Cox set someones house on fire!

[mattb]

We all know this could easly happen if a satellite installer was careless, but it goes to show that installers need to be more careful when doing a job on a customers property..

http://www.turnto10.com/consumerunit/4043712/detail.html

 

[truckracer]

house fire from installer

I have to say this would be very easy to do. With all of the various types of construction materials, electrical wiring, gas pipes, water supply piping, and drains (although the later two are not a fire hazzard), its just a miracle this does not happen more often with tons of installers drilling through millions of walls per day in this country.

Of course every contractor needs to be covered with liability insurance whether its through a company he or she is employed by or if they are self-employed and covering themselves with some type of general liability policy.

I have had some close calls on a couple of installs, especially in brick homes using a hammer drill. although with experience you learn to "feel" the drill as you are boring a hole in a wall, you can still make a boo boo. After all most folks do not provide a blueprint of all the pipes and wiring that runs through their homes.

Lets not be too quick to blame the installer, he just had an unlucky experience. Its always a gamble when drilling through someone's wall.

 

[ZawNH-VT]

I drilled thought somebody wall from inside, I notice that there was gas line lower 4" lower then the floor but I didn't take note of gas line goes up about 12" then connect to regulator and come back down and follow the same level. left me about 6" for gap kind of like this ___|*|___. After I got my hole come out and saw the hole went right in the center of that gap!!! that was a close one.

 

[Khandurian]

I think we have all had some close calls... I know ive drilled through a water pipe once... (it was like butter, no warning ) and ive drilled through power twice... once inside the wall and once outside the wall ( no, it wasnt covered in any kind of pipe!)... My excuse, well, I dont really have none... I always have new drill bits... 16$ a week for one masonary bit is well worth the investment...

I did notice that in the article that the sub was complaining about his bit being dull... Had he had a new/sharp bit, the sparks would have been minimal if any at all and wouldnt have caused the fire... But I guess thats a lesson to be learned...

Khandurian.....