Lost or forgotten installation tips from the past!

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

Just thinking back to my Apprenticeship time, and working on a Large luxury Housing development, the chap I was working under, was a strict, but knowledgeable Electrician.
At the time in question we used metallic oval conduit for our switch drop and sockets etc., one of his rules where possible were that all switch drops had the conduit cut to the same length and the same for the runs from the floor up to the socket positions, during the first fix he would always inquire as to which make of sockets we were going to used for the second fix, so much so that he insisted that if the L was on the right hand side of the accessory, I had to feed the 7/029 cable up the conduit , with the L on the right hand side, didn't think it mattered all that much, until you came to install the socket, and how much easier it was with the cables entering the back box all on the same side.
Anyone else got any odd little tips that they were taught, that may have gotten lost over the years?, another one was marking the lighting cables at the ceiling rose, switched pair with a cross and the feeds in and out with a split at the end for identification, simple things I know.

johnduffell · Nov 5, 2018

I was told to cut the switch drops diagonally and the feed straight to identify them, seemed to work okay for me although did waste a centimetre of cable when the loose end is the wrong shape!

davesparks · Nov 5, 2018

Rub a wax candle on the sheath of MICC to lubricate the blade of the stripper to make the cut easier and the blade last longer.

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

johnduffell said:
I was told to cut the switch drops diagonally and the feed straight to identify them, seemed to work okay for me although did waste a centimetre of cable when the loose end is the wrong shape!

When pulling multiple singles int conduit, if possible, use a piece of cardboard or thin plywood with the same number of holes in it, to correspond to the number of singles being pulled in, to alleviate possible crossover of cables in the conduit. Little things mean a lot, sometimes.

Deuce · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
...another one was marking the lighting cables at the ceiling rose, switched pair with a cross and the feeds in and out with a split at the end for identification, simple things I know.

I saw the switch cable marked in a rose years ago and assumed it was standard good practice, so I've done it myself ever since. Although to be honest I mark pretty much everything, my label printer has a higher mileage than my car

telectrix · Nov 5, 2018

with 3 plate light wiring my method has always been to mark feed with 2 x, out with 1 x, and switch with a nick,

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

When dressing cable down a wall to a CU.The Electrician I was serving under always taught me to dress them into the CU as you would connect them IE Bonds, Cooker, RFCs, W/H. lights etc easier to connect, looked professional, job done. Mind you we were using Wylex CUs with the wooden frame, and the Paxoline backing, rewireable fuses.

telectrix · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
When dressing cable down a wall to a CU.The Electrician I was serving under always taught me to dress them into the CU as you would connect them IE Bonds, Cooker, RFCs, W/H. lights etc easier to connect, looked professional, job done.

that's what i try to do .makes life easier when connecting in CU. also like to dress the cables with all the reds(browns) to the left and blacks (blues) to the right.

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

telectrix said:
that's what i try to do .makes life easier when connecting in CU. also like to dress the cables with all the reds(browns) to the left and blacks (blues) to the right.

Yes Reds and Blacks before EU interference. Makes you wonder who it was who saved Europe in WW2.

Deuce · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
Yes Reds and Blacks before EU interference. Makes you wonder who it was who saved Europe in WW2.

I watched saving Private Ryan, apparently it was the Americans. God bless em.

telectrix · Nov 5, 2018

1815 bonaparte
1918 kaiser bill
1946 adolph hitler
2018 angela meerkat.
come on lads.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Lost or forgotten installation tips from the past!

telectrix · Nov 5, 2018

Deuce said:
I watched saving Private Ryan, apparently it was the Americans. God bless em.

well,the septics did give us a lot of help, once they realised that we were going to win. up till them US business wanted Germany to win as they had many lucrative contracts with the krauts.

Deuce · Nov 5, 2018

telectrix said:
1815 bonaparte
1918 kaiser bill
1946 adolph hitler
2018 angela meerkat.
come on lads.
View attachment 45494

Gotta say... I do a lot of work in Germany and the slightly awkward truth is that they get all the stuff we struggle with over here, pretty well sorted. They have also somehow ended up more liberal and free than we seem to have

How did THAT happen!?

A point really driven home when I went to a Christmas market in the UK after years of going to German markets over there. I bought a beer and they gave it to me in a plastic beaker, like a child. Over there I'm an adult, so it's handed over in a glass. I get a 3 Euro's back upon returning the glass or I can opt to keep it. Why can't I have a glass in the UK? Because I might use it as a weapon or smash it on the ground and leave a 'highly dangerous situation' apparently. Needless to say the use of glasses at German public celebrations has not, in fact, led to the death and mutilation of thousands

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

telectrix said:
well,the septics did give us a lot of help, once they realised that we were going to win. up till them US business wanted Germany to win as they had many lucrative contracts with the krauts.

A lot of the younger generation have short memories Tel, or their History lessons were crap

davesparks · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
Yes Reds and Blacks before EU interference. Makes you wonder who it was who saved Europe in WW2.

Wasn't it the combined efforts of many nations?

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

davesparks said:
Wasn't it the combined efforts of many nations?

UK and the Septics albeit a late inclusion
Remember the Few!!!! They saved our butts make no mistake, Poles, and others

Deuce · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
A lot of the younger generation have short memories Tel, or their History lessons were crap

I left school at 14 so perhaps I missed some important bits!

davesparks · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
UK and the Septics albeit a late inclusion

So no French, Polish, Norwegian, Russian, Australian, Burmese, Canadian, New Zealand or any other nations then?

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

Deuce said:
I left school at 14 so perhaps I missed some important bits!

What year was that?

Deuce · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
What year was that?

Umm... 1995/6ish. There were various attempts to drag me back for about a year, but by then I was approaching my 16th birthday so it became pointless. It's a bit different now - they have powers to force attendance.

Pete999 · Nov 5, 2018

Deuce said:
Umm... 1995/6ish. There were various attempts to drag me back for about a year, but by then I was approaching my 16th birthday so it became pointless. It's a bit different now - they have powers to force attendance.

So you should have learnt all about WW2 by then.

buzzlightyear · Nov 5, 2018

Old sparky i worked for said to me make sure the live was feed to the wright in the socket .me i asked but which hole

ackbarthestar · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
When pulling multiple singles int conduit, if possible, use a piece of cardboard or thin plywood with the same number of holes in it, to correspond to the number of singles being pulled in, to alleviate possible crossover of cables in the conduit. Little things mean a lot, sometimes.

We never did that as you never knew when you needed to send another up/down the tube.......lube is a very useful you know!

Deuce · Nov 5, 2018

Pete999 said:
So you should have learnt all about WW2 by then.

Indeed, I did. And as a young lad it was quite interesting. But history tends to recall the facts, not so much the reason.

I knew the Americans came in late and that the war was turned by that point anyway. I don't think it was ever taught that they were at one stage hoping for a ---- win.

I can certainly make sense of that knowledge now though. They didn't want to spend money on fighting someone else's war(s) and their safest bet was to try and align their trade with the likely victors. I have no doubt the same is happening elsewhere in the world today.

telectrix · Nov 5, 2018

davesparks said:
Wasn't it the combined efforts of many nations?

yes, but not the vichy frogs. they opposed the Torch landings in Tunisia .

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