First Place

Keeping it pretty

Like any service electrician, we have a box of receptacles and switches that are loose and ready to be installed in customers’  homes. However, the customers won’t believe that they’re brand new if they are dirty and scratched. So I use a roll of wrapping plastic to wrap them up and keep them looking like new.

Luis Cisneros

Compton, Calif.

Pulling assistance

When doing long cable and wire pulls working in lift equipment, I transfer wire lube from the quart bottle to an empty 4 oz. chalk refill bottle. As the pull goes on, I can keep the bottle near at hand in my tool bag if I need to add some lube to assist the pull.

John McLaughlin

Cleveland

Idea igniter

When you are working on a large project with many floor boxes, how do you keep them organized? Some prep time can save you headaches on the job, so share your ideas with us.

Oldie but goodie

Pre-emptive drilling

When finished running conduits in a slab in a metal decking during a big job, I drill a small hole every 15–20 feet alongside the PVCs on the deck. Then, I slide green ground tails through the curled end with the 10–32 keeping it from slipping through. When others see the green tails from below, they won’t drill into them to set anchors. This prevents a lot of lost time once it’s time to pull wire through those pipes.

Colin Boone

Granby, Mass.