Randy Wienke
12-12-2017, 11:18 PM
I have been an electrician since 1974 due to joining the US Navy as an Electrician's mate. After getting out, I worked for a great Electrical Contractor in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles... his license number was only 5 numbers long (today CA contractors are in 7 digits). I had to leave him beings he could not offer insurance after about a year and a half; but he taught me so much that due to my military training and his, I applied for my state license in 79', then took the test and I passed the first time. However; I did not use it fully right away. Between taking the test and then hearing I passed, I was forced to get another full time job because I needed those benefits. So, I went to work for the Los Angeles Times in the Electrical department. After getting my license, I stayed with the Times... it was a great place to work with good pay and indoor work.
I kept my license active for almost all of those years (only had a 3 year hiatus where I kept my license in reserve)... while I worked my way through the ranks and ended up as a supervisor in the Electrical department. The plant I worked at, closed, and due to the way it went down; I was laid off. I decided to go full time as an electrical contractor in 2006 and I am still going in this capacity right now... however; health is about to close my doors because my knees can not do the work anymore. I think my almost 40 years as a contractor has given me some rights to talk about the trade. I still remember my discussion with him in 1978 where he explained three different ways a home's three way lighting system can be wired up. We had to use one, which now I know is illegal; where you switch the neutral. But he also shared with me one from Europe; which is still legal in the US... but it is only a 3 way switching option; 4 way switches can not be added.
In the early 80's, I ran across the European system on a project I was working on. I was asked to install a 4 way switch and because of the way the job went down; I did not walk through the house after it was installed and switch all 3 switches in several ways (I learned from that day to do this test several times). It worked as it should for the simple switching I did. That night, my general called me with the bad news that in one condition; the lights would either not go off or not come on. The next day, after a couple hours of looking closely at the wiring his words came back to me and I realized I had to completely re-wire the system to the standard three way switching. Once I did that, it worked great... and he was relieved that he didn't hire an idiot; but someone who just found something sort of unique in Los Angeles. He retired a few years back; and we are still in contact as good friends. We did a lot of jobs together since that job. His retirement was one of my dark days in my career.
I have a lot of info in me... the joke I heard from one of my fellow workers at the Times seems to apply... I have forgotten more than most electricians will ever learn! Do you know the three - 3 way switching ways without using a search engine... even the illegal one?
I kept my license active for almost all of those years (only had a 3 year hiatus where I kept my license in reserve)... while I worked my way through the ranks and ended up as a supervisor in the Electrical department. The plant I worked at, closed, and due to the way it went down; I was laid off. I decided to go full time as an electrical contractor in 2006 and I am still going in this capacity right now... however; health is about to close my doors because my knees can not do the work anymore. I think my almost 40 years as a contractor has given me some rights to talk about the trade. I still remember my discussion with him in 1978 where he explained three different ways a home's three way lighting system can be wired up. We had to use one, which now I know is illegal; where you switch the neutral. But he also shared with me one from Europe; which is still legal in the US... but it is only a 3 way switching option; 4 way switches can not be added.
In the early 80's, I ran across the European system on a project I was working on. I was asked to install a 4 way switch and because of the way the job went down; I did not walk through the house after it was installed and switch all 3 switches in several ways (I learned from that day to do this test several times). It worked as it should for the simple switching I did. That night, my general called me with the bad news that in one condition; the lights would either not go off or not come on. The next day, after a couple hours of looking closely at the wiring his words came back to me and I realized I had to completely re-wire the system to the standard three way switching. Once I did that, it worked great... and he was relieved that he didn't hire an idiot; but someone who just found something sort of unique in Los Angeles. He retired a few years back; and we are still in contact as good friends. We did a lot of jobs together since that job. His retirement was one of my dark days in my career.
I have a lot of info in me... the joke I heard from one of my fellow workers at the Times seems to apply... I have forgotten more than most electricians will ever learn! Do you know the three - 3 way switching ways without using a search engine... even the illegal one?