I would think pros are capable of deciding for themselves when and how to respond.

Rarely do the people asking questions here indicate what state they are in, and advice is always couched with paying attention to local codes, but we usually confine ourselves to the NEC (and when there has been recent differences in versions of the code that apply, we note that). Further, in the two states I work in, the ELECTRICAL CODES do ***NOT*** vary city by city. The local municipalities are not allowed to modify the Electrical code (or in the case of one of the states, any of the building codes). Sometimes you get a balky inspector, but there's not much you can do to predict that.

How about, if you don't have anything useful to help with the forum, you take your "warning" elsewhere. I doubt you are any kind of professional anything.

"this is really not a place to giving advice to homeowners"

If a DIY electrical wiring forum isn't the place to give wiring advice to DIYers, what is?

He is correct about variations in the code. Indiana for example, has chosen not to accept AFCI and TR requirements found in the NEC. That's right, they are not required in Indiana.

He is only partially right. While the code adoption varies state-by-state, depending on the state they do not vary "city-by-city." I suspect he's from some place like Texas without statewide code adoption.

I don't know why you think it's a big surprise that states have local mods to the code. While a few states adopt the NEC verbatim, a few others like California have a "wrapper" that puts a few changes around the NEC which is incorporated by reference, and then there's places like Chicago which are completely different beasts.

Frankly, the fact that idiots come here and give advice that's contrary to any code is a bigger risk than the alleged professional liability that someone has for giving NEC-compliant information which might be against local codes.

"Frankly, the fact that idiots come here and give advice that's contrary to any code is a bigger risk than the alleged professional liability that someone has for giving NEC-compliant information which might be against local codes"

x2

Trolls ask for advice about implausible, contrived, situations. Somebody tells them to call in professional help or go buy a multimeter and read a book. It all balances out.

So, let me get this straight - you're posting legal advice, advising people they should not post electrical advice, since the posting of "any" advice, could lead to legal ramifications. Say what?!!

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV but I'm less than sure about the potential liability of giving incorrect advice on an Internet forum. Reminds me of the TV ad about believing everything you read on the Internet...

I think the quality of advise here is petty damned good. I also think folks are pretty good at identifying people who are clearly in over their heads and suggesting they call in a pro.

I no longer maintain a license,I am from Ma. This state adheres to the NEC and allows municipal inspectors to go above and beyond the code. The city I now reside in has its own power company, as do many cities and towns up here. They tend to go over board, they do what they want and they can.

Mass. uses the MEC.

The Massachusetts Electrical Code is the 2011 NEC with 14 pages of amendments.

Then there WAS an electrical forum " television ". someone
advised as how to check a H.O.T. on a set. The poster didn't know the person asking the question was an inexpeianced BOY. The kid was almost killed. Electricuted.
The father sued the forum and ALL the posters. It was in the paper. Forum is gone. Im sure there are some out there that don't know what a HOT is. It powers the flyback and fires the picture tube. 22000 - 35000 volts.

Geez kalining - You must have got this information in an email from your cousin, who used to know someone, who knew someone else, who used to work at Microsoft, and they told you to send it to everybody in your address book!

So, by your philosophy, if a 12 year old read a cookbook and burned themselves while trying to make dinner, their father could then sue the author and publisher.

From a technical standpoint, if someone was checking the HOT - Horizontal Output Transistor - on a television, it is because the set is dead and not producing any high voltage, B+ voltages, or CRT filament voltage at all. The HOT would be tested with an ohm meter between it's junctions.

The CRT second anode would have long been discharged, but if not, you need to purposely pull off the second anode cap and touch the CRT anode button and aquadag at the same time to receive a shock similar to static electricity - and this ain't going to electrocute you.

Other HV circuit and flyback xfmr problems are troubleshot by using a low voltage power supply, an h-drive signal, and an oscilloscope - none which are going to present any safety issues at all - and are purposely designed not to.

My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools.

yosemitebill. I already know all that. I used to repair
computer monitors. Many hot's and flybacks are live in a dead set when plugged in. I see you have never touched an anode cap 2 days after the set was unplugged. And they did sue McDonalds when someone got burned when they spilled hot coffee on themself. NO. I did read the last few posts on this topic. The father was pretty pissed. serious name calling and a complete list of I.P. addresses as who is going down. Forum was gone the next day. Was waiting for this type of comment. thanks for not letting me down.

But the key is ... was the father successful in suing anybody? I'd say that most likely the answer is NO. Anybody can sue anybody over anything (or nothing).
The fact that the site went down doesn't mean that the father was successful in his pursuit to sue the site owner or the posters. It could have just meant that the site owner got scared and didn't think it was worth keeping the site.

Yes greg don't know how it turned out. I think you are right. The forum owners shut it down because of a possible
liability issue. when they shut it down i think they knew
they could be in trouble. That goes to show. Be very carefull of what you say over the internet. It is a PERMANENT record. You have no idea of how many people have no clue of the consequences in the future. I'd say 90 percent. Just my opinion.

if giving bad/wrong advice and information can bring law suites and such, I'm surprised there's any Home Depots still open... They sell meter bases at Home Depot, I wonder if there's been any law suites from Joe home owner trying to do his own service change?
if talking crap on the internet has such dire consequences, why hasn't facebook been shut down for all the crap that floats around there? There's death threats made daily on twitter, I see they're still fine and good too.
How about you stop trying to scare people, and worry more about the idiots that try to tackle things that are above their heads? How about some responsibility of the actual person rather than just all this damn finger pointing that everyone seems to do.

"Many hot's and flybacks are live in a dead set when plugged in."

What are you talking about? The set is dead. A failure in the high voltage HOT will have blown the internal fuse to a nice charcoal black color. There is NO voltage at the flyback B+ source or HOT collector to emitter switching transistor.

If you are touching the second anode connection on the CRT, and got shocked, it's because you obviously don't know what you are doing - but you did not get electrocuted or almost killed - did you?!

Your advice, that we should not share advice or information on the internet, sounds like we also have to stop all instructional books, videos, and educational classes. Why stop there? Let's ban all colleges and universities - they only teach people how to do things!

Please take your troll posts somewhere else.

"when they shut it down i think they knew
they could be in trouble. "

It costs money to defend yourself against even frivolous lawsuits.

There are plenty of attorneys that know this and take advantage.

"Allowing" inspectors to go above and beyond code is unfettered discretion. I am not a lawyer, but numerous Supreme Court cases dating to the 1930's and perhaps earlier have held that unfettered discretion on the part of enforcement people and agencies is absolutely unconstitutional. Inspectors cannot amend the code by whim.

Check this clown out. He sounds like he knows what he is talking about until he uses the equipment. Funny.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/83005256/

I guess I am confused. First you go ranting about giving poor advice and the legal ramifications and then post a video of yourself doing the same thing and demonstrating?

"This state adheres to the NEC and allows municipal inspectors to go above and beyond the code"

The inspectors can NOT go above and beyond the NEC unless those changes have been mandated by some sort of local legislation and make available to all who would be required to follow their rulings. It is not a free-for-all type of situation. There are rules to be followed. If your jurisdiction follows the NEC, without any amendments, your inspector cannot make up his own rules without some sort of legal documentation to back up his decision.