Just realized my old foreman was right about labeling every single wire

He told me 'if you can't trace it blindfolded in five years, you didn't label it right' on a big Reno job back in 2019. I used to just tag the hots, but now I label every conductor, even the neutrals, with the circuit number and panel. It saved me a ton of time today troubleshooting a lighting issue in that same building. Anyone else have a rule they ignored at first that they now swear by?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_bailey352mo ago

Got a good example of a time that labeling saved you from a real headache? Like a specific mess it cleaned up.

riverhill1mo ago

Real talk, I've had labeling cause way more headaches than it saved because half the time the previous guy's labels are wrong or faded (or written in sharpie on a dusty panel). One wrong label sent me hunting for a breaker for an hour that didn't even exist anymore after a reno.

emmam982mo ago

Yeah, like that time Terry mentioned. I had to trace a neutral from a multi wire branch circuit that was shared. The label on the white wire had the panel and circuit right there, so I knew exactly which breaker to turn off. It kept me from shutting down half the floor to be safe.