Social housing rewires a warning

[Evans Electric]

+1

 

[sellers]

I don't think that any house can be properly re-wired in a day, I wouldn't call a trunking re-wire proper anyway!

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Equally seen rewires done to a 'shocking' standard where they have taken a week so it's all to do with each team. Don't tar each person with same brush. People can learn to b a spark in 4 weeks now??

correction

People can be taught to pass some C&G exams in 4 weeks...

Different thing ...

please do not confuse the two..

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 01:37 ---------- Previous post was made at 01:23 ----------

I work as part of a 3 man squad in (2 sparks 1 labourer) we do rewires in a day and all trunking some are dff and get cove trunking some are 3 bed houses wen I first joined the squad I thought no way a rewire a day. We have a way of working now and head down and get on is the best. Price is between 600-800 a house and we definitely take pride in making it look as good as possible and it is all done to a high standard. anything is possible!!!

Calling trunking a rewire..

Is like giving your child a clip on tie, velcro fasteners on the clothes and slip on shoes..

And saying oh yeh little jimmy has learned to dress himself now ready for school with his shirt & tie & shoes!

Sorry but...

Trunking inside a domestic property anywhere in the normal living rooms & bedrooms is just cheap tacky & nasty and never looks good!

:_|

 

[Theorysparky]

I can see how you can do 2 rewires in a week if the team of three were hard workers

The agency were advertising my job on the Monday before i left so they were expecting a high turnover.

This company though were in competion with a similar one and they were both fighting for the next contract in 6 months time so it seems that more you do they better chance you have

Rubbish really

 

[gavindrummond]

They sink in on internal walls but as for brick or block work they use PVC trunking as its simply easier and a faster turnover. Big companies are winning these contracts and then simply sub-contracting the work out to anyone who can go in and slam it up in a day. They don't really care about appearances as long as certain criteria are met there happy as its big dollar. The more they do and as fast as possible. Bad workmanship and bad practises. I've worked on these but I've had no option as I can't get an apprenticeship so beggars can't be choosers so to speak.

 

[Steve3948]

I don't think that any house can be properly re-wired in a day, I wouldn't call a trunking re-wire proper anyway!

Hang on, DIY-SOS do a whole house makeover in less than a week, and Billy has the local sparks on board helping him because he clearly does not have a clue ; )

 

[jakecameron]

So because we get told that we want our houses rewired with trunking we are bad sparks? U guys are missing my point I agreed and said it looks terrible and said when I do private rewires it takes alot longer going first fix the plaster or kitchens getting done etc but a simple trunking rewire can be done to the standard of 7671 in a day no problem. I done a 4 year apprenticeship and agree it takes a hell of a time to learn the trade. Everyday is a learning curve always learning every day but after all down ur way you's allow kitchen fitter and plumbers to take a crash course on electrics and get part p and all of a sudden they are sparks? That is the work I would be concerned on. Not guys trying their best to make a living whilst getting told wat to install. If they think trunking is a good idea who am I to argue. The point is because we do them in a day does not make us bad sparks!! We also do alot of industrial 3 phase rewires and the likes. Granted u get some monkeys but as a whole we all do the best the council will allow.

 

[Jono Pashley]

Maybe if councils gave half a **** it wouldnt be so costly to maintain their stock as it was done right to start with...but then that makes sense

 

[Manator]

So because we get told that we want our houses rewired with trunking we are bad sparks? U guys are missing my point I agreed and said it looks terrible and said when I do private rewires it takes alot longer going first fix the plaster or kitchens getting done etc but a simple trunking rewire can be done to the standard of 7671 in a day no problem. I done a 4 year apprenticeship and agree it takes a hell of a time to learn the trade. Everyday is a learning curve always learning every day but after all down ur way you's allow kitchen fitter and plumbers to take a crash course on electrics and get part p and all of a sudden they are sparks? That is the work I would be concerned on. Not guys trying their best to make a living whilst getting told wat to install. If they think trunking is a good idea who am I to argue. The point is because we do them in a day does not make us bad sparks!! We also do alot of industrial 3 phase rewires and the likes. Granted u get some monkeys but as a whole we all do the best the council will allow.

It is not the electricians fault, its down to the councils who allow this to go on and the so called main contractors who put in ridiculous low tenders for the work.

I would urge anyone who has had this type of install done to complain to their councils who believe this is OK, after all if it was a private landlord I bet he would get hauled over the coals for doing a rewire in trunking.

 

[Zeespark]

When My grandfather was having work done on His house, the Clerk of works said that He was paying for a full rewire of My grandfathers house. When I had shown Him what had been done, He was furious, no renewing of entire circuits etc.

AndyGuinness

 

[jakecameron]

Ive heard some bad story's of people leaving houses in a mess and basically not rewiring at all. I would not accept it in my own house which is hard web we install it. It's a mess but lets be honest we make a good wage out of it and it's steady work for the next couple of years. Not much site work out there that's the only other place with good price work.

 

[steptoe]

wow, well I'll start off with, if a 3 man team cant rewire an occupied 3 bed council in trunking in a day they aint doing much,

the guys Im talking about are chasing in, a plasterer follows next day.

councils do the bare minimum, the ones (voids) I do are bare bone basic spec, like for like, apart from the usual smokes etc, you can only do what you are spec'd and paid to do,

but I do know one thing, myself and my mate used to do a bare bones domestic lived in, in trunking, in a day pretty easily, rough as F***, but the council didnt care at that time, and they simply sent a guy a few days later to verify all our test results on our connection sheet, and yes, every circuit had a full test done on it by us, we worked 12 hour days on average, and usually cleared just over 300 for the priviledge.

alas, those days are now gone, and Im a bit older, so I cant/wont, bang myself anymore.

 

[Steve3948]

There is nothing wrong with trunking, in fact I have had home owners who have requested it because they don't want the mess of chasing walls.

It makes sense, and it can always be flushed in at a later stage when a new owner takes the property and its empty for a while.

There is also the cost element not everyone can afford to have it flush and all the decoration done, but the house needs to be safe and trunking gets the job done.

When its done well it looks fine, I personally would not have it but that's my choice in my home, just because some don't like, that don't make it wrong, it's choice.

 

[gavindrummond]

I don't think it's a case if it's right or wrong. The point was over council properties having rewires. Major contracts that are subbed out on price work. Because its price work there under pressure to get the job done as fast as possible. If it was day rate it would be completely different everything would be chased in and looks neat and tidy for appearances sake. There's nothing wrong with trunking but it's a cheap shot to just say well were getting paid on price work so how fast can we do the job to make more money = PVC trunking.

 

[Steve3948]

It's not the installers who want it done in trunking it's the council !!!

They may have 1000's of homes on their register that need rewiring, they have a budget, and with most homes having tenants in who would go ape if contractors started chasing walls out, the council would have claims coming in left right and centre, and they would not have the funds to cover it.

If you have done any council work you would know what it's like.

Plumber puts heating in, tenant unscrews nut on rad, wants new carpet due to damage, it's endless hassle for them.

 

[gavindrummond]

I do know about the claims. If there are any the spark was paying out of his own pocket for any so called damages it's a mine field. But tenants also have the option of having cables buried in. So it may well be different where your from but here they have the option, but they don't like to give that info as its faster to install on PVC trunking.

 

[Steve3948]

I do know about the claims. If there are any the spark was paying out of his own pocket for any so called damages it's a mine field. But tenants also have the option of having cables buried in. So it may well be different where your from but here they have the option, but they don't like to give that info as its faster to install on PVC trunking.

True, in the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire areas no option, it's strictly surface, in fact I heard of an installation where a sub-contractor managed to pull the cables down the existing channel, he was told he would not be paid as the specification was for surface install only and it was not fair to other tenants, he refused cut his losses and left.

I did 1,850 heating controls over a period of 7 years 2 days a week, sub-contact to a plumbing contractor, I did see the standards of install and it was not always good, but some of these dwellings were health hazards tbf. I only ever refused to do 1 heating control and that was because they had 2 dogs that never went outside, there was dog s**t everywhere and the ammonia took your breath away, how the plumber put up with that I don't know, but I refused, my gag reflex would not allow it, but someone did !!!

 

[Theorysparky]

These tenants did have the option for chasing,,,,,but decided not to after seeing a neighbours mess left behind

anyway a learning curve for me and hopefully made the pitfalls aware for anyone choosing this route

Jake

fair play to you mate if you can bang it out in a day ,,,with the 2 guys i was with i wasnt going to happen !!! not even in 2 days......

 

[alpha spark]

I saw a advert on job centre website other week for a similar role they were offering

 

[jakecameron]

I don't agree with it but they do pay so head down and get on with it. Wi do some that are fully tubed and that is a much neater job. Some of our squads can't do a day and rush things(not good)