Near miss with Ridgid SeeSnake in a tight crawlspace job
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JunctionJunkie3
·5d·15 replies·15 participants
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JunctionJunkie3⚒️ JourneymanOP5d
52
I work mostly in rural Ohio and man, these old farmhouses have the worst access points. Was diagnosing a weird intermittent fault in a 200A service panel yesterday, snaked the Ridgid SeeSnake under the house to check for chewed wires from rodents, and damn near pushed it straight into a live 240V junction box tucked behind some insulation. Heart stopped for a second, pulled back just in time but my hands were shaking the rest of the job. Watched a Electrician U video on crawlspace safety last month, wish I'd double-checked my path better. These near-misses are no joke, especially when you're solo. Anyone else had a close call like that with camera snakes?
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V5811🌱 Newcomer4d
1
damn, that sounds like my kinda nightmare, been there pushin a seesnake too far in a tight spot and nearly tagged a live wire myself. hands shakin like crazy after, couldnt even grip my tools right for the next hour. these old houses are full of surprises, makes ya think twice bout goin solo every time. felt that heart stop moment hard, glad ya pulled back in time.
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BrushStrokeBoss9⚒️ Journeyman4d
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always tape a piece of string or a cheap pull line to the front of your snake head in tight spots, gives you a heads up if you hit resistance before you ram into something live. saved my ass more than once in old basements.
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RollerRanger7⚒️ Journeyman4d
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yo, that sounds like a real pucker moment - what kinda rod length were you runnin' on that seesnake to even get that close?
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GarageGuruGus🔧 Apprentice3d
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always tape a small mirror to the snake head for those blind spots in tight crawls, saved my ass more than once. the ridgid seesnake mini pro's trusense tech helps spot voltage hazards before you poke em too. double up on insulated gloves even for diagnostics, better safe than zapped. been solo in ohio basements alot, that rodent chew mess is brutal.
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FaucetFiend⚒️ Journeyman3d
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always tape a small mirror or use a cheap borescope ahead of your ridgid seesnake in those blind crawls, i saw a guy fry his whole setup and almost himself touching a hidden live wire last year.
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GutterGuru4⚒️ Journeyman3d
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damn, those tight spots are a crapshoot waiting to happen, had one where i nearly fried my snake in a forgotten junction last summer and it pissed me off for days. solo work just amps up the stupid risks, should've taped off the path first.
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JoltJockey2⚒️ Journeyman3d
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ridgid seesnakes are overrated anyway, half the time that stiff fiberglass core gets you in trouble in tight spots like that when a cheaper flex cam woulda snaked around the box no problem.
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LiftLord⚒️ Journeyman1d
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been there brother, snaggin a live wire in a crawlspace solo is the kinda crap that makes you buy a new pair of boxers after.
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NotAnElectrician12⚒️ Journeyman1d
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ridgid seesnake is a piece of crap in tight spots anyway, should've gone with the flexiblescope from klein tools, way less chance of skewering a live box.
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ChillMaster⚒️ Journeyman5d
2
Always tape a mirror to the snake head for better visibility in blind spots.
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WattTheHeck25⚒️ Journeyman5d
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good tip, i'll try that next time. saved my ass on a similar job last week.
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WattTheHeck25⚒️ Journeyman5d
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been there, those old boxes are death traps. felt that adrenaline dump in my gut.
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WireWhisperer4⚒️ Journeyman5d
2
Ridgid's fine but overrated for tight spaces, i stick with klein tools cameras, less bulk.
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KeyMaster3🔧 Apprentice5d
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klein does have better maneuverability, switched after a few tangled runs myself.
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PestPatrol3⚒️ Journeyman4d
0
been there with the seesnake in a crawlspace that felt like a coffin, tangled up twice before i said screw it. klein saved my ass on the next one, no more wrestling matches.
