I'm working for a top-notch company that has been doing these types of jobs for the past 40 years. I *assume* they've considered the ramifications of a botched job, and planned/ insured accordingly. I could be wrong, and it would behoove me to confirm it, which I plan do at my soonest possible convenience. Thank you for inspiring me to do so. In any case, I love my job and I can't believe they pay me to do it. I'm beginning to think I would enjoy this job even more than an engineering job. I'm basically engineering already, on the fly, and building the things that I engineer. That was my main gripe about finishing college and going into an engineering position; I like to work with my hands too. Plus I'm making more money than I would as a rookie engineer.

Btw I'm still expected to conform with wire coloring conventions.

 

I just realized that "variable frequency drive DC motor" is probably a fantasy generated by seeing 400 volt electrolytic capacitors inside the variable speed motor. Please forgive my oversight.

I am convinced that you are doing work with skill levels that seem to be magic to the uninformed. If something goes terribly wrong, I expect your work will seem to be magic to the insurance adjuster. I really, really hope you don't end up the sacrificial goat just because nobody understands what you did to get the machine to work. I fear that it is much easier and cheaper to hang you than to hire someone smart enough to confirm your design.

What you do is so different from what I do that I have difficulty imagining the magnitude of problems that could happen. I'm not allowed to splice in 3 inches of blue wire where a black wire got corroded. You cut the guts out with a Sawzall and start over. Amazing!

+1
I would have never taken on this job, too many things to go wrong. My hat's off to you

 

That remindes me of a story. When I was in college, I got a job installing machinary for a manufacture that was relocating from LA to Tucson. They placed all the equipment, and I connected it all to the building's power. Some of the machines were so old that the insulation had dried out and was falling off the wires. I could not, in good conscience, connect machinery in that condition, so I stripped off all the bad insulation and replaced it with high-temp PVC insulation. I couldn't just re-wire the machines because these were the motor field wires.

So the owner saw what I was doing and told me that if the machines didn't work when I get done, he would sue me. I looked to see if he was smiling... he wasn't. I guess I should have checked wiht the owner before I did that.

Anyway, it all turned out OK, and they even had be back to install lighting in the factory.

 

So the owner saw what I was doing and told me that if the machines didn't work when I get done, he would sue me. I looked to see if he was smiling... he wasn't. I guess I should have checked with the owner before I did that.

It bites the other way, too. I ran a couple of new copper pipes across the ceiling to avoid using a jackhammer to break open the concrete and bury new pipes. I thought I was done after I put the nice, sheet metal pipe covers on, but the customer demanded that the pipe covers be painted to match the rest of the apartment. What? You sue me if I make necessary repairs that were discovered in the course of the work, and you sue me if I don't include redecorating with a plumbing job?

This is the kind of thing that gets lawyers involved in writing the proposal.
What are you supposed to do? Leave the flaky insulation and write a new contract for fixing that part? Assemble a machine that you know will not work and smile while explaining that hidden damage wasn't covered? Include painting in your plumbing estimates? Try to write a contract that guesses every misconception that a crazy cat lady might have? It is no surprise that prices are so high with so many demands from the customers that you can't guess what they expect.