# Notching, I wish I had the Picture



## JenniferTemple (Oct 30, 2011)

I am a painter. I got a call to a very nice, very big house where the basement had just been finished, drywall, high profile baseboards, wall to wall wool carpet, ceiling practically paved in pot lights and now they were ready for paint. I was to fix up the poor taping of the drywall because there were highly visible large lumps around the top of the wall. Being rather large lumps I took my chisel and a small hammer to the first one. I thought I would just knock it off and re-mud. I give the lump a light tap and nearly got blown off my ladder!  Thankfully my tools both had insulated handles! It did blow a deep hole in my chisel, turning it to trash.  I go up and tell Mrs. HO that she needs to have the electrician back "because those lumps are electric cable sticking out from the wall." She told me she did not know if he would come back & I told her to call the building inspector who would force the guy to make it right. "We can't call the inspector, we didn't have a permit." whistling Oh, the high cost of cheap!) I tell her I won't work the job until its safe and leave her to the problem. The next day I get a call and the "electrician" is mad as the hatter and wants to straighten me out. I go. He tells me he has done nothing wrong, "it's called notching and is perfectly legal." :laughing: I was my father's electrical apprentice for many years and though I won't touch wire today, I know when it's wrong. I said "That is not notching! Notching means you cut the wood or drill a hole in it, a *NOTCH!* out of the wood. That is just buried in drywall mud and dangerous. I left and never heard from him or Mrs. HO again.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Absolutely shocking.....


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## antonioooooooo (Mar 8, 2010)

here


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

I'd contact the AHJ personally and turn 'em in.


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## JenniferTemple (Oct 30, 2011)

griz said:


> Absolutely shocking.....


:laughing: The first time an HO gets blasted like that, word should get around to hire the licensed and "save a life today." Aren't cha glad it wasn't a wet handed plumber to discover the problem.


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## JenniferTemple (Oct 30, 2011)

480sparky said:


> I'd contact the AHJ personally and turn 'em in.


What is AHJ, (I'm in Canada). I, no doubt should have called the authorities but I can only imagine the bureaucratic tape I'd get tied up in for months and the HO would no doubt bad mouth me for ratting them out. It is my hope that the HO did something responsible because as I pointed out to her, what if the baby is some how hurt or killed by electrical work done by an idiot "handyman". If he left that mess sticking out of the walls, lord only knows what the rest of the work is like. I'm thinking they built a fire trap!:sad:


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

JenniferTemple said:


> What is AHJ, (I'm in Canada). I, no doubt should have called the authorities.........


Authority Having Jurisdiction. IE., the building department that doles out licenses and permits.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Funny, I ran into something similar, so I'll be framing another wall (probably on the flat) to keep bad things from happening.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

I guess the use of nail plates would be a short conversation with the "electrician".


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## Randy Bush (Mar 7, 2011)

cwatbay said:


> I guess the use of nail plates would be a short conversation with the "electrician".


From the sounds of it , don't think nail plates would of help much.


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

I'm just glad you're OK....


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Randy Bush said:


> From the sounds of it , don't think nail plates would of help much.


Sure it would. Just pound the plates in..............






















........to his forehead! :laughing:


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

That's called trenching not notching, and it's done with MC wire.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> That's called trenching not notching,.....


Mebbe north of the 49th. Trenching in the US is what you do to install wiring in the ground.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

480sparky said:


> Mebbe north of the 49th. Trenching in the US is what you do to install wiring in the ground.


I've heard it called trenching here as well.


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## JenniferTemple (Oct 30, 2011)

Inner10 said:


> That's called trenching not notching, and it's done with MC wire.


This is what I am talking about:
[/ATTACH]


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Glad you're okay, but at the least you could have taken a selfie and let us see you with your hair sticking straight out. :laughing:


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

JenniferTemple said:


> This is what I am talking about:
> [/ATTACH]


Oh I thought you meant a drywall trench.


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## JenniferTemple (Oct 30, 2011)

Inner10 said:


> Oh I thought you meant a drywall trench.


O.K. What is a Drywall trench? That one I don't know. Where and how is a drywall trench used?


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

https://www.facebook.com/interestingengineering/videos/984130841656620/

Tom


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