Did I make a mistake?

[ETAF]

whats the chances of going out with some of the sparks on jobs??? (are they employed by company or contracted in ) get some experience/knowledge working with/for them - see what the manager thinks - MUST help the company out if you can do both at the same JOB ? / and flexibility only need to send 1 guy if the jobs are in the same area / local to each other or even same house

maybe an open discussion with manager , just depends on how "stab in the back" / open minded they are

 

[CountryFan]

whats the chances of going out with some of the sparks on jobs??? (are they employed by company or contracted in ) get some experience/knowledge working with/for them - see what the manager thinks - MUST help the company out if you can do both at the same JOB ? / and flexibility only need to send 1 guy if the jobs are in the same area / local to each other or even same house

maybe an open discussion with manager , just depends on how "stab in the back" / open minded they are

Yeah I have thought about it and I actually did ask the electrical (M&E) manager if I could start replacing the out of date carbon monoxide alarms and he said he'll speak with my manager. Unfortunately I've heard nothing back. They're not quick to act on unimportant stuff.

 

[ETAF]

changing monoxide alarms is not really electrical work - any one could do that , is that all the sparks do - just basic maintenance - replace the broken socket , or switch or light etc etc - if so , you could do that with no equipment or training - well i guess training in terms of making the circuit dead and testing its dead before touching anything
and pretty boring too

I guess as an alarm, maybe more to it ..... but i have fitted a few in past and have battery ones here
just push a button to test - and replace battery once a year

If connected to the firestation somehow - then i guess more involved

 

[CountryFan]

changing monoxide alarms is not really electrical work - any one could do that , is that all the sparks do - just basic maintenance - replace the broken socket , or switch or light etc etc - if so , you could do that with no equipment or training - well i guess training in terms of making the circuit dead and testing its dead before touching anything
and pretty boring too

Yes a lot is maintenance as we're social housing. They used to do rewires but sub-contract that out. They do carry out eicr's and perhaps Install a fan and other stuff when required, such as electric showers, pumped waste, communal lighting, fault finding et al. Got to be a little more interesting than what I currently do.

Yes I agree some of that may become boring, but if my day was varied a bit more I could probably manage more.

 

[ETAF]

They do carry out eicr's and perhaps Install a fan and other stuff when required, such as electric showers, pumped waste, communal lighting, fault finding et al.

Worth going out on some of those, checking EICR , and fitting new wiring for showers etc

have you spoken to the sparks - i guess they would be bored too - but the contract out stuff re-wire - will be earning decent money

Got to be a little more interesting than what I currently do.

maybe - sounds like that will just be another trade with boring work

Pretty much i guess from the plumbing side you do the same - maintenance , pumped waste , replace boilers , maybe fit new boilers and plumb in the condestate waste

Test the gas pressure for boilers , install 22mm gas pipe rather than 15mm - test gas cooker/hob/fires supplies etc

Do they need to have a gas test for all appliances regularly, like if a landlord does

not sure what sort of family size you have , or if you have hobbies , sounds like you need other interests and just do the job as you have it all under control , get paid (ie Work to live)
not sure how long before you retire - if you are young , i guess late 30's maybe (20 years if first job at 16 ) it is a long time to retire

 

[CountryFan]

have you spoken to the sparks - i guess they would be bored too

No I haven't

maybe - sounds like that will just be another trade with boring work

Aye, could be

Pretty much i guess from the plumbing side you do the same - maintenance , pumped waste , replace boilers , maybe fit new boilers and plumb in the condestate waste

Yes maintenance, but 99.9% of the time it's non-plumbing as my job role changed. I don't replace boilers, we have fitters who do that and if it's a full hit (boiler and rads - subbied out).

Test the gas pressure for boilers

Occasionally, depends if there's a fault which requires it or sometimes it's the part, eg a new gas valve.

, install 22mm gas pipe rather than 15mm - test gas cooker/hob/fires supplies etc

We do repairs and test fires if they're ours, if it's customers own, same applies to the cooker/hob, then it's visual only.

Do they need to have a gas test for all appliances regularly, like if a landlord does

Yes, we are a landlord, so we have engineers for that. As the weather is good, not many breakdowns, so I get draughted onto gas checks and other mundane stuff

not sure what sort of family size you have , or if you have hobbies , sounds like you need other interests and just do the job as you have it all under control , get paid (ie Work to live)
not sure how long before you retire - if you are young , i guess late 30's maybe (20 years if first job at 16 ) it is a long time to retire

I'm 43, my family is wife and X2 girls. I don't have any hobbies, but even if I did, I wouldn't have the time

 

[CountryFan]

changing monoxide alarms is not really electrical work - any one could do that , is that all the sparks do - just basic maintenance - replace the broken socket , or switch or light etc etc - if so , you could do that with no equipment or training - well i guess training in terms of making the circuit dead and testing its dead before touching anything
and pretty boring too

I was just thinking about this. So it could be I’ve bought a tester without the need for it?

 

[ETAF]

I was just thinking about this. So it could be I’ve bought a tester without the need for it?

dont know for sure - whats the requirement/regulations as a landlord - maybe some sort of test is needed and recorded , even when replacing the kit, i guess my point was more that would soon get boring too

 

[CountryFan]

So unfortunately I went to try this tester but it doesn't work, batteries were left in, leaked, expanded and damaged the battery compartment. Probably just as well, think I was in over my head.

 

[Scally-Ho]

@Stuckinarut Obviously what turn your working life takes is up to you, but I will share my experience of the building industry.
I left school and went straight to college (Brunel annex) where I persevered with their Engineering Foundation course. By the end of that the 'building' side of my family wanted me to pursue plumbing and electrical under two uncles both highly proficient in their respective trades. I was somewhat confused but agreed to give the suggestion a go. . [it was either that or join the pawnbroker side of my family] A week on and a week off didn't work out as daunting as I thought it might be, even on a 6-day working week. The college work was bugger though as it took up most of my spare time; the earlier Brunel course had given me a good grounding and I kept at it. To cut a very long and convoluted diary short, I did well at both and I amazed myself. I worked both diligently and to exacting standards and by 25 I was running teams for the expanding family businesses. By 30 I had left the family business behind and set up on my own with a business in one town and an agency in another. I never looked back and expanded into other types of business as well as construction (car trade and haulage), and to this day I still enjoy a very good retirement income from those companies even though I am now no longer an active director in any of them.

I shared my working experience to show you that with determination and plenty of self-application, anything is possible.

 

[CountryFan]

@Stuckinarut I shared my working experience to show you that with determination and plenty of self-application, anything is possible.

Thank you for your insight. Unfortunately, these are something I currently lack. When I first started my apprenticeship I was getting recognised by some managers as being very good, I was keen and kept up the interest. I've always been a regs man, don't know why but I am, maybe this is what they didn't like in the end?

Now my interest comes and goes like my mindset and mood.

My dad was head of security and then went into shop management. My mum was a receptionist at a doctor's surgery and is now a mental health practitioner (I wouldn't tell her before anyone suggests it). My Gran (mums side) was a cleaner and grandad a pipefitter and my other gran (dad's side) was a policewoman and grandad was a policeman. My brother (brains of the family) is an engineer but we don't really speak anymore.

 

[Scally-Ho]

You do have to become 'flexible' and at least be seen to 'bend' to senior management's requirements. I've lost count of the times I heard myself say "yes sir, or course sir" then a few hours later ended up doing it my way.

 

[Scally-Ho]

EDIT of duplicate dpost.

 

[morqthana]

Can't help thinking that this is a (the?) major factor:

I'm 43

 

[CountryFan]

Can't help thinking that this is a (the?) major factor:

Are you being ageist? Are you saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks?