Butter Smooths Out the Showstoppers!

Just like with any retrofit work or installation of new equipment in an existing home, there is an occasion when our team of electricians must wrestle with the choices a previous contractor made.  Those choices can become our showstoppers. What do I mean?  I mean our work will come to a halt until Team DaiTechCorp dismantles and corrects the problem.

A few weeks ago, Team DaiTechCorp encountered a circuit panel that was made “pretty” by encasing the equipment in a cabinet.  No big deal except, the previous contractor left no room for an electrician to punch the knockouts required to add additional fixtures. 

Initially, our Master Electrician planned to complete this project by accessing exisiting wall and not cutting no holes in the walls.  Not a chance!  Electricians need as much unfettered access as possible into circuit breaker panels to ensure safe and expedient installation of future electrical equipment.   Thanks to the previous colleague who forgot the primary purpose and intent of circuit breaker panels.  For this project there was no unfettered access. Our ME paused, trying to figure out how to get the job done with no holes. SMH!

The current situation called for a few big holes in the wall. Period. So, I put on my CEO pants and stopped the show.  I told my ME “don’t worry about demo’ing the walls. Your Fearless Leader keeps DaiTechCorp’s drywall specialist on speed dial.  And he’s always ready to patch holes and restore walls as Smooth-as-Butter.”  Whew!

The customer had no clue about the effort it took to pull near 50 feet of 6/3 wire from his garage and connect it to his 50-amp circuit breaker inside a pretty cabinet. Besides it’s my business to have a clue, not my customer’s.  Problem solved; the ME went back to completing the mission. And the customers are all smiles!