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Got told my wire runs were too neat and it was costing me time, changed my method after that.
A senior installer I respect watched me on a job in Tampa last fall. He said, 'Wade, you're spending 45 minutes making those wires look perfect behind a panel nobody will ever see. That's an extra hour per house you're not getting paid for.' I used to bundle and zip-tie everything super tight. Now I just make sure it's secure and not pinched, but I don't fuss over the looks inside the main box. Has anyone else had a client or another tech call them out on something like that? What did you change?
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theas942mo ago
Man, that's the best advice you could get. I did the same thing early on, making museum pieces inside closed panels. The turning point was realizing neatness doesn't stop a short circuit, but a pinched wire will. Now my rule is safe and serviceable, not pretty. If you can trace it and it's not under stress, you're done. That extra hour adds up to real money over a year.
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anna_hill2mo ago
My buddy Jake spent three hours on a panel that got sheetrocked over.
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