My journeyman insisted on using a $40 torque screwdriver for every panel cover, which felt like overkill until a vibration-loosened screw in a commercial kitchen caused a short.

Now I torque every cover to spec, even on residential jobs, so what other 'extra step' do you think is actually worth the time?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.leo28d ago

That exact thing happened to a guy I know. He skipped torquing a data center panel and a loose neutral fried a whole server rack. My extra step is always pulling a second meter to verify zero voltage before I touch anything, even if the first one reads dead. It takes ten seconds and has saved me from a couple of backfed circuits that were still live.

morgan91528d ago

Always test with two meters on critical gear. I once had a meter fail and show zero on a live 480V bus. That extra check is cheap insurance against a bad tool or a hidden feed. It just makes sense to verify.

foster.mary15h ago

My old foreman always said two meters is good, but @morgan915 is right to check both. You still need to physically test for dead with a proper voltage tester after the meters.