preparing the backboxes for skimming

[flameport]

There is a third, the vindictive plasterer

The ones who deserve to be supplied with ancient bags of plaster, or those which have been opened for a few days then cunningly resealed to look as good as new.
Ensures the plaster sets rock solid in 2 minutes, causing extensive ruination to whatever it was applied to.

 

[Chri5]

There is a third, the vindictive plasterer.

The VP will fill one (or sometimes more than one) of your boxes with bonding and then hardwall over - leaving a gleamingly smooth wall - behind the finished masterpeice will lurk your boxes, but can you remember where they are located when you return, some weeks later, for second fix?

I now take digital photos of the first fix elevations as an "aide memoire".

The key to that one is arrival on site when the bonding / plaster hasn't completely set. Seeing dark damp looking rectangles in walls allows you to spot the back boxes.

 

[1john]

If they have filled them right in and skimmed over them then I just make a point of letting the customer know that I need to start chiseling into the wall to try and find where the plasterer has hidden the boxes and a lot of decoration may be required, this should be paid for by the plasterer. As well as having boxed completely filled in I have arrived on site to see that boxes have been dabbed over with no effort to mark them or cut the board out for them. Also had cables snipped off to the exact length of the box as the amount of cables coiled up in the box caused them to protrude slightly.

 

[Taylortwocities]

The key to that one is arrival on site when the bonding / plaster hasn't completely set. Seeing dark damp looking rectangles in walls allows you to spot the back boxes.

That's OK if you only have a couple of jobs on the go.

For me, sometimes it is 3-4 weeks from first fix to when i next get back on site. There are no damp rectangles by then..

 

[1john]

A bit long winded but you could spray the wall with water and see which areas take longer to dry out

 

[RF Lighting]

Use a tone generator and sniffer probe

 

[martinxxxxxx]

Use a tone generator and sniffer probe

I keep looking to buy one of these but always wonder whether it is worth paying for anexpensive one or not?

What make is yours and is it any good?

Martin

 

[seasickstevie]

cable / metal detector

 

[RF Lighting]

Use a tone generator and sniffer probe

I keep looking to buy one of these but always wonder whether it is worth paying for anexpensive one or not?

What make is yours and is it any good?

Martin

I think it's made by emitex (It's not mine, it belongs to the firm I work for)

They are pretty good. I've used it a few times for finding plastered in boxes, and its really good for testing cat5s and stuff like that. They are not especially expensive and well worth having.

 

[xr4x4]

There's two types of plasterer: the clean and the dirty. The dirty plasterer will not only fill the boxes with his careless over-trowelling, but he'll also leave the floor caked with his 'droppings'. The clean and considerate plasterer will at least make a token effort to scrape out the basic outline of a wall box.

It often depends on whether the plasterer and electrician have an established, good working relationship or whether they are complete strangers.

Lucia.

bingo...