Finding a decent electrician is hard. In my home town of Brighton, there are probably over 100 firms from which to choose and probably another 100 sole traders on top of that.
- Drilling conduit can be tricky. The drill bit gets stuck and can even tear the material. A good way to prevent this is using a large washer around your drill bit. The bit will penetrate the conduit and be stopped by the washer and spin the washer instead of ripping the conduit.
- A little oil is a great way to help cut through metal faster. Try purchasing brands made specifically for use on saws. Try applying it directly to the metal surface to add lubrication and prevent sparks.
- Jack chain is a great way to fish walls. It works better than string because it’s stronger and sinks better because it’s heavier. Plus, you purchase the jack chain in a suitable length and never have to cut string again.
- A light dusting of baby powder on your face and arms can keep you from getting itchy while working with insulation. Remember to close your eyes when you dust your face. You can also use corn starch; just remember, baby powder smells nice and is meant to be absorbed by the skin.
- Figuring out how many amps a device uses is easy. Just divide the number of watts by the number of volts. If your division isn’t so good, you might want to consider carrying a calculator.
- Bent fish tape is an electrician’s nightmare. If you don’t want to throw it away try adding nailing penny nails to a long straight board, about 2 cm apart. Weave the tape through the nails and pull until straight. You may have to repeat the process a few times for best results.
- Use EMT templates for bending large amounts of PVC. You can use the template as a mold so you don’t have to reset your bender each time. This method is only really good if you have to bend a lot of PVC, but the great thing is you can always keep the template for later use.
- Cary a notepad and pencil with you at all times. It can save you a lot of time looking for one when you have to mark down measurements and wires.
- Replacing old plugs is as easy as clipping the old plug, stripping the wires back and wiring in the new plug. Make sure you use electrical grade tape to cover the bared wires. Alternatively, you can also use a wire sock.
- If you’re using the same color of wire for re-wiring a system, try covering the end of each wire with different colors of tape. The ends will be covered so you won’t have to worry about keeping them apart and you will be able to easily differentiate between the wires.
So if you are looking for an quality electrician Brighton, a small city has in a sense too much choice! Hopefully this blog has outlined some basic tips, so you might be able to do it yourself, rather than seek out an electrician who will charge day dte regardless of the task.
Matt Graham has been working with leading electrical services companies for a number of years, his client J Electrical is a sussex based electrical outfit that specialise in domestic and commercial work. They are keen to promote the Pat testing Worthing package service they offer.