Freewrite Challenge Word: Grounding
OK, I am writing this in response to this #freewrite challenge post: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-69-5-minute-freewrite-prompt-grounding
I hope I'm doing this right, so here goes:
Grounding
Messing With Electricity
I heard this cracking noise from the wall beside my bed. Popcorn? Is somebody popping popcorn in my wall? When I turned towards the wall, I saw that my electric outlet kept flashing. Oh, no, that can't be good. You know, this house was built in the late 1960s, and I've heard stories about the old wiring starting fires.
My first impulse was to call to my son and ask him to come and look at the flashing outlet. "Hey," I said, "we've got to fix this!"
"Uh," my son responded, "don't you think we should call an electrician?"
"Oh, come on," I said. "I watched an electrician fix a similar problem in an outlet before. It took him five minutes, and he charged me $150. We just need to shut off the breaker, head to the hardware store, and fix this ourselves for $5."
My son reluctantly agreed. He went out and flipped off the breaker while I went to the store to get the new outlet from a helpful clerk. With the power off, we changed the outlet. Heck, it was only four wires to unattach and then reattach.
What could possibly go wrongt?
When we turned the power back on, the outlet did not spark any longer, but it didn't work either. I stupidly stuck in my screwdriver to tighten a wire and felt electricity flow up my arm. It felt weird, but it didn't kill me, so there was that.
My son shut the power back off. I tightened the screw again. This time, we were rewarded by an outlet that not only did not spark but actually worked. "Look," I told my son, "we're great at fixing things!"
Two days later, Hurricane Harvey hit. The house shook . The outlet stopped working again.
I got an electrician to come by and fix it the next week.
Is there a moral to this story? It's probably that I should have just called the professional in the first place.
Don't Play With Electricity!
Yes, this is pretty much a true story. This is my first response to the Freewrite Challenge. I didn't edit or proofread, as the rules said. So, please be kind. :)
"What could go wrong?" Famous last words that I've uttered whenever I do any home project. (Right up there with "It'll just be a 10 minute project." 😁)
This was a good story, thank you! As for rules, don't worry too much about that. Some of us correct the spelling and sometimes we go over 5 minutes. Some use the prompt as an idea and just jump into writing novels. Don't worry and have fun! Welcome to the freewriting group!
Well, I didn't add this to the story. The electrician said I bought the wrong outlet at the hardware store, so that was the main problem. It was impossible to get the wires tight enough on the one we had because this house has aluminum wiring. I think modern wiring uses copper because aluminum has problems like this. Anyway, to be safe, they use a different kind of outlet. So, yeah, ignorance on my part is dangerous.
Thanks for the addition to the story! I can't tell you how often I have to go back and forth to the hardware store because I purchased the wrong gasket, wire, nut, flange, etc.
There are so many things to consider when dealing with the wiring in a house that I refuse to tie anything into the main box (it's illegal in my city anyway) until an inspector comes and makes sure that I won't burn my house down! 😏
This is why I miss the old style stores so much. Where you had a person behind the counter who knew what you needed and gave you the right stuff and an explanation on how to do the job right.
Yeah, it's a different age. When I was a kid, there would be somebody at the hardware store who actually cared if you burned down your house.
As Brisby said
You had me laughing right there. What indeed beside everything lol
so happy you joined us. And as @brisby and @byn said, rules are rules and we don't care hahaha.
I think it is time to write up a new intro post :)
Here is today's prompt: https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-70-5-minute-freewrite-prompt-surprise-coming-to-you
Great story. I know enough about electricity to know I don't want anything to do with it.
Perfect first freewrite!! a friend of ours had a similar thing happen but the next day he smelled something and opened the outlet and his house inside walls were all inflamed! 16,000 later it's now fixed and right before Christmas!
Well, at least nobody got hurt. Yeah, I was stupid AND lucky that I didn't have a worse problem.
Hey, you're brave to try it.
You've got a pretty good writing style. And be careful on your next electric venture! :D
Hey, there aren't a lot of "rules" here, so welcome! You did a great job at your freewrite! You got a story across with humor and personality all in a short time. Great post!
Thanks!