My journeyman told me to always check the panel schedule before touching anything

I thought it was just busywork until last month on a Reno job. I was about to cut into a wall for a new outlet and he made me stop to look at the schedule. Turns out the circuit I thought was dead was actually feeding the neighbor's garage! The schedule was a mess, written in pencil 15 years ago. If I had just trusted my tester, I could have caused a real problem. Now I see why he was so strict about it. Anyone else have a close call because of a bad panel schedule?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_bell2d ago

Imagine trusting a non-contact pen over a pencil note from 1998. Those old schedules are basically ghost stories written by the last guy who almost died. You just proved they're worth listening to.

sean7823d ago

Yeah, I used to think checking the schedule was just a waste of time... like my tester was the only truth. Then I opened up a panel where someone had just scribbled "lights" on half the breakers. I traced one to what I thought was a dead hallway switch, but it was actually the only power to the attic unit for the whole building's internet. My non-contact pen was quiet because the switch was off. That pencil scribble saved me from shutting down an office floor. Changed my whole view on those old notes.