Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

[nicebutdim]

I normally will use the Piranha nuts mate, wholesalers run out though and this was sort of dropped on me yesterday. Banjos are bolted on the outside rear of the Wiska box, bit rough, but all I could do with what was available

Curious to know if most Sparks keep a stock of items like this, if they're only used periodically, or if they prefer to buy as and when required?

Not trying to be critical, but genuinely curious about the approach that people take. My mindset demands that every possible eventuality is covered in my own work, rather than having to run errands, but the downside of that is having a lot of money tied up all the time.

 

[westward10]

Curious to know if most Sparks keep a stock of items like this, if they're only used periodically, or if they prefer to buy as and when required?

Not trying to be critical, but genuinely curious about the approach that people take. My mindset demands that every possible eventuality is covered in my own work, rather than having to run errands, but the downside of that is having a lot of money tied up all the time.

I nearly always have two black Wiska 308s and a couple of packs of earthing plates, they can get you out of all sorts.

 

[SparkySy]

I stand corrected on the earth nuts fitting!

I tend to carry a selection of various boxes including the 308s and about 8-10 earthing nuts and bars and storm glands.

 

[nicebutdim]

I nearly always have two black Wiska 308s and a couple of packs of earthing plates, they can get you out of all sorts.

It was this thread that got me thinking, but over the years the tradesmen I've employed generally have to run to a wholesaler, even on relatively minor jobs.

Last year I had a tiler stretch an estimated 2 day job to 5 days, with probably 8-10 wholesaler runs in total. Don't ask me what a tiler could possibly need that necessitated so many supply runs!

 

[Grant1987]

It was this thread that got me thinking, but over the years the tradesmen I've employed generally have to run to a wholesaler, even on relatively minor jobs.

Last year I had a tiler stretch an estimated 2 day job to 5 days, with probably 8-10 wholesaler runs in total. Don't ask me what a tiler could possibly need that necessitated so many supply runs!

Unbelievable isn’t it, we all need to wholesaler runs but I’m on a job with kitchen/bathroom installation with a company I’ve not worked with before and they are taking the p**s with timescale and progression of job when they were pressuring me with the electrics I’ve done a couple of late nights to ensure their next day isn’t hampered and then they let customer down and turn up for little bit swan off and is frustrating anyway rant over wrong thread to rant ??

 

[Dustydazzler]

Unbelievable isn’t it, we all need to wholesaler runs but I’m on a job with kitchen/bathroom installation with a company I’ve not worked with before and they are taking the p**s with timescale and progression of job when they were pressuring me with the electrics I’ve done a couple of late nights to ensure their next day isn’t hampered and then they let customer down and turn up for little bit swan off and is frustrating anyway rant over wrong thread to rant ??

kitchen / bathroom fitters are the worst for dragging things out , the times I made wasted trips to go to a job to find it’s no ready or the stupid fitters have forgotten to meet me and I can’t get in the house...

 

[richy3333]

Didn't think earthing nuts fitted those boxes which is why Wiska developed those earthing plates.

Correct, the nuts dont fit that size of Wiska box

 

[richy3333]

Curious to know if most Sparks keep a stock of items like this, if they're only used periodically, or if they prefer to buy as and when required?

Not trying to be critical, but genuinely curious about the approach that people take. My mindset demands that every possible eventuality is covered in my own work, rather than having to run errands, but the downside of that is having a lot of money tied up all the time.

We keep several sizes of Wiska box on the van in black and white. Earthing nuts, gel, 20 x wago boxes in lite and normal, large Wago boxes and Hager MF boxes etc. Saying that the nearest wholesaler is 1.45 hours away so we cant just 'nip anywhere ?

 

[Micktw68]

kitchen / bathroom fitters are the worst for dragging things out , the times I made wasted trips to go to a job to find it’s no ready or the stupid fitters have forgotten to meet me and I can’t get in the house...

I do a couple of days a week for a firm of kitchen fitters, these boys are the exception to the rule, they do a pre fit survey-usually a fortnight to a month in advance ,send me a list of currently installed accessories/CU and what condition its in (visual). I then get a copy of the drawings showing new positions and any new equipment thats to be installed along with decent photos of board etc etc allowing me to make a decision on whether the installation may need upgrading or existing can be utilised (invariably its rewired) and allowing me to get the required parts before arriving onsite .They send in a rip out crew on the Monday, taking all the old kitchen out, bash off tiles and expose any of the usually crappy previous install. I go in on Tuesday and start performing usually allowed two days to get my part done. No delays or waiting around for parts.....now working for builders/developer, thats another story ?

 

[stevethesparks]

You're a lucky man, most builders/kitchen fitters I have been involved with have no consideration except for themselves.

 

[LewisM]

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[LewisM]

 

[sunray]

That's assuming they knew such a thing was available. I've come across a few sparkys who have no idea what's available - and won't enquire. One example :
I was doing a network install for a client, and their contractor's sparks was doing the dado trunking - some rather nice Rehau stuff. I quite likes some of the details, like the way the lid for the bottom section was integral to the back, so formed a tray that cables would stay in by gravity rather than the usual faff trying to get the cables to stay put while you get the bottom cover on.
On one run I had to fit 24 network cables plus a 10 pair phone cable in, and he'd left me just the small section at the top - while using all the rest for 2xRFCs (4off 2.5mm T&E) and a 10mm bonding cable ? First thing he was 110% certain of was that only the mains can go in the middle/bottom section and network cables must go in the top section - otherwise they aren't isolated. Apparently, the plastic used in this trunking only insulated one way round ?
So I mentioned adding a divider to make it into 3 section trunking. "Doesn't exist" he stated with complete authority. Unfortunately, back then I still had a rather basic phone, and that together with a poor signal meant I couldn't look it up on site - to find that yes, they do in fact do a divider. Had I known I'd have just insisted on getting the divider, but not being able to say "yes it exists" there and then, there wasn't enough time without holding the whole job up.
Luckily there was an alternative route I could take the phone cable, it was just more work.

TBH, his workmanship was top notch, he was just an idiot who didn't understand how sectioned trunking works or what's available.

And for good measure, he said "it must be nice when someone else does all the hard work for you". In a rare case of self control (bear in mind I'm autistic and tend to say exactly what I'm thinking), I managed not to give him some rather painful instructions as to what he could do to himself.

We fitted a dado trunking alond 2 sides of a big room:
Video cables in the top, audio cables in the middle & data/control cables in the bottom. "ELV only" stickers applied every couple of metres or so.
Above the tunking was the existing 2 ring finals of metal clad sockets/20mm steel tube.

All fitted, commissioned & signed off.
A week or 2 later customer complained hum on audio signals and sure enough the hum was quite obvious.
I found red, black and green/yellow singles running the full length of the trunking and to add insult to injury, one live at the top and the other at the bottom of the compartment with several amps running.

Customer asked me to remove it. I did and labled trunking with vertical dymo tape and dis board across switched off MCB to not use the trunking for mains. FOC

A week or so later the same fault reported we advised customer it would incur an invoice if the same issue was found. I found the DYMO tape had been neatly cut an asked staff to witness when I opened the trunking., advised I was not interested in removing the electric cables and to call their electrician back.

They called and explained they wanted him back straight away or no payment and he was there within 1/2 hourpr and proceeded to slag me off for putting audio cables in the wrong compartment.

The staff instructed him to remove his cable as we were there first and to do the job a different way.

I understand they passed our invoice on to him in and deducted the amoun from their payment to him.

 

[sunray]

What the heck is that , it looks like the crate I chuck all my off cuts in...

that surely can’t be an existing in use installation ?

That was a rental property, with previous tenants diy wor. The actual call out was due to a faulty bathroom fan, IIRC when Ambulance creww attended a call.
There are about 17 cables there and once an adaptable box with Din rail and terminals was fitted the nasty corner went away. As it happens it was much easier to work out what is there than expected. The initial call was in the height of the summer 2018 and that mess was in a small eaves space where the temperature meant instant sweating and dripping, an quick assessment and minor repairs were made but the proper job was done several months later while the tenents were on holiday and the temperature was if anything a bit cold.

 

[MrPupsi]

Top notch trunking/conduit hybrid install.
Also white socket outlets on metal back boxes.

 

[Moley]

I love that 90 degree bend. That's just pure class.

 

[ipf]

Top notch trunking/conduit hybrid install.
Also white socket outlets on metal back boxes.

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Looking at the first photo, I was gonna say, 'I hope that's not an overflow pipe'?.....even more so seeing the second..?
Mind you. is that a draining pipe, above ?

 

[GBDamo]

Top notch trunking/conduit hybrid install.
Also white socket outlets on metal back boxes.

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Excellent conduit skills, I'm jealous. I have to use premade bends.

 

[Strima]

Top notch trunking/conduit hybrid install.
Also white socket outlets on metal back boxes.

State of that cable tie, bloody lethal that is...

 

[ipf]

Excellent conduit skills, I'm jealous. I have to use premade bends.

We never call that conduit, just placky tube.