sparks mate or improver?

Talk Electrician Forum

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

gavindrummond

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
377
Reaction score
0
Location
South Wales
Hi all I'm just about to start a new job but it's on a days trial basis. There is a team of 3 doing domestic rewires 1 house complete in 1 day. I'm going to be doing the second fix on everything so am I a sparks mate or an improver?

 
Sparks mate i would say

your not learning anything new...

unless you have not wired a lighting cct before ????

how much are you getting per house if you dont mind me asking

 
none really

listen to what the guys tell you/teach you

if in doubt ask

be prepared to work fast and hard

 
Indeed sounds like proper graft mate, you will certainly know that you've done a days work.

 
I'd Imagine that a sparks mate will be doing the fetching and carrying for him as well as learning a few tricks of the trade. It does depend though how good the electrician is himself. but don't take any old rubbish either. What are your capabilities. Can you wire two way lighting for example

 
Sounds interesting ... 3 guys 1 day rewires , what are they - Wendy houses!!! Just shows what were up against.......

 
Please get photos if possible...I need to see a '1 day rewire'

FFS back in the day i used to spend half a day working out the neatest way to do the job so there was minimal decorating/making good afterwards.

I hate domestic, unless it is for a good contact or previous client then i will do it. Rapidly approaching 56 I am too old to be crawling around in lofts, kneeling down bent double for hours, chopping out boxes, moving furniture, lifting boards, getting supply back on at night etc etc etc..... :coat

 
Sounds like a job with no job satisfaction and inevitably poor customer service and workmanship. Assume all surface mount and domestic butchery for tenants. You will learn something but can't see how all that can be properly achieved in one day. Sparks mate. Suspect you'll be on sockets!

I'm teaching Level 3 2330 students and I'm staggered how poor the students are at 2 way lighting circuits - which should be a basic.

Soapbox time:- If they fail a multiple choice exam - no problem - retake until they pass!! College led to tick boxes - keep retention and achievement. Carp administration by C & G to boost pass rated. The electrical industry suffers.

 
I was rewiring council houses and flats in one day, my team consisted of me another sparky and an improver. We was doing one a day for around two years. And it really is hard graft, you definitely will know that you have worked hard by the end of the day. Houses had to be chased in flush and flats had high level trunking with trunking drops in every room except the kitchen where it had to be chased in. I'm sure you will have a lot of late nights, good luck :)

 
So today i had a interview with a similar bunch of people they want a rewire doing in 1 to 1 and a half days, jobs are on price 400 quid divided between the 3 in the team...so basically you have to do one a day to make it pay anything worthwhile brilliant job if you like wranglers and stetsons as workwear...

 
Dave I had to test it all at the end of the day and fill out an EIC for the council, but they did all the part p notifying malarkey.

 
Rewires in a day eh! You must have earned the gaffer a lot of money , so were you doing 5 rewires a week or what ?

I remember a mate starting with a firm who were wiring a new build estate near here (Chelmsley Wood) years ago. I asked how he was getting on there. His answer. " Its all house bashing on this firm , sparks are earning megabucks doing 1st /2nd fixes ,driving round in the latest cars. They won't let me on it , I'm doing all the remedials , every house has wiring faults, missing cables etc , they gave me a repair kit , cable , crimp lugs ,JBs, connectors "

I remember they were working 7 days , new build, a 1st or 2nd fix in a day . Long time ago though.

I think they were earning a weeks normal pay for a sparks in 2 days.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
As others, a 1 day 3 man rewire will be a p**s poor job. I've seen the results of a 1 day council rewire, one socket per room, trunking drops down to surface light switches, squeeky floorboards left loose, real poor work.

It has to be better than unemployment, but I would only consider such work if really desperate, and then only as a temporary stop gap while looking for something better.

 
Yes Evans we were usually doing 5 a week, that's if there was no hick ups with materials or getting the keys or the lay out drawings. We was doing them to a good standard also and there was two socket outlets in each room, kitchens had more depending on size. I'm glad I'm not doing them anymore that's for sure

 
I have no idea how it can be done in a day, a decent size house takes me 4-5 days, that's all clipped and chased. I'm not saying it can't be done. But you guys must be ridiculously fast. And you can't be clean !

 
We each had a set task, at the start we were taking longer than a day, but we soon got them complete in a day. It was routine. By the end of the day all I wanted was to get in the bath and then just sit in front of the telly :)

 
Top