Fair price for electrical work ?

[Risteard]

someone suggested it was too cheap

That someone was me, and I stand by my assertion on MoneySavingExpert.

 

[ericmark]

On resetting freezer was up to 12°C by morning it would have been too warm.

Your freezer has very poor insulation Eric, or your garage is very warm, or both.

Yes I missed out the - thanks for pointing out should have read -12°C so in around 6 hours it had heated up 6°C not 30°C.

 

[Dan-Dan]

Are all those new and wider sockets going to be sunk into a solid wall, sunk into plasterboard (easier), or surface mounted (easiest)?

Mix of solid walls and stud

I have asked him to clarify the CU being quoted for and have another spark coming later to quote

 

[Dan-Dan]

Well the second spark said doing to test is a waste of money as it will just recommend a new CU and smaller cable for electric shower etc , plus he didnt do chasing into walls and suggested trunking and coverter singles to doubles etc

back to the drawing board

 

[Taylortwocities]

So, he's a short cut CBA sort of fella.
His average day will work like this:

I'm going to replace that fuseboard.
Rip the old one out
Put in the new one
Connect up the wires
Switch on
Oh look, the RCD is tripping!
I wonder why that is?
Which of the circuits that I have just connected is the one causing the problem?
I suppose that I will have to go through them one at a time and test them......I hope the customer doesn't mind sitting in the dark while I try and figure this out.

Oh yes. He would have to test all of the circuits in any case. When replacing a consumer unit he needs to produce an installation certificate when he has finished. The certificate is a record of the test results for each circuit. So, no test, no certificate for you = no confidence vote for him.

 

[stillp]

smaller cable for electric shower

Why???

 

[Risteard]

smaller cable for electric shower

Why???

I presumed that was a mistake and should have read "larger cable for electric shower".

 

[Echo the husky]

Well the second spark said doing to test is a waste of money as it will just recommend a new CU and smaller cable for electric shower etc , plus he didnt do chasing into walls and suggested trunking and coverter singles to doubles etc

Good grief! Tell him to hit the bricks. What a lazy git!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Why/how would testing the circuits lead to recommending a new CU?

 

[stillp]

smaller cable for electric shower

Why???

I presumed that was a mistake and should have read "larger cable for electric shower".

I asked because I've come across an 'electrician' who thinks that using too large a cable will allow an immersion heater to draw too much current!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We used to have someone here who claimed to be an electrician who thought you'd get a more severe electric shock from a cable carrying more current.

 

[flyingsparks]

Many firms bank on getting extras, and not only domestic even large jobs. The one I remember was helping another electrician doing some work in a kitchen, he had quoted for the work and selected what he was using. During the job the lady of the house would frequently ask can you do this or can you do that, the answer always seemed to be yes, she thought he was a great electrician pampering to her every wish, until they got the bill, every thing she had asked for was also billed for, the bill was twice the quote, and the electrician explained to the guy how his wife had authorised the extra work, he paid up as she clearly had asked for the work.

After I talked to him and said how I didn't think she had expected to be charged for the extras and should he have not said it would be added to the bill at the time, his reply was of course not, that's how I make my money.

Of course. Why should he have done it at no extra cost? I do exactly the same.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Of course #2 - WOE would she have expected all those extras to be free?