Q Max Cutters

[NozSpark]

In have a job to price and they have a 5' batten that they want replacing (and additional lighting) however it is fixed to an asbestos ceiling which has already been determined to be hazardous... The ceiling tiles have been sealed.

Now,,, as I don't want to disturb the existing fitting my proposal is to leave it where it is and take feeds from it to two battens fixed to the wall via 20mm conduit and I was thinking that I'd reduce the risk of airborne fibres by using a Q Max cutter to make the holes in the existing battens sides.... The conduit will not be fixed to the ceiling...

So the question is does anyone have a good supplier for these or a preferred make?? I want a 20mm one

 

[Sidewinder]

Forget going through any asbestos.

FULL STOP.

Regardless of what you are using.

UNLESS you can meet the complete HM HSE requirements.

See the a sheets for advice, and I suspect that it would be unlicensed work anyway, which still requires an unlicensed "ticket"

I buy my qmax type cutters from Cromwell, or at least the last couple I did.

 

[NozSpark]

Exactly my thoughts Sidey.... I will not touch the Asbestos what so ever... That's why I'm not even going to replace the existing fitting however I will isolate the guts and use it to feed the new fittings being mounted on the walls

IIRC there is a label on one of the ceilings saying that it contains brown fibres and I know for a fact that these ceiling tiles have just been sealed with some special coating

 

[Sidewinder]

The "sealing" is fine until you cut into them, brown is Amosite, IIRC.

This is not nice.

 

[NozSpark]

Like I say I will be leaving the existing fitting in with as the patch behind it wasn't sealed and unscrewing/screwing the fittings will release fibres no matter what other precautions are being taken... As I also don't have access to the loft space, the cables will need to be run in suspended trunking (<1m) between the existing fitting and the wall.

Will check out Cromwell's

 

[Sidewinder]

You'd still have to drill a hole in the fitting, however, this should not release fibres as you are not "working" the ACM technically, but, practically it could be an issue, even though it may not be an issue legally...

 

[NozSpark]

But drilling a relatively small 10mm hole for the cutter has got to be better than doing the 20mm hole with a hole saw or step drill.....

TBH though I think that the Q-max cutter gives the best chance of minimal release of fibres

 

[kerching]

I got a full set from my corner shop many years ago, all sizes from about 18mm to 50mm along with some square ones. I also had the hydraulic "draw bar" type tool for pulling the punch through.  One of my ex employees considered it to be part of his redundancy when he "went".........prat.

i now use them with an impact drill, excellent solution!

however, in your case, i would be F careful in the drilling. I know you are not disturbing the substrate directly BUT the vibration could cause a bit of loosening around the original fixings that were in situ prior to the sealing. Assuming the sealing was done up to the fitting and around it BUT NOT internally, if you see what i amgetting at?

a client is having to get an asbestos removal team in so that an old 18" square access panel can be removed and binned so i can use the access shaft it is covering to route my fibers in.   Costing them silly money

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Don't you need a bit of room around a q max cutter which you wont have against a batten fitting or more likely to disturb the ceiling ? I would cut a  20mm hole with a new blade in my holesaw .

 

[kerching]

......just calling in there tomorrow when passing

                                       Because I can

i dont think they do the Q max cutters anymore though.

on a side note.......not everything they sell is fantasticaly fantastic and great and sometimes they are out of stock OR it is in the bulk store in Darwen!   That hacks me off!.....trunking not on the shelf but we will be getting a drop in 2 hours!    BUT last week I had a bit of a tight spot to get some trunking in, YT2 wasn ' t big enough.  BUT they had some 28 x 28mm trunk ( never seen in before) so they delivered it direct to site

just saying

 

[steptoe]

WTF are Q max cutters?

nut punches?  :C

 

[NozSpark]

I was going to ask if there's any makes that are better than any others,,, or are q-max a make rather than a type of tool??

 

[Sidewinder]

Q-Max are a make!

In fact Mrs SW has just been tasked with getting me another 20mm one & she is looking @ two of our normal suppliers, Cromwelll& Buck & Hickman, both are < £7 ex-VAT delievered.

 

[steptoe]

what are they?

 

[NozSpark]

I looked on Cromwell and they wanted something like £4.50 P&P

I have however found local suppliers who can do them at <£10 all in

They are sheet metal hole punches Steps..

Google is your friend

 

[Sidewinder]

One of these:

https://www.cromwell.co.uk/QMX0451108J

We don't pay carriage as we have a credit account.

 

[steptoe]

ah, yes,

we proper electickity folks call them nut punches 

must get me some more toby boxes and iscos too this weekend, 

 

[Sidewinder]

Never heard the term nut punch before!

 

[steptoe]

the ones my spark used had a nut on each end [as did the ones I had later] you turned with a spanner, hence him calling them nut punches,

probably a colloquial thing,

but, IIRC , they turned and cut rather than punching, so the term was a bit wrong now I think about it,,,,,,  :C

 

[NozSpark]

I googled "nut punches"