Fire in the Hole
Usually, running power into a manufactured home requires that wire be run in conduit under the home for some distance. Sometimes the distance is short (less than 10 feet), sometimes it is longer (the whole length of the home). Over the years, changes in the NEC required that we change our manner of installation.
When I was starting to install a lot of manufactured housing, we could run flexible metal conduit under the home. Then the requirement changed to dis-allow FMC and require PVC. After that, different types of PVC were required. One gauge of PVC was allowed under the home, another gauge of PVE was required outside the home.
Then a change came that affected the depth of burial for the PVC outside the home. Changes also came regarding how the conduit was secured under the home. For awhile we could secure the conduit by any means we could determine. Sometimes it meant driving pieces of remnant EMT into the ground and bending it over the conduit. Then more of a manufactured nature was required – i.e. strapping.
Soon cement pads/footings were poured for the home to sit on and we had to change again by shooting concrete nailing shots into the concrete to secure the strapping and conduit. I purchased a powder actuated “gun” and we would drive 2 inch nails into the concrete.
From previous experience on large commercial projects I had learned that you should call out a warning before activating the nail gun. One time while installing the conduit under a manufactured home for a friend, I called out; “fire in the hole.”
I didn’t realize my friend was under the home at the other end when I did so. I was just calling out the warning/notice as I thought I should. After calling out the warning I activated the gun. My friend came out from under the home a little perturbed. He said; “Adrian called out “fire in the hole BANG!” What you are supposed to do is allow time for everyone to get clear.”
We’re still friends.
On a different tack, this account reminded me of another dear old friend over in Glasgow, Montana. Whenever I would meet him on the street, or any place unexpected for that matter, he would say; “Well what a man won’t see when he comes away from home without his gun!”
Another friend of mine, of German descent, would call out; “Adrian, Vas ess loes?”
I would try to reply and he would say; “No, no. You are supposed to say ‘Alles ess nacht ochtopune.’” (At least that is what it sounded like to me, since I didn’t know the German language.) The exchange was supposed to mean; “What’s up?” Followed by; “Everything is not tied loose.”
Permision granted to laugh at my poor German now.