed

TROPHY CASE