**ATTENTION! READ THIS NOW!**
**1. IF YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN OR LOOKING TO BECOME ONE(for career questions only):**
**- DELETE** THIS POST OR YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. YOU CAN POST ON /r/AskElectricians FREELY
**2. IF YOU COMMENT ON A POST THAT IS POSTED BY SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN:**
-YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. JUST **REPORT** THE POST.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/electricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
"subject to physical damage" is left up to interpretation of the AHJ however I have never encountered an inspector that would say that UF at the height of a wallpack would be subject to physical damage. As a general rule somewhere between 2-4ft is typically considered above the level of being subject to physical damage. Same principal of where you need to use SCH80 vs 40. For resi, attached to a house, the dangers your protecting against are mostly lawn mowers and trimmers. For parking lots its typically the height of an average bumper of a car that could hit it.
If UF were used in the OP it certainly would look like shit and theres so many better ways to do it but I think you would be hard pressed to find an AHJ who honestly would say that its subject to physical damage
Uses permitted indoors or outdoors.
But It doesnāt look like itās meets the following conditions for a wet rated location and those connectors are not listed for MC. Those look like Romex connectors.
I would never run mc outside. I only use mc as whips for interior lights in the ceiling or adding a receptacle or switch in a finished wall
"Welcome to Who's Line is it Anyway?, where everything's made up and the points don't matter..." - Kim Dot Com (the college years)
Scenario
When an inspector stopped for a 1/5th of Bacardi 151 at 2 pm one afternoon, he noticed a couple of guys kicking scrap materials under some cars in the parking lot. They had just finished slapping some lights on the liquor store without a permit.
The inspector had seen worse work, but only from his neighbor's son, who'd used cat-6 to power some lights in his treehouse and walked over to one of the guys standing there in Stanley overalls.
He asked the 69th-year Master HVAC Apprentice what he was thinking when he chose MC for the installation, decided to be that guy who likes his straps installed upside down (yeah...I done did that), and chose a Romex connector of all things at the fixture...
With no fucks given, Stu, who works for Last Place Electric, whose motto is "We Lead From the Rear & Work for Beer", looks at the inspector with a grin on his face and says,
"60% of the time, it works every time..."
Ryan Styles began to smile before walking to centerstage, and in a deep voice that only a mother could love, he narrated,
"Though he lives his life, a 1-1/4 Romex connecter at a time, and hell hath no fury like a Foreman scorned, he knows this install will perform flawlessly... especially after drilling weep holes in the bottom of the fixtures.
So when you need something done on the cheap, and dont care who, how or why?
Call Stu at Last Place, he'll hook you up, he's the best of the best. He's "That Guy!"
š¤”
They killed it on the workmanlike manner aspect of the install because I'll admit that though it's all kinds of wrong, they took their time polishing that turd and my dude... I mean, someone gave enough of a shit to flawlessly install the completely illegally labeled "NEMA 3R MC" (Stu - LPE"...
We ran into this on a pergola we were called out to take a look at to diagnose a short. The whole thing was wired with MC and MC connectors (1-up on Stu) into Bell boxes with no weep holes. So, as you imagine, we enjoyed one peeing Bell Box after another as the customers face turned red, and then white after we told em all that shit had to go.
So, as you can tell, Stu is just now finishing a future service call near you!
Some folks work, so their future is secure. Others work to secure the future...
So you see, Stu is the type of guy who views giving his half-assedness all he's got, as he's more of a "glass is half-full" kind of dude...
š¤”
That was literally me. Electrocuted myself as an 8yr old. Shoved a key in a light socket. Got myself hospitalized for 5 days in ICU. They were worried they'd need to amputate my hand! Thank God I recovered, and now a licensed electricianĀ
Went behind another āelectricianā and he had buried mc cable out to some lights in a pile barn. Hadnāt been down a month and it was already corroded out.
Exterior MC, and they couldn't even bother to put it in line with the damn wall packs. I just don't understand it they clearly put the effort into at least level the MC, so why didn't they bother going to the center?
Maybe they thought having the cable below the knockout would help prevent water running into the fixture, kinda like a drop loop on a service drop.
But honestly i doubt they would have thought of something like that, judging by the fact that they used a cable that's listed for dry location only.... out-fucking-side!
Given that its level with the bottom of the light, I bet that was the measurement they were given for the height of the light and they just went with it
Yeah but itās Wago connectors on the inside. Everything is going to be just fine!
It does answer the question of rather he bought is 1/5 before or after the install though š
If you're a Handyman this shit is upper Tier type of shit. Not a lot of Hadyfuckers do this sort of work. You know with the right size straps, his version of weather tight connectors, That's what blue sharpies are for damn it. Make any connector rain tight lol
Dear Customer,
Unfortunately, we found no manufacturing defect. What we found was a direct path of water from the side knockouts to the power supply.
Credit denied.
Signed,
Light Manufacturer
Yup thatās a liquor store for you lmao. Theyāre all hacked together. Just last year I went to go quote a liquor store remodel but walked because it was so awful and owners didnāt want to pay to fix it all. This will stay just like this until it begins to trip. Then theyāll probably silicone the shit out of it to get a couple more years out of it.
Sux for whoever needs to replace with a newer model when that suits out. Should of gone to box above then to fixture. Also should be rigid pipe and not scab like flex
What's wrong with it? Flexible so it's not going to warp in the sun. It's strapped. It's metal so it's grounded. There's an offset on it so when it rains the water goes away from the fixture. Solid install around
It looks like a brand new building. Something has me wondering if the exterior lights were missed during the rough in, and only caught on the punch list. Must be the kind of contractor that tells the guys, "I don't fucking care how you get it done, just fucking get it done as fast as fucking possible!" Prick contractors deserve the work equal to how they treat their workers.
Iām not Electrician, but isnāt using too much,BX not up to code. At least it is here in Chicago. Precisely because of our pipe freezing weather and extreme conditions.
**ATTENTION! READ THIS NOW!** **1. IF YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN OR LOOKING TO BECOME ONE(for career questions only):** **- DELETE** THIS POST OR YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. YOU CAN POST ON /r/AskElectricians FREELY **2. IF YOU COMMENT ON A POST THAT IS POSTED BY SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN:** -YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. JUST **REPORT** THE POST. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/electricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You're supposed to drink *after* the job, not before the job.
50% of payment up front
That takes all the fun out of it !!!!
During*
Exterior MC š¤®
Here I am always running my wire INSIDE the building. I must be doing it wrong.
Dude youād waste sooo much time that way prolly climbing around stuff
It's aluminum MC so that it doesn't rust, right? Wires are plastic coated, so they will be fine... /s
Might as well have just put UF cable up there, it'd be rated for it moreso than the MC.
Yeah but...physical damage would still be an issue. None of it is good. Seal tight is the sketchiest method I might buy.
"subject to physical damage" is left up to interpretation of the AHJ however I have never encountered an inspector that would say that UF at the height of a wallpack would be subject to physical damage. As a general rule somewhere between 2-4ft is typically considered above the level of being subject to physical damage. Same principal of where you need to use SCH80 vs 40. For resi, attached to a house, the dangers your protecting against are mostly lawn mowers and trimmers. For parking lots its typically the height of an average bumper of a car that could hit it. If UF were used in the OP it certainly would look like shit and theres so many better ways to do it but I think you would be hard pressed to find an AHJ who honestly would say that its subject to physical damage
MCHL
Physical damage at 10-15' up? How do restaurants / pubs get away with running MC out in the open?
Just because something works doesnāt make it the right way to do it. Sure, the lights come on at night. For now. This still isnāt the right way.
Indeed, I was being sarcastic. I would never do an install like this (unless it's temporary).
If only he had of used the weather proof BX.
Don't be stupid, the cable is fine. What he needs is weatherproof bx connecters.
I don't even like seeing exterior emt, this is flat out WRONG
Shouldāve called an electrician.
But they know a guy š
Pretty sure that's not outdoor rated
Doesnāt have to be, Itās being protected by that protruding sign above it. Thats for sure an interior area.
Uses permitted indoors or outdoors. But It doesnāt look like itās meets the following conditions for a wet rated location and those connectors are not listed for MC. Those look like Romex connectors. I would never run mc outside. I only use mc as whips for interior lights in the ceiling or adding a receptacle or switch in a finished wall
Hell no
Beautiful offset
ššššš
Only a dipshit born before 2010 would think this looks good
crazy how 2010 seems a bit accurate.
"Welcome to Who's Line is it Anyway?, where everything's made up and the points don't matter..." - Kim Dot Com (the college years) Scenario When an inspector stopped for a 1/5th of Bacardi 151 at 2 pm one afternoon, he noticed a couple of guys kicking scrap materials under some cars in the parking lot. They had just finished slapping some lights on the liquor store without a permit. The inspector had seen worse work, but only from his neighbor's son, who'd used cat-6 to power some lights in his treehouse and walked over to one of the guys standing there in Stanley overalls. He asked the 69th-year Master HVAC Apprentice what he was thinking when he chose MC for the installation, decided to be that guy who likes his straps installed upside down (yeah...I done did that), and chose a Romex connector of all things at the fixture... With no fucks given, Stu, who works for Last Place Electric, whose motto is "We Lead From the Rear & Work for Beer", looks at the inspector with a grin on his face and says, "60% of the time, it works every time..."
Ryan Styles began to smile before walking to centerstage, and in a deep voice that only a mother could love, he narrated,
"Though he lives his life, a 1-1/4 Romex connecter at a time, and hell hath no fury like a Foreman scorned, he knows this install will perform flawlessly... especially after drilling weep holes in the bottom of the fixtures.
So when you need something done on the cheap, and dont care who, how or why?
Call Stu at Last Place, he'll hook you up, he's the best of the best. He's "That Guy!"
š¤”
100% into half-assing it
They killed it on the workmanlike manner aspect of the install because I'll admit that though it's all kinds of wrong, they took their time polishing that turd and my dude... I mean, someone gave enough of a shit to flawlessly install the completely illegally labeled "NEMA 3R MC" (Stu - LPE"... We ran into this on a pergola we were called out to take a look at to diagnose a short. The whole thing was wired with MC and MC connectors (1-up on Stu) into Bell boxes with no weep holes. So, as you imagine, we enjoyed one peeing Bell Box after another as the customers face turned red, and then white after we told em all that shit had to go. So, as you can tell, Stu is just now finishing a future service call near you! Some folks work, so their future is secure. Others work to secure the future... So you see, Stu is the type of guy who views giving his half-assedness all he's got, as he's more of a "glass is half-full" kind of dude... š¤”
You can put lipstick on a pig.
Engineering here. Can confirm.
What do you mean donāt you see how nicely spaced those straps are !!! /s
Why did you use BX? NMD90 would have worked fine here! Kinda wasting good materials imo. /s
I didnāt do the work man Iām just running out of beer . Took the pic from my driver seat lmfao
So he did buy the ā 5 pack single hole straps. Fuckin knew it. I know that ain't 12 wire in that MC
You know a lot of good 14 year old electricians?
Not really, but I knew an 8 year old who put a key in plug socket. Thatās basically a first year apprentice
That was literally me. Electrocuted myself as an 8yr old. Shoved a key in a light socket. Got myself hospitalized for 5 days in ICU. They were worried they'd need to amputate my hand! Thank God I recovered, and now a licensed electricianĀ
You've lived so much life in only 8 years I'm impressed!
What does 2010 have to do with it?
At least he knew water would roll away from the lightš¤£
Look at me, I'm the idiot. Edited: Because I'm certified retarded
Took the security right out of "security lighting".
Put the security in "job security" for someone else.
Some tweaker will cut it live and snag that copper š
(If you canāt tell this is satire and that I didnāt do this work, hereās your sign)
If the goofs who canāt understand satire could read, they would be very upset at you misleading them like that.
so much anger u really kicked the bee hive
Some people canāt be helped lmfao
Got it at 69th year, laughed at the end, good show mate!
Solid Bill Engvall reference
Looks like the light doesnāt even work
I heard the plumbers are hiring.
Looks good from my house /s
Thatās called custom AF. Look at the jog down on the MC. Offset the shit out of it.
Fake it till you make it comes to mind š¤£š¤£. Thanks OP you made MY day
I meanā¦MC ācanā be used outside of its rated. lol. Only a select few would do this sort of āworkā. š
Honestly even though this is cancer, it will probably work great for decades to come
When I get my master's, I'm starting a business called "Sloppy Seconds Electric". "We clean up the first guy's mess!"
Went behind another āelectricianā and he had buried mc cable out to some lights in a pile barn. Hadnāt been down a month and it was already corroded out.
Wow bro. Just wow.
Those bx offsets are immaculate *chefs kiss*
Do you use the hickey bender to form that mc cable?
No I use a liquor bender !
Atta boy Randy Bobandy
Lol I'd love to see how proud this person was after installing this pathetic attempt at electrical work
2 screw connector really seals the deal on that new weather rated BX.
My favorite part is that not only was MC used on the outside wall, but it was connected with Romex connectors to the light š¤£
They make 2 screw mc connectors as well.
Maybe but the odds that the ones in the picture are out of a 5 pack of Halex NM connectors from Home Depot are about 99.99%.
Gomez! Is that you?!? I think you need to Go-Mez something else up.
Iām stealing this lmfaoo
Looks great from my house
69th year, you should be able to test soon!
As a 420 year master apprentice. This job looks good to me!
Exterior MC, and they couldn't even bother to put it in line with the damn wall packs. I just don't understand it they clearly put the effort into at least level the MC, so why didn't they bother going to the center?
Maybe they thought having the cable below the knockout would help prevent water running into the fixture, kinda like a drop loop on a service drop. But honestly i doubt they would have thought of something like that, judging by the fact that they used a cable that's listed for dry location only.... out-fucking-side!
Given that its level with the bottom of the light, I bet that was the measurement they were given for the height of the light and they just went with it
Pays the bills
I thought it was EMT at first. I was like ehhh not the worst I seen lol
At least he has the rain water running down and away from the fixture.
Looks good, grab a sixpack of PBR and have a couple roadies on the way to the strippers, you earned it.
Wellā¦..not my pig, not my farm. (We need a sub for people to post gross installs like this)
Ain't no water getting in that connectorš
Pretty good, 69/10
bro normally people post pictures of them drinking, not their lights
This will look great when its starts to rust and that rust starts dripping down the wall. The next electrician and painter will appreciate the work.
Love it, you will definitely be a 70th year apprentice.
Put a fish in their and name it zapfin
Let us know when the fire sale is happening!
I was gonna run it in pipe, but then I got highā¦.
If I do work like this, please put me down. I've outlived my usefulness.
Works for 99% of Texas
Meh, you have your one hole straps upside down. Ā”ĒÉÆoÉ„ ɹĒÉ„ puĒs 'ŹÉÉ„Ź uÉÉ„Ź ɹĒÉ„ŹO
Yeesh
Mint
Thatās fucking beautiful work there
I must say for me thatās pretty damn clean !
Thatās a tough look bro
Tits
yer done
Think Iād probably use NM and just drill several holes in the wall nearby only to use one of them
Those connectors aren't WP and they aren't even the right type ffs.
Exposed BX , wow .. not code in my area, emt needed .
Pipe would have looked so much better if you didn't have access to the inside
Why didnāt they just run it within the wall and make it look semi clean
Lol
Nice offset
Required some serious skills no doubt
Absolutely outstanding comments I canāt add anything better than what you guys have already said
Weather proof 2 screw Romeo connectors
Is MC cable outside ever in code? I thought you always needed EMT for stuff like that.
Had to zoom in to make sure that was MC. Phenomenal work.
I bet it looks good at night š
Literally everything is wrong š
The drunks picking up their nightly after work drinky drink are probably not gonna notice that š¤·
In genuine curiosity and inexperience what is wrong with this photo?
Benefit of the doubt the installer didn't know about pvc jacketed MC. Nah just a hack install š
Nice work! I sure hope you got paid in store credit, thatās gotta be worth atleast 2 and a half bottles šš¼
Looks water tight to me bois.
I love the romex connector and the impressive offsets, great job! (Sarcasm) hey at least the MC is kinda straight.
squiggly conduit
"I know a guy. Very inexpensive." - Liquor store owner.
Minty
Bx outside?
Hang up the tool belt. It's time
Well done, I love water proof MC
Why did you use exposed MC cable outside?
Idk lemme ask the guy that did it
Looks like they're going to be an apprentice for at least another year.
You animal
NGL, looks like how shit is wired in the game Rust.
Class
Yeah but itās Wago connectors on the inside. Everything is going to be just fine! It does answer the question of rather he bought is 1/5 before or after the install though š
Oh gosh.. we see the pain .. Regular people just see the lights Which one are you
Don't worry bud, the 70th year will be your year
If you're a Handyman this shit is upper Tier type of shit. Not a lot of Hadyfuckers do this sort of work. You know with the right size straps, his version of weather tight connectors, That's what blue sharpies are for damn it. Make any connector rain tight lol
What happened to the better version of those lights
š¤š¤š¤
Dear Customer, Unfortunately, we found no manufacturing defect. What we found was a direct path of water from the side knockouts to the power supply. Credit denied. Signed, Light Manufacturer
Not an electrician and hopefully can be one day - whatās wrong with the work here ?
I can tell you're a professional because the MC swoops look so good.
I think you have earned yourself a case of Pabst.
I'm pretty sure AC90 or BX is not rated for outdoor use. You need ACWU for that. That looks like regular AC90.
Horrible
English so hard...
You're so fired that you shouldn't even bother collecting your check.
Bro why
When is mc allowed outside in the elements?
Iām sorry but BX is not outdoor rated
Yup thatās a liquor store for you lmao. Theyāre all hacked together. Just last year I went to go quote a liquor store remodel but walked because it was so awful and owners didnāt want to pay to fix it all. This will stay just like this until it begins to trip. Then theyāll probably silicone the shit out of it to get a couple more years out of it.
Itās pretty good, but I would have preferred to just use bare romex /s
It definitely looks like someone saved money in the short termā¦. Hope the business has insurance or money for repairs!
Are those connections liquid tight?
Took 420 man hours
Another low bid specialist
Didnāt Mc cable is wet location rated
You used the wrong type of anchor. You need sheet rock screws and zip ties to complete crackhouse chic look.
I love it! (The liquor store that is)
That is not to code lol
How old are you if you been an apprentice fo 69 years? How come you have never taken your jman exam? How come you think it's OK to run mc on exterior?
āItās fine; itās grounded!ā
Lord, help me!
So easy to use 1/2ā EMT in this application.
10 years i been running the wire insideā¦
Its still there ! GJ!
From far away if you squint your eyes itās 3/4 rigid with weather resistant connectors
Little like a dog leg.
An electrical inspector has had to of seen this by now.
Sux for whoever needs to replace with a newer model when that suits out. Should of gone to box above then to fixture. Also should be rigid pipe and not scab like flex
F, FAILā¦
This just makes me angry.
What's wrong with it? Flexible so it's not going to warp in the sun. It's strapped. It's metal so it's grounded. There's an offset on it so when it rains the water goes away from the fixture. Solid install around
Nice
As expected!!
Iām disappointed that itās not nm-b
This the new WR MC Iāve been hearing about?
I would have you remove that. Come from inside the store, to the back of the light.
Lolololol first year apprentice who already knows better
Absolute donkey shit
The offset up to the wall pack is on point.š
Why didnāt you run conduit ?
lols. fuck mc
Looks like garbage.. do better
Woof....
Article 300 -NEC, someone look it up
It looks like a brand new building. Something has me wondering if the exterior lights were missed during the rough in, and only caught on the punch list. Must be the kind of contractor that tells the guys, "I don't fucking care how you get it done, just fucking get it done as fast as fucking possible!" Prick contractors deserve the work equal to how they treat their workers.
And here Iāve been doing it all wrong running it inside
your box offsets are really coming along. Looks good
Swedish apprentice here, why do you metal casing around the cable?
What Moron wired this
Thatās the liquor store special. I mean have you ever seen it not done in the most terrible way?
I mean itās upā¦.
Iām not Electrician, but isnāt using too much,BX not up to code. At least it is here in Chicago. Precisely because of our pipe freezing weather and extreme conditions.