how did you guys get into commercial ?

[on31ll]

im talking about commercial work not the commercial section on the forum.

and what is most of your worked based on ? boilers ?

 

[Dotty]

I've always been commercial. I started many moons ago in the building engineering services division in BT looking after exchanges. At the time I covered heating, lifts, diesel generators and a small amount of aircon. I left BT in 2002, did a lot of subbing, moved to Northern Ireland in 2005 and got in with the mob I'm now with in 2007. All my work is boilers and gas these days.

 

[on31ll]

Sounds pretty good ! Would you never go on your own ? Not worth it croppie ?

 

[SimonJohns]

I blagged my way into a com job

Learnt very quickly.

But it's not easy. Very difficult and quite complex.

 

[nicro3]

worked for commercial companies for over 30 years.The games finito hence doing my own thing

 

[CES]

I was working with a Building services firm as a Facilities engineer, looking after almost everything, much like Croppie. Got disillusioned with working for a firm and decided to go out on my own. I don't do much commercial these days, my ticket runs out soon and I dont think Ill be renewing it. Too many big companies round my way to compete with.

 

[Roger Welton]

Previous firm I worked for did a fair amount of comercial which laterly I was doing for them, went out on my own, and do very little now, just a couple of sites, just about covers the cost of my comercial ticket.

 

[Barry98]

i learnt from my mentor then when he retired did my own ticket then added the remainder on .

 

[acecharly]

I started in water treatment installing freshwater pipe systems my father was running the first job i went on and blagged me in as a pipefitter, i enjoyed it like an adult mecano set. Being smaller at the time i was sent down pipes with mickey mouse gaskets to hold from inside the pipe while someone outside tightend up the flanges. Id say its a good way to get into commercial theres only one direction of flow for starters which makes it a bit easier than domestic CH.

 

[on31ll]

Ive started doing quite a few projects. Really loving it ! Enjoy it alot more than domestic. Anybody on here weld ? Pipe etc ? Just seeing if its worth a course ?

 

[Barry98]

I've heard now there s a big market for this as anything over 2.5" (I think) now has to be welded not threaded or something along them lined

 

[SimonJohns]

I've heard now there s a big market for this as anything over 2.5" (I think) now has to be welded not threaded or something along them lined

Unfourtunatly most people use mapress. That goes up to 4" and requires very little skill

 

[Dotty]

I've heard now there s a big market for this as anything over 2.5" (I think) now has to be welded not threaded or something along them lined

Any pressure up to 1" can be screwed,
1" to 2" up to 500mbar can be screwed,
1" to 2" over 500mbar must be welded,
Over 2" must be welded.

These are the mop's

 

[Barry98]

thats the one new i knew summat

 

[SimonJohns]

Less than 100mb can be pressed upto 4"

 

[on31ll]

hmmmm might see how it goes and the need for it then look into a welding course. you guys do it ? i just hate being asked to do somthing and having to let it go because i dont do it.

 

[Barry98]

Ill cross that bridge if and when I need it

 

[Roger Welton]

I'd say welding needs more than just a course (unless you can weld already that is) as its a bit of a skill. I haven't done any for years, and am sure it would take a bit of practice to do anything I'd put my name to.

 

[Barry98]

I've had landrover s for years it's part of been a landie owner - must be able to weld while laid on cold floor 4" deep in snow in February

 

[on31ll]

i can mig weld little bits but there isnt much to it ! think its the same as most things it is a skill but with enough practice suppose you could do it ! or thinking of an easier root hire a pipe fitter !

 

[SimonJohns]

i can mig weld little bits but there isnt much to it ! think its the same as most things it is a skill but with enough practice suppose you could do it ! or thinking of an easier root hire a pipe fitter !

You have to be a coded welder to weld gas

 

[acecharly]

I usually screw up to 2.5" over this its victaulic joints or flanges unless its thinwall carbon steel which seems to be all the rage at the momemnt which is a mappress. I take it croppie your talking about gas pipes with those pressures and not water?

 

[Dotty]

Yes mate, gas pressures and pipe sizes.

 

[theanalyst]

Is the money good in commercial? I have been asked by a facilities management company to do some commercial stuff but I've had to pass on it as not currently got the ticket.
It seems a bit of a dark art, everyone who does it says there's no good money in it anymore.... but they always seem to be loaded!!! lol...hmm

 

[acecharly]

Its horses for courses. I never see any difference in what i get as subby. If your supplying labour it can make you extremely wealthy and at the same time it could make you extremely broke. As for it being a dark art its generally alot easier than house bashing. For a start you normally have plenty of room to work unlike in a house having to dig up boards and stuff. You have to be able to read drawings which on the whole isnt exactly rocket science after youve done it a while. One main difference in commercial heating to most domestic plumbing is a hot return pipe aswell as a hot and cold. As an example if your in an office block and the boilerhouse is say 100 meters away you would lose alot of water before you got any hot out your tap so the hot water circulates and sinks etc draw off from a maximum of 5m away.

 

[theanalyst]

Good info. Cheers mate.
Wondering what people who are'nt subbing but supplying the labour have to say? From my research it seems quite hard to get into (to beat big companies to contracts), but if you do your laughing?
please correct me as needed lol

 

[hammers4spanner]

I supply labour and materials on my commercial works , i worked on commercial,industrial during apprenticeship and beyond then went into house bashing for a long time .Am now pricing alot of commercial works schols,hospitals,offices etc etc .

Is the money good ??Only if you get your pricing right !!! Unlike domestic you mess up your materails on commercial and it gets a very pricey error very quickly .I have had over £20000 on one job in materials and for one man band that makes your bottom twitch , on same note i walked away from that on a good material profit .

 

[on31ll]

A man i work closely with who i have mentioned on the forum before lost £175k ish from ethal austins when they went bust ! Got offered 3p to the £ !

 

[hammers4spanner]

A man i work closely with who i have mentioned on the forum before lost £175k ish from ethal austins when they went bust ! Got offered 3p to the £ !

ouch!!!

 

[MarkAqua]

Kinda just fell into really. Worked on domestic and small commercial. Left that firm and got offered a job as a pipe and steam/ fitter welder. Picked it up very quickly and learnt a hell of a lot (young and very enthusiastic) and now I work for a building services firm as a commercial service engineer and pipe fitter. Hardly weld now but you won't get far mig welding. No consultant worth a stink would spec mig welding.

 

[MarkAqua]

In regards to money. It's not what you know it's who you know. A mate of mine only ever subbed to one firm for 30 years never had to give him one day unpaid. He was earning 2k+ a week 15-20 years ago. Different mate - same firm and a subby earned half if he was lucky.

 

[on31ll]

its deffinatly who you know ! even working for £1000 a week if theres contract after contract your not gonna complain.

 

[Bernie2]

Same way as virtually all the rest. I simply worked for companies that took on commercial, industrial, civil engineering, council and the like contracts. In my day you where expected to be able to do the lot, gas, water, oil, air just about anything that went through a pipe. If you couldn't do it the door was open for you to leave. Must admit it was a lot freer then, I think they where more concerned about you being able to do the job than the number of qualifications you had to say you might be able to do it.

 

[cr0ft]

Since I qualified as a sparky as well I'm getting more and more commercial customers phoning me directly. Did a shop refit last week and pricing for some work at the local football stadium too. Didn't really do any commercial work at all before.

It may be co-incidence but the customers are telling me they want minimal hassle and having one person who can do both trades is what made them pick me.

 

[mutley racers]

So chaps, do any of you guys fancy a trip to london to cut into a gas supply and add a iso valve with test point. And disconnect 3 or 4 gas heaters in a church?

Before you say something, all I can say isif you don't ask you don't get.