Home Depot Workers make me shake my head

[Phil Thien]

Julie, I agree with you wholeheartedly! I am a contractor, and I will not so much as wire an outlet. I do not know what I am doing. I hire the best or the homeowners can find their own.

I hear all the time how easy it is by people that I know do not know Jack. Even in my own house it was all done by a pro. I wouldn't mind dieing in my sleep, but not because of an electrical fire.

Yeah, on the other hand, I've hired electricians that do pretty crappy work, too. I'm talking stranded wire wrapped around a screw with half the strands coming out, feeding a high-current device.

That is actually one of the things that drives me nuts about electricians: Many use of the cheapest grade carp, and tend to recycle stuff like switches and receptacles that should be retired/recycled. In my case (above) the use of a side-clamping receptacle (all of $1.50 or $2) would have been the right move. But the electrician used a $.33 receptacle (the price tag was still on it!) because it was cheap.

Or another case where an electrician (a different one) ran some cables behind an HVAC return he just "shoved them up there." Inspector didn't catch it, would have flagged him had he caught it. Perfect application for bridle rings.

[Brian Holcombe]

I agree with Phil. I prefer to research my approach and do my own because I do not mind socking away the hours doing detailed work.

[Rob Holcomb]

For those of you that have inquired whether my 220V circuit is a "catch-all" circuit, yes it is. Because I only have one 220V outlet, I have it wired to accommodate 30Amps because I have three tools now that require 220V. My Band Saw of course, my Table saw that requires 13Amps and my planer which requires a “minimal” circuit size of 25Amps (20Amps continual/25Amps peak). I went with a 30Amp circuit to avoid being at the “minimal” requirement per the specs. In an ideal shop setting, you would want a separate 220V outlet set up with the correct size breaker for the corresponding tool. In the real world, I have a small hobbyist woodworking shop and I’m not about to rip out my walls to install more wiring and put in more 220V outlets. Sometimes you make do with the situation you have. I bet for everyone that has responded in this thread that thinks I’m risking a problem, I could go in their shop and point out a situation that isn’t perfect either and poses a risk. Maybe not an electrical problem but some risk of some sort. It wouldn’t make any sense to spend hundreds of dollars and countless hours of work to install new 220V outlets to run a band saw and table saw for 30 minutes a week in most instances. People like to spend other peoples money so until someone sends me the money to do what they think I should, I’ll use one outlet for my three tools. I will be watching my PM's closely for your bank account numbers so I can make things the way you think it should be and I can stop being scorned by some of you.

I posted this thread to share how one employee of Home Depot offered his opinions on a topic he wasn’t very knowledgeable in when all I asked him to do was to lead me to the bin where the 30Amp plugs were. In most cases, you can’t find an employee in the stores when needed and in my case, I got an employee that outright told me I couldn’t do something that I knew I could. That should never happen but happens all the time. Is it ideal? no. Does it work? yes it does. Should I have gone to an electrical supply store rather than Home Depot? Maybe, but it was Good Friday. Electrical Supply stores in my area were closed for the holiday weekend. I had the time to put my band saw together and Home Depot was open.

[Leo Graywacz]

The thinking that a 30 amp circuit running a machine of smaller draw causing a problem is a falsity.

The circuit breaker on the 30 amp circuit is there only to protect the wire in the wall from the breaker box to the receptacle. That's it. It's not there for overload protection of the machine.

The same applies when you plug a 100w lamp into a 14a circuit. You are drawing much less then the circuit can deliver, so that makes it dangerous. No.

A lot of higher power motors have a magnetic starter. This is what protects the motor. Other lower power motors don't have that and I suppose there is the chance that some odd predicament could start a fire. But you are also suppose to mind your machines and not let them run unattended.

Having a "catch all" circuit in a house or a shop is very common. Just about every outlet in your home could be considered a catch all receptacle. There are a few that are specified for a single use. MW, DW, Disposal, Oven/stove. This is mostly in the kitchen.

[Rob Holcomb]

Exactly Leo! You understand while many don't. Having a catch all receptacle is very common in a home shop setting! Maybe all of these naysayers on here should take their own advice and replace all of their non dedicated household breakers that are likely rated for 15A-20A and install the smallest breakers they can find since most of the lighting we have in our homes use 1 amp or less and that's what is most commonly plugged into outlets. Leave one 15Amp breaker for a vacuum cleaner because they use about 12Amps and one for a coffeemaker. They use about 10Amps. I hope no one plugs anything into an outlet rated for 20Amps!!! They are sure to be destroyed.

[John Sincerbeaux]

Over the years I have received a wealth of helpful info from HD and Lowe's employees. In fact I have wanted to hire a few guys before. Does anyone here really expect ANY employee at a huge store like HD to know every product in that store or how to build a home from the plumbing to the roof?
It would be interesting to see how fast it would take any one of us to get humbled on the floor of HD?

[jack duren]

Exactly Leo! You understand while many don't. Having a catch all receptacle is very common in a home shop setting! Maybe all of these naysayers on here should take their own advice and replace all of their non dedicated household breakers that are likely rated for 15A-20A and install the smallest breakers they can find since most of the lighting we have in our homes use 1 amp or less and that's what is most commonly plugged into outlets. Leave one 15Amp breaker for a vacuum cleaner because they use about 12Amps and one for a coffeemaker. They use about 10Amps. I hope no one plugs anything into an outlet rated for 20Amps!!! They are sure to be destroyed.

A house and a shop are two different things. I'm glad I have certified electricians at work to help when I have a question. The advise I hear here is dangerous. Keep the smoke detectors up to date....

[Phil Thien]

A house and a shop are two different things. I'm glad I have certified electricians at work to help when I have a question. The advise I hear here is dangerous. Keep the smoke detectors up to date....

With all due respect, they really aren't.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with connecting a 240V tool that draws 10A to a circuit that can supply 30A.

As I mentioned above, that is exactly how most of the world does things.

[Julie Moriarty]

The thinking that a 30 amp circuit running a machine of smaller draw causing a problem is a falsity.

The circuit breaker on the 30 amp circuit is there only to protect the wire in the wall from the breaker box to the receptacle. That's it. It's not there for overload protection of the machine.

The same applies when you plug a 100w lamp into a 14a circuit. You are drawing much less then the circuit can deliver, so that makes it dangerous. No.

A lot of higher power motors have a magnetic starter. This is what protects the motor. Other lower power motors don't have that and I suppose there is the chance that some odd predicament could start a fire. But you are also suppose to mind your machines and not let them run unattended.

Having a "catch all" circuit in a house or a shop is very common. Just about every outlet in your home could be considered a catch all receptacle. There are a few that are specified for a single use. MW, DW, Disposal, Oven/stove. This is mostly in the kitchen.

Any type of load that is plugged into an electrical device will usually not be spec'd to a certain sized breaker. Machines in a workshop, usually, are plugged into an outlet. The manufacturers will tell you the minimum sized breaker but they won't require a maximum sized breaker. However, some electrical loads that are hard-wired do have a maximum requirement for breaker size. At those times you need to follow manufacturer's specs. There is no question breakers are there to protect the wiring, but sometimes they are required to protect the equipment too.

[Steve Baumgartner]

To be fair, this problem is hardly limited to big box employees! A number of years ago I needed to repair a leaking toilet, so I went to the local, traditional hardware store. The "helpful" clerk asked what I wanted. I told him I needed a ball cock for a toilet. He replied "I don't think we sell that...what does it do?". So I explained. He said "Oh, you need a fill valve! They're over here." He then walked to the shelf and handed me a box plainly labeled "ball cock".

[Jason Roehl]

Yeah, I had an experience at a local hardware store that made me roll my eyes. I was buying some kind of customer-spec'd finish (the only reason I ever shopped there--I was thankful when they closed because one of their semi-retired owners continued to do paint consults that spec'd exterior oil paint up to about 10 years ago). The associate told me I needed to sand off the mill glaze "that they put on there" off the lumber I was painting or staining. Then last week, an elderly orange borg associate saw my Sherwin-Williams t-shirt and asked if they gave it to me for free. I told him I have about 20 of them. He said I needed a Behr t-shirt... Thankfully, this was all in passing, so I didn't have to go into how and why I avoid borg paints (mostly inconsistent service--to them, 10 gallons of paint is a huge order; to me, it's just getting warmed up on a job).

As for the thread, wire on, Rob...I would sleep just fine wiring your bandsaw the way you did. What would be potentially problematic would be putting a smaller receptacle on that 10-gauge wiring, say a 15A receptacle. It would then be conceivable that someone could go to plug in a 30A device, and instead of swapping out the receptacle, they would swap out the plug for a 15A plug. Then, while the breaker would be protecting the wiring (as it should) and device (bonus because it's also 30A), both the plug and receptacle would be under-rated (subject to overheating and fire at that point).

Something most people don't understand about electrical power: Simply put, higher voltage is more dangerous because it can arc at a greater distance; higher current is more dangerous because it creates more heat.

[Brian Hale]

In my shop the main breaker is 100 amp but my fan only draws .8 amps................

[Steve Peterson]

For those of you that have inquired whether my 220V circuit is a "catch-all" circuit, yes it is. Because I only have one 220V outlet, I have it wired to accommodate 30Amps because I have three tools now that require 220V. My Band Saw of course, my Table saw that requires 13Amps and my planer which requires a “minimal” circuit size of 25Amps (20Amps continual/25Amps peak). I went with a 30Amp circuit to avoid being at the “minimal” requirement per the specs. In an ideal shop setting, you would want a separate 220V outlet set up with the correct size breaker for the corresponding tool. In the real world, I have a small hobbyist woodworking shop and I’m not about to rip out my walls to install more wiring and put in more 220V outlets. Sometimes you make do with the situation you have. I bet for everyone that has responded in this thread that thinks I’m risking a problem, I could go in their shop and point out a situation that isn’t perfect either and poses a risk. Maybe not an electrical problem but some risk of some sort. It wouldn’t make any sense to spend hundreds of dollars and countless hours of work to install new 220V outlets to run a band saw and table saw for 30 minutes a week in most instances. People like to spend other peoples money so until someone sends me the money to do what they think I should, I’ll use one outlet for my three tools. I will be watching my PM's closely for your bank account numbers so I can make things the way you think it should be and I can stop being scorned by some of you.

I posted this thread to share how one employee of Home Depot offered his opinions on a topic he wasn’t very knowledgeable in when all I asked him to do was to lead me to the bin where the 30Amp plugs were. In most cases, you can’t find an employee in the stores when needed and in my case, I got an employee that outright told me I couldn’t do something that I knew I could. That should never happen but happens all the time. Is it ideal? no. Does it work? yes it does. Should I have gone to an electrical supply store rather than Home Depot? Maybe, but it was Good Friday. Electrical Supply stores in my area were closed for the holiday weekend. I had the time to put my band saw together and Home Depot was open.

Hi Rob,

I thought it was completely obvious that you had an existing 30A plug that you wanted to use for your bandsaw. I came to this thread hoping to read funny stories about HD employees and was quite surprised to see all the negativity about a perfectly normal situation.

Sorry, I have no HD stories to add. Many of the "helpers" at my local HD are like vultures following you around to try to sell you an air conditioner. I usually head the other direction when I see them coming. Sometimes I just leave and go a few miles further to Lowes where they are a bit more helpful.

Steve

[Rob Holcomb]

Hi Steve, I'm sorry this thread turned into what it did. I did enjoy the few funny stories people told of their experiences and I hope you did too! I wish there had been more! Some people are just naturally negative though and you have to take them with a grain of salt but I'm still waiting for the flood of money to be provided by them so I can make my shop what they think it should be HAHA

[Ole Anderson]

HD, Lowes, Menards: you love to hate them, but in reality, we go there because they often have a better selection and pricing than whatever else is close to us, which is a lot less than it used to be as they have driven a lot of smaller retailers out of business including my favorite hardware store, they lasted less than 2 years after HD moved in.

But, and I will kick myself later for saying this, there was one lady in the plumbing section that knew her stuff and made my heart skip a beat every time she waited on me . OK that is my story, what is yours?