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One of my sparky mates reckons he know a team of sparks that rewire houses in a day- 1st and 2nd fix. Every time he tells me about them he says "I know you won't believe me, I can't believe it my self but I swear they do it all in a day" he also says that they often leave a mess, huge holes left in the ceiling around pendents, often leaking pipes after where they have disturbed fittings or screwed through pipes but its still a rewire in a day.
 
Hello,
I am an apprentice electrician doing work mostly on domestic 3 bed house rewires (do flats and other houses as well but most are 3 bed houses) we normally do the rewires in 1 day (start about 8 and finish time varies between 2-3 (if lucky) and 4-6 most of the time)
The issue is that it the it takes me too long to do the upstairs (loft, fit lights and switches and chop, Capp and fit sockets then clean up) and it can take me all day to do this and some times the people I work with have to come up and fits some of the sockets as they have finished the downstairs.

How can I speed up?

Thanks.
Experience and practise, after a few years you will want to slow down lol
 
I used to follow a 5 gang team that would 1st & 2nd fix a 3 bed house in a day....not including the plastering....that was done buy someone else!! They used "safety box's", these were in place between the back box and socket/switch front, so the plasterer could do his stuff and not have to disturb the wiring!! All RCBO aswell!!
 
Ah well so we're back to the "One day rewires- is it possible" thread. I thought we hadn't had one for a while.
Anyway, here's my experience of them.
A few years ago when out of work I got a call from an agency regarding domestic rewires for Mears, the rate was ok so I said I'd go. When I got there I was told it was what used to be known as a Sanatogen job - one a day, every day. The squad consisted of 4 sparks and about a thousand labourers, sparks were to pull cables and the labourers were to do all the donkey work of chasing, lifting boards etc.
One pair of sparks were given the RFCs to pull in, once that was done they went on to the single point stuff, cooker, smokes, shower etc, while the other pair pulled in the lights. Now with the job flooded with people it's really easy to get someone to stick a fishing rod up a hole then shout for them to pull it. I can assure you, dear reader, that a rewire in a day is easily achievable.
Where it falls down is quality. Chases are put in seemingly at random because not all of them were used all of the time, boxes not properly sunk or squared, holes in ceilings made with a hammer not a pad saw and (most damningly of all) short cuts taken on testing.
 
Ah well so we're back to the "One day rewires- is it possible" thread. I thought we hadn't had one for a while.
Anyway, here's my experience of them.
A few years ago when out of work I got a call from an agency regarding domestic rewires for Mears, the rate was ok so I said I'd go. When I got there I was told it was what used to be known as a Sanatogen job - one a day, every day. The squad consisted of 4 sparks and about a thousand labourers, sparks were to pull cables and the labourers were to do all the donkey work of chasing, lifting boards etc.
One pair of sparks were given the RFCs to pull in, once that was done they went on to the single point stuff, cooker, smokes, shower etc, while the other pair pulled in the lights. Now with the job flooded with people it's really easy to get someone to stick a fishing rod up a hole then shout for them to pull it. I can assure you, dear reader, that a rewire in a day is easily achievable.
Where it falls down is quality. Chases are put in seemingly at random because not all of them were used all of the time, boxes not properly sunk or squared, holes in ceilings made with a hammer not a pad saw and (most damningly of all) short cuts taken on testing.


Trev, I know where your coming from.....as far as I know, the only tests the guys did was a Zs, Ze, Pfc!!!! That was just to make sure it was safe!!lol I would go in, about two weeks later, after the plasterer, kitchen fitter and decorator and do the full set of tests!!!! I was told, they didnt do the IR test because all circuits were on RCBO's and if there was a fault, the rcbo would trip straight away!!!!!

Makes you think!!!!lol
 
Jay, these monkeys would do a Ze and a global IR, if there was enough time(Lol) they'd test the RCD and that was it. The rest, they'd just make up, when I called them out over it they'd say "Well it's a rewire, you know it's all ok" I was bloody glad it wasn't my name going on the EICs
 
Jay, these monkeys would do a Ze and a global IR, if there was enough time(Lol) they'd test the RCD and that was it. The rest, they'd just make up, when I called them out over it they'd say "Well it's a rewire, you know it's all ok" I was bloody glad it wasn't my name going on the EICs


Exactly what they said to me!!lol "Its a rewire, if owt was wrong, the rcbo would trip within seconds"!! If I found owt wrong when I did the full tests, the company would send them back to sort it out.

All I can say, is that at the time I was still wet behind the ears and I did what they said!!! It was only after a few months, I reallised what I was actually doing!!lol
 
Ah, the old 'bang test'.

Done it many times with old PILC's, some over 50 years old. One I know of is now 75 years old and still going, I re-terminated it 25 years ago.

"It's a bit low".
"Once it's warmed up it'll get better."
They did, never had one fail.

For industrial the minimum reading isn’t what it says in the 17[SUP]th[/SUP].
Based on 1M Ώ you lot would condemn every large motor or feeder circuit in a plant.

I was taught (M&Q) 1/10,000 leakage current is permissible based on the circuit FLC. So say a 550V 400A feeder. What would you let it go at?
You can work it out for yourself, I have it in a spreadsheet.
 
Exactly what they said to me!!lol "Its a rewire, if owt was wrong, the rcbo would trip within seconds"!! If I found owt wrong when I did the full tests, the company would send them back to sort it out.

All I can say, is that at the time I was still wet behind the ears and I did what they said!!! It was only after a few months, I reallised what I was actually doing!!lol
and even then they`d be talking out of their botty holes....caus it would be mS...wouldn`t it....lol..
 
By rewiring so "fast" it is obvious that your cable runs are not clipped as they should be and are they run at 90d or
at a tangent between points ?
Remember it is your competencies that your employer and yourself are monitoring.
Is the work you do all surface ?
 

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