Bothell Electric LLC

When you need just a little more light around the dining room table, a couple 4" cans do nicely.

First there was nothing and like magic a receptacle appears.

All outdoor receptacles need to be weather rated and residential units must be tamper resistant as well.
The required AFCI/GFCI device for this circuit is inside the garage.

This wire was never terminated properly. It worked well enough until the loose connection corroded the wire enough to cause nuisance trips. When breakers are going off frequently you should make sure the system is working properly.
Burned wire cut and breaker replaced.

Over time outdoor wiring will fail. These receptacles/light were tripping whenever it rained.
We replaced all the receptacles to be weather resistant and sealed the box again. If something isn't working it's best to make sure it's fixed right. I've seen similar situations not on a GFCI which is a safety hazard.
Thankfully the GFCI performed it's function and alerted the home owner to the problem so we could repair it.

The definition of hanging on by a thread. This wire only had one stand attached to the breaker.

This work was performed by an unlicenced "electrician".
The leads for the light slipped right out.
There's no bushing to protect the wire from the sharp metal edges of the box.
Lacerations on the wire will create a short.
Over a dozen were installed exactly like these, not a single one without fault.

This wiring was completed by the contractor without permits. We're going through all of the completed work and making sure it's code compliment.
The switch has no grounding wire because they cut it off. This would require a 14-3 wire because there is no neutral wire in the box.
In the other picture there's a cut exposing the neutral wire. While this example isn't the worst of the bunch it'll open further with time. Make sure whoever you have doing work for you is competent in that trade.

This wire was feeding a sub panel directly off the main lugs. There was no overcurrent protection as it went through the metal panel and no overall jacket protecting the wire.
This bare spot on the copper wire could have caused significant damage if it made contact prior to the service being disconnected.