Help with first job!

[Lou7]

Can't you break into cooker cable somewhere else(above wall units or below worktop) then put a surface JB.

 

[Modernelectric]

why not agree an hourly rate with the customer? explain that you dont know how long it will take you and it may be best to work on an hourly or day rate rather than pluck a number out of nowhere, you generally price a job based on how many hours it will take you, costs travelling to the job, costs of material and a small contingency, dont forget to price for writing the certificates and testing which can take a while.

regards.

 

[montybaber]

Although seen as an acceptable method of extending cables I was always taught to avoid crimping solid core cables

 

[saveloy]

I was under the impression that crimps are disliked, because when used with solid drawn copper cable, they can become loose, with expansion and contraction, due to heat in the cable.

Always eager to hear different opinions though.

 

[hoppy]

Thanks guys for all the help and advice, i really appreciate it.

Lou7, yes i was thinking that, the house is solid floor so all the cables for downstairs are run up over the downstairs ceiling and then to to each point.

Haven't checked yet, but am hoping i will be able to lift some floor boards up stairs and get access to the current ring and the cooker circuit, that will make life a lot easier.

I have priced like this so far,

New cooker point and 13A socket - £20, 2 X double sockets - £17, 1 X switched FCU - £10, all frfom B&Q, cust wants a certain black nikel finish which i found in the B&Q.

So £47, then capping (9m), back boxes, screws and plugs, single white socket, 50 mm or75mm socket screws (as tiles will make standard scres too short),some nails for capping, 25m twin & earth 2.5mm, 2m 3 core 1.5 flex, plaster (for making good), may need some conduit or a contractos pack for getting through back of cupboards for wasing machine socket!!!!

I reckon about £110 for materials alone. Then labour, could only be a day if the floor boards are accessable upstairs (currently praying).

As he is a friend of a friend was, going to price about 200 - 250 for everything. What do you guys reckon????

 

[Modernelectric]

B and Q can be a lot more expensive than an electrical wholesaler, you can get all that gear for less than 100 quid i would have thought, and a days wage at 150 is fine (for fully qualified part p sparks!), 250 seems reasonable!

Do not forget that the circuit should be rcd protected and you may need to include a new small consumer unit for whichever circuits you end up working on! this alone can be about 50 quid and you may have to explain the importance of rcd protection! good luck!

 

[robsparx]

I was under the impression that crimps are disliked, because when used with solid drawn copper cable, they can become loose, with expansion and contraction, due to heat in the cable.

Always eager to hear different opinions though.

ok thats fair enough. its just that throughout the 3 years of apprenticeshp with my old firm nobody ever had a bad word to say about crimping

 

[DeanoZX7R]

Quite right robsparx! If they are good enough for aircraft to use they are certainly ok for buildings!! Only point to bear in mind is that the correct crimp is used for the type of cable being crimped and the correct crimping tool is used, if these simple steps are followed crimping is a perfectly acceptable method of splicing cables together!