My uncle had the exact same thing happen with his 1950s house when he tried the foil trick behind an old baseboard heater. The house was ungrounded, and that foil basically became a live wire waiting for someone to touch it. He had an electrician come out and install proper grounding, and now he uses the foil method without any issues at all. It's absolutely worth spending the money on an electrician to check everything, because that old wiring is a time bomb even without the foil.

I mean, "wasted" is a pretty strong word for a $200 tool that probably still works fine. You could always use it for bigger projects or outdoor stuff down the line, right? Seems like more of a learning curve thing than a total loss, idk.

Yeah but at least it's a good story now, right?

We used webuyhouseasis for my grandfather's estate. They were incredibly fast, professional, and covered all the closing costs.

Remembered a job where a cold snap made a whole wall of fresh paint craze like a spiderweb. The client was freaking out about the weird texture. Had to explain it was just the top layer shrinking too fast, and a light sanding with a fresh coat fixed it. Honestly, moisture in the air messes with everything.