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Lochy96

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Hi all just joined the forum there, been doing my nosey for a while and thought why not!

Anyway im doing a wee course in Glasgow to get me into an apprenticeship as a Spark, as ive been dying to get into one for years and now Im coming up for 20 i thought Id best get a move on.

Right now the course have put us out on a placement and I was hoping to be on a site, but the company I am with are more based around Maintenance.

While its been a decent experience so far and the guys are great I feel I am more cut out for working on a site and installing full newly built offices etc.

So my basic question is what are the biggest differences between Maintanence and Installation electricians and what do you guyd prefer. Cheers.

 
wee course.. is that anything to do with part pee? not that you need that in jockland anyway

i prefer maintenance, almost all my work is maintenance or small installation work

 
If you understand installation then you can maintain.

If you just maintain you may not be able to install.

 
I prefer maintenance, shop fitting and Data installation. I only do domestic for people ai know and if it is no hassle. I do a lot for a plumber mate of mine and my best mate ( best man at his wedding, dive partner and me and Mrsk are God parents to his two daughters) is a builder so it works very well. I would not thank you for a rewire unless ai had NO work on. I am TOO,old for shifting furniture and carpets, also I did rewires for over 20 years!

Just saying

 
If you understand installation then you can maintain.
I'm not sure about that.

If you can install a particular wiring system (bearing in mind many new guys wont be taught MICC etc), then you can make adjustments to it, but fault finding is a different game with different rules.

If you just maintain you may not be able to install.
While there is some truth to that, I'd say that it would be easier for a maintenance guy to move to installation, rather than vice versa. Its going to be mostly a speed issue and getting into the right mindset

 
I HATE installations pretty much.

I can do them and as well as they need to be just not as quick, and that has something to do with my body being wrecked these days as well as my not doing that much of them.

However, a maintenance guy will always learn how to do installs, he will just not be as quick.

So a maintenance guy can install.

Try asking an installer to fault find and maintain even a simple Siemens S5 system, they will be stuffed.

Also, when doing installation, if you've done your job correctly the install must be safe to power up.

When you are doing maintenance, you have NO IDEA what you are walking in to nor what you are going to find, so it takes a greater competence to work safely, and that's without the competence to undertake the fault finding and maintenance in the first place.

 
Do,they still do,the "burn down test"?

Take out fuse, put link in, post spotters along the underground route....and look for the smoke?

Or is that frowned upon in these H&S times?
we used to do something similar with old type xmas lights with festoon cable and screw on lampholders,

stick in a 40a fuse with a few guys down the street looking for the bang-flash

 
So my basic question is what are the biggest differences between Maintenance and Installation electricians and what do you guyd prefer. Cheers. 
Sidewinder has summarised the biggest key difference in his post, with installation work most of the time you know what you are aiming to get done at the start of each day. With unplanned maintenance work most of the time you are flying by the seat of your pants and the days objectives can change numerous times throughout the day.

When you are doing maintenance, you have NO IDEA what you are walking in to nor what you are going to find, so it takes a greater competence to work safely, and that's without the competence to undertake the fault finding and maintenance in the first place.
The skills needed for fault finding, or unplanned maintenance, is a bit similar to that needed for periodic inspection and testing. Where often you are working with no drawings, labeling, previous certificates and trying to identify the composition of each circuit on an installation to evaluate if it is satisfactory or unsatisfactory for continued safe operation. This requires a knowledge of current wiring regulations and the regulations applicable when the installation (or any additions to the installation) were installed and what loads a circuit is intend to supply. Pre planned routine maintenance can be a bit less demanding of your skills and abilities. A lot of maintenance work will have no predefined budget or timescale but you still need an awareness of the labour & material costs to fix something compared to replacing a faulty item or cable etc.,

An installer may have various options and choices of installation methods and materials to get a circuit to operate safely, but they will generally be working to an agreed schedule of work, or plans and drawing, that state what loads need to be supplied or switched at various parts of the installation. They need a good knowledge of current wining regulations and where applicable building regulations and an understanding of the building structure and its environment, external influences etc. They will also need to have a good awareness of working within a budget and to a deadline. A lot of installation work is good for working in small teams or groups so there can often be more of a social friendship if working regularly with a small group of colleagues.

If you are the type that likes to use their own mind to solve problems and overcome hurdles then both fault finding maintenance or design and installation could keep you mentally stimulated.  Routine planned maintenance or installing to someone else's design plans all of the time may both leave you felling brain dead and unstimulated.

Personally I'd prefer any task that gives you something to think about to solve a problem leaves you with a good sense of achievement at the end of the day. But just doing something repeatedly day after day on mental auto pilot is not a good recipe for a happy worklife. 

Doc H.

 
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I HATE installations pretty much.

I can do them and as well as they need to be just not as quick, and that has something to do with my body being wrecked these days as well as my not doing that much of them.

However, a maintenance guy will always learn how to do installs, he will just not be as quick.

So a maintenance guy can install.

Try asking an installer to fault find and maintain even a simple Siemens S5 system, they will be stuffed.

Also, when doing installation, if you've done your job correctly the install must be safe to power up.

When you are doing maintenance, you have NO IDEA what you are walking in to nor what you are going to find, so it takes a greater competence to work safely, and that's without the competence to undertake the fault finding and maintenance in the first place.
[SIZE=medium]That is why I enjoyed maintenance and breakdown work so much. Not knowing what is lurking around the corner to try and trip you up.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Often you go in to work thinking I’ve got a nice steady day planned out and it all goes out the window the moment you walk in the workshop door.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]The uncertainty brings a kind of excitement to the job.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]I couldn’t do installation work day in day out.[/SIZE]

 
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