I have to say that the contents of your posting has really become quite bizarre the longer you have gone on and I’m wondering now whether you are just a troll in disguise or practicing to become the customer from hell.
Bizarre perhaps, because you are an electrician and I am not and we are not speaking the same language. So what? If I spoke with broken English would you also call me a troll?
In your first post you outline that you want a ring of garage sockets and then proceed to provide a detailed statement of how you want the steel conduit run around the garage house T&E leading to metal sockets - without any real evidence to justify such an approach.
So, why can't I throw an example of the way I'm thinking (as a layman) into the quote. What crime was committed there?
I advised you that the first thing you needed to was decide what you were going to use the sockets for. This is critical for a number of reasons not least it will determine circuit type, cable size, MCB type and size and whether there is a need for additional protection be that steel conduit (which by the way will double the cost of installation) or RCD. You have not responded to this.
OK, I'll respond now - thanks, I need to consider it. I hadn't decided yet what I wanted to use the sockets for, that's why I hadn't responded, because I don't yet know. Or did you want me to respond with "I'm thinking about that"? Seemed a little pointless.
I told you that your existing installation will also need to be considered when designing the new or additional circuit. You have not responded to this.
Because the CU is to be upgraded, and I haven't decided to what. I don't know, nothing sinister, and I'm not trying to p*** anyone off by not responding.
You then seem to believe that every electrician is out to rip you off and that if you do not have as much knowledge as the electrician then that will be the case.
Well, not really. Actually the opposite. Electricians, unlike builders for instance, all seem to quote similar amounts.
Your problem is that in trying to gain this knowledge you haven’t answered the questions that have been put to you. Instead you have picked up bits of accurate and inaccurate information that seem to be confusing you. To the extent that you have developed a fixation on steel conduit and the need to ensure a copper earth while ignoring the fact that your proposals create many other issues that should cause you more concern.
Fair cop. I like the idea of the steel conduit in the garage. I think it'll look nice. I think it'll look professional as well as be secure. Anyone looking at it will think more 'industrial' than 'domestic', and that's the reason why I want it. It isn't just about practical considerations. Sorry I didn't make that clear before.
What do you mean by the benefits of ring current on any socket?
Again a language problem perhaps? I mean the current that flows both ways round the ring, from the source meeting at the appliance socket can presumably be double what it would be on a spur. It's got two routes, therefore twice the area of copper, assuming the wire that goes to the CU is twice the capacity, or it joins to the CU in two places. I'm just showing my ignorance, I don't know the technical term for this increase is, I just said 'ring current', but I apologise for using the term.
Slapping your head rolling your eyes and blaming this forum for not highlighting the potential problem posed by the issues of spurs simply raises the hackles of people genuinely trying to help you.
OK, point taken. Sorry.
As for buying the parts and paying me by the hour – no problem (hourly rate £20 – daily rate £140) – I won’t guarantee the parts – I will still be paid if you fail to get the right parts and as you’re the paying customer if you want steel conduit you can have it (even if you don’t need it) – just make sure you hire the pipe bending kit as well.
The daily rate is very reasonable but that's not really what I'm asking in the thread.
As for requesting a second quote – I think if a customer started playing those games most electricians would walk – indeed most would have walked by now if you insisted on the above anyway.
The customer doesn't always request a second quote just to annoy people, or 'play games'. It can be that they got the original quote request wrong because they didn't know enough at the time. What do they do then? Ignorance doesn't make someone the big bad wolf.
So good luck on your endeavours, I just pity the poor electrician who winds up working for you.
Why? He will walk away from the job with no requirement to guarantee his work in any way (other than providing a bit of paper that satisfies the council). If he has to come back to fix anything he got wrong he'll be paid for that work. He won't have to worry about the price of copper (or anything else) changing between quoting and doing the work. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
With a customer at work we needed a new supply in to feed a rack of computers. The boss from the electricians doing the job came round, I drew a rectangle on the wall where we wanted the double socket, etc, etc - and then his lad fitted it somewhere else. So there's this rectangle with an X in it on one side of the rack, and the socket on the other.
