Worth a pop as a spare / lend out?

[overskilled]

So looking around for test kit to buy (normally hire and build the hire charge into the invoice - many reasons one of them being if the thing decides to drop dead during the job the hire company replaces it)
Though starting to need it more and more (for a while was doing property refreshes on newly occupied properties (so electrical survey already done pre-contract swaps) - change the sockets / switches for whatever was flavour of the month this week) as undertaking more "proper sparkying" and the hire costs are getting a bit painful. Looking at a megger 1720 for main use, but noticed the following on ebay and thought it might be worth a go as a spare or something to lend out that doesn't matter overly if it grows legs / falls down the stairs / backup while main kit is away for calibration....

Digital Insulation Resistance Tester Megger MegOhm Meter 1000V 0~2000M? DY30-1 | eBay

Thoughts? (potentially chinese junk, though at £40....if it lasts a year...pay for itself)

 

[Tim]

It looks like chinease junk, but i could be wrong, i take it your aware you cant do any live testing with this.

If you get it, let us know how you get on.

Tim

 

[overskilled]

Yep realised it was just an IR tester, seen a few other separates kicking around though that would handle the live testing part. Might take the plunge after this next job pays up.
Could be the case of the old "buy one, take it apart, see how it works and design our own from it"

 

[timo1]

You can get a decent enough mft on eBay or gumtree for around £200. I've had mine for the last 3 years and I paid less than £250 second hand. I treat mine with kid gloves, as long as you look after it it should last. I'm actually selling my spare Metrel for £120. Needs calibration as expired last April (2012) but been fine for me, it's just a case of keeping your eyes open.

 

[overskilled]

Timo, Multifunction metrel? model?
I might be interested in taking it off your hands and getting the calibration done.
Not looking for anything flash as at the moment the majority of the work I'm doing is refresh either to get the place sold or just after new people move in to match the decor better...Not complaining, easy enough work and any work is better than none at the moment.....

 

[timo1]

I'll send you a pm mate

 

[overskilled]

cheers

 

[GMES]

I do love an happy ending

 

[Octopus]

How much do you get charged for hiring one? Surely you are wasting time and money messing around each time you need one!

 

[overskilled]

As said of late its been sporadic where I've needed it, as a lot of the stuff I've been doing is comestic refresh work (not complaining...its work) and not even that much, so it was cost effective to hire it at that point, now won't be as different jobs possibly cropping up on the radar...

 

[Octopus]

So much for the arms being for Electricians.

 

[overskilled]

Mods feel free to delete this, but I ain't biting my tongue in response to some trying to be a pompous little clever dick.
Murdoch, go play on the railways or something...just because I hire kit doesn't mean squat, seen plenty of guys with "all the gear and no idea", work has been quiet of late (what happens when unemployment locally goes upward rapidly), so committing £600->£1200 into kit makes no financial sense and is outwith the budget (heck I drive an estate car >8 years old), when I can hire the kit I need for a week and split the cost between 2 /3 jobs, minimal cost, kit comes calibrated, any issues the hire company swaps it out and one less thing for me to keep around the house.
Like nothing better than the cash to buy some nice kit, but its called living within your means and keeping overheads to a minimum....
You sound just like the grey brigade on my 17th course, giving all the guys under 35 stick for being wet behind the ears, we'll show you how its done. Result EVERYONE of them failed big style, funnily enough they all turned up in shiny new vans stacked with x grands worth of kit......

 

[Octopus]

I was simply making the point that I simply can't believe that hiring a tester can make ANY financial sense.

What does your scheme make of it?

 

[overskilled]

I live in Scotland, therefore I don't have to be a member of a notification Scam, looked at NICEIC but rarely work on flats or 3 storey houses (mainly as not many of them round this way and those there are, are facing the bulldozer) so the work doesn't come under the scottish building code and doesn't need to be notified to a scheme nor to building control and customers more interested in price than the stickers on the car so again its an overhead that doesn't make sense at the moment.
Also as said, lately I've been doing cosmetic work on properties that have changed hands, PIR done as part of the survey process, but post move in, customer wants -nickel / brass / coloured sockets and switches fitted instead of whatever is present. Wiring already tested so just a matter of swapping accessories, do continuity tests but don't have the kit to do full blown testing on me all the time.
Lately stuff like CU swaps has been like hens teeth, customer gets a reasonable quote for the swap and mostly decides it'll do another few years or decides to add it to the cost of getting the kitchen done/extended a few months down the line.
Not ideal but live with what I can right now.

 

[RmBo_0]

How much would you pay each job to rent a tester? I'm guessing around £80. So if you need it say 6 times a year then that's £480 for that you could get a calibrated tester which is yours.

 

[overskilled]

Issue is currently I don't have £480 upfront...thats the sticking point....trust me its on the agenda when funds allow....though not for a while though....partly as the car blew 2 shocks, needed a tyre and a few other bits for the MOT

 

[Octopus]

Bank loan?

 

[overskilled]

Fair point murdoch, however I have enough commitments to the bank as it is and with the way the economy has been, I want to make sure I have enough work stacked up to cover the costs....
If I don't cut a deal with Timo, buy something similar used off ebay, have a couple of jobs paying off soon....shiny new kit will have to wait though....

 

[GLENNSPARK]

So looking around for test kit to buy (normally hire and build the hire charge into the invoice - many reasons one of them being if the thing decides to drop dead during the job the hire company replaces it)
Though starting to need it more and more (for a while was doing property refreshes on newly occupied properties (so electrical survey already done pre-contract swaps) - change the sockets / switches for whatever was flavour of the month this week) as undertaking more "proper sparkying" and the hire costs are getting a bit painful. Looking at a megger 1720 for main use, but noticed the following on ebay and thought it might be worth a go as a spare or something to lend out that doesn't matter overly if it grows legs / falls down the stairs / backup while main kit is away for calibration....

Digital Insulation Resistance Tester Megger MegOhm Meter 1000V 0~2000M? DY30-1 | eBay

Thoughts? (potentially chinese junk, though at £40....if it lasts a year...pay for itself)

well i wouldn`t trust owt like that shower of sh*t to give a meaningful value......

 

[overskilled]

So took the plunge and bought a metrel instaltest 61557 from ebay, some pawnbrokers or similar took it in...£72+post, not bad, came seemingly calibrated not long before it was pawned but cert has went missing. So will get it re-cert'd, still getting my head around the manual...I'm not thick by any means but their way of phrasing isn't the clearest...then again made in slovenia, so possibly translated from slovenian or something....