A job in a 1980s apartment building made me stop trusting the main power switch

I was fixing a fridge in a Portland building from the 80s. I flipped the breaker off, but the unit still had a live wire in the back because of a bad cross-feed from another apartment. My meter read 120 volts after I shut it off. Now I test for voltage at the appliance terminals every single time, even if the breaker is off. Who else double-checks like this on old wiring jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_hernandez1210d ago

That's a terrifying lesson to learn.

lisa_grant10d ago

What lesson did you learn, @mark_hernandez12?

the_skyler7h ago

Wait, "terrifying lesson"? I mean, that's a really strong way to put it. What even happened that was so bad? Idk, maybe it's just me but that phrase gives me chills.