Warning: That chat with an old sparky changed how I see our work

I was pulling coax at a new build in El Paso last Tuesday and this retired electrician named Gus came by to check his conduit. He told me most of us treat cable like it's just wire, but the signal quality depends on every single bend and connector being perfect. Made me reconsider how fast I've been rushing through terminations, you know? Anyone else had an old timer drop some truth on you?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_roberts26d ago

Ngl, that old timer Gus sounds like he knows his stuff. Take your time on those terminations, rushing always bites you later when you gotta redo a bad connector.

jana_lewis1625d ago

The last time I tried to rush a termination I forgot my strippers were set to 10 gauge instead of 12 and stripped way too much jacket off inside a jbox. Had three of my fingers taped together for a week after that disaster. @stella_roberts is right though, Gus definitely knows his stuff. That old school knowledge is hard to beat, especially when you're trying to avoid redoing half a panel later. I learned the hard way that patience pays off, even if my wiring still looks like a toddler did it.