Domestic Sparkys - have a routine?

[LukeScotty]

Thought i'd start a thread on you sparky's, who enter an empty property ready to re-wire. Surely you have a routine in what you do? So i'd like to hear about it. I don't really do domestic and maybe getting a job in it. I know every property and situation is different, but just give us a general idea of how you go about it. Do you rip out and get the lighting done first? It can as detailed as you like

 

[MacSparky]

Normally go in:
Isolate:
Change board, tails, bonding etc and put up temporary d/socket for power:
Rip out all old installation where necessary:
First fix everything and all chasing etc:
Dead tests:
second fix:
Live tests:
All being well , back home in time for tea and medals and 'eggheads'

This is roughly the way we go about full rewires with 2-3 guys on tools, if a 2 day job then try and get the lighting and central heating up + cooker circuit for the first day and run an extension lead from temporary socket for the tv for them

Open to opinions and maybe a tip or two

 

[adamh]

go in hope you can get under the floor and its not had a loft conversion or an extension is always my 1st thought

 

[Spudmiester]

the odd one that I have done, always started with downstairs sockets, dont know why, just did !

 

[LukeScotty]

Does any one do it different to macsparky? by not posting, you do it exactly the same way, hehe

 

[danzor]

Usually start with upstairs lights, then ground.
Once you done ground lights you should have a route of up stairs sockets.
Depending on the ground floor flooring. We either wire ground floor ring from 1st floor if its concrete floors or lift boards if we're lucky.

Something like that

 

[rumrunner]

When i used to do it i would do

first day. consumer unit,upstairs lights
next day,and maybee the next, kitchen sockets, and other downstairs stuff
next day ,and maybee the next, middle ,ie downstairs lights and upstairs sockets
next day ,all the odds and ends outside lights ,immersion heater etc ,making good
next day, testing

slow but sure, it doesnt matter how long a job takes as long as its right ,well thats my excuse anyway

 

[Darius-parky]

During last year I have been part of a team of three upgrading council properties (2-3 bedrooms flats or house). 2 properties a day (8:00am - 4:30pm);

• Check and confirms work sheet
• Check for sound continuty to make sure there is no broken ring (if confirmed the nightmare starts)
• One man on CU, gas and water bonding
• One man on bathroom. Sup bonding for Light, shower (if available) and rad, IP45 light fitting and bathroom fan.
• One man on changes (all sockets, flexes and switches) and extra sockets (most jobs are done with trunking as council do not pay and does not want any chasing)
• The first person who finish his job at hand jumps on the next task
• Smoke Alarm
• Wiring Shower or Cooker if required
• Final touches and finishing
• Testing and paper work

 

[alex]

During last year I have been part of a team of three upgrading council properties (2-3 bedrooms flats or house). 2 properties a day (8:00am - 4:30pm);

• Check and confirms work sheet
• Check for sound continuty to make sure there is no broken ring (if confirmed the nightmare starts)
• One man on CU, gas and water bonding
• One man on bathroom. Sup bonding for Light, shower (if available) and rad, IP45 light fitting and bathroom fan.
• One man on changes (all sockets, flexes and switches) and extra sockets (most jobs are done with trunking as council do not pay and does not want any chasing)
• The first person who finish his job at hand jumps on the next task
• Smoke Alarm
• Wiring Shower or Cooker if required
• Final touches and finishing
• Testing and paper work

thats good going for 2 a day.

me and my mate used to wire 3/4 bed councils houses in a day all be it a lot of surface yt2 trunking used. i used to start marking out kitchen and then chop all that out, then drop on drill holes for cables for ring coming down then chuck up the fishes to tie onto. chop out chases and drill through for back to back sockets.fix some back boxes, then i removed switches and lights. meanwhile my mate had lifted appropite floorboards and had drill the joists and had started wiring which he did on his own. once cables had dropped down then i tubed up and fixed and then 2nd fixed. once downstairs was finished about 12.30 i went up in the loft and we wired upstairs lights that takes 20 mins then my mate 2nd fixed upstairs lights while i started on chopping out upstairs and 2nd fixing all that. meanwhile my mate was wiring downstairs lights i helped him pull d/lights cables in. after that i started on mains while my mate bonded bathroom done the heating controls and trunked cables in airing cupboard. after that i fitted outside light and then the big tidy up was done that normally took over an hour to get everything back into place and tidy.


now the sad bit is me and my mate have had to split up and he is working somewhere else.

 

[Willis]

Normally go in:
Isolate:
Change board, tails, bonding etc and put up temporary d/socket for power:
Rip out all old installation where necessary:
First fix everything and all chasing etc:
Dead tests:
second fix:
Live tests:
All being well , back home in time for tea and medals and 'eggheads'

This is roughly the way we go about full rewires with 2-3 guys on tools, if a 2 day job then try and get the lighting and central heating up + cooker circuit for the first day and run an extension lead from temporary socket for the tv for them

Open to opinions and maybe a tip or two

Is it ok to do dead tests before second fix? Wouldnt u want to test insulation resistance with all your sockets in place?

 

[MacSparky]

Its always a good idea to do dead tests before second fix in case theres any teething problems...saves any grief down the line and yes IR tests are fine with socket outlets in place...this will also give you a good idea of your connections....check polarity (visual) at the same time....become that robot

 

[LukeScotty]

Is it ok to do dead tests before second fix? Wouldnt u want to test insulation resistance with all your sockets in place?

yes IR tests are fine with socket outlets in place...this will also give you a good idea of your connections....check polarity (visual) at the same time....become that robot

rhetorical question comes to mine, This topic is very informational, so keep it going, with your regular checks, routines, any one with any tips ?

 

[rumrunner]

Hi,
how do you do a dead test before you connect anything ?,
what do you do test every bit of cable? ,
its a new one on me! ,
how much do you charge for doing it ?,

 

[wayne]

as rum says ,if you got a ring circuit with sockets missing the only way to dead test is by choc bloc which is time cosuming

 

[Shakey]

as rum says ,if you got a ring circuit with sockets missing the only way to dead test is by choc bloc which is time cosuming

and also pointless, because you are proving nothing!

surely the idea is you test AFTER connecting up, that way you will know that, ...erm... its all connected correctly? and everything is a continuos loop?

personally, i believe, for example, that IR test are only valid if made AFTER the sockets, switches etc are connected, because thats when you are going to screw through one of the cables........