Concrete pouring part 2

purplepickup · May 17, 2005, 10:42:00 AM

Some of you might remember that I'm pouring some concrete at home. Well, the first concrete truck pulled into the driveway and drove right thru the powerlines going to the house. It ripped the common wire out but left the two hot wires intact. According to the electrician I called that causes 240 volts to surge thru the house looking for a ground...or something like that. It took out my TV, DVD, VCR, fluorescent lights, outdoor lights, and there was a strong smell of burnt wiring in the laundry room. The lights were going from orange to super bright, the breaker box was making all kinds of weird noises, and the alarm was going off.....and I was freaking out. I ran down and flipped the main breaker and everything was quiet again except for the alarm on my computer battery backup. I'm sure glad I have that because the computers survived. The stuff that was hooked up to just regular surge protectors was all fried.

The wires layed on top of his truck until the power company came to unhook everything. In the meantime the second truck pulled as close as he could get and we wheelbarrowed the concrete into the forms. UGGHH!!! It was about an hour before the first truck got free to dump his load but everything ended up ok with the concrete. Just a lot of extra work.

The driver wasn't even supposed to be in the driveway yet so the concrete company is replacing everything. Yeah, I'm getting new stuff but I really don't need the hassle of shopping right now. I was trying to get my sedan ready to sell at Indy Goodguys but that isn't going to happen.....maybe Louisville.

And of course the cable guy will be here later in the week to put their line back up so I'm posting this from work.

Oh well, such is life. I guess things could be worse. The concrete came out awesome

HotRodLadyCrusr · May 17, 2005, 11:56:11 AM

SHOPPING!!??? Did some mention they need a personal shopper???

I think I can handle that for you

Seriously, sorry to hear about this. You've had more trouble with your "lines" over the years then one person should have to deal with. In the end everything will work out and you'll have an awesome driveway and all new stuff in the house.

GPster · May 17, 2005, 12:12:04 PM

Now is the time to think about up-grading your service. Crosley can give you some advice. Maybe you'll want to aircondition that garage or put in a hot tub. How did you push wheelbarrows of concrete on crutches? GPster

Woody2B · May 17, 2005, 01:06:36 PM

Go through the house and check EVERYTHING electrically operated: microwave, AC/heat blower motor & controls, dishwasher, attic fan, etc. I have heard of lightning strikes that screw up the smallest little items that don't immediately show up. Make sure you find everything before you settle with the cement company.

Crosley.In.AZ · May 17, 2005, 10:23:39 PM

WOW , what a mess I guess.

take care and check everything

40 · May 18, 2005, 12:03:17 AM

George....If it weren't for bad luck....well....you know! Was that mud a little stiff after an hour in the truck?We have gotten into a routine of pouring just about everything with a pump truck....a bit spendy but WAY easier on the back than a one-wheeled chariot!Good luck with the rest of the mess!

Bib_Overalls · May 18, 2005, 01:06:53 AM

Feeling for you guy.

grazza · May 18, 2005, 01:21:42 AM

One of the things to have checked is your refrigerator. If you have an auto defrost one you may find that it wont defrost anymore. Had a similar experience a few years ago and thought the 'fridge was just being temperamental, but found the heater had burned out - to late to have it fixed by insurance, even though the tech said it was the surge that had caused it. Hope your driveway is worth the effort.

river1 · May 18, 2005, 01:33:23 AM

Quote from: "purplepickup"The stuff that was hooked up to just regular surge protectors was all fried.

you might want to check on your surge protectors, some of them have their own warrentees against surges. that might cover stuff you miss in the initial claim.

later jim

rooster · May 18, 2005, 08:40:34 AM

According to the electrician I called that causes 240 volts to surge thru the house looking for a ground...or something like that. It took out my TV, DVD, VCR, fluorescent lights, outdoor lights, and there was a strong smell of burnt wiring in the laundry room.

If you have GFI outlets in the landry room , it may have burned them up! We had lighting hit us last year and it got our outlets and thay gave off a smell I still remember.

purplepickup · May 18, 2005, 09:00:39 AM

Thanks for all the advise. The concrete company is taking responsibility and replacing anything that is screwed up. All I have to do is give them receipts for the new stuff. I'll watch for problems with the refrigerator and any unusual behavior from anything else. I've got an electrician that is helping out and has looked at most everything but he didn't check all the appliances. I'll have him do that if they want me to sign a release. I completely rewired the whole house a few years ago when I did a "down to studs" rebuild and addition so I'm not worried about the wiring.

Right now I'm just replacing things I've found. I keep finding little things...like when it got dark I noticed none of the yard lights were on. I went and bought three new ones last night. I also brought home a new Sony TV and stand.

Tonight I've got to look for a DVD/VCR combo recorder. Has anybody had any experience with them? The ones I'm replacing were separate units but the combos sound like the way to go. There's a lot of features/terms that I don't understand tho. This shopping is taking a lot of my time but I want to make sure I get the right stuff. The sales people have opinions but I'm not sure how much they actually know....even at the higher end stores. I hope my Comcast gets hooked back up soon. I miss using the internet for research and personal internet time at work is real limited.

Oh well....just another page in life's big book. This short chapter will be wrapped up soon

Fat Cat · May 18, 2005, 10:23:46 AM

Quote from: "purplepickup"Tonight I've got to look for a DVD/VCR combo recorder. Has anybody had any experience with them?

I have this one. I bought it about a year ago. I have used it to convert most of my VHS movie library to DVD. And the nice part of that is that I can put more than one movie on a DVD.