Yesterday, Cu Swap

[M107]

Well I got the job because the lady of the house put her foot down & I was recomended by her mate. Her hubby on the other hand wasnt overly chuffed at the £400 quote.

Quoted for out with the old cu 7 way 3036, move new cu a few feet/extend circuit tails & install MEB as none present to gas & water.

I get there & matey pipes up over a brew

"one of the lads I know said he would do it for £100, he did his own swap a few months ago & the board only cost him £60 from toolstation"

Is he a sparks then?

"No , but he is good with diy stuff"

So I crack on & this simple board change becomes a 09:30 to 19:00 mare.......(did IR & ring cont during quote visit)

Upstairs lighting only partrial cpc continuity on the circuit.......(traced to diy bob and all cpc's cut off at a jb.....bathroom ligts) loft fully boarded over all cables/jb's & DL's.

Multiple spurs off spurs (lucky they were all in the garage so put on their own circuit on new board)

Kitchen socket x4 wired in 1.5mm off 32A down ringmain (had a break as it was wired back to the board, so plonked in on it's own 20A radial via a fused spur next to cu).

Has to be said the blokes attitude changed by the end of the day....................

"you've earned your money mate, I had no idea what was involved. "

Hmm bet your mate would have slapped the new unit in, no testing, no rectification work, no testing, no cert, no warranty, no hope of it being safe...............................but you would have saved a couple of hundred quid.

"Sorry I questioned the price you put in, Use this £20 to buy a beer on the way home"

 

[Zeespark]

Sometimes its seeing the work done that convinces these people to go with competent sparks matey. :Salute

Andy Guinness

 

[ProDave]

Kitchen socket x4 wired in 1.5mm off 32A down ringmain (had a break as it was wired back to the board, so plonked in on it's own 20A radial via a fused spur next to cu).

Can you explain the bit about the FCU and what's it there for? Why not just use a 16A MCB and forget the FCU :C

 

[Manator]

Tales like this remind me of what a good job some of our members do.

Well done mate £400 was still cheap.

 

[paul b b]

any photos M?

 

[streetlighter]

Did a quote last week for a security floodlight and noticed the potential client still had the old Wylex wooden backed CU so advised them about the potential dangers and that an upgrade to a modern unit with RCD protection would be advisable gave them a price and was told they had been quoted £150 by an electrician six months ago and told him he was too expensive !

As for the security light my price too install it was also too expensive an we where polietly shown the door !

 

[boltonsparky]

they had been quoted £150 by an electrician six months ago and told him he was too expensive !

Some people really have no idea at all... about anything, then his mrs will go down the hair dressers and spend close to a hundred quid on a restyle??

The mind boggles!

 

[M107]

Can you explain the bit about the FCU and what's it there for? Why not just use a 16A MCB and forget the FCU :C

Covering me own posterior Dave......they will be doing the kitchen soon, not knowing if I was to get the sparks work, I thought I'd go via an fcu just in case......

I did take a couple of pictures (will put them up later when I get home), but to be honest I was a little lax & only did one at the start & one at the end. So unfortunately none of the interior of the new cu........you can just make out the use of Wagos in the adapatable box........(expecting a ribbing due to the untidyness, but I left the din mount terminals I had planned to use at home, so wago was the way to go)

 

[binky]

Did a quote last week for a security floodlight and noticed the potential client still had the old Wylex wooden backed CU so advised them about the potential dangers and that an upgrade to a modern unit with RCD protection would be advisable gave them a price and was told they had been quoted £150 by an electrician six months ago and told him he was too expensive !

As for the security light my price too install it was also too expensive an we where polietly shown the door !

it was more than a tenner then :slap

 

[binky]

Some people really have no idea at all... about anything, then his mrs will go down the hair dressers and spend close to a hundred quid on a restyle??

The mind boggles!

Worked out hourly rate on Costa packet Coffee is £60 at £2.50 and 2 mins per brew, and do people complain.....

 

[Andy™]

Did a quote last week for a security floodlight and noticed the potential client still had the old Wylex wooden backed CU so advised them about the potential dangers and that an upgrade to a modern unit with RCD protection would be advisable gave them a price and was told they had been quoted £150 by an electrician six months ago and told him he was too expensive !

As for the security light my price too install it was also too expensive an we where polietly shown the door !

last time someone did something similar to me, i didnt even give them a price for what i was there for. just told them it would be too expensive for them

 

[M107]

As I said I only remembered to take 2 pictures.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/Nov055.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/Nov057.jpg

 

[ProDave]

That has to be the easiest gas bond ever.

I take it the seal fairy helped you fit those henley's for the new tails. :innocent .

 

[M107]

Cough Cough......Indeed so Dave apparently she had an early start so was gone before I got there....

 

[M107]

The water bond made up for the easy gas................along the garage, out and around the external house wall for 12 meters, through into kitchen behind cupboards, kick panels off the cupboards to reach & pull in cable a further 4 meters, stop cock boxed in behind corner cabinet so off with a blank panel & I had an 8 inch gap to squeeze my not so slight frame through, & at full stretch do up the 951.