SUCCESS AS AN ELECTRICAL CONTRATOR IN GLASGOW

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR GLASGOW

In tough economic times like we have endured over the past several years, businesses in and around Glasgow, have struggled to survive and make ends meet doing the thing they have been doing for the past few years. The landscape has changed advertising has changed even the way we communicate has changed. Our customers come to our company from all different sources and if you have not moved with the times you will be left behind and will suffer the dire business and economic consequences.

We are based in the Westend of Glasgow and cover Glasgow - south side Glasgow (Clarkston)- Glasgow north - East end Glasgow and Renfrewshire. we continue to grow on a daily basis and are consistently looking for new opportunities to grow and enhance our visibility across all levels of media.

The most interesting thing is that in 2014 it dosnt cost in actual cold cash to get yourself out the intact you can basically get business all week 24 hours a day for free just like i do. you need to learn the techniques to do this but once you do you would be forever grateful for taking the time to do so.

i spend 0 on advertising and have done for the past 3 years i more jobs on a daily basis that i can handle and have to disappoint some customers but i do try and get 5-8 jobs  done per day minimum if possible.

if you are interested in learning more about becoming a success as an electrician get in touch iain@weselectrical.co.uk

EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN SOUTHSIDE GLASGOW

WES ELECTRICAL - 01418405236

If you live in Clarkston Glasgow or Giffnock in the south side of Glasgow

In Scotland It’s technically known as a consumer unit but it’s more commonly referred to as a fuse board , main box or even a fuse box. They are the heart of a home’s wiring system; fuse boxes work to distribute electricity to circuits in the house.

Prior to the arrival of mini circuit breakers (MCBs), the older type of consumer unit feature a horizontal row of fuses. New consumer units are more pleasing on the eye, and they have “toggles” so when they trip they just need flipping back up. Needless to say they are much safer.

Pre-1950 fuse boxes still exist but their numbers are low, and because it’s common for them to have exposed live parts these units should always be regarded with caution.

Different types of consumer units and fusebox

There’s a wide range of consumer units available in the UK, from leading and well respected manufactures such as Volex, Legrand, Wylex, MK and Crabtree. Determining which type of unit that best suits your needs will depend on how many separate circuits you have in the home.

The basic types of domestic consumer units are:

• Main Switch Consumer Units
• Split Load Consumer Units
• Dual Residual Current Device (RCD)/ 17th Edition consumer unit
• High Integrity Boards

For security and aesthetics, consumer units tend to be located in out of the way places, for example in closets (but not clothing closets), basements and garages. However, they still need to be easily accessible.

New consumer unit regulations

New 17th edition wiring regulations were introduced for the UK in 2008, which required all circuits to have RCD protection. Since the new electrical wiring regulations were introduced, all new homes built in the UK have to be fitted with RCDs. These life saving devices are designed to protect against electrical fires and electric shocks, which can be fatal.

Although it is possible to make existing electrical installations in the home compliant, in most instances it’s easier, safer and ultimately more cost-effective just to remove the old fuse board and replace it with a modern consumer unit.

Switching to a new consumer unit

Consumer units must be installed by a certified Part P electrical contractor. Replacing an old fuse box in a typical three bedroom property should normally be completed in a day. day.

The electrical installation will need to be inspected and tested to ensure it is safe before the fuse box can be replaced with a new consumer unit. All cables will be upgraded and all circuits fully tested. An electrical installation certificate will only be issued after the job has been done and all tests are satisfactory.

ELECTRICAL CONSUMER UNIT REPLACEMENT

Consumer Unit guide to the 17th edition Wiring Regulations 

For Glasgow and Renfrewshire

For well over one hundred years the Wiring Regulations IN scotland and in Glasgow where we are based, have provided the rules which must be followed to make sure that electrical installations are safe. The introduction of the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations on the 1st January 2008 has major implications for all Electrical Contractors Glasgow, Designers and Consultants. Installations designed from 1st July 2008 must comply with this new set of Regulations. Several new Regulations will have an impact upon circuit design and consumer unit layout. This guide below will help you understand the new Wiring Regulations and current Building Regulations, providing the necessary facts to construct compliant installations including Consumer Units. Since 2005 the Building regulations for England and Wales has made direct reference to Electrical Installations, increasing the influence on how Electrical Equipment is installed in buildings.

Building Regulations

Part P of the building regulations relates to the electrical safety in dwellings. The approved document prescribes that consumer units should be located so that they are easily reachable where this is necessary to comply with Part M of the building Regulations.

Part M requires that reasonable provision be made for people to gain access to a building and use its facilities. The approved document prescribes that switches, socket outlets and “other equipment” needs to be at appropriate heights, these are defined as between 0.45m and 1.2m from finished floor level.

Other equipment may be taken to include the consumer unit, as it contains devices such as MCB’s and RCD’s that may need operation or resetting by the user of the dwelling. The consumer unit should therefore be accessible, with the devices mounted at a height no greater the 1.2m above the floor. In addition the consumer unit should not be in a location that would make it difficult to access such as an under stairs cupboard. Neither should it be placed in a position where is likely to be damaged by impact. Therefore depending on the layout of the dwelling a flush consumer unit may be considered.

Consumer Units should be easily reachable and be mounted with the switches at a height of between 0.45m & 1.2m above floor level

Scotland Requirements of 17th Edition Wiring Regulations BS 7671:2008

Electricians in Glasgow

This section aims to explain some of the new Regulations contained within the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, regarding the consumer unit and final circuits. Firstly however, to fully understand what is required, we need to consider some definitions from Part 2 of the Regulations.

• Ordinary Person – Someone who is neither skilled or instructed
  e.g. General public / Home owner
• Skilled Person – A person with technical knowledge or experience to enable him/her to avoid dangers which electricity may create
  e.g. Qualified Electrician
• Instructed Person – A person who has been adequately advised or supervised to enable him/her to avoid dangers which electricity may create
  e.g. Facilities Manager

Typically commercial installations will be under the control of a Skilled or Instructed Person. However domestic and some commercial installations will not. This is particularly important, as certain Regulations only apply to installations not under the supervision of a Skilled or Instructed Person. A significant change is the introduction of Regulations requiring additional protection by RCDs. There are 3 points of consideration,

1. Socket Outlets
2. Cables buried in walls
3. Locations containing a bath or shower

together with some other considerations, like the Division of Installation and about the Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems for buildings.

Certain Regulations only apply to installations not under the supervision of a Skilled or Instructed Person i.e. Ordinary persons.

The Regulations have introduced new requirements regarding socket outlets, particularly where used by ordinary persons e.g. Home owners.

Sockets Outlets

The definitions for persons are important to consider when we look at the requirements for protection of circuits supplying socket outlets.  Regulation 411.3.3 requires that an RCD of not exceeding 30mA be provided for:

1. Socket outlets up to 20A that for general use by “ordinary persons”.
2. Mobile equipment up to 32A that is for use outdoors.
   Exceptions to 411.3.3 are permitted where:
3. Use of socket outlets is under the supervision of someone “skilled” or “instructed”.
4. Specifically labelled or otherwise suitably identified socket outlets provided for a particular item of equipment.

This is a change from the 16th Edition that required only socket outlets ‘reasonably expected’ to supply equipment used outside the equipotential zone to have RCD protection e.g. used for an Electric lawn mower. Now under the requirements of the 17th edition it is likely that every socket outlet in a domestic installation will require RCD protection not exceeding 30mA. This may also apply to some commercial installations, like small offices or shops etc where there is no control on the use of those socket outlets. Consideration should also be given to areas where free access to socket outlets is available to the general public e.g. airport lounges.

Socket outlets for general use in a domestic installation require RCD protection not exceeding 30mA

Significant changes affect installations where cables are buried in the wall. This is the normal practice in dwellings.

Cables buried in the wall

  

Here we need to consider Section 522, Selection and erection of wiring systems in relation to external influences. The particular requirements of this section apply to cables which are concealed in a wall or partition at a depth of less than 50mm, or where metal partitions are used. The definitions for persons are once again important for this section. There are 5 options of installing cables in walls. The cables shall:

1. Incorporate an earthed metal covering which is suitable as a protective conductor. Eg SWA cable.
2. Be enclosed in earthed metal conduit, such that is suitable as a protective conductor.
3. Be enclosed in earthed metal trunking, such that is suitable as a protective conductor.
4. Be protected against damage from penetration by nails or screws.
5. Be installed in a safe zone.

This is much the same as the 16th Edition requirements and the usual option is to install cables in a dedicated safe zone. However, where an installation is not under the supervision of someone skilled or instructed, regulation 522.6.7 applies. In this regulation where (5) only from above is used then the cable must have additional protection by the use of a RCD not exceeding 30mA. This would apply where thermoplastic (PVC) wiring systems are used, this is typical in most domestic installations and some commercial installations.

Where buried cables are not mechanically protected additional protection by an RCD not exceeding 30mA must be provided

Although additional regulations relating to bathrooms etc are not new, there are some important changes to consider.

Section 701, Locations containing a bath or shower

Regulation 701.411.3.3 requires that all circuits within this location shall be additionally protected by an RCD not exceeding 30mA. This would mean 230V lighting, the 230V supply to the source for SELV, a shower circuit and bathroom heater for example will all need RCD protection. A standard 13A socket outlet is now permitted in this location provided however the socket outlet is more than 3m from the boundary of zone 1.

The 16th Edition required local supplementary bonding be provided connecting together all exposed and extraneous conductive parts in the zones. This is no longer required in this location provided the following conditions are met:

• All final circuits of the location comply with the automatic disconnection requirements according to regulation 411.3.2.
• All circuits are RCD protected in accordance with 701.411.3.3.
• All extraneous-conductive parts of the location are effectively connected to the protective equipotential bonding according to regulation 411.3.1.2 (Previously termed main equipotential bonding).

All circuits in locations containing a bath or shower shall be protected by an RCD not exceeding 30mA

Qualified electricians paisley Other Considerations

There are additional Regulations and Codes of Practice that need to be considered during the design of an installation. These will affect the choice of consumer unit.

Division of Installation

Section 314 calls for the installation to be so divided to:

1. Avoid hazards and minimize inconvenience in the event of a fault
2. Reduce the possibility of unwanted tripping of the RCD due to excessive protective conductor currents.

To comply with these requirements the circuits of an installation should not be connected to a single RCD, as this could lead to loss of supply to the entire installation in the event of a fault on one circuit, clearly inconvenient for the user of the building.

All circuits of an installation should not be connected to a single RCD

The Wiring Rules & Building regulations are not the only documents that need to be consulted, another important document relates to smoke alarms.

BS 5839-6:2004 Fire detection and Fire alarm systems for buildings

This Code of Practice has particular requirements for dwellings. This document makes reference to the power supply to such systems and mentions RCD’s. The circuit supplying these systems should preferably not be protected by an RCD. This however is going to be difficult to achieve if the circuit supplying these systems is buried in the walls and standard domestic wiring systems are used. Indeed the supply cables would need to be specially protected in earthed metal conduit etc. for RCD protection not to be used.

electricians in glasgow

MAIN BOARD - CONSUMER UNIT REPLACEMENT GLASGOW

Electrical main boards Glasgow

Contact us - www.weselectrical.co.uk - 01418405236


When it comes time to upgrade your consumer unit / older fusebox in your home, you need to take into account several things that will effect how much you are going to spend.

Firstly you should always consult a qualified electrician before any electrical work is undertaken on you consumer unit.

secondly you would need to know how many circuits you have in your home, for example you will have one circuit for your lighting downstairs and one circuit for your upstairs lighting. also you will have a socket circuit in the form of a ring circuit , you would have a shower circuit and cooker circuit also.

The more circuits you have the bigger the main board you will need to power you home.


you will also need to take into consideration if you would choose to install a board with rcd protection.

Most new boards come with an rcd protected circuit board but you can buy ones that don't.
The issue can arise that if the is earthing issues on you circuits or you have some other wiring faults your rcd will trip and not go back up until this is fixed. you would then need to take on testing of your electrical installation through the means of a EIC test to find out where the fault lies.

If in doubt contact a qualified electrician west end Glasgow about your Fuseboard.


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HOW TO REPLACE YOUR FUSEBOARD

What you MUST know before replacing your fuse board

Having made the decision to replace your old fuse board, it is important to ensure that this important job is completed by a competent electrician.

Think of your fuse board as the main hub of your home – its the ‘thinking centre’ to all electrical aspects in your home. If the job is carried out incorrectly, your home will be in a dangerous condition and your family is then at risk from electrical harm.

Firstly, I will outline the main reasons why you may need or want to upgrade your old fuse board to a new 17th Edition Consumer Unit:

• You are having some other electrical work carried out and need to comply with the regulations.
• Your old fuse board is overloaded and starting to cause problems for the remainder of the installation.
• Your wiring installation is in poor condition but you cannot afford a rewire, changing to a 17th Edition Consumer Unit will offer some protection.

Whatever the reason upgrading an old consumer unit to one incorporating two residual current devices (RCDs), is a job that many people will now have to consider at some point.

The above points may have been raised by another tradesperson in your home such as a builder if are having a large building project undertaken.

Please DO NOT be tempted into hiring anyone who IS NOT a qualified electrician to carry out electrical work in your home, even if they offer to carry out the work for a fraction of the price because ‘they know all about electrics’

It’s not just the price that counts, a competent electrician will be fully qualified, Part P compliantand fully insured to do the job AND have a lengthy guarantee on the job for years to come.

If the person fitting the consumer unit is not qualified, Part P compliant, and is not insured, it really is better to walk away. These people are not interested in your safety or future well being, they are only interested in your cash!

Yet over the years I have come across the same objections about price when quoting for a replacement consumer unit /fuse board. They normally go as follows…

• I can buy one myself for £80 in a well known DIY Shop
• My mate that works for %%%%%% can do it for £xxx
• I’ve had a quote from my builder and he reckons he can do it for £xxx
• Mick down the pub said if I get the board he’ll fit it for £50

Please don’t believe anyone who say you don’t need a certificate or dis-regards the importance of certification. Not only if an electrical certificate your peace of mind that your home is safe, it is also an important document that is needed should you wish to sell or let your home in the future.

It is not simply a peace of paper signed by the electrician, it is a legal document and the electrician needs to carry out several tests on the installation before they can issue a certificate.

The Electrician who carries out the installation should also issue the certificate. BEWARE some ‘electricians’ employ someone else to issue the certificate. This practice is NOT APPROVED and means your electrician is not Part P compliant.

So having obtained a quote from a genuine electrician, you might be wondering how they arrive at the cost.

So what is the Cost?

When you ask an Electrician to quote for a Fuse Board/New Consumer Unit, there are a number of things he will take into consideration, therefore costs will vary. You should be aware of these:

The materials involved

You can now go to a high street hardware/DIY shop and buy new Consumer Units for a reasonable amount of money, they come preloaded with MCBs, which may or may not be the right rating for your circuits, you will have to add to that the cost of Meter Tails and the fact that if anything goes wrong with the unit you will need to pay to have it removed and a new one refitted.

On the other hand your electrician will have accounted for all necessary items required and if he supplies the board it will be of good quality and if anything goes wrong with the unit he will have to replace it at no cost to you. You only Pay Once.

Checking earthing and bonding arrangements

Before the consumer unit is changed, the electrician will have checked the distributor’s equipment at the origin of the installation (where your meter is) along with the earthing and bonding arrangements. This is to ensure that they are properly connected, safe and that they comply with the regulations. If they do not then work may have to be postponed until the distributor rectifies any issues highlighted.

The time involved for installation

This will depend on the size of the property, number of circuits and location of the old fuse board. Stripping out the old, marking up cables ensuring they are in good condition and long enough then installing the New Consumer Unit.

The time involved in Testing

All of the circuits in the property will have to be tested, there is a series of predefined tests that must be applied to each of the circuits, and the results of this testing form a big part of the certification you will receive.

This is perhaps the most important part of changing a Fuse Board, however it is often the part that is not carried out correctly or at all by those who charge below market value for installing a new Consumer Unit. Often they will Fudge the test and fake the certificate, because they haven’t allowed time in their cost to do it correctly or they just are not capable of testing to the correct standard.

Allowance for Fault Finding

A good electrician will have built in an allowance for some Fault Finding because experience tells us that there are often minor issues that need to be resolved, if this has been built into the cost then often the electrician will not bother you with the detail, but will just rectify simple faults as found. Major faults would be notified to you and be discussed as a separate Job.

Again someone who is quoting below market value will not have factored in time for fault finding and you run two serious risks here. The first is that you are likely to be presented with an “Extras” bill at the end which could be substantially higher than your original quote or secondly the “electrician” will bodge the job in order to make it work so he can get paid his original fee, the result is you are left with a potentially dangerous installation.

Certification and Registration

Electricians have to comply with strict regulations, a change of consumer unit is a serious undertaking and must meet all of the relevant Standards and Regulations, in order to comply with these Electricians will issue Certification for both the Electrical Installation and for Compliance with Part “P” of the Building Regulations. Apart from the fact that doing this properly takes time, it also requires the electrician to be registered with an awarding body and all the associated costs that go with that, such as ongoing training, insurance, membership fees.

Profit

And finally we get to Profit, which is after all why any Electrician is in Business. A good electrician who runs a good business will have built in a profit margin into his quote for the job, this is how he stays in business and can provide a good service to his clients, he will be happy to take payment in any legal manner.

Your cheep quote electrician, will not have factored in profit, because in his mind it is pretty much all profit, he will supply a cheap quality consumer unit, fudge the test results, hide any faults that show up and then tell you he prefers to be paid in cash.

He is likely not registered, not insured and possibly not even qualified. If anything goes wrong and it will you have absolutely no comeback.

Conclusion

When you take all of the above into consideration, you will appreciate that there is a big difference between what you can buy a Consumer Unit for off-the-shelf in a well known DIY Chain, and the cost of a fully installed fully certified and fully guaranteed Unit. You should ask yourself when you get a cheap quote “How can he do it so Cheap”?…what is not getting done…

Most reputable electricians would agree that anything below £350 is too cheap and something is being missed and anything above £550 for a standard domestic board is too high (unless there are mitigating circumstances).

Glasgow westend Electrical Contractor

ELECTRICIANS IN WESTEND GLASGOW

2014 has been a busy year so far, as we approach the end of august i have seen many more clients coming to us for our expertise in electrical rewiring commercial and domestic both are equally as busy at the moment and long may it continue. Some of out larger customers include businesses with Glasgow airport and larger shopping centres in and around Glasgow.



Another massive change to the electrical industry this year in the installation of commercial LED lighting in buildings and shopping centres, not only does it reduce the cost of the electricity bills for the client but the lamps last up to 10 x as long as regular lamps that have previously been installed.



also on the rise for our business is the installation of custom tv installation around the home, from simply putting the tv on the wall to a complete wall make over with various points av ports and speaker installations, we are a professional installation company for audio visual equipment and are the best in Glasgow at what we do feel free to get in touch if you have a query or if you require a quotation.

EICR Glasgow

Electrical contracting in Glasgow 2014

I have been wondering for a while now why our industry has been cutting itself down and not staying true to business. What do I mean by that well I look at the  bass fitters and the plumbers in my marketplace and they all have the same mentality and price structure. No one veers far from the standard price in the Glasgow and Mosspark area whether you are a one man show or a 50 man shop. HVAC companies have good structure and the standards for the technicians are set higher. They wear uniforms, don’t complain about working on call shifts and just seem to have a better grip on customer service than electricians.

Electricians and electrical contractors have been trying to play catch up with the other industries and trades and I have to say it is about time. We make our living doing a highly skilled trade and still don’t know how to do simple things in business and in marketing. There is no doubt that we are great electrical  technicians but we definitely have some work to do on the business side of things.

I created this blog so we can all try to make our electrical industry a better place to earn a living. Let’s face it, this is what we do to feed our families and if we can not do that then why do it. I see electrical contractors everyday that go out of business not because they were bad electricians but they just don't understand how in todays market place new thinking and new approaches need to be taken to be a success. Believe me I was one of those guys. I searched and looked for business resources on running an electrical business approached business gateway in glasgow but never found anything. It was the school of hard knocks for me. I realized that our industry thinks it is some secret that should not be told on how to run a business. I think different, I think that if we all have better training and resources that we all will prosper.

For me learning about business has been a full time occupation since i was 20 and could get a job in the electrical industry after my time as an apprentice electrician was done and to be honest i diet want to go out and work for someone, i have always had a business mind and an attitude to making my own money. so thats exactly what i did, and i dominated my local area, but as time goes on without proper knowledge of where marketing and the industry was heading, the work started to slow down, until i released that i need to work hard at keeping my business at the top. There are multiple ways of doing this and i will digress in my other blogs but running a business in todays market in west end glasgow takes much more than placing an add in a news paper.

Lets make a change the electrical contracting game for the better in Glasgow  because our industry is not like a shelf at asda. We cant look for the cheapest disposable electricians forever and it will catch up to all of us eventually. Let me know if you have anything you would like to learn or know about so we cant discuss it further.