SWA Scenario - Routing of cable

[1shortcircuit]

I went to price a job up a couple of weeks ago that I was unsuccessful with winning. Nevermind, can't win them all.

Today though I've been trying to annalyze why I have not been winning some of the work that I've been quoting on.

With a day rate of £160 and pricing materials at the Screwfix Catalogue prices to give a realistic cost and still make a little I don't believe this to be the problem.

So I'm looking at myself and asking "Am I being realistic" in terms of how long the job will take?

I've thought of another way that this particular job could have been done to save a lot of time and wonder how others would see it.

There were other jobs to do but the part that pushed up the labour time was routing an SWA cable from the house, through a wall, along the wall, across a concrete footpath (through gateway) across 4ft of grass and into the shed where a double socket, light and PIR security light were required.

Now I priced to dig a trench (600mm depth) to cross the path and grass to get into the shed but could i have got away with just cutting a channel out of the concrete that would allow the SWA to not be a trip hazard? It wouldn't have been visible BUT chippings covered the path anyway.

I'm wondering if I could have got away with this because the SWA would be visible on the wall and then it could have been clipped to the fence the other side of the gate and then left on the grass for approx 1ft before passing into the bottom of the shed???

Regards

1SC

 

[johnboy6083]

Don't fall into the trap of taking shortcuts to win work. It's a slippery slope mate. There's a difference between efficiency and sloppy work.

 

[malcolmsanford]

As you know Richard in our Regs there is not mention on buried depth of a SWA though in the new amendment from January you will have CCC factors regarding this now.

There is noting in the Regs stopping you doing what you proposed, but out of the regs you know that it is dog rough and is it worth lowering your standards,

OK could live with perhaps just channeling the concrete and covering with chippings as unlikely your going to dig there, but left on grass for 12" .................come on your horse needs hay as well lol

 

[Engineer54]

Now I priced to dig a trench (600mm depth) to cross the path and grass to get into the shed but could i have got away with just cutting a channel out of the concrete that would allow the SWA to not be a trip hazard? It wouldn't have been visible BUT chippings covered the path anyway. Regards1SC

OK could live with perhaps just channeling the concrete and covering with chippings as unlikely your going to dig there, but left on grass for 12" .................come on your horse needs hay as well lol

While agreeing with most that has been said here about the trend to cut corners, which is never a good idea even at the best of times. The one thing that did catch my eye was cutting this channel in the concrete path and it being covered in stone chippings. Now this is not a very good idea at all, as most chippings tend to have sharp edges to them, lay them on top of a SWA cable and you can bet your last dollar that the sheath of that SWA is going to be penetrated, especially if people are walking on these chippings forcing them into the sheath. ...And we all know what happens then don't we?? Even worse senerio, is when the SWA is used as the circuits CPC...

 

[1shortcircuit]

"HAY" I'm presenting a scenario lol

I quoted a fair price to do the job properly, actually if anything I have under quoted.

Like I say I am trying to analyse why I'm not winning the work.

I have standards that I will always work to:thumbsup

Whilst something may sound rough, it may still be compliant right? That's what I am asking.

Fair comment about grass but what if I had mentioned supporting the cable from the fence to the shed?

I'm not interested in doing a job for peanuts and I wouldn't agree to someone saying that they have dug a trench at the correct depth and laid the cable already.

 

[1shortcircuit]

While agreeing with most that has been said here about the trend to cut corners, which is never a good idea even at the best of times. The one thing that did catch my eye was cutting this channel in the concrete path and it being covered in stone chippings. Now this is not a very good idea at all, as most chippings tend to have sharp edges to them, lay them on top of a SWA cable and you can bet your last dollar that the sheath of that SWA is going to be penetrated, especially if people are walking on these chippings forcing them into the sheath. ...And we all know what happens then don't we?? Even worse senerio, is when the SWA is used as the circuits CPC...

Thank You very much E54, you have presented me a reason beyond doubt that this is not an acceptable method. I didn't even think of that and I am glad that I asked the question:thumbsup

 

[Specialist]

I went to price a job up a couple of weeks ago that I was unsuccessful with winning. Nevermind, can't win them all.

Today though I've been trying to annalyze why I have not been winning some of the work that I've been quoting on.

With a day rate of £160 and pricing materials at the Screwfix Catalogue prices to give a realistic cost and still make a little I don't believe this to be the problem.

So I'm looking at myself and asking "Am I being realistic" in terms of how long the job will take?

I've thought of another way that this particular job could have been done to save a lot of time and wonder how others would see it.

There were other jobs to do but the part that pushed up the labour time was routing an SWA cable from the house, through a wall, along the wall, across a concrete footpath (through gateway) across 4ft of grass and into the shed where a double socket, light and PIR security light were required.

Now I priced to dig a trench (600mm depth) to cross the path and grass to get into the shed but could i have got away with just cutting a channel out of the concrete that would allow the SWA to not be a trip hazard? It wouldn't have been visible BUT chippings covered the path anyway.

I'm wondering if I could have got away with this because the SWA would be visible on the wall and then it could have been clipped to the fence the other side of the gate and then left on the grass for approx 1ft before passing into the bottom of the shed???

Regards

1SC

Apart from being Dog rough mate & the problem with chippings / SWA, ask yourself this: Would you have been really happy leaving a job that way ? After reading a lot of your posts on other things I really doubt it.

 

[1shortcircuit]

Would you have been really happy leaving a job that way ?

Most definitely not. I priced to do the job properly and I lost out.

As mentioned it probably is all too easy to cut corners and still work within the regs but the work will be dog rough and not something you would want to post pictures of and put on your website or the forum.

I'll keep doing what I am doing.

Thanks for your posts everyone.

:thumbsup