Most physical sparkying?

[chronyx]

What in your experiene is the most physically demanding area of the electrical sector?

I've had a couple of jobs that were physically hard (Helping to wire mansions with huge ceilings, up and down 10 tread steps all day etc)

At the moment it's quiet and I miss being so active.

 

[Kamikaze]

Try pulling a 4 core 400mm SWA cable a couple of hundred metres, Especially when you then have to turn the cable to get the cores lined up on the final terminations, because there just isn't room to cross the cores....

That's what i would call Real Physical work for any man!!! lol!!!

It’s at those times that the men get separated from the boys….lol

 

[vernam616]

On a one day rewire thinking that its never going to end

You start feeling like your getting somewhere after a hard graft stint, then it dawns on you that theres still the DB, down ring, down lightss, testing, tidying up etc....

 

[chronyx]

A one day re-wire? Surely not by yourself?! :20:

 

[Engineer54]

A one day re-wire? Surely not by yourself?! :20:

2 sparks one day rewires were the norm on council 2 and 3 bed rewires in the 70/80s and no, that wasn't surface trunking work. Most council houses were originally provided with chased-in conduit switch drops and socket drops and some with CU conduit drops. There wasn't the amount of testing you need to do today either.

 

[chronyx]

I always hate ripping out a nice conduit install and replacing it with T&E and capping. It just seems like a huge step backwards. But what the client wants...

 

[Adam W]

I always hate ripping out a nice conduit install and replacing it with T&E and capping. It just seems like a huge step backwards. But what the client wants...

Ditto... Or replacing well formed steel conduit and trunking with plastic.

 

[Darkwood]

Yes agree with this running theme, pulled 150m of 120mm 4core swa through pearlings of a factory , scissorlifts, ladders forklifts dragging weight.....etc etc these housebashers get a sweat on chopping a few boxes in .... wait till you get to the big boy stuff lol :shocked3:
Some think running kinks out of a micc is hard try avoiding pulling a kink in to one of the above beasts then.

 

[Engineer54]

It's not just physical force that's required in running in large sized cables, it has to be done intelligently too, or you can do all sorts of damage to the cable your pulling in. It seems rare these days to see cable dolly wheels being used, yet they are a vital bit of kit if your not going to stretch the cable/cores or damage the sheath.

Pulling cable by mechanical means, such as fork lifts JCB's etc is just asking for trouble. Pukka cable pulling winches have an adjustable slipping clutch, or other means to stop excessive strain on the cable being pulled. These winches are an absolute must when pulling cables into an thru ducts.

 

[Rockingit]

Tut tut. You lot clearly failed to master the art of being importantly engaged elsewhere when there's lifting to be done!! (only joking, got plenty of scars that prove otherwise!)

 

[Darkwood]

It's not just physical force that's required in running in large sized cables, it has to be done intelligently too, or you can do all sorts of damage to the cable your pulling in. It seems rare these days to see cable dolly wheels being used, yet they are a vital bit of kit if your not going to stretch the cable/cores or damage the sheath.

Pulling cable by mechanical means, such as fork lifts JCB's etc is just asking for trouble. Pukka cable pulling winches have an adjustable slipping clutch, or other means to stop excessive strain on the cable being pulled. These winches are an absolute must when pulling cables into an thru ducts.

Yes agree i kinda mislead on post, use folk-lifts to drag ground weight or lift cable to alllow easier feeding, done it loads over years except for the learning curve ive never damaged, kinked or got stuck with any cable.... as long as im in charge i know it will get done without problems but its so supprising to me that so many ppl dont realise when instructed why its makes a difference doing my method against theirs, they can t see a slip or fall of the weight of the cable can knock them off ladders, crush them etc etc ...im sure alot of injuries must be accounted to lack of experience in doing this kind of work.

 

[Engineer54]

Agree, ...you can't have two people in charge of a major cable pull, it never works!! lol!!

 

[Knobhead]

For a job like that you need “Larry” or Commander L. D. Dunn RNR (retired) in charge. Radio’s? No need for them with Larry booming out orders.

Cables sailed in (pun intended)!

 

[Nolnoc]

In the good old days in Ireland when the union represented the sparks,cable winches were not allowed as they reduced labour needs. It was a cable sock and rollers and manpower,I knew a couple of guys that broke fingers on bends in ladder racking. They then started using GO's to pull cables and next was winches.
I just wish I could have seen it coming.

 

[Guest123]

Agree, fat swa's in tight spaces......rough on the old bp too!!!:sad3:

 

[BlueToBits]

Shouting at the apprentice to pull faster takes a lot of effort. Especially if you have do it all day.