setting up electrical test company

[training_spark]

Hi

had an idea because finding my first electrical job is proving a nightmare and the nearest jobs are 40+ miles away

if i were to setup my own electrical testing company what type of capital fund do you think would be required & is it really feasible the way everything is with finding work ect because weeks and possibly months without work would have to be accepted sometimes.

thanks

 

[confused-fuse]

hi do you have 2377 pat testing cert ? i know a few sparks who tryed to do this over the last few months and had to go do this exam alot of places want to see certs before thay pay out for pass/fail certs for insurance.. building sites are a bit of a gold mine if you can get onsite and offer them on the day testing and repair service..

regards confused-fuse

 

[sellers]

may i ask, what area of testing are you going into?

 

[training_spark]

finishing the 2330 l3 then doing 2391 and 17th, but im thinking of employing and then possibly doing some too if it got up and running properly(after getting the certs)

something that stands against me though is that i have never done electrical work outside of college because work is scarse

 

[sellers]

The thing is, your limiting yourself offering just testing. Unless you specialise in things like hazardous area testing. May be worth a look?

 

[training_spark]

thanks for the idea Sellers as I was only thinking of installation testing & periodic testing in domestic areas, i will have too look at the hazardous areas too and other ones after doing some google searches

 

[Marc]

I'm not a businessman, in fact I'm in a pretty similar position as Training_Spark, but personally I think that's a good idea. Houses often need PIRs for rental/sale and if you're not sure on the practical aspects of electrical work, it's one route to look at.

There's a local contractor who advertises as an electrical testing company. I don't know what work is like for him but he lives closeby and I often see his van coming & going so he must have some.

 

[sellers]

I'd say I average a Periodic every other week if not less. There isn't much work out there just testing. If it became law for landlords and home owners then yes go for it, but I'd say domestic testing isn't a thriving part of sparking.

 

[confused-fuse]

alot of letting agents need pir and pat testing if thay are washer/fridges/microwaves installed .. thay is 2 companies that do pat around here for letting agents and thay is alot of houses being let out

 

[maselec]

I worked for a specialist testing firm for a couple of years and most of thier work was housing associations, old folks homes, schools, young peoples training centres etc. Basically anywhere where you need to be covered to high heaven for insurance purposes. In terms of domestic, I find that most people don't know or care about PIR's especially landlords. It isn't legal (unlike gas appliances) so is just an added expense for them. Similairly estate agents don't want your PIR holding up a house sale (had a guy ask me for a refund on a PIR once, because he had low IR on his lighting circuit!, thankfully he hadn't been there and his missus had paid me. The buyer had insisted on the PIR, these are the type of people we need more of!). Mostly you get people asking for a 'safety certificate', thinking that you can come in have a nosy about and sign a bit of paper saying everythings hunky dory but when you explain what a PIR actually is (and the fact that remedial work is likely) you get the 'cowboy ripping me off' look.

 

[steptoe]

sorry to say this, but if you are still in training, and it seems like you are, then the last place you should be looking is doing PIRs.

IMHO its a very experienced part of the job doing these right,

I often get sent to sort out code 1s,

which turn out to be no RCD protection,(code4 IMO)

along with loads of other stuff which is frighteningly safe that has been condemned.

there is also the dangerous stuff that gets missed altogether,

methinks doing testing with a (very) limited practical knowledge is simple walking into a minefield.

only my opinion though.

 

[Andy™]

sorry to say this, but if you are still in training, and it seems like you are, then the last place you should be looking is doing PIRs.IMHO its a very experienced part of the job doing these right,

I often get sent to sort out code 1s,

which turn out to be no RCD protection,(code4 IMO)

along with loads of other stuff which is frighteningly safe that has been condemned.

there is also the dangerous stuff that gets missed altogether,

methinks doing testing with a (very) limited practical knowledge is simple walking into a minefield.

only my opinion though.

^ what he says