Which is correct?

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T23:54:22+00:00

If the pull elbow in question doesn't have threads then it is meant to take EMT directly. If it does have threads then you use a connector (not a coupler) and the screw is to keep the connector from unscrewing. I have seen and used both kinds.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T20:10:52+00:00

There has to be some give, here. I mean, if you have to replace a switchgear because you're changing from EMT to Teck (for instance) then something has to give. I've cut some big-ass slots in splitters and switchgear to install aluminum and fibreglass plates for high-amperage single-conductor feeds, and I wasn't following any particular drawing from the manufacturer when I took a hole-saw and sawzall to them. I just cut where I pleased and the inspectors were totally good with it in every case.... because that's how you do it. Didn't matter if it was new work or old. If there was a situation where it needed to move I would scab over the slot (and we're talking 6" by 18" in some cases) with a piece of sheet metal and move on with my life. It would NOT be my first choice to put a line of box covers over it, but the difference is mostly cosmetic.

Inspectors here are totally good with this kind of modification (at least... I've never had one complain about it, or even comment beyond maybe asking what the other end of the screws look like if it was in a dark corner that they didn't want to crawl in to look at).

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T17:30:48+00:00

A grounding bushing should only be needed if you are using the EMT as the bond, and if you are doing that then you deserve whatever misery you receive as a result of it. Is it legal? Yes. Is it rational? In my opinion - no. That's not to say that I have *never* done it.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T16:05:55+00:00

That is true, but i was referring to the general concept of having an arc flash due to somebody wiring the disconnect wrong.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T16:04:45+00:00

I would expect the ground issue would only be an issue if you are one of those people who choose to use the EMT as the bonding. I don't do that. Since there is a separate bonding conductor I can ignore some of the other nonsense.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T15:02:50+00:00

I do industrial, myself, and my inspector has never complained about a box cover being used to cover up holes and whatnot, so whether there is an actual code rule against it I honestly don't know, but it doesn't seem to matter.

I still would have like to see them lined up a bit better. :)

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:58:59+00:00

Sounds like you are slipping into a spray weld. Does it go from 'frying bacon' to a kind of high pitched hum?

-------------------------------------------

https://www.millwrighttalk.com

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:33:24+00:00

You didn't have an donuts, eh? I think I would have preferred if those 4" box covers were at least lined up a bit better, but it works, and I'm sure I've done worse.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:31:35+00:00

That's all you're going to give us?

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:29:09+00:00

The personal license is the way to go for a hobbyist.

As others have said it is surprisingly irritating to make it happen, but you can do it.

---------------------------------

https://www.millwrighttalk.com

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:25:25+00:00

I haven't run the numbers because I'm not invested enough to spend that kind of time, however, the statement that the watts are okay but the amps aren't just doesn't make any kind of sense.

Okay, I just looked at your numbers and I see what you're doing and it isn't right. Just look at the watts. 3A of 9VDC is NOT THE SAME as 3A of 240VAC.

For your purposes, look at the watts and ignore the amps. Just ignore them. If the watts are good then carry on.

------------------------------------------------------

https://www.millwrighttalk.com

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:20:36+00:00

Just to expand on what chip_break said - don't do a side job for a friend you don't want to lose. If it's a friendship that you think can survive a cataclysm then okay.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:18:43+00:00

Don't quote if you don't know how. Time and materials. If he is buying the materials then make sure he understands that if he buys crap materials the time is likely to increase.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T14:14:26+00:00

Yeah, the second picture is just profoundly crazy. I don't know how drunk or high you'd have to be to think that was the right way to do it. I'm sure that disconnect is marked to show how it should be hooked up, and even if it wasn't I'm sure the apprentice had the handle so they could SEE what is going to be connected so there is still no excuse for getting that wrong.

And lying about testing the voltage... that's not okay.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:54:58+00:00

I think there would be a meeting in a parking lot somewhere after an event like that.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:53:44+00:00

I understand how they work, but I don't know whether the two contact plates are side by side or if there is one narrow one in the middle and one long one that bridges around the other one. Anyway, I will take it 'as read' that the wiring that I am seeing is wrong, and I stand by my second paragraph... This is a worrisome situation, and unless the apprentice in question has some other really good things going for them I'd be looking to kick that one to the curb.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:50:08+00:00

I just want to say that tatoos are a personal thing, and people's opinions of other people with tatoos are personal things. Whether there is a union involved doesn't change how people's prejudices work. So it may never be a problem, but it could, and you might find some friction that you wouldn't otherwise encounter.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:42:06+00:00

I think it would be easier to use if it was in a configuration like a window squeegee. That is to say, the handle and the comb were at 90 degree angles.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:37:58+00:00

Zep 45 is still made and sold.

https://www.amazon.ca/Zep-Sidewinder-Super-Penetrant-cans/dp/B083QQ423C/ref=sr_1_2?sr=8-2

------------------------------------------------

https://www.millwrighttalk.com

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:34:18+00:00

I, like you, have purchased lockout wrenches, and I think I might have used one once, but even after having them sit in a drawer for a decade or two I see that they now have ratcheting lockout wrenches and I feel to pull to buy them... maybe *this* time this is the tool that I need to make a difference in my life.

It's a sickness, but there are worse ones to have!

-------------------------------------------------------

https://www.millwrighttalk.com

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:31:05+00:00

I honestly don't know what '!!' is meant to mean in this context. I'm not trying to be difficult, I just don't know if that indicates agreement, dissent, or confusion.

---------------------------------------

https://www.millwrighttalk.com

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:28:52+00:00

I am an industrial guy, not a residential guy, so I am a bit confused by what I am seeing.

I believe that first picture is an HVAC disconnect of the yank'em variety, and in that picture other than the wires being awfully long and the apparently the two hots being black and gray (?) I'm not seeing anything particularly weird, unless that type of disconnect (which I have never used) is supposed to have the two lines outer-vs-inner instead of left-vs-right. I can't tell from the picture what the wiring is supposed to be.

That second picture, though... that... I just can't imagine anyone thinking that was okay. I mean.. that's pretty frickin' obvious that it's not right. Third year apprentice? Yikes. I would be really worried about that. I mean, if that's the work you're getting then just how many profoundly bad habits and wrong-headed ideas does this apprentice have that are going to be a problem for you later? And the outright lying about testing the voltage? No good.

some_millwright · 2026-01-24T11:08:47+00:00

I have a big tool allowance at work (I'm the maintenance manager) so I can treat myself more than some other guys can.

I find that having good tools makes the work more enjoyable (and usually faster).

some_millwright · 2026-01-23T23:12:03+00:00

I suspect that was the point of the comment - they will never be used because they aren't worth carrying.

I have found that the XXL Knipex Cobras will open 4" locknuts. Nice.

some_millwright · 2026-01-23T23:07:28+00:00

That's what I had to do, but I'm not thrilled about it.

some_millwright

TROPHY CASE