Do I need a torque screwdriver set?

[pc1966]

There is a modern bike tool that does 1-8nm and costs £39 but that is getting too close to the Toolstation £64 Draper 1-5nm VDE offering to be worth scrimping on.
So don't do what I did!

I have a selection of torque wrenches and screwdriver-like drivers for mechanical work and so I use them when needed for big terminals.

It makes me very uncomfortable, even when I have done the safe isolation and double checked everything, to be gripping such a large metal object that is now going on to a normally live terminal! Usually I make sure I'm not in contact with anything else, one time I donned my 1kV "you have been Tangoed" gloves as a precaution.

If I did more of that as a profession then I would spend the ~£1k on a VDE socket set and matching torque wrench(s) but as I have only needed to do so a few times in the last year or two I didn't.

 

[pc1966]

I have an impact WRENCH (1/2") that I use constantly for deep socket 15/17/19mm work in generator busbar chambers, turns a 2m job into a 1s one

Makes sense when the tool is able to deliver the torque control needed for the job.

Other than one special (and quite expensive) driver that was intended for speedy screw terminal work I really can't abide such tools used on screw terminals though. Was it Whia that made it? Cost about £300

My Milwaukee conventional battery power drill fails on this front as the torque control is not a mechanical adjustable slip-coupler but appears to be electronic motor control. What they seem to have overlooked is the equivalent inertia of a geared-down motor, it still tries to wrench itself from my hand when it jams, etc

Found it £282 inc VAT:

https://cpc.farnell.com/wiha/42267/screwdriver-speede-set-2-uk-spec/dp/TL19981?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-alte

 

[Rockingit]

Found it £282 inc VAT:

https://cpc.farnell.com/wiha/42267/screwdriver-speede-set-2-uk-spec/dp/TL19981?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-alte

There again...... it IS my birthday in a couple of days......

 

[pc1966]

I just checked the spec for my hex impact wrench:

• Mode 1 : 119 Nm / 0 - 1,900 rpm / 0 - 1,200 ipm
• Mode 2 : 176 Nm / 0 - 2,800 rpm / 0 - 3,400 ipm
• Mode 3 : 226 Nm / 0 - 3,600 rpm / 0 - 4,300 ipm
• Mode 4 : Self-tapping / faster installation time by reducing stripping of fasteners.

So it is pretty obvious why I was able to trash an M6 steel screw with it!

They also do a quieter hydraulic version, about £100 more, but its spec is 40Nm so while stupidly high by electrical terminal work, more reasonable.

From memory a typical M8 high tensile (8.8) bolt/nut is around 30Nm but for electrical use with lower strength materials probably half that.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Most 'electricians' these days use an 18v impact to do consumer units , in fact the 18v impact seems to be used for pretty much everything

 

[pc1966]

Most 'electricians' these days use an 18v impact to do consumer units , in fact the 18v impact seems to be used for pretty much everything

Ah, you mean the YouTube attentionwhores ?

 

[Petej999]

Most 'electricians' these days use an 18v impact to do consumer units , in fact the 18v impact seems to be used for pretty much everything

If you are a cowboy electrician !!!!

 

[Rockingit]

If you are a cowboy electrician !!!!

Way back a few years ago we had really bad 'proper' snow down here and nobody could get anywhere as it's all small roads that get gritted last, I had some housecalls to do, just 10 min maintenance type stuff and I seriously considered riding out on my then step-daughters horse to go and get to them, thought it would be a nice novelty piece for the local rag - 'the electrician that always delivers no matter what' kind of nonsense. Then all the Cowboy Electrician potential jokes occurred to me so I refrained!!

 

[LewisM]

You'd have to really give it some with a screwdriver to damage a MCB or cable so a torque screwdriver I think is not worth the money but if you're doing anything that requires things like spanners, ratchets, hex keys etc then I'd use torque wrench or similar as it's very easy to overtighten fasteners/terminals as you have much more leverage and force

 

[Rockingit]

You'd have to really give it some with a screwdriver to damage a MCB

Not so sure I'm with you on that one - a pet hate is when the casing wants to split on a device terminal when you actually properly tighten it, even by hand

 

[pc1966]

Then all the Cowboy Electrician potential jokes occurred to me so I refrained!!

There is/was a local small plumbing company run by a few Asian guys, they had the advert line "Tired of the cowboys? Call the Indians" not sure that would be acceptable these days!

 

[MJPD29]

There is/was a local small plumbing company run by a few Asian guys, they had the advert line "Tired of the cowboys? Call the Indians" not sure that would be acceptable these days!

Probably not people cry at the smallest of things now. But smart nonetheless

 

[catdog1121]

Some of these comments are just crazy...

SJD made the best comment... BS7671 which we use to cover our butts, if something goes wrong we can stand up in court and say it was not our fault cause we followed BS7671.... In there it states that electrical equipment must be installed by manufacturers instructions.. If the manufacturer specifies a certain torque level then how will you tighten it to that exact torque level without a torque screw driver? If you dont use a torque screwdriver you havent followed manufacturers instructions, if you havent followed manufacturers instructions you havent followed BS7671, if you havent followed BS7671 then you dont have a leg to stand on...

As for the impact driver, I hope that was a joke, I have one of those fancy Makita impact drivers, I still can break a no6 screw sometimes on the softest of setting with a bit of a slip and too many dugga dugga's.. They are great for quickly putting up cleats or screwing into wood etc but are too powerful no matter what setting you have it on for a terminal screw and risk causing damage that you sometimes cannot see..

There has been some great videos on both these topics by efixx, check it out..

 

[nicebutdim]

Some of these comments are just crazy...

SJD made the best comment... BS7671 which we use to cover our butts, if something goes wrong we can stand up in court and say it was not our fault cause we followed BS7671.... In there it states that electrical equipment must be installed by manufacturers instructions.. If the manufacturer specifies a certain torque level then how will you tighten it to that exact torque level without a torque screw driver? If you dont use a torque screwdriver you havent followed manufacturers instructions, if you havent followed manufacturers instructions you havent followed BS7671, if you havent followed BS7671 then you dont have a leg to stand on...

As for the impact driver, I hope that was a joke, I have one of those fancy Makita impact drivers, I still can break a no6 screw sometimes on the softest of setting with a bit of a slip and too many dugga dugga's.. They are great for quickly putting up cleats or screwing into wood etc but are too powerful no matter what setting you have it on for a terminal screw and risk causing damage that you sometimes cannot see..

There has been some great videos on both these topics by efixx, check it out..

OP is a guy starting out as a trainee.

Thread went sideways as expected, but I think he gets the drift that no trainee will be expected to turn up on their first day with anything more than a basic range of tools - certainly not a torque screwdriver.

What I would suggest to the OP is keeping an eye on tools you intend buying in the future - maybe even a list on Amazon where everything can be kept in one place. As offers appear from various suppliers, you can save a significant amount. Even basic hand tools can vary by £10-20 from one place to the next, so plan ahead and keep costs to a minimum.

 

[MJPD29]

Some of these comments are just crazy...

SJD made the best comment... BS7671 which we use to cover our butts, if something goes wrong we can stand up in court and say it was not our fault cause we followed BS7671.... In there it states that electrical equipment must be installed by manufacturers instructions.. If the manufacturer specifies a certain torque level then how will you tighten it to that exact torque level without a torque screw driver? If you dont use a torque screwdriver you havent followed manufacturers instructions, if you havent followed manufacturers instructions you havent followed BS7671, if you havent followed BS7671 then you dont have a leg to stand on...

As for the impact driver, I hope that was a joke, I have one of those fancy Makita impact drivers, I still can break a no6 screw sometimes on the softest of setting with a bit of a slip and too many dugga dugga's.. They are great for quickly putting up cleats or screwing into wood etc but are too powerful no matter what setting you have it on for a terminal screw and risk causing damage that you sometimes cannot see..

There has been some great videos on both these topics by efixx, check it out..

I am extremely confident fitting an mcb without a torque screwdriver. Extremely confident. As for the non compliance unless your an incompetent idiot who can't tighten a terminal screw or tightens it to the point it splits the breaker it's not an issue. Starting out as an apprentice he most certainly does not need a torque screwdriver yet.