Torque Screwdrivers

[unconditional]

Anyone use one?

Had my NIC audit other day, told to get one, been told in the past too but this guy I think won't take it well if I don't bother.

So, cheapest thing made and kept with the probe tips/H&S policy statement etc for annual inspections?

Or something decent? Whats good and what breaks? Anything with decent priced replacement tips, I find you do get through those PZ2's with all the carved up terminals that the cowboys and drifters leave behind. Y'know the ones actually causing the fires. Which will somehow be magickilly stopped by making non-fire causing skilled people change their tools.

 

[LeeH]

Nope.

 

[Pete999]

Got one never used it, mind you I didn't pay for it

 

[Andy78]

Nope here too.

If any inspector wanted to fail my assessment because of not torquing connections to the manufacturer's recommendations, I would ask them to prove that I hadn't. Lack of ownership of a torque driver does not a loose connection make.

 

[GMES]

I went and bought 2 Armeg sets with all the extra bits, probably £100 per set, waited for the yearly Niceic assesment and then proudly showed them to the inspector who immediately laughed and said they were a waste of money and didn't care for Torque drivers and equally did'nt care if we had them.

 

[LeeH]

I fitted some MCCB's the other day, they had shear bolts on them.

So obviously the bolt heads snapped off at the correct torque.

 

[Andy78]

I went and bought 2 Armeg sets with all the extra bits, probably £100 per set, waited for the yearly Niceic assesment and then proudly showed them to the inspector who immediately laughed and said they were a waste of money and didn't care for Torque drivers and equally did'nt care if we had them.

Best get one in the post to the OP then
We could start a rota where everyone on the forum could post their assessment dates, and the current "holder of the tool", as they would be known, could post it on to the next fella just in time to show the assessor.

 

[rolyberkin]

I have an Armeg set and use it all the time to check all DB connections, also use a Wiha Torque set on occasions but they all do the same thing. Personally I am from the school that I do it by the book and if it goes wrong I can hand on heart say I did, wasn't asked if I had one on my inspection with Stroma. I am always amazed by how tight my torque driver takes the connections, probably tighter than I would naturally do by hand.

 

[GMES]

He's from London Andy, I don't trust them cockneys Only Kidding before all the jellied eel brigade jump on me LOL

 

[GMES]

Anyone use one?

Had my NIC audit other day, told to get one, been told in the past too but this guy I think won't take it well if I don't bother.

So, cheapest thing made and kept with the probe tips/H&S policy statement etc for annual inspections?

Or something decent? Whats good and what breaks? Anything with decent priced replacement tips, I find you do get through those PZ2's with all the carved up terminals that the cowboys and drifters leave behind. Y'know the ones actually causing the fires. Which will somehow be magickilly stopped by making non-fire causing skilled people change their tools.

Got one never used it, mind you I didn't pay for it

I see a Beautiful friendship emerging!! For the right price obviously.

 

[Pete999]

I see a Beautiful friendship emerging!! For the right price obviously.

I will be checking which model I have and checking against ebay prices, so watch this space

 

[Richard Burns]

I believe the Armeg ones have 1/4" blades so you can use any (long) bit in them and the replacement blades are much more reasonably priced than the other makes, however the total cost of the set is always a bit OTT.
Probably the cheapest ones are about £60, I think wiha, but limited blades.

 

[7029 dave]

IMO,we should all be using them.

 

[nunthe wiser]

I bought a Wiha digital one, a few years ago after a melted connection was found in one of my boards. When set to manufacturers instructions I was shocked at how slack the connections can be. I am of the opinion the mcbs etc should be engineered to be stronger instead of to a minimum.

 

[rolyberkin]

I bought a Wiha digital one, a few years ago after a melted connection was found in one of my boards. When set to manufacturers instructions I was shocked at how slack the connections can be. I am of the opinion the mcbs etc should be engineered to be stronger instead of to a minimum.

I am the opposite, find the torqued connections are way tighter than I would do by guestimation.

 

[Andy78]

The problem is that by mandating the use of torque screwdrivers across the board as a solution to loose terminals, standards might actually drop.
A good termination is about good preparation of the cable including dressing, cropping, forming and settling. It's not good enough to say that a torque driver is the solution to poorly installed cables, especially larger cables like domestic tails.

The NICEIC will be insisting on these implements being used as there is a known problem with standards of installation, and they know they have been registering poorly trained and inexperienced installers for years. More covering themselves and playing to the lowest common denominator rather than upholding standards.

 

[Rpa07]

Also they need calibration and a lot of places wouldn't touch them. The cost would be the same amount again to get them set - electricians again getting stuffed from every angle. Is it not just 'F' tight or 'VF' tight as it used to be in my mechanical training all those years ago.
Agree with the 'preparation of the termination' as being the most important.
Liking the idea of posting it around for every assessment. No carving little notches 'I wuZ yer'!

 

[Pat H]

I was looking at them. But the price...

 

[HandySparks]

A good termination is about good preparation of the cable including dressing, cropping, forming and settling. It's not good enough to say that a torque driver is the solution to poorly installed cables, especially larger cables like domestic tails.

Quite. Totally agree.
The other, related, issue is actually getting the conductor in the terminal. I have seen:

Screw had never been tightened onto busbar.

CU busbar on wrong side of cage clamp.









Tail missing hole in Henley block (screw was tight though!).

 

[LeeH]

IMO,we should all be using them.

Why what's wrong with my terminations?