Favourite job?

Tim Howard · Sep 13, 2024

Today I had one of my favourite tasks, sorting out a completely useless TT setup. Broken RCD and rod measuring >500 ohms.
I find strange satisfaction in bashing in new earth rods. I love the suspense of wondering if all the effort will be worth it, wondering if you've sussed where the other services are correctly, and the buzz when you get a good reading at the end and the rest of the street still has gas and water.

I started off with this. The same rod a year earlier had been 80 ohms:

Obligatory photograph for customer showing how long the new rod is (2 joined together), especially because they are not at home:

I'm still using the ground off 14mm SDS drill bit that I cut slightly shorter than I wanted to many years ago, but it works. It just sits inside a spare 5/8 rod coupler.

And the final result? Nowhere near my record but good enough to let me drive away happy:

I'm sure I'm a bit unusual in liking this task.
Within the vast array of things domestic and commercial sparks are asked to do, what is your favourite?

roys · Sep 13, 2024

I always hated doing earth rods as I was always paranoid about hitting a gas pipe, water pipe or anything else that wouldn’t act favourable to getting an earth rod romped into it. However well done.

binky · Sep 13, 2024

Solar, one new circuit to worry about, plus customer 'wants' solar. People don't want electrics, they want a working TV.

Tim Howard · Sep 13, 2024

binky said:
Solar, one new circuit to worry about, plus customer 'wants' solar. People don't want electrics, they want a working TV.

Good point. I've only ever had one customer excited about a low impedance reading and he was a physics teacher!

ProDave · Sep 13, 2024

I always enjoyed fixing faulty central heating wiring. I was often called by my plumber mate to sort tings out.

I am staggered by how few people actually understand the wiring and the actual function of a correctly operating heating control. Most just buy a standard wiring centre and connect the bits according to colour codes of things like 3 port valves and never actually test it properly. I have fixed many systems that have never worked properly from the day they were installed.

Murdoch · Sep 13, 2024

Sending invoices to customers and getting paid promptly

UNG · Sep 13, 2024

Some of my favourite jobs are the ones where other contractors have failed to deliver what they say they will or can

mainline · Sep 15, 2024

The cash ones

Andy™ · Sep 15, 2024

UNG said:
Some of my favourite jobs are the ones where other contractors have failed to deliver what they say they will or can

i get a lot of that. called in to fix what others can't or haven't installed properly

UNG · Sep 15, 2024

Andy™ said:
i get a lot of that. called in to fix what others can't or haven't installed properly

Once fixed do you get "why couldn't the others fix it when you have" my usual response is have you still got their numbers if the answer is yes then it is why don't you call them and ask them because I don't know why they couldn't

Tim Howard · Sep 15, 2024

Another job I like is sorting out broken under floor heating control systems. In my area other sparks seem to run a mile from these jobs.

Andy™ · Sep 15, 2024

UNG said:
Once fixed do you get "why couldn't the others fix it when you have" my usual response is have you still got their numbers if the answer is yes then it is why don't you call them and ask them because I don't know why they couldn't

my usual response is 'because there idiots'

and sometimes its fixing stuff that the employee's of the company who have subcontracted me couldn't do

kerching · Sep 15, 2024

Control systems, stuff others cannot do, Mixed Gas Diving Instructor
in Egypt

SPECIAL LOCATION · Sep 15, 2024

Favourite job.............?

.

Entertaining some of the grandchildren whilst wife and/or children prepare & cook the Sunday lunch!!
(and/or any other meal on any other day of the week!!)
I seem to have acquired six grandchildren so far.. with another due next year!

BUT.. if you are referring to 'proper-paid-jobs'..............

Then its generally those from some of my regular customers who do not ask for a price up-front..
They just ask if you can do 'XYZ' and when you say yes..
Leave you to get on with it, without looking over your shoulder all the time.
Plus they then pay the invoice promptly!

binky · Sep 16, 2024

I also like working in historic buildings, where you get access to areas the public doesn't.

HappyHippyDad · Sep 16, 2024

I like remote out buildings..
A nice large shed, away from the house and neighbours. Customers are either out, or completely leave you alone.
Preferably a bit of sun, but not too much.
Radio on, very happy

Badger · Sep 16, 2024

My favourite jobs are the cctv and networking comms cabinet wiring cat5 or cat6 where it is a mess then I get called to put it right

Badger · Sep 16, 2024

Badger said:
My favourite jobs are the cctv and networking comms cabinet wiring cat5 or cat6 where it is a mess then I get called to put it right

Marvo · Sep 24, 2024

Tim Howard said:
Today I had one of my favourite tasks, sorting out a completely useless TT setup. Broken RCD and rod measuring >500 ohms.
I find strange satisfaction in bashing in new earth rods. I love the suspense of wondering if all the effort will be worth it, wondering if you've sussed where the other services are correctly, and the buzz when you get a good reading at the end and the rest of the street still has gas and water.

I started off with this. The same rod a year earlier had been 80 ohms:
View attachment 17053

Obligatory photograph for customer showing how long the new rod is (2 joined together), especially because they are not at home:
View attachment 17054

I'm still using the ground off 14mm SDS drill bit that I cut slightly shorter than I wanted to many years ago, but it works. It just sits inside a spare 5/8 rod coupler.

View attachment 17055

And the final result? Nowhere near my record but good enough to let me drive away happy:

View attachment 17056

I'm sure I'm a bit unusual in liking this task.
Within the vast array of things domestic and commercial sparks are asked to do, what is your favourite?

About 10 years ago I had a contract with a mobile network provider to install underground LV electrical supplies and also a local earth for 8 remote transmission towers. The spec was that the earth impedance was sub 1 ohm at the MET which made it one of those tenders where we weren't sure if we actually wanted it so we worked out our costs for a worst case scenario installation and basically quadrupled it as our quote.

We used anything and everything including the steel perimeter fencing and posts, structural building steel, earth rods, nests, mats and even 120 meter deep steel borehole liners on some of the sites to get the impedance low enough. Overall the project went better than expected and I actually enjoyed it, there's a lot of satisfaction when you make the tests that eventually give you a reading you're looking for.

Favourite job?

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