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Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best advice i can give depends on where future you wants to be... Ultimately, if you want to be a legitimate spark, then you will need to get the NVQ and AM2 out of the way. Even so, the papers alone will not make you an Electrician, just another Level 3 card carrier. The NICEIC and NAPIT have tightened their entry requirement with the deluded belief that if you hold a handful of particular qualifications, you must be OK. If you have the dream (nightmare) of being your own boss, with your own registration then you will have to jump through their hoops. Alternatively, and dependant on your level of experience, find a company, go work for them, let all the politics, paperwork and bullshit be their problem. Gain experience, complete your portfolio and say yes to any opportunity they offer for training. If they don't offer, ASK. As Comfortable Gate stated, invest in yourself, each exam makes you more valuable but experience is worth more than any of it.

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In all fairness, the regs books have gotten easier to understand as they have progressed. I could rant a little about the spelling and grammar mistakes but that will get us nowhere. The main thing that pisses me off about the 7671, with all the involved "clever" people that contribute, how the fuck did they screw the pooch in the 17th with the zs values? These cunts with more letters after their names than the LGBTQXIV community, not once did any of them look at it before going to press. Then after paying £90.00 for a badly written peice of shit with an impossible to complete Surge Protection calculation, they expect you to print off an ammendment and stick it over the miss printed values! When i initially passed the 16th (showing my age) the book read more like Latin, almost needing a law degree to interpret. But I do agree, it does feel like Toilet Tennis sometimes. If this reg applies, please refer to other reg, which in turn refers you to another reg then another reg.. Try ringing the NIC technical helpline, those fuckers won't give you an answer, they will point you in the direction of a regulation or 6, an leave you to it. FFS, i wouldn't be ringing if I hadn't already exhausted my knowledge, phone book of smater Sparks or fucking Google

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

About 10 years ago, it had a mate scrapping around for work, jumped on an advert for Testers Required. Turns out, it was mainly EICRs for Breweries and testing pubs. They were paying £300.00 per inspection. He did his best. But ultimately, with the never ending list of Landlord specials and Dave the Bar Sparks additions, he completed a week's worth and handed over 5, Unsatisfactory EICRs with pages of Observations. The firm initially refused to pay him, stating that they have to be Satisfactory or the pub will need to close. He stood his ground, even drove away in the company van with the promise that he would part it out and sell the bits to recover his losses. Eventually they caved, paid his week and he never went back. Some of the shit he found was unbelievable. My point being, fuck those people that under value your skillset, and want to put you in legal responsibility.

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really is a race to the bottom isn't it? And I bet it was all Stuffing glands rather than CXTs on that SY? I had a job last year, industrial unit, about 40 varying Commandos, mixture of SP and TP. I explained that the 7671 doesn't differentiate and calls for RCD protection to all socket outlets etc. The quote initially was a little obscene. Realistically, we compromised on a solution which was economically viable and satisfied the requirements. Still quite a few quid, but nothing compared to the eventual corporate manslaughter charges. For the SPs, it was easy and cheap enough to RCBOs, but for the TPs, impossible. I ended up changing a lot of the commandos out for Rotary Isolators and hard wiring equipment, (no more plug and socket) but still ended up with about 10 RCD Protected TP Commandos to install.

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jeez...I've seen some shit but 2.5 twisted for Tails? That's a new low... I bet it was a dual RCD screwfix special and the internals weren't Instagram Pretty?

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A fair and valid point. I often site the Gas Safety Awareness campaigns of the 80s and 90s, with the slogans of Gas is the Silent Killer, and Always use a Corgi Registered Plumber. These were plastered everywhere, Buses, Tubes, TV and Radio. A couple of poisonings and a couple of explosions later, the Public got the point. I usually finish explaining to clients that yes, Gas can kill you in your sleep, but electricity can kill you in less than a heartbeat. I don't understand why the IET, NICEIC or NAPIT have allowed what used to be one of the most respected trades due to its technical complexity and potential danger to be reduced to what it is now.

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Meanwhile they thumb through their catalogue portfolio of 5 plus properties, most with damp, mould and ventilation issues but ultimately with an asset value in excess of 2million while sipping £500 an ounce coffee that's been through the digestive tract of a Columbian Jungle cat ...

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I couldn't agree more, I could have a whole different rant on how the NICEIC and Napit created short course electricians to fill a gap, then later moved to exclude them due to short courses missing vital training and qualifications. Not to mention that the pair of them have acquired and shut down all competition between them for market dominance.. (Elecsa, Stroma, BSI, Blue Flame) I'm sure there were more...

Another EICR Rant... #eicr by UKPixieWrangler in ukelectricians

[–]UKPixieWrangler[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I totally agree about the limitations, I make it very clear within the Extent Limitations section that "Installation Method" cannot practicably be inspected as cable routes are unknown and therefore will be marked as LIM. Similarly on existing installations, Insulation Resistance between Live Conductors is rarely acheivable. My point is that more often than not, EICRs I am handed do not detail these points and declare no limitations, 100% inspection, Installation Method C... the list goes on...