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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
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Bubba's Electrical Service

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

The following is based on Katie and Larry's personal experience refurbishing a 100+ year old Mill House in Easley, SC. Here is our nominee for a run at the Darwin Awards:

"Bubba" - I believe that would be defined as the owner of the house in this instance - wanted to add an outlet to the living room. He went into the attic, found a "feeder" wire and added a "branch" to power his outlet. Since it seemed to work, Bubba was happy. The house inspector, as we are preparing to sell our investment house in Easley, was NOT impressed (I had not been in the attic prior to this).

So, I literally squeezed into the attic (I needed to exhale to slide between the sections of framing!) and found two instances of Bubba's handiwork. Here is how Bubba tied his new outlet in:

* Go into attic an find a feeder

* Slice into the feeder to expose both wires (I hope he was smart enough to pull the fuse … )

* Grab sufficient length of romex to get to the new receptacle and strip about 3/4 inch of insulation from both wires.

* Form a "hook" in each wire of the added branch, snag the feeder wires with the hooks on the branch wire and crimp with a pair of slip-joint pliers …

* Reinsulate with varying amounts of the stretchy electrical rubber tape and cover with the cloth type electrical tape (well, it didn't LOOK like Duct tape … ).

* VOILA! New branch circuit!

How do we violate the electrical code, Let me count the ways:

1) Not in a box 2) No positive mechanical connection 3) Oh, did I mention? Bubba hooked the white wire of his "branch" to the black wire of the feeder and vice versa. Of course, the manner in which Bubba opened the feeder didn't allow him to tell which wire was what color …

Given the corrosion on the wires, I am surprised the place had not already caught fire. One of the added branches was leading to the kitchen. I guess no one ever used that outlet for a toaster or a coffee pot ...

Submitted on 04/15/2008

Submitted by: Katie Danner
Reference: Personal Experience, not published

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I've seen my fair share of shoddy electrical work but this description certainly takes the cake. Not only is Bubba lucky he didn't electrocute himself during (or even after) his little bit of home wiring work, but he's also lucky his handiwork didn't result in electrical fires that would have done quite a job on the whole house. Thanks for the story, Katie!


Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Guess he thought he would save a fair bit of cash by not calling an electrician. Hey, it worked, didn't it? At least while he lived there...


The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action

Hardback. 327 pages. Autographed.
$15
185 Stories! In the ongoing saga of Survival of the Fittest, meet the thief who steals electrical wires without shutting off the current! Marvel at the would-be pilot who suspends his lawnchair from helium balloons! Learn from the man who peers into a gas can using a cigarette lighter...!

This book also includes a History of the Darwin Awards, Darwin Haiku, and a dozen humorous discussions of the implications of evolution, including the origin of idiots, and the role of testosterone.

Autographed by Author!

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