If you’re looking to quick-fix or sloppily throw together a solution to a problem, you probably shouldn’t become an electrician. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t find half-assed or poorly jerry-rigged fixes while on the job.  

There’s even a Facebook group dedicated to the most dangerous, ridiculous electrical work spotted in the field: the Electrical Wall of Shame. The folks featured probably shouldn’t be anywhere near the built environment—but at least we can unite to point, laugh, and shake our heads at the chaos they’ve left behind. 

Too Much Foam 

From Doug on FB: Doug says, “I really hate hack contractors. Had to dig out the last picture box from under a mountain of spray foam.” 

If you’ve ever used spray foam, you know that a little goes a long way. You’ll also know that when it hardens, it’s basically cement, so chiseling through it isn’t ideal. Seems like whoever finished this job got a bit carried away.  

Bless this Mess 

From James on FB: James says, “When the electric is so sketchy, you leave it to the Lord to watch over it.”

While the light fixture on the wall does look pretty cool, I don’t think it’s worth an electrical fire. And I don’t think that saying a prayer before flipping the switch is going to prevent one from starting.  

No Warning Signs  

From Anonymous on FB: “Found this in a commercial basement. "Restricted access" door doesn't stay shut and had no lock on it.” 

If you don’t know what you’re looking at, allow me to explain. Each of those barrels is housing 13K volts of electricity. Yes, 13 THOUSAND volts. And that metal bar that connects the 3 is deadly. Because if you touch it, the 13K volts housed in each barrel is headed straight for your body. For reference, a 50-150 volt shock is already considered possibly lethal. That said, almost every comment was some sarcastic iteration of “Nice of them to add a handrail” or “Quick, someone go lick it!”. Good to know electricians don’t take themselves too seriously. 

The Impossible Breaker 

From Carson on FB: “I got a call to come check a breaker that keeps tripping. Asked where the panel’s at and they take me to this🤦” 

Not only does Carson need to find out how to remove the breaker cover without turning or breaking any pipes and valves, but then he’ll have to do the electrical work in the same cramped and crowded space. There doesn’t even seem to be enough space behind the pipes to fit his hand, let alone any tools he’ll be holding.  

Too Many Switches 

From Anonymous on FB: I found Mega long light switch cover at a hotel in Montana. The girls at the desk said that they only use a small handful of them and have no idea what the other switches do. 

This kind of light switch cover was fairly common in commercial settings back in the 70’s, so while rare (and odd) to see, it’s not technically against code or regulation as long as the switches are all wired properly. But I can only imagine the rats nest of wires that exist behind that wall... 

The Motel Fire Hazard  

From Hank on FB: “Looks like I found what’s going to burn down this motel 😱 This air conditioner cord is stretched to the max, and you can see the char marks on the wall already.” 

I’ve stayed in some pretty run-down motels in my day, but I think that the bare minimum should be that it won’t catch on fire while I sleep. The wall and the outlet look a little crispy already. I can’t imagine it will last much longer. Note to motel stayers: Check the AC outlet.

Something Wasn’t Measured Properly 

From Donald on FB:

Looks like that outlet isn’t getting fixed. The caption on this post was just “oh you son of a b*tch” and I think that sums this up perfectly, so I’ll leave it at that. 

Looks Fixed to Me 

From Calvin on FB: “My brother called me this evening. He lives about 280 miles away and he said his AC stopped cooling. Our conversation determined his condenser fan motor was bad. The next day he said he “fixed it” and that it’s cooling great now. I stopped by to see what he’d done and, well...lol”  

Tough problems require creative solutions, I guess? I just have so many questions. Like, who just has 5 box fans laying around to use like this? Did he go to the store and buy 5 new box fans? Isn’t that still a pretty expensive solution? Regardless, I hope that this is just a temporary fix.