Electricians

[copperdave]

hi everyone
I am posting this in frustration of bloody electricians, i am getting to the stage that i won't work when they are in the vicinity. was on a job the other day and electrician went absolutely daft on my pipe run - said it was going to interfere with his wire run this happens almost every time - i was first so my run rules is what i say, they then pig back to customer saying the plumber is going to cost you money - I can't win. Other runs the clients have come to me saying the electrician said this and that and it has to be re-routed. Yesterday i drilled joists from A to b of my run and the bloody sparky said "Thanks mate you saved me the job, hope you were not putting pipes in there" , this spark was an arse as he had client laughing at a joke, went something like this "what do you call an electrician with his brain removed? A PLUMBER". the last straw was this morning, fitting a shower (like for like) and the electrician (in front of customer) said " how do you know that cable is fine and rated correctly, you could be causing a time bomb" - i then overheard him speaking to client saying 'you gotta watch these '**** monkeys' the industry overcharges and under delivers"

I have been doing this for 1 years now and still to meet an electrician without attitude, ego and a ssense of humour.

anyone have the same issues or am i just rubbing these guys up the wrong way.

 

[Toxic Ted]

Chill Winston.....just chop a wire in a corner where you are not working and see how funny he thinks he is when he cant point the finger at you ,but its cost him an hour of his valuable time finding it........i get on quite well with our sparks and don't get the "i'm better than you" attitude so consider myself lucky. Oh and don't let him see you sniggering .

 

[SimonG]

Ive drilled joists before, only to find wires through them on my return. Electrician wasnt impressed with all his cut wire on the floor. I didnt even pull it out, just went between each joist and cut the lot.

Customers are bright enough to realise that its far easier to route cables so pipes take priority.

Failing that its a quiet word in his ear, phrases like bell, pipe slice and castration are involved.

 

[helpsy]

Electricians, they ain't wired up right!

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Ive drilled joists before, only to find wires through them on my return. Electrician wasnt impressed with all his cut wire on the floor. I didnt even pull it out, just went between each joist and cut the lot.

Customers are bright enough to realise that its far easier to route cables so pipes take priority.

Failing that its a quiet word in his ear, phrases like bell, pipe slice and castration are involved.

Spot on....snip snip don't do it again!!

 

[helpsy]

Spot on....snip snip don't do it again!!

It's amazing this wireless technology they now use!

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

The other good one is screw the boards back down when your done, gives them something to do for a couple of extra mins.

 

[townfanjon]

The sparky I worked with in the conservatory this week actually , get ready , swept up , I was going to take a picture , didn't use a dust sheet though

 

[Riley]

I've said before I actually have a rare breed. A sparky who understands heating wiring and is a mate who enjoys a pint

 

[AWheating]

firstly if your inside the joist drill zone/notch zone you can put your pipe where you like, if the sparks needs a space for a reason like spot light position or extract run then he/she needs to inform you before hand as your not a mind reader. ive yet to meet a sparks who understands drill zones and can run a cable route in a straight line tho.

as for atitiude its not being a sparks, its being a dix full stop. i would guess they would be the same whatever the trade.

 

[oz-plumber]

Years ago,( at least a couple of decades) when I was an apprentice, my boss sent me to a job to drill out joist for a heating install.

I spent 2 1/2 days drilling through hardwood joists. I finished the drilling at lunch time on a friday and thought I would pack it it and go home.

I came back on monday with all the piping to find the electrician had used all my holes to feed his cables through over the weekend.

I went to see the Foreman, almost crying and explained the situation.

He asked me for a hacksaw and proceeded to remove the cables for me.
He also took great delight in informing the electrician of what had taken place, leaving out the part that he cut and removed the cables.

The days that followed were very interesting!

 

[wetdrip]

If memory servers: sparks must drill through joist at least 50mm from top of joist. Can you not drill, let's say, 45mm from top of joist and if sparks says the same again, tell him, "Sorry my friend, but your regs clearly stipulate 50mm from top of joist for cable run."
Just a thought.
If I'm right that is.

 

[helpsy]

Notching is 1/8 of joist depth. Drilling is on the centreline of joist and is 1/4 of joist depth with 3 diameters spacing.
0.07 - 0.25 of span for notching.
0.25-0.4 for drilling.

 

[cr0ft]

hi everyone
I am posting this in frustration of bloody electricians, i am getting to the stage that i won't work when they are in the vicinity. was on a job the other day and electrician went absolutely daft on my pipe run - said it was going to interfere with his wire run this happens almost every time - i was first so my run rules is what i say, they then pig back to customer saying the plumber is going to cost you money - I can't win. Other runs the clients have come to me saying the electrician said this and that and it has to be re-routed. Yesterday i drilled joists from A to b of my run and the bloody sparky said "Thanks mate you saved me the job, hope you were not putting pipes in there" , this spark was an arse as he had client laughing at a joke, went something like this "what do you call an electrician with his brain removed? A PLUMBER". the last straw was this morning, fitting a shower (like for like) and the electrician (in front of customer) said " how do you know that cable is fine and rated correctly, you could be causing a time bomb" - i then overheard him speaking to client saying 'you gotta watch these '**** monkeys' the industry overcharges and under delivers"

I have been doing this for 1 years now and still to meet an electrician without attitude, ego and a ssense of humour.

anyone have the same issues or am i just rubbing these guys up the wrong way.

As someone who is qualified in both trades the pipe runs should take priority imo. Cables are 100x easier to run around a building that pipes are.

He sounds like an idiot tbh!

 

[Murdoch]

Ok, I'm sparky and I always prefer to work after the plumber has done his bit! This works OK until the plumber doesn't turn up and I have to run my cables. lol

 

[Clint 1979]

I make you right for getting frustrated, the job is hard enough as it is without some numpty belittling you in front of the customer!
As with some of the others I am lucky to get on with the sparks I work alongside, but I have had my fare share of run ins with others!
Best to be thick skinned and keep the dark thoughts to yourself until the job is done........as they say electricity and water don't mix!

 

[tamz]

What you should do is straighten things out as soon as he appears on the job in front of builders customers or whoever else is in earshot.
If it gets to the stage of dark thoughts (if he is a bit thick of hearing) wait until he goes to the van then follow him and subsequently put him in his place where there are no witnesses.
There can only be one winner in these situations. Make sure it is you :wink:

 

[Millsy 82]

Never really had a problem with sparks before yeah they never clear up after themselves and they are all a bit up their own behinds.

I had one used to moan about is running pipes where he wanted to run his cables until he installed his own heating system then he changed his mind and was quite pleasant.

Another said jokingly what would you do if I used your holes for my cables and I said give you a lot of scrap cable!

And I also got my own back for all the times sparkies never cleaned up after them selves as I had loads of cylinders to change whilst they required the flat I never once tidied up after myself and they did mention it. I told them it's about time you did some tidying up they laughed.

 

[Sparkgap]

Depends on your sparky. Knew a mines electrician who was the biggest bodge merchant around, kept the choc block firms in business! :asshole:
Have another firm on a big job in a theatre who we work with a lot, client keeps changing ceiling details and we have to keep shifting vents and ductwork to suit. Sparkys very good with changes and keeps checking with us that we're not going to clash. Would like more like them.

 

[lame plumber]

I tend to clear up as I go, long time back before I ran away fm site work, the spark and his ape were taking the **** every time I cleared up my and their mess to fit a boiler/cyl etc. they werent so chuffed and jokey when they discovered all the site shyte on their front seats, loose and messy when it came to going home time. Me, I was already long gone, and the mobile was full of abuse that night

 

[Dotty]

My cousin is a sparks.

I'm so very sorry....

 

[stevetheplumber]

prima donnas sparks and tilers

 

[Clint 1979]

Got called out tonight, fitted a combi in an extension for a customer last week, 50 meters of tube not one leak, spark came in to move a socket in the kitchen and drilled through an old buried pipe in the wall.......water everywhere!!
Hmmmmmm the customer wasn't very happy but I did have a chuckle at the thought of the spark jumping around trying to stop the water spraying everywhere haha, dont they call that karma??!!!

 

[oz-plumber]

My cousin is a sparks.

I'm so very sorry....

Don't apologize....if there's one thing in life you can't choose...it your family.

If its any consolation, your adopted / extended family loves you :heart:

 

[Ermintrude]

Old Apprentice text this to me he knows nothing of this tread but he was astounded that he left this over weekend in some ones house. The rest of the communication is censored
.

 

[MOSSEP]

Its funny, you will see this exact same conversation on an electricians forum but with the roles reversed.

 

[garnhamr]

Its funny, you will see this exact same conversation on an electricians forum but with the roles reversed.

This is the truth of it, it's not the trade but the person. i'm currently a heating sparks and constantly get remarks from the heating engineers about stuff like my jobs so much easier than theirs and that i'm overpaid and i dont tidy up etc etc. Truth is i'm a good guy and i think logically, therefore i know that solid copper pipes are harder to install than cable and that in 99% of the jobs, the heating engineer is doing alot more work so i always work around them not other way around.

I've been a floor fitter for a few years and on one job, i turned up when i was booked in to be there. the sparky was supposed to have finished yesterday. i had just finished sweeping the floor up and was preparing to paste glue out on the entire floor, sparky and his mate turn up and demand that they get in the room to finish their 2nd fix, wouldn't take nop for an answer untill i almost pasted glue all over their feet! fkng cheeky bstards

 

[Dotty]

Don't apologize....if there's one thing in life you can't choose...it your family.

If its any consolation, your adopted / extended family loves you :heart:

He's a cyclist as well. We tend to blank him....

 

[Worcester]

We're both, and most of our domestic jobs are as simple as this, (see below) so they have to get on together, no prima donna's here thanks!
(Both electrical and hydraulic layouts are agreed first before either starts!)

First one that causes an argument will be the first to collect their P45!
p.s. not finished in that photo...

 

[kris]

We're both, and most of our domestic jobs are as simple as this, (see below) so they have to get on together, no prima donna's here thanks!
(Both electrical and hydraulic layouts are agreed first before either starts!)
View attachment 20121
First one that causes an argument will be the first to collect their P45!
p.s. not finished in that photo...

Very neat n tidy Gordon. Class work .

 

[kris]

Gordon are u on the sparky forum ? I sent a friend request to a Worcester renewables . Same avatar and wasn't till later I thought it might be someone else lol.

 

[mad_angler1]

I'm am a qualified spark by trade but I used to do a lot of AV work for other sparks and customers direct as well as my own domestic stuff. I was one of the first to get qualified for the digital tv switch over and did a lot with it at the time, id get the same problems the you guys see, I would be pulling huge amounts of cables for tv and Av and IT through the house. I'd spend a few days drilling joists and pulling cable intentionally keeping them away from any thing to avoid interference only to find some plonker would put a ring circuit in with my cables.

It comes down to the type of person rather than the trade, generally looking for a short cut.

It never went down well when I'd cut a fellow sparks cables out of my holes. Id ask once for it to be moved but only once.

 

[Worcester]

Gordon are u on the sparky forum ? I sent a friend request to a Worcester renewables . Same avatar and wasn't till later I thought it might be someone else lol.

Same one

 

[EnglishmanSpark]

It all comes down to whether or not you're a selfish worker, I'm a spark and always consider other trades at the time or sparks following me in years to come. Others just do what they want and couldn't care less about anyone else, not the way I choose I work but everyone is different.

 

[Paul.M]

If memory servers: sparks must drill through joist at least 50mm from top of joist. Can you not drill, let's say, 45mm from top of joist and if sparks says the same again, tell him, "Sorry my friend, but your regs clearly stipulate 50mm from top of joist for cable run."
Just a thought.
If I'm right that is.

Almost correct.... 50mm from finished surface if that circuit (cable) is not protected by an RCD. If the spark is drilling or stealing your holes, it will be a new circuit and has to be on an RCD anyway so it does not apply ( <--- that is a rule of thumb, there are ways around the regs on this one).

Ok, I'm sparky and I always prefer to work after the plumber has done his bit! This works OK until the plumber doesn't turn up and I have to run my cables. lol

Alright Murdoch!!! Hope your playing nicely :wink:.....

Its funny, you will see this exact same conversation on an electricians forum but with the roles reversed.

Yep and it is always the electricians with their head up their own backsides that post about it lol. In the real world we have Blue ****, Grey **** and electrical ****. All depends on the person imho.

Gordon are u on the sparky forum ? I sent a friend request to a Worcester renewables . Same avatar and wasn't till later I thought it might be someone else lol.

I'll have a look and send you a link via PM.




True "Tradesmen" work together. Great when both sparks and plumbers are on site at the same time from the start of the project, regardless if it is a house or a school/factory/shopping center etc.

Shake hands with a smile.
Put the kettle on and get one of the lads make a brew.
Get the plans out + have a walk around. Sort out the pipe run first, cables are a lot easier to install. It is amazing how well plumbers and sparks can get on with each other if a little bit of respect for each others trade is shown. Communication is key and a bit of banter is always needed lol. A decorator earlier this year almost fainted when I offered to make him a cup of coffee at break time. In 20 years he had never been offered this from a sparky? That's because he had never met me before.... It's all about having the correct working attitude imho.

The developer of that site saw how well all the trades got on with each other and the end result we all achieved, on time and on budget (almost). Because of our working attitude we are all on another 3 projects and we will all be busy for the next 12-15 months!!! A really good team of blokes that work well together, all of us going out for a xmas P up! 20 lads from 5 different trades all going for a night out, what could possibly go wrong????