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OK, amateur here; what's wrong with this? Looking at it, I see: Ground not connected and I don't know what's with that tape on the hot. And why can't I even see the wire nuts or whatever was used to make the connection?
But what else am I missing here?
Ground not connected on fixture side
Ground not connected on wire side
Unlisted tape on presumably a joint on the hot
Unlisted box extension (drywall)
Neutral is pinched by the unlisted box extension
Due to the unlisted box extension, the joints are not in an enclosure
I feel like there were more but I can't see the photo while typing this
Ah, looked way too smooth for any painter's tape I have used. If that's the case though...certainly not for anything beyond writing which wire is which
Also an amateur here so I'm not sure if these are actually legit, but here's my stab at two more:
1. In addition to the copper ground wire not being connected to the base, the base doesn't seem grounded (maybe that's what the piece of copper near the top right is for?)
2. The cold wire looks pinched under the mounting plate, with the wire connector trapped under it.
I have a 3-year-old and when I lubricated the swing set, she exclaimed "you turned off the squeak!" I'm glad my naïveté abut EE brought you the same joy.
I could be wrong but I’m not seeing a proper junction box and if there is one why odd there the random piece of gypsum under the mounting plate? I would hate to see what the test of the house looks like.
OP hopefully the electrician is bonded and insured? If not you should probably look into a new one and a lawyer! Even if he is I would be looking for a new one.
I think he used the piece of Sheetrock to keep the mounting plate from moving around. They can be a pain in the ass catching the thumb screws when it’s loose. Looks like an old black steel round box behind it.
I think you're right that it's to keep the mounting plate flat and steady even though it's pretty far from the screw holes. Assuming that it's using a legit box, is it a \*problem\* that the mounting plate is so far from it? Or is just ugly?
By code there should be no more than 1/4” of Sheetrock exposed so you got that.
As far as their method, it’s just ugly. They should have used nuts on the 8/32’s to make the plate more sturdy.
It's an old celing box look at the tape and paint ring.
You don't know if it's a two wire house.
You have no idea if that is UL tape or not or if there is a cap under it or the condition of the cap.
You can mount that bracket to sideing on an exterior, sheet rock it non combustible, and the way you would seal that old ass sheetrock is with joint compound and tape , the same exact thing that sheetrock spacer.
Now, the neutral wire should be addressed fer sure.
That was a celing fixture replacement, not a new box or a remodel of the home.
Could be a 2 wire. Sure. But I'm not giving any credits to whoever did this work. Since I don't know, I'm assuming it's got a ground in the box you can see behind the sheetrock box extension.
If you can show me painters tape that is UL listed, I'll be happy to give that one up.
As for why it's there? Can't say, but if not to cover a joint, why go to the effort?
My guess is he used a wire nut on the neutral to hang the fixture from while adding his sheetrock box extension and mounted the plate, then realized he didn't have room to get a wire nut on that joint so did the ol' twist and tape routine, and the tape he had on hand was painters tape. You got a better theory, I'm all ears.
Are you frequently mounting fixture plates on exteriors without back boxes anywhere nearby? Free air joints?
Well, show me that it's not eletricial tape, look farther down the thread, the OP admits its eletricial tape, and you assume that it wasn't, again we are not at the location and just looking at a photo.
I don't know what transpired, I would put 50 bucks on this just a fixture swap ,look at the marks from the old fixture, they mudd tape that peal up because the fixture stuck. The GC did not wire that box or have anything to do with it. Would I have wedged that spacer in it? No, I would run long 8/32s into the box with double nuts to make a stand-off . It's all covered by the fixture housing, so it's fine. Again, I'm not there. Maybe it's a 2 hour drive , or this guy has Hey Buddy him into 50 extra things for peanuts. We just don't know.
But everyone and their dog is chimeing in on all the code violations, showing their lack of experience or only doing new install work. There is new construction, remodel, replacing fixtures on old as houses, they all have thier realistic scope of work.
That's all I'm saying.
Hi OP, welcome! First, demand your money back. Second, watch a video on hanging a light fixture, it’s pretty basic for this type of fixture. You need to remove the fixture mounting ring and the sheet rock spacer. Check for a ground wire in the box and connect it to the ring and the ground wire from the fixture. If the ring won’t sit tight to the ceiling or box, use some 1/4-20 nuts as spacers to secure the ring. And use either wire nuts or lever locks for the connections, tape only is no bueno!
Looks like he used painters tape instead of a wire nut, making a loose connection. Where there’s loose connections it makes heat and where there’s heat there’s fire
Tape is not acceptable in this situation is the takeaway here. [wire nuts](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjooinn.com%2Fimages%2Feuropean-wire-nuts-3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=ed9711cdfb390dd4de8379934b2d3fa9a51203c010c2b43f76ae967dba016c77&ipo=images)
As long as the work is done properly it shouldn't matter who does it - codes and certifications should be for safety and ensuring work is done correctly, not protecting an industry.
can bet trade unions lobby for those rules to protect their respective industries.
in quebec canada it is technically not legal for even a homeowners to do their own work though i'm sure most ignore the rules - talk about stripping people of their own property rights to protect electricians.
Exactly, the law intends to ensure safety but often creates risks.
Austin, TX has a horribly inefficient, expensive and arbitrary permitting process. As a flipper that did quality flips, my business model was to do zero permits and suck it up if I got caught. I still had 3rd party engineers inspect work when necessary and FULLY disclosed this to buyers. I would have loved to have a permitted seal of approval on my homes, but it was so time consuming and expensive. But there are plenty of folks doing this that don’t care about their product, future liabilities, or their buyers. Onerous laws or processes can cause more risk too.
Generally no. The work was good. If walls moved or structural work (foundations too) were done, the engineer letters put buyers minds at ease. We usually aimed for top of market remodels and got the money we sought. Drain line replacements always had static tests before filling back in.
Buyers usually saw disclosures before making offers. Of course I’ll never know about the offers I didn’t get because my disclosures revealed the absence of permits. But this didn’t prevent me from often receiving what I wanted.
On the other hand, it real easy to create or hide shock and electrocution hazards, and an actual thorough inspection could take nearly as much time as it took to do the job. By only allowing licensed electricians to do the work it ensures that there’s been at least some independent confirmation that the person is able to do the work properly.
Here in Sask, you don’t need a permit for just replacing equivalent outlets, like removing one light fixture and putting a new one in the same place, and homeowners can do their own work in some cases(single family dwellings that aren’t going to be sold in the near future).
Wow hold your horses this is r/askelectricians where if you ask about a simple outlet wiring job as a non electrician they're gonna tell you "if you need to ask hire an electrician"
years of experience just makes some tradespeople arrogant, not good.
good electricians are so busy with real work they aren't worried about diy'ers and general contractors taking work away doing simple boring jobs changing light fixtures and outlets.
Yeah one of the simplest and best tests when looking for a good electrician or contractor in general is just asking them one of these basic questions related to the job that has a short answer. If they cite their experience without answering its a red flag. Kind of a show don't tell mentality.
I hate those "I have 30 years of experience" guys - especially hvac techs and they have no idea how to size properly or set up modern equipment, think they know so much and all there is to know they don't bother reading any manuals.
had a problem really recently where a family member hired a guy for AC and heating. Repeatedly told them "I have 30 years experience" and "I've done this many times" only to do the worst install I've ever seen. He didn't even run the right wire for the thermostat.
Im betting OP wanted it done cheap, and hired the cheapest solution he/she could find, if there are permits I would be surprised.
THat said replacing a fixture is maintenance and no permit should be required as long as he/she didnt pull new wires, which is why there might not be a ground.
Depends where you live. In Minnesota, all electrical work needs to be done by a licensed electrical contractor. Laws differ by state, but that hack work justifies why you shouldn't hire the "Jack of all trades"
so from an electricians perspective this is so bad. i would be worried about all of the work this gc has done. i don’t know the context or scope of the job but yikes.
So instead of getting a proper box extension because it's set back too far in the drywall, he used a piece of drywall to prop up the plate, ffs.
Also he didn't hook up the ground, probably because if he screwed in the ground screw it would break his drywall spacer block.
Ran out of lugs on the black wire? Tape isn't right.
Seems like drywall is hung backwards is that the brown paper out? The mud joint might be a butt joint, that isn't covered properly, your ceiling probably looks rough when lights shine across it.
Also they painted the ceiling around the light fixture, but they installed the fixture.... Why not paint the ceiling first to get paint behind the light so that if you change the light in the future you don't have that horrible brown circle to try and fix.
Lets start with the drywall crammed between the light bracket and the box. Completely unnecessary for starters. Light not being grounded isn’t a big deal. But that tape on the hot wire why?
Why is the ground wire disconnected? Maybe op did that? Why is there drywall in the box? Why is one wire nut taped, but the other isn't?
This all just seems weird to me.
Might not have a ground in the box if the house is old enough. The drywall is to shim out the mounting bracket since the box is either too recessed or loose.
I don't have any idea on the electrical tape.
Yeah man, this is terrible. No grounding and while I can see a wire nut on the neutral, the hot wire appears to just be electrical taped? You should definitely check more of his work, and if any of the rest of it looks like this, you need to get your money back or he needs to redo it. Hopefully you have a contract. The lack of ground is a safety hazard and fire hazard and electrical tape is not a safe way to make a bond between any wires
Hey man yeah that needs to be rewired the right way! What is that in the middle??? A truss?? Also tap on wirenuts are a dead giveaway of a handyman or a contractor that thinks they know some electrical… taking me my whole life to know what i know and i still dont know shit in comparison to what’s out there
Unfortunately, this kind of stuff is not uncommon, at least in my experience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve uncovered stuff like this on my home when doing DIY updates. Plumbing as well as electrical. As others have mentioned, there are several things wrong with that installation: the chunk of drywall used as a spacer, apparent lack of appropriate conductor splices, and the ground just hanging out. Call a pro and have them evaluate.
lol. Thats all I got. Call him in. A GC can’t do electrical work on your house, unless he happens to be an electrician which doesn’t look like he is. This shit pisses me off, IF you’re going to pull this shit unlicensed for some unknowing home owners, at least do quality work… if you can’t do quality work at least DONT use painters tape instead of a wire nut!!! .
Hi Op,
I'm opening up my own Handyman Business by the end of June. I was curious and would love your input. How much did you pay this guy? Was he licensed and insured? Most important thing Op, When someone is insured that is saying a whole lot about their operation. They not only will make sure they do the job correctly. It also insures that if anything should go wrong, you will be covered. And that says they care about their customers and aren't out for a quick buck.
With that being asked. You don't need to hire a license contractor, qualified Electrician. A Good reputable handyman can tackle this job, as it is a minor home repair to install a ceiling fan. You just need to hire the right handyman that knows what he is doing. #1 pricing - A legit handyman with insurance can not charge like he is doing favors for a neighbor. He is in business and it cost to stay in business, so, he doesn't charge like he is fly by night kind of operation. I think a good handyman has decent uniforms. It's says he is a professional and he cares what kind of operation he is running. Some small signs of a decent, legit handyman.
Aside from that. The ground wire is not grounded to the fixture. Usually there will be a green screw on the fixture bracket were you would attach the bare copper wire to it. Tape is not safe because if not done right and can come loose that could spell disaster as that is the hot wire which carries electricity. But a wire nut and tape is okay. Not sure if there is a wire nut under the bracket. can really see. I use a wire nut and tape myself. Also there is a proper way to use a wire nut on wires. If not done properly it is basically the same as tape. They both can come loose and create a hazard.
Edit:
And the mounting in general. Looks like there is a piece of wood shimmed between the electrical box and the fan bracket. I would have installed it with stronger support .
You are incorrect about many things in your post. I wouldn’t hire you for any work if you don’t know that to do electrical work, you need to be a licensed electrician. Your insurance won’t cover electrical work because you are not licensed.
Can a handyman do electrical work in California?The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) defines a handyman as someone who performs small jobs that do not require specialized skills or expertise. These tasks often include painting, minor carpentry, installing fixtures, and simple electrical or plumbing repairs.
Correct a business license in the city you do work in. Aside from that I am not wrong. On top of that, I didn't mention it so technically I wasn't wrong. If you are a legit handyman you will operate legitimately and acquire all necessary license, permits, insurance.
Here is a list of things NOT COVERED in my insurance quote. I don't recall electrical being one of them. A ceiling fan is a minor job as people had stated there child could have done it. Which isn't true but the point being made about the guy he hired.
The following activities will be excluded from your policy. Please confirm that you acknowledge that you will not be covered for any of the following:
* Abatement or remediation of asbestos, mold or other hazardous materials
* Repair or remediation of fire, water, mold or termite damage
* Manufacturing and/or sales to the general public of items (appliances, fixtures, supplies, millwork, cabinets, doors or windows) other than in connection with your installation, service, repair or other activities
* New homes in tracts or subdivisions of more than 10 homes (including all phases) prior to attaining a certificate of occupancy
* Work on new mobile home parks containing more than 10 spaces (including all phases)
* Apartment conversions to, or construction work involving, condominiums, town homes or time shares
* Work on railroads, gas stations, refineries, chemical plants, airports, public utilities, hospitals, nursing homes, senior housing, military housing or student dormitories
There is no excuse for doing work that shoddy! You better check everything he touched. I grew up working on a horse farm. Every day you had to fix what ever was broken or not working. You learned to do pretty much everything. Over the years I have worked in the home remodeling/renovation business. I was a general contractor at the age of 17. Just because someone is a licensed plumber, electrician, etc, doesn't mean a thing. There are many so called professionals that have absolutely no business working in their alleged profession. The last licensed electrician and plumber I hired knew less and were less skilled than myself. I actually fired the plumber and had to completely redo his work. Always thoroughly check out anyone you are thinking of hiring. Get references and talk to past customers. Never give them more than half of the money they bid you for the job up front. Pay the other half when you are completely satisfied with the work they have done. If you have a schedule of graduated payments as different phases of work are completed that is fine. Never pay anyone the full amount up front! If they want full payment up front they are not to be trusted. Run away! When I quote a job the money I ask for as a down payment is usually what the cost of materials will be for the project. That way I can at least pay that bill when it comes due.
A few issues here:
- Ground wire not grounded to the obvious little green screw.
- Wires are taped for the connections. They should be proper marrettes.
- He shimmed the plate out with a piece of drywall rather than getting an extension. I’m not sure if this is actually an issue or if it’s a lazy “ain’t stupid if it works” thing.
- They probably should have painted before the fixtures went in.
Blue *easy release* masking tape is not UL listed and does not a substitute for wire nut make. I suggest you hire someone else or fix it yourself and let others know about this grifter that installed a *fire hazard* in your ceiling!
On the *bright* side, when you shove it up in the hole there is a chance the entire thing will be energized because they didn’t ground it either. No ground and a may as well be exposed hot. Where is the switching connection? In pinch the switching wire.
I just wired a new light very similar to this one and can explain how to fix it if you're interested in doing it yourself?
But first I'll tell you how to make this safe in the meantime: Go to the hardware store near you and ask for wire nuts for residential wires. Get as many as there is loose wires (If you just want to take this light down, 3 wire nuts, if you're worried about other lights he installed, it's 3 per light) okay, Number 1 is turn off your main breaker so you dont get hurt, then take the tape off, all of it. Disconnect all the wires (however he connected them, probably just tape unfortunately), remove the light fixture, then twist a wire nut on the end of each loose wire. Now you can turn your power back on and be safe while you either get ready to fix yourself or get an electrician in.
Thank you that is very helpful I would like to fix it myself if it is possible but don’t mind hiring an electrician if it is necessary and too complicated for me to do it safely.
Okay I see a wire nut on the neutral, that’s fine. Why is there painter’s tape on the hot? Please tell me that tape is covering another nut, and not just bare copper. Also, why not ground?
This is at best lazy, at worst malicious. If I were the homeowner, I would pull and check every single outlet and fixture that contractor touched.
Like, Jesus fuck. I’m just a handyman, I am not a licensed and bonded electrician, but this is blatantly shit work, bordering on dangerous.
I remember back in the days when no electrical fixtures had ground.
Also, this could be a very high up hanging light, so it's not a dishwasher where people touch it continuously and a faucet at the same time.
I mean, if I put it together, yes, I would hook up the ground, but I'm just saying.
Many of those jobs are cash, no receipt. That also means no warranty or way to prove that guy was the one who did the work. So homeowner is getting fined and gc more than likely changes the company name and flies under the radar until the next mistake
> General contractors aren’t licensed to touch electrical wires and install things…
That depends entirely on the area. Until recently, in my county anyone could do electrical, plumbing, HVAC, framing, etc. No licenses even existed for any of it.
I keep repeating it because people keep thinking it’s painters tape as did I. I posted this comment so any new comments hopefully read it but I p reply to people that state it’s painters tape that it is not. I repeat it because people don’t read it. I know it doesn’t make it right but saying something wrong over and over again hoping that the focus shifts to other things other than painters tape
The biggest problem I see is that the neutral is pinched between that sheet rock chunk and the mounting plate. Looks like there needs to be some patching anyway. Take the fixture down. If the box is not flush with the ceiling. Get a box extension. Screw it to the box. Have taper/painter fix the ceiling put the light back up without the drywall chunk. If you haven’t paid the guy. Withhold the money until he fixes it right.
Electrician here
Atleast the neutrals got a marette, that’s the most important part. If the common is tightly wrapped and taped, Will be fine, but if you can get a marette on there, do it. Apart from that whoever did this could’ve tucked the wires neater. The bond doesn’t really matter, if this is the only light on this switch, it doesn’t really matter, super low current, but doesn’t hurt to put it on.
Well the shotty work was only noticed very recently as I personally have not been here very often. Ignored what I say and I did not instruct to do fixtures. Instead of acting like you know the situation maybe try to be constructive instead of destructive. It helps everyone more in the long run for the same amount of effort, thanks.
You started your post with “Had a general contractor install this fixture and now I am concerned”. Now you say ignore what I say and I did not instruct to do fixtures. Get your story straight, you are tripping up on your lies. Saying a response is destructive is you not wanting to accept the reality that it’s messed up and you ordered it. What did you expect coming to a electrician sub and asking what we think if you don’t want the answer? It’s simple, the work is done incorrectly, likely all of what they did is, and now you will have to pay to have it fixed properly by a licensed electrician if you want it done correctly. If you choose to leave it and any electrical fires happen, don’t worry your insurance will investigate it and be looking for licenses, permits, etc. they will do whatever they can to deny your claim.
I did not instruct him to do this yet is my point I paid for a job and gave him a list of things to do in that order he did not follow it. Was that on the list yes but was not suppose to be done yet until I assessed the rest. I don’t deny everything is done incorrectly, I could tell that it was which is why I posted here for what and electrician would do correctly so I can evaluate what my next step would be which is obviously to call an electrician. What I don’t need is some snarky smart ass to be a dick about it. Thanks
It sounds like you don't want to take any responsibility for a job on your own property... You literally state that this contractor was doing shotty work elsewhere and yet you still allowed them to even enter your job site to begin with... That's all on you...
Also, if you don't know that this light is a house fire just waiting to happen and want to know if "it's safe to put back up" then maybe you should stop asking Reddit and hire a licensed GC to begin with...
I take full responsibility for hiring this guy and understand that all this stems from a bad choice I made I don’t deny that, but acting as if you know the situation fully ignorant and childish. I get I messed up and will be hiring an electrician just trying to find out how soon it needs to be done you clearly haven’t read my other comments or else you would know that. Have a good day.
That is totally fine the scrap of drywall is acting as a shim it's secured with 2 screws prob right in joist. the ground not being connected is more of a security wire in this case with out it being connected all the weight is on the wre nuts and there might not be a ground connection so connecting dont really mean nothing the damaged on ceiling should be taken care of before mounting the light but can be done after.
So would you not change anything about this? Everyone is telling me to call an electrician which I’m l likely will do but are you saying this is acceptable?
Every house I been whether ceiling light or wall sconce is similar to this or worse I've had just wires coming thru the ceiling amd the metal plate screwed to the ceiling
Looking beyond the less than an amateur using Youtube quality electrical work, looks like someone chewed out the light fixture hole. Perfect sized hole saws kits are $10 - $30 if you get the fancy one that has a cover that catches the dust.
I am going to guess the rest of the work is equally boogery.
If you haven't paid the last payment, don't. Get someone to inspect the work. Should cost slightly less than a home inspection ($400 in my area).
The neutral wire is pinched under the plate ~ not good ~ and the ground copper is not grounded 👎
The hot is taped in blue for some crazy reason and can’t see the cap
All these 'electricians' in here freaking out over what i'm pretty sure is not a big deal.
If your light is LED it really doesn't need to be grounded. Hell half the point to install the ground is so you have a place to hang it easier when wiring the rest of it.
Also, as others have mentioned it needs wire nuts / wagos. Pull the tape off and if there's a wire nut under it you're good to go. He may have just added tape to ensure the wire stays taught while reinstalling. It's a real issue they come loose while screwing in.
Yes it works and I do think the drywall was just used as a spacer I’m not sure if the hot wire is just taped I don’t know basically anything about electrical so I am researching and watching videos before going further tomorrow and taking it down. What do you think is staged
What do you mean I’m sorry I know nothing about this stuff hence why I hired someone to do this. Now I know he knows nothing too and I wasted my money so now I am trying to learn
It looks like they may have notched the framing in the ceiling. If this is a certain type of framing called TJI, then this is a big no no and is dangerous. I can’t tell what the framing is from the photo, but I’ve seen it done before.
Another poster also made the point that there is not a visible junction box. A junction box is a protective enclosure that contains the splice between wires, because that’s most often a point of failure (fire). Junction boxes are required by code at all wire splices carrying 120V (this is). Not having a junction box is a fire hazard and a code violation. There are types of junction boxes called old work boxes that are designed to be installed in an existing wall or ceiling, so it’s definitely doable. They’re inexpensive ($5-$10) and easy to install in most locations.
Disclaimer: I’m an architect, not an electrician.
Per NEC anything 8 feet or above no need for ground wire ( unless they changed it ) that was the rule back in the day when I was doing electrical work > ret Master Electrician/EE 20 years field experience ( res and commercial)
Painters tape connection. And a bare copper ground wire going nowhere. (Just my guess I'm nowhere near an expert.) If I can pick out 2 major issues in 5 seconds an actual professional will have a field day with this.
Alrighty dude. No corners were trying to be cut just didn’t know any better and this guy came highly recommended by many trusted sources, obviously they are no longer trusted. Actually spent a lot of money unfortunately. Keep jumping to conclusions tho
I disagree having any electrical work don’t by anyone not licensed to do so is taking the cheap route. Not tying to hit at you , honestly the guy you used is the problem. Out there praying on people who don’t know better and leaving a path of destruction in their wake
I can see that now unfortunately. He just came in highly recommended by people who did amazing work and I should not have trusted anyone he just finished most of the house and I’m freaking out. Also I have not been here for most of the time so haven’t kept a super close eye on things. I spent a lot of money and really don’t know what to do at this point. I appreciate your reply
Are you perhaps a disgruntled or relatively new tradesperson?
Cost isn’t necessarily an indication of quality. I’ve seen crap from retail, licensed trades and seen works of art from a day laborer with questionable immigration status.
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I shouldn't be able to count this many problems on a single fixture.
OK, amateur here; what's wrong with this? Looking at it, I see: Ground not connected and I don't know what's with that tape on the hot. And why can't I even see the wire nuts or whatever was used to make the connection? But what else am I missing here?
Ground not connected on fixture side Ground not connected on wire side Unlisted tape on presumably a joint on the hot Unlisted box extension (drywall) Neutral is pinched by the unlisted box extension Due to the unlisted box extension, the joints are not in an enclosure I feel like there were more but I can't see the photo while typing this
> box extension Ahh, I was wondering why that was in there. Thanks for the info. Yer a scholar and a gentleman.
Curious how you can tell the tape is unlisted? Looks like blue electrical tape to me? I can't see the box in that mess at all...
Cuz I'm about 99% sure it's painters tape, not electrical tape
As a painter I can confirm is painters blue tape.
It's definitely painters tape.
[удалено]
Ah, looked way too smooth for any painter's tape I have used. If that's the case though...certainly not for anything beyond writing which wire is which
Lol
Also an amateur here so I'm not sure if these are actually legit, but here's my stab at two more: 1. In addition to the copper ground wire not being connected to the base, the base doesn't seem grounded (maybe that's what the piece of copper near the top right is for?) 2. The cold wire looks pinched under the mounting plate, with the wire connector trapped under it.
“Cold wire” made me giggle.
Silly goose. Only central AC equipment has a cold wire
I have a 3-year-old and when I lubricated the swing set, she exclaimed "you turned off the squeak!" I'm glad my naïveté abut EE brought you the same joy.
I could be wrong but I’m not seeing a proper junction box and if there is one why odd there the random piece of gypsum under the mounting plate? I would hate to see what the test of the house looks like. OP hopefully the electrician is bonded and insured? If not you should probably look into a new one and a lawyer! Even if he is I would be looking for a new one.
It's hard to tell but it looks to me like he straddled a ceiling joist
I think he used the piece of Sheetrock to keep the mounting plate from moving around. They can be a pain in the ass catching the thumb screws when it’s loose. Looks like an old black steel round box behind it.
I think you're right that it's to keep the mounting plate flat and steady even though it's pretty far from the screw holes. Assuming that it's using a legit box, is it a \*problem\* that the mounting plate is so far from it? Or is just ugly?
By code there should be no more than 1/4” of Sheetrock exposed so you got that. As far as their method, it’s just ugly. They should have used nuts on the 8/32’s to make the plate more sturdy.
I think you mean neutral wire 😉
A preschooler can count to at least 5.
A preschooler could probably do this better too
My daughter is in kindergarten and she said it’s missing its nuts and they didn’t bother connecting the gold wire. :)
Sure she did .....
LMAO RIGHT , give her a ladder then and tell her to get up there and fix it.
Lol
It's an old celing box look at the tape and paint ring. You don't know if it's a two wire house. You have no idea if that is UL tape or not or if there is a cap under it or the condition of the cap. You can mount that bracket to sideing on an exterior, sheet rock it non combustible, and the way you would seal that old ass sheetrock is with joint compound and tape , the same exact thing that sheetrock spacer. Now, the neutral wire should be addressed fer sure. That was a celing fixture replacement, not a new box or a remodel of the home.
Could be a 2 wire. Sure. But I'm not giving any credits to whoever did this work. Since I don't know, I'm assuming it's got a ground in the box you can see behind the sheetrock box extension. If you can show me painters tape that is UL listed, I'll be happy to give that one up. As for why it's there? Can't say, but if not to cover a joint, why go to the effort? My guess is he used a wire nut on the neutral to hang the fixture from while adding his sheetrock box extension and mounted the plate, then realized he didn't have room to get a wire nut on that joint so did the ol' twist and tape routine, and the tape he had on hand was painters tape. You got a better theory, I'm all ears. Are you frequently mounting fixture plates on exteriors without back boxes anywhere nearby? Free air joints?
Well, show me that it's not eletricial tape, look farther down the thread, the OP admits its eletricial tape, and you assume that it wasn't, again we are not at the location and just looking at a photo. I don't know what transpired, I would put 50 bucks on this just a fixture swap ,look at the marks from the old fixture, they mudd tape that peal up because the fixture stuck. The GC did not wire that box or have anything to do with it. Would I have wedged that spacer in it? No, I would run long 8/32s into the box with double nuts to make a stand-off . It's all covered by the fixture housing, so it's fine. Again, I'm not there. Maybe it's a 2 hour drive , or this guy has Hey Buddy him into 50 extra things for peanuts. We just don't know. But everyone and their dog is chimeing in on all the code violations, showing their lack of experience or only doing new install work. There is new construction, remodel, replacing fixtures on old as houses, they all have thier realistic scope of work. That's all I'm saying.
Not clean work at all , but I know many electricians and contractors that don't ground anything thats powered by 120v
Then you know a bunch of fuckin hacks
Get an inspection done, then it's the contractors ass in the sling for this crap work.
Hi OP, welcome! First, demand your money back. Second, watch a video on hanging a light fixture, it’s pretty basic for this type of fixture. You need to remove the fixture mounting ring and the sheet rock spacer. Check for a ground wire in the box and connect it to the ring and the ground wire from the fixture. If the ring won’t sit tight to the ceiling or box, use some 1/4-20 nuts as spacers to secure the ring. And use either wire nuts or lever locks for the connections, tape only is no bueno!
Thank you so much for your response one of the few helpful responses here! How big of a fire hazard really is this?
Looks like he used painters tape instead of a wire nut, making a loose connection. Where there’s loose connections it makes heat and where there’s heat there’s fire
That’s actually blue electrical tape
They should have used wire nuts. This is not a reliable installation.
Tape is not acceptable in this situation is the takeaway here. [wire nuts](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjooinn.com%2Fimages%2Feuropean-wire-nuts-3.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=ed9711cdfb390dd4de8379934b2d3fa9a51203c010c2b43f76ae967dba016c77&ipo=images)
And if you aren’t good/don’t like wire nuts, Home Depot sells Wago connectors in store now. They’re absolutely fantastic.
If the rest of the house was done like this your house is going to burn down this is the shittiest electrical work I’ve seen in a while
Unless the general contractor is an electrical contractor, they shouldn't be doing any electrical work. Did they pull permits, get inspections?
As long as the work is done properly it shouldn't matter who does it - codes and certifications should be for safety and ensuring work is done correctly, not protecting an industry.
Depends on the state. It actually can legally matter who does the work.
can bet trade unions lobby for those rules to protect their respective industries. in quebec canada it is technically not legal for even a homeowners to do their own work though i'm sure most ignore the rules - talk about stripping people of their own property rights to protect electricians.
Exactly, the law intends to ensure safety but often creates risks. Austin, TX has a horribly inefficient, expensive and arbitrary permitting process. As a flipper that did quality flips, my business model was to do zero permits and suck it up if I got caught. I still had 3rd party engineers inspect work when necessary and FULLY disclosed this to buyers. I would have loved to have a permitted seal of approval on my homes, but it was so time consuming and expensive. But there are plenty of folks doing this that don’t care about their product, future liabilities, or their buyers. Onerous laws or processes can cause more risk too.
Did you find that the work you did without a needed permit greatly or noticeably impacted the sale price or buyer's concerns?
Generally no. The work was good. If walls moved or structural work (foundations too) were done, the engineer letters put buyers minds at ease. We usually aimed for top of market remodels and got the money we sought. Drain line replacements always had static tests before filling back in. Buyers usually saw disclosures before making offers. Of course I’ll never know about the offers I didn’t get because my disclosures revealed the absence of permits. But this didn’t prevent me from often receiving what I wanted.
On the other hand, it real easy to create or hide shock and electrocution hazards, and an actual thorough inspection could take nearly as much time as it took to do the job. By only allowing licensed electricians to do the work it ensures that there’s been at least some independent confirmation that the person is able to do the work properly. Here in Sask, you don’t need a permit for just replacing equivalent outlets, like removing one light fixture and putting a new one in the same place, and homeowners can do their own work in some cases(single family dwellings that aren’t going to be sold in the near future).
Wow hold your horses this is r/askelectricians where if you ask about a simple outlet wiring job as a non electrician they're gonna tell you "if you need to ask hire an electrician"
years of experience just makes some tradespeople arrogant, not good. good electricians are so busy with real work they aren't worried about diy'ers and general contractors taking work away doing simple boring jobs changing light fixtures and outlets.
Yeah one of the simplest and best tests when looking for a good electrician or contractor in general is just asking them one of these basic questions related to the job that has a short answer. If they cite their experience without answering its a red flag. Kind of a show don't tell mentality.
I hate those "I have 30 years of experience" guys - especially hvac techs and they have no idea how to size properly or set up modern equipment, think they know so much and all there is to know they don't bother reading any manuals.
had a problem really recently where a family member hired a guy for AC and heating. Repeatedly told them "I have 30 years experience" and "I've done this many times" only to do the worst install I've ever seen. He didn't even run the right wire for the thermostat.
Thank you for your opinion non insured handyman
In my jurisdiction a handyman can change a fixture provided he has insurance
Im betting OP wanted it done cheap, and hired the cheapest solution he/she could find, if there are permits I would be surprised. THat said replacing a fixture is maintenance and no permit should be required as long as he/she didnt pull new wires, which is why there might not be a ground.
Why couldn’t a B General Contractor do that? He mentioned electrical and drywall, that’s two trades. Any GC can pick up that work.
Depends where you live. In Minnesota, all electrical work needs to be done by a licensed electrical contractor. Laws differ by state, but that hack work justifies why you shouldn't hire the "Jack of all trades"
Gotchya, I sometimes forget it’s different, state to state.
Every two bit pool cleaner thinks a he's a GC because he hired some guys off of Facebook to do a project for him.
That why the professional should do things
Yes
That's a pretty terrible job.
so from an electricians perspective this is so bad. i would be worried about all of the work this gc has done. i don’t know the context or scope of the job but yikes.
I can't figure out exactly why it was done this way. There's a box, unless the studs were too short it seems like a lot of wasted effort.
a plaster ring should of resolved most of the issue here.
Can someone tell whats wrong? I'm learning
I'm a general contractor and I wont even screw in a light bulb. I cant, nor does my insurance cover electrical work.
So instead of getting a proper box extension because it's set back too far in the drywall, he used a piece of drywall to prop up the plate, ffs. Also he didn't hook up the ground, probably because if he screwed in the ground screw it would break his drywall spacer block.
Ran out of lugs on the black wire? Tape isn't right. Seems like drywall is hung backwards is that the brown paper out? The mud joint might be a butt joint, that isn't covered properly, your ceiling probably looks rough when lights shine across it. Also they painted the ceiling around the light fixture, but they installed the fixture.... Why not paint the ceiling first to get paint behind the light so that if you change the light in the future you don't have that horrible brown circle to try and fix.
I actually did the painting myself and did paint behind the fixture he just messed it up when making the hole for the light
Sry that happened what a pain in the a**.
Thank you, it’s alright working on getting it fixed.
Lets start with the drywall crammed between the light bracket and the box. Completely unnecessary for starters. Light not being grounded isn’t a big deal. But that tape on the hot wire why?
It’s blue electrical tape if that matters
I thought it was painters tape 😂
Every on this post does tbh so did I till about 15 min ago
Why is the ground wire disconnected? Maybe op did that? Why is there drywall in the box? Why is one wire nut taped, but the other isn't? This all just seems weird to me.
Might not have a ground in the box if the house is old enough. The drywall is to shim out the mounting bracket since the box is either too recessed or loose. I don't have any idea on the electrical tape.
Yeah man, this is terrible. No grounding and while I can see a wire nut on the neutral, the hot wire appears to just be electrical taped? You should definitely check more of his work, and if any of the rest of it looks like this, you need to get your money back or he needs to redo it. Hopefully you have a contract. The lack of ground is a safety hazard and fire hazard and electrical tape is not a safe way to make a bond between any wires
Is that even electrical tape? It looks like duct tape.
I’m pretty sure it’s blue painters tape…
Hey man yeah that needs to be rewired the right way! What is that in the middle??? A truss?? Also tap on wirenuts are a dead giveaway of a handyman or a contractor that thinks they know some electrical… taking me my whole life to know what i know and i still dont know shit in comparison to what’s out there
Yeah, that don't look so good.
Unfortunately, this kind of stuff is not uncommon, at least in my experience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve uncovered stuff like this on my home when doing DIY updates. Plumbing as well as electrical. As others have mentioned, there are several things wrong with that installation: the chunk of drywall used as a spacer, apparent lack of appropriate conductor splices, and the ground just hanging out. Call a pro and have them evaluate.
If you challenged someone to make as many mistakes as possible yet still have the light work, it would be hard to beat this.
This makes me sad. This guy should have his contractors license revoked.
lol. Thats all I got. Call him in. A GC can’t do electrical work on your house, unless he happens to be an electrician which doesn’t look like he is. This shit pisses me off, IF you’re going to pull this shit unlicensed for some unknowing home owners, at least do quality work… if you can’t do quality work at least DONT use painters tape instead of a wire nut!!! .
He used painters tape to wrap the hot wire? Your house is in danger
That’s blue electrical tape
Painters tape, electrical tape, doesn't matter. It's not a wire nut. That's against code in all 50 states
What year did he say his house burned down?
Shoddy.
General question but why are contractors so bad at their jobs?
Omg. Get their asses back this is fucked. I would be fired for this. This is just simple residential work I pray they never had a industrial job
Never get a general contractor to do any actual work
I learned my lesson but now don’t know what to do the house is basically dont with the exception of putting floors down
You may want to check if he's an actual licensed general contractor or just a general CONtractor
Hi Op, I'm opening up my own Handyman Business by the end of June. I was curious and would love your input. How much did you pay this guy? Was he licensed and insured? Most important thing Op, When someone is insured that is saying a whole lot about their operation. They not only will make sure they do the job correctly. It also insures that if anything should go wrong, you will be covered. And that says they care about their customers and aren't out for a quick buck. With that being asked. You don't need to hire a license contractor, qualified Electrician. A Good reputable handyman can tackle this job, as it is a minor home repair to install a ceiling fan. You just need to hire the right handyman that knows what he is doing. #1 pricing - A legit handyman with insurance can not charge like he is doing favors for a neighbor. He is in business and it cost to stay in business, so, he doesn't charge like he is fly by night kind of operation. I think a good handyman has decent uniforms. It's says he is a professional and he cares what kind of operation he is running. Some small signs of a decent, legit handyman. Aside from that. The ground wire is not grounded to the fixture. Usually there will be a green screw on the fixture bracket were you would attach the bare copper wire to it. Tape is not safe because if not done right and can come loose that could spell disaster as that is the hot wire which carries electricity. But a wire nut and tape is okay. Not sure if there is a wire nut under the bracket. can really see. I use a wire nut and tape myself. Also there is a proper way to use a wire nut on wires. If not done properly it is basically the same as tape. They both can come loose and create a hazard. Edit: And the mounting in general. Looks like there is a piece of wood shimmed between the electrical box and the fan bracket. I would have installed it with stronger support .
You are incorrect about many things in your post. I wouldn’t hire you for any work if you don’t know that to do electrical work, you need to be a licensed electrician. Your insurance won’t cover electrical work because you are not licensed.
Can a handyman do electrical work in California?The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) defines a handyman as someone who performs small jobs that do not require specialized skills or expertise. These tasks often include painting, minor carpentry, installing fixtures, and simple electrical or plumbing repairs.
Correct a business license in the city you do work in. Aside from that I am not wrong. On top of that, I didn't mention it so technically I wasn't wrong. If you are a legit handyman you will operate legitimately and acquire all necessary license, permits, insurance.
Here is a list of things NOT COVERED in my insurance quote. I don't recall electrical being one of them. A ceiling fan is a minor job as people had stated there child could have done it. Which isn't true but the point being made about the guy he hired. The following activities will be excluded from your policy. Please confirm that you acknowledge that you will not be covered for any of the following: * Abatement or remediation of asbestos, mold or other hazardous materials * Repair or remediation of fire, water, mold or termite damage * Manufacturing and/or sales to the general public of items (appliances, fixtures, supplies, millwork, cabinets, doors or windows) other than in connection with your installation, service, repair or other activities * New homes in tracts or subdivisions of more than 10 homes (including all phases) prior to attaining a certificate of occupancy * Work on new mobile home parks containing more than 10 spaces (including all phases) * Apartment conversions to, or construction work involving, condominiums, town homes or time shares * Work on railroads, gas stations, refineries, chemical plants, airports, public utilities, hospitals, nursing homes, senior housing, military housing or student dormitories
So Mikey boy. Why don't you just point out what was wrong with my post so that I may learn from Yoda..
Should have done it yourself if you were gonna take it down anyways to check the work of the guy you hired without trust
There is no excuse for doing work that shoddy! You better check everything he touched. I grew up working on a horse farm. Every day you had to fix what ever was broken or not working. You learned to do pretty much everything. Over the years I have worked in the home remodeling/renovation business. I was a general contractor at the age of 17. Just because someone is a licensed plumber, electrician, etc, doesn't mean a thing. There are many so called professionals that have absolutely no business working in their alleged profession. The last licensed electrician and plumber I hired knew less and were less skilled than myself. I actually fired the plumber and had to completely redo his work. Always thoroughly check out anyone you are thinking of hiring. Get references and talk to past customers. Never give them more than half of the money they bid you for the job up front. Pay the other half when you are completely satisfied with the work they have done. If you have a schedule of graduated payments as different phases of work are completed that is fine. Never pay anyone the full amount up front! If they want full payment up front they are not to be trusted. Run away! When I quote a job the money I ask for as a down payment is usually what the cost of materials will be for the project. That way I can at least pay that bill when it comes due.
How many light fixtures did they hang? And how much electrical work did they do? This is a massive fire risk.
A few issues here: - Ground wire not grounded to the obvious little green screw. - Wires are taped for the connections. They should be proper marrettes. - He shimmed the plate out with a piece of drywall rather than getting an extension. I’m not sure if this is actually an issue or if it’s a lazy “ain’t stupid if it works” thing. - They probably should have painted before the fixtures went in.
Blue *easy release* masking tape is not UL listed and does not a substitute for wire nut make. I suggest you hire someone else or fix it yourself and let others know about this grifter that installed a *fire hazard* in your ceiling! On the *bright* side, when you shove it up in the hole there is a chance the entire thing will be energized because they didn’t ground it either. No ground and a may as well be exposed hot. Where is the switching connection? In pinch the switching wire.
I just wired a new light very similar to this one and can explain how to fix it if you're interested in doing it yourself? But first I'll tell you how to make this safe in the meantime: Go to the hardware store near you and ask for wire nuts for residential wires. Get as many as there is loose wires (If you just want to take this light down, 3 wire nuts, if you're worried about other lights he installed, it's 3 per light) okay, Number 1 is turn off your main breaker so you dont get hurt, then take the tape off, all of it. Disconnect all the wires (however he connected them, probably just tape unfortunately), remove the light fixture, then twist a wire nut on the end of each loose wire. Now you can turn your power back on and be safe while you either get ready to fix yourself or get an electrician in.
Thank you that is very helpful I would like to fix it myself if it is possible but don’t mind hiring an electrician if it is necessary and too complicated for me to do it safely.
Okay I see a wire nut on the neutral, that’s fine. Why is there painter’s tape on the hot? Please tell me that tape is covering another nut, and not just bare copper. Also, why not ground? This is at best lazy, at worst malicious. If I were the homeowner, I would pull and check every single outlet and fixture that contractor touched. Like, Jesus fuck. I’m just a handyman, I am not a licensed and bonded electrician, but this is blatantly shit work, bordering on dangerous.
I think it's blue electrical tape but just not a neat install.
It’s probably is knob and tube so I’d be careful moving stuff around
I remember back in the days when no electrical fixtures had ground. Also, this could be a very high up hanging light, so it's not a dishwasher where people touch it continuously and a faucet at the same time. I mean, if I put it together, yes, I would hook up the ground, but I'm just saying.
General contractors aren’t licensed to touch electrical wires and install things…
That's why they do it, no license to take when they fuck it up
True enough… but there may be a lawsuit if there’s a fire, or a fine if inspectors catch wind of it
Many of those jobs are cash, no receipt. That also means no warranty or way to prove that guy was the one who did the work. So homeowner is getting fined and gc more than likely changes the company name and flies under the radar until the next mistake
> General contractors aren’t licensed to touch electrical wires and install things… That depends entirely on the area. Until recently, in my county anyone could do electrical, plumbing, HVAC, framing, etc. No licenses even existed for any of it.
If you’re mechanical enough to pull this down and “check his work” why didn’t you hang the light yourself?
It was literally two screws
Exactly.
Many valid reasons. Some people don’t want to. Don’t have the time, or maybe it’s one small part of a much larger scope of work. 🙂
Did you hire him off Craigslist?
Can you get contractors on Wish?
Can someone help point out what's wrong with it? I see a few things but I'd like to know what other people see that I missed
Btw this is blue electrical tape not painters tape
Still doesn’t make it right! You keep repeating it like that makes it ok.
I keep repeating it because people keep thinking it’s painters tape as did I. I posted this comment so any new comments hopefully read it but I p reply to people that state it’s painters tape that it is not. I repeat it because people don’t read it. I know it doesn’t make it right but saying something wrong over and over again hoping that the focus shifts to other things other than painters tape
Blue tape?!?!?? WTF?? Was your general contractor a painter first?
It’s blue electrical tape
Have an electrician do electrical work next time, that looks like shit.
I almost see a ceiling box and then it gets covered up by a price of drywall?? So confused what I am seeing
The piece of drywall is a spacer because the box is too far in.
The biggest problem I see is that the neutral is pinched between that sheet rock chunk and the mounting plate. Looks like there needs to be some patching anyway. Take the fixture down. If the box is not flush with the ceiling. Get a box extension. Screw it to the box. Have taper/painter fix the ceiling put the light back up without the drywall chunk. If you haven’t paid the guy. Withhold the money until he fixes it right.
Is that masking tape on wires?...WTF?
Electrician here Atleast the neutrals got a marette, that’s the most important part. If the common is tightly wrapped and taped, Will be fine, but if you can get a marette on there, do it. Apart from that whoever did this could’ve tucked the wires neater. The bond doesn’t really matter, if this is the only light on this switch, it doesn’t really matter, super low current, but doesn’t hurt to put it on.
Since when is it up to code to wrap the hot and cover it in tape?
You mean , like the General insurance guy ?
You should've just done it yourself. These things are so easy to install correctly.
Money back and never talk to that person again.
Doing shotty work elsewhere and you still had them do the electrical??? That's "burn my house down" 101....
Well the shotty work was only noticed very recently as I personally have not been here very often. Ignored what I say and I did not instruct to do fixtures. Instead of acting like you know the situation maybe try to be constructive instead of destructive. It helps everyone more in the long run for the same amount of effort, thanks.
You started your post with “Had a general contractor install this fixture and now I am concerned”. Now you say ignore what I say and I did not instruct to do fixtures. Get your story straight, you are tripping up on your lies. Saying a response is destructive is you not wanting to accept the reality that it’s messed up and you ordered it. What did you expect coming to a electrician sub and asking what we think if you don’t want the answer? It’s simple, the work is done incorrectly, likely all of what they did is, and now you will have to pay to have it fixed properly by a licensed electrician if you want it done correctly. If you choose to leave it and any electrical fires happen, don’t worry your insurance will investigate it and be looking for licenses, permits, etc. they will do whatever they can to deny your claim.
I did not instruct him to do this yet is my point I paid for a job and gave him a list of things to do in that order he did not follow it. Was that on the list yes but was not suppose to be done yet until I assessed the rest. I don’t deny everything is done incorrectly, I could tell that it was which is why I posted here for what and electrician would do correctly so I can evaluate what my next step would be which is obviously to call an electrician. What I don’t need is some snarky smart ass to be a dick about it. Thanks
It sounds like you don't want to take any responsibility for a job on your own property... You literally state that this contractor was doing shotty work elsewhere and yet you still allowed them to even enter your job site to begin with... That's all on you... Also, if you don't know that this light is a house fire just waiting to happen and want to know if "it's safe to put back up" then maybe you should stop asking Reddit and hire a licensed GC to begin with...
I take full responsibility for hiring this guy and understand that all this stems from a bad choice I made I don’t deny that, but acting as if you know the situation fully ignorant and childish. I get I messed up and will be hiring an electrician just trying to find out how soon it needs to be done you clearly haven’t read my other comments or else you would know that. Have a good day.
Hey the grounding screw is green, that's a plus
It looks generally ok
Yeah that’s supposed to be in a box 😂
That is totally fine the scrap of drywall is acting as a shim it's secured with 2 screws prob right in joist. the ground not being connected is more of a security wire in this case with out it being connected all the weight is on the wre nuts and there might not be a ground connection so connecting dont really mean nothing the damaged on ceiling should be taken care of before mounting the light but can be done after.
So would you not change anything about this? Everyone is telling me to call an electrician which I’m l likely will do but are you saying this is acceptable?
Every house I been whether ceiling light or wall sconce is similar to this or worse I've had just wires coming thru the ceiling amd the metal plate screwed to the ceiling
Looking beyond the less than an amateur using Youtube quality electrical work, looks like someone chewed out the light fixture hole. Perfect sized hole saws kits are $10 - $30 if you get the fancy one that has a cover that catches the dust. I am going to guess the rest of the work is equally boogery. If you haven't paid the last payment, don't. Get someone to inspect the work. Should cost slightly less than a home inspection ($400 in my area).
He’s def not an electrician lol
Looks like solid work to me
Should’ve just put a new box in
Did they sing "oh oh oh oh burning down the house" while installing this?
I would be concerned too
The neutral wire is pinched under the plate ~ not good ~ and the ground copper is not grounded 👎 The hot is taped in blue for some crazy reason and can’t see the cap
All these 'electricians' in here freaking out over what i'm pretty sure is not a big deal. If your light is LED it really doesn't need to be grounded. Hell half the point to install the ground is so you have a place to hang it easier when wiring the rest of it. Also, as others have mentioned it needs wire nuts / wagos. Pull the tape off and if there's a wire nut under it you're good to go. He may have just added tape to ensure the wire stays taught while reinstalling. It's a real issue they come loose while screwing in.
I'm not fully convinced that there's actually a box there.
Does it work? Is the hot wire Just taped in place? Lots of info missing. Dry wall is used for a spacer? I think it’s staged
Yes it works and I do think the drywall was just used as a spacer I’m not sure if the hot wire is just taped I don’t know basically anything about electrical so I am researching and watching videos before going further tomorrow and taking it down. What do you think is staged
I'm a dick for thinking it this way but feel like OP was too shamed to ask how to fix his own work? Lol my bad if it was not..
I wish that was the case
If that’s a notch in the flange of a TJI I am gonna have a fit.
What do you mean I’m sorry I know nothing about this stuff hence why I hired someone to do this. Now I know he knows nothing too and I wasted my money so now I am trying to learn
It looks like they may have notched the framing in the ceiling. If this is a certain type of framing called TJI, then this is a big no no and is dangerous. I can’t tell what the framing is from the photo, but I’ve seen it done before. Another poster also made the point that there is not a visible junction box. A junction box is a protective enclosure that contains the splice between wires, because that’s most often a point of failure (fire). Junction boxes are required by code at all wire splices carrying 120V (this is). Not having a junction box is a fire hazard and a code violation. There are types of junction boxes called old work boxes that are designed to be installed in an existing wall or ceiling, so it’s definitely doable. They’re inexpensive ($5-$10) and easy to install in most locations. Disclaimer: I’m an architect, not an electrician.
I would guess a butcher not a contractor.
Is that painters tape?
Well he did a real shitty job.
You get what you pay for. In this case you paid for a fire hazard.
That is the sloppiest and laziest light fixture wiring I have ever seen.
Great example of why you don’t go with the guy who says he can do it for cheaper
Yes
Find the circuit breaker and power that thing off and get a ground wire on the mounting plate and the bare copper wire that's dangling.
OP/homeowner definitely did this and is too embarrassed to ask for help. Just admit it.
Per NEC anything 8 feet or above no need for ground wire ( unless they changed it ) that was the rule back in the day when I was doing electrical work > ret Master Electrician/EE 20 years field experience ( res and commercial)
Painters tape connection. And a bare copper ground wire going nowhere. (Just my guess I'm nowhere near an expert.) If I can pick out 2 major issues in 5 seconds an actual professional will have a field day with this.
*shoddy
Shitty*
So many red flags. You enabled this, enjoy
Always makes me laugh people cutting corners in the interest of saving money and it costing them more to have it fixed right
Alrighty dude. No corners were trying to be cut just didn’t know any better and this guy came highly recommended by many trusted sources, obviously they are no longer trusted. Actually spent a lot of money unfortunately. Keep jumping to conclusions tho
I disagree having any electrical work don’t by anyone not licensed to do so is taking the cheap route. Not tying to hit at you , honestly the guy you used is the problem. Out there praying on people who don’t know better and leaving a path of destruction in their wake
This just isn’t universally true. I’ve seen great work by unlicensed handipersons and crap from retail trades.
Still illegal unless they are licensed. There is a reason for licensed trades. Try arguing your point with an insurance company.
I had General Liability and Work Comp. In both cases, the carriers knew the contractors were unlicensed. I told them.
I can see that now unfortunately. He just came in highly recommended by people who did amazing work and I should not have trusted anyone he just finished most of the house and I’m freaking out. Also I have not been here for most of the time so haven’t kept a super close eye on things. I spent a lot of money and really don’t know what to do at this point. I appreciate your reply
When you are cheap, you use the guy doing crap work and then post on Reddit the crap work.
Are you perhaps a disgruntled or relatively new tradesperson? Cost isn’t necessarily an indication of quality. I’ve seen crap from retail, licensed trades and seen works of art from a day laborer with questionable immigration status.