Finally came around to using torque screwdrivers after a callback in Denver last month

I always thought torque screwdrivers were just extra expense and hassle, but I had to go back to a job where a loose terminal caused a flickering light on a new build. The customer was annoyed, and I lost half a day driving across town to fix it. Has anyone else had a similar situation where skipping the torque tool cost you more in the long run?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyj111mo ago

That Denver callback sounds rough losing half a day over one loose terminal. How many terminals do you normally tighten by hand on a typical job that you now think should get the torque treatment? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth buying one just for certain connections or if you end up using it on almost everything.

betty_kelly91mo ago

Oh man so my buddy had this happen on a commercial job last year. He was doing a bunch of terminations on a lighting panel and just hand tightened everything like he always did. Couple weeks later they get a call that half the lights in the conference room are flickering. He drives 45 minutes each way plus the time to trouble shoot. Yeah it was one loose terminal on a neutral bar. He said after that he bought a torque screwdriver and now he uses it on every single connection on breakers and terminal blocks. Not just the big stuff either. He even torques down the little data terminations for access control now. So I guess my point is it's one of those tools you don't think you need till you get burned once, then you never want to skip it again lol.

holly_reed551mo ago

And @nancyj11, I'd say it depends on the job but for me it's worth using on anything that handles power or data where a loose connection could mean a callback. Once you get the feel for it you end up using it more than you'd think, especially on breakers and terminal blocks. It's a small investment that keeps you from eating that travel time and angry customer calls later.