Good to see a fellow sparky doing the job properly and correctly. Too many guys nowadays just lash it in and run with no attention to detail and pride in their workmanship. Well done 👍🏼.
I gave up fitting integral leds a year ago, even with quality lights you still get the odd duffer you have to replace free of charge and I’m done with that hassle, it’s cans and lamps all the way now.
" Why do people connect up light like this " i have been self employed 15 yrs sub contract , sole trader. I mainly sub contract to companies by myself and reluctantly by employment agencies. Sometimes i hate to say is ruined ruined by the guys you work with. The times i have mentioned about this particular issue and similar but money over rides this and co workers have said " oh don't worry about that " you carry on doing the decent standard and find yourself first out the door . It is a shame as i admire your decent ethical standards and this should be the yardstick what we go by.
So so true. Only recently I watched an episode of Kevin McCloud's Grand Designs programme and the down lights were being terminated just like this, with the grey sheaths stripped too far back; everyone seemed happy and thought nothing strange about it. Also true is the fact that the man who does the job right will be first out of work as all the others are quicker and cheaper despite their poor work standard.
Often it's not slower to do a good job. Taking those light fittings - it would take me (very slightly) longer to strip off too much sheath so the bad job would take me longer than the good job. What it is is poor training
Another quality video Chris - as someone that does some occasional electric DIY (spur socket, changing switches, lights in loft) it would be awesome to see a video of common DIY issues you’ve seen like you did a bit of at the end. Thanks again !
I agree with the baton holders in the attic with led lamps in . But in Ireland we can’t do this because it’s a fire hazard we have to fit a bulk head. I also always roll my cables up in switch and socket boxes it looks very tidy and plasterers appreciate it more and very few cables are buried or damaged as a result. Love the videos full of great content and you are a good guy. Keep them up.
Top job mate. Some people don’t take leccy seriously they argue that you have power leads permanently flying around the house which are live all the time from appliances getting knocked etc so they think they can just cobble together anything to get something to work.
Just fitted 14 of the fire rated type downlights with metal cans , in my extension/kitchen with wago type connectors built in and yes the mouse trap springs bloody hurt when you pull one back down , and yes I am a car mechanic/ garage owner , my job is quiet at the moment due to you know what , so if I can do it , I will do , great video , nice birdies in the loft and yes they all worked first time , if I can build up a body shell from scratch / build engines that start , swap dashboards and deal with canbus wiring , fit alarm systems and reversing sensors/ dash cameras etc my 40 years experience does help, Nice socks by the way !!!🇬🇧💪😂😂😷😎
Not just handy men and bathroom fitters that mess up downlight cord grips. A major national house builder that rhyme with Wailor Timpey fitted a total of 23 downlights to my home. Each and every one had the cord grips hacked off with side cutters and the cable secured with electrical tape and then tried to tell me that that was fine as they always work to the appropriate standards.... Thankfully the NICEIC didn't agree!
Matt Beddow First mistake was even considering a new build property built by any of the big names. Was recently house hunting myself, and visited multiple sites. Without exception the standards were terrible. I lived in a new build briefly twenty years ago, which was bad enough but I though things may have improved. They haven't, things are worse than ever. I will never, ever consider one again.
I have a feeling some house builders save costs by having labourers or sparks who are maybe qualified in their home country but not registered here working under the 'supervision' of a qualified person. I've seen this with the other trades on site. Nothing against the guys trying to earn a wage but somewhere standards are bound to to slip or be overlooked.
Should be a law like the gas one where you can be prosecuted for bad electrical work as it can cause very bad damage and fires! Nice work chris looking good 👍 stay safe
Same should be in the car job , always some cowboy/ butcher from the pub who can have a go ,cock it up leave wires and bolts loose , the they ring a proper tradesman to rectify it and complain at the cost to put it right ,every trade should be registered to do jobs
Excellent video again Chris maybe if as and when you come off the tools become a collage tutor its really helpful when you show us the close ups of the connections and an explanation of why you do it this is one channel I would make a contribution to thanks for sharing 👍
I've been using almost those exact same downlights for a long time now precisely because the integrated ones always result in callbacks (I get the push-fit connections though). Usually with Philips core-pro GU10s if they want my advise on bulbs (if you're a client) or lamps (if you're a wanker). Checked since the malarkey about fire rating for engineered joists came out and they claim to be good for it.
The reason why diy customers don't bring the the cable sheath into the connecter enclosure is because the fitting designers have not provided a large enough enclosure and give up trying to squeeze it all in. Maybe the Prats who design them ought to spend a week on site fitting them !
Hey, this DIY monkey brings in his cable sheath and earth sheath.. 😂 Had too, as i need a certificate for a new ring, but cant get a spark out during corona, so read as much of the rules as i could and wired up, then when mr spark comes, hopefully it will be a test and sign off deal.. Hopefully.
@@Runawaygeekchannel highly unlikely, only a muppet spark would sign off on a DIYers work. I'd tell you to rip it out and I'd start again, charge you a fortune because well...........just because. Maybe the next time you wouldn't be so quick to endanger your own life, your family lives and everyone else that uses the Electrical system. Theres one of you born every day.....
and you wonder why people don't ask for help and get in over their heads? To Mr DIY a) He knew there were regs - puts him in the top 20%, b) he knows about earth sheath - top 10%, c) he knows it needs to be signed off - top 5%. He only loses marks for admitting that he doesn't have the required test equipment to fully test it. However I suspect compared to a "handy man", "kitchen fitter", short course "qualified" spark - his work is better.
@@MagnetechSolidSolutions Seriously dude? You're a fucking spark, not a brain surgeon. Anybody who does their homework and actually cares about what they're doing and takes their time to do it right and get the appropriate stuff for the job (which actually rules over half of the "professionals" out) can do a perfectly safe and legal basic installation, probably better than a "professional" routine rush job as well. Where I live, sparks aren't allowed to pass or fail their own installs, they don't even put their names on the plans, there are different companies assigned by the government who come over to check if everything matches the plans, do testings... I did all electrics in my house myself, took plenty of pictures, made plans the best I could, then paid an electrician to do a pre-check and convert my drawings into professional plans with all the correct symbols (something I've actually never seen a British spark on RUclips do, do you guys even make plans?). The electrician told me everything seemed fine, so I just had to pay him a few hours work for the testing and drawing. The official guy told me the same thing, absolutely no on- or off-record remarks, and actually asked me who I hired because apparently it was rare for him to see a new install without any shortcuts or attempts to hide stuff.
So nice to follow someone thorough like yourself amount of butchers I've followed up after left no cable no grommets no sleeving for identifying perm/switched just annoying enit... Good job mate keep it up.
I have stopped watching a certain electrical channel after someone considered charging for content and ironically it backfired. I respect you 100% for the time & effort you make. Stay safe out there mate.
Great video and going into detail on the lights/ fan socket with feeds and switch lines is gold for me as an apprentice, it’s almost taken for granted sometimes on other channels (which is normal I guess!) also love the socks 👍🤣 cheers Chris
Free content yes but I believe you should be rewarded for all your hard work by offering your followers CJR branded hoodies, t-shirts etc for profit of course. You are a great ambassador for good kit and tools. Screwfix owes you bags of commission. Wago owes you a bob or two as well. Keep doing your thing.
Great (FREE) content Chris, I wouldn't be going in that loft either!! Personally fit the GU10 cans only now mate, far too many jobs I've been to have had integrated fittings fail and manufactures no longer make them anymore. The Aurora EFD Pro's have push fit connections which make installing a bit quicker,
You are completely right, the law should change. People seem to think it's ok to dick around with electrics coz they see wires and think if you put the colours together, especially lighting, everything is ok, until they switch on and goes bang. They wouldn't do it with a gas, so why with electricity? Is this one of the reasons why self employed plumbers/gas fitters are able to drive nice vans with the fancy logos as i see in my area but self employed electricians are still driving round in old virtually clapped out vans!
Find these videos very helpful and find them interesting from another electricians view 😊! With connecting up the sockets my tutor for my 18th edition said that the suggested way with the earths is to put the earths of the ring in separate terminals to one another and put the fly lead into either side with one of them (although not required obviously) that way if one becomes loose chances are you’ll still get some sort of earth 🤷🏻♂️. I find another good way is to leave one earth of the ring slightly longer and go to the terminal of the back box without cutting it, then going to the terminal on the socket (similar to and equipotential bond). That way if the back terminal ever becomes loose or breaks off, the earth is still continuing the circuit 👍🏼 You’ve probably heard it all before, I thought I’d just share the information I’ve learnt 😊 keep up the hard work 👍🏼
Ryan Jones . That is the correct way to connect them and it's the reason for having dual earth sockets. MK dual earth twin sockets have outboard rockers to differentiate them from the standard single earth ones. (Their single sockets are all dual earth) It's usually in the spec for commercial buildings, schools etc.
When installing upstairs dowlights (like you do at the end of this video) which then go into an insulated loft space, do you need to try and keep insulation away from the cabling or with the plastic cable covering insulate the wires enough to not transfer any heat?
CJR It's all your fault! I put 12V spots in my garage running off the solar panel 12V battery and it's all held together with Wagos. I never knew Wagos existed until I watch you. I would have soldered and heakshrunk everything, but no... Wagos. Everywhere. :) :)
Dont know why the uk hasnt sleeved the cpc yet! In ireland they made it the same size as the conductors and its sleeved as standard now :) No more sleeving!
I guess also another advantage of replaceable GU10's is that the customer can then change things after the install for say a brighter / dimmer bulb (different wattage / lumens etc) maybe over a bath or even a different colour temp for the room eg warm white if they prefer just by changing the bulbs. Normally, once fitted this option wouldn't be available to them. I'm a fan of these fittings all the way.
I'm not sure what the Laws/Rules/Regulations are like in the UK but here in Canada, if you do Permit Required Work (Most Electrical, Most Plumbing, All HVAC/Gas, Most Structural) without Pulling the Permit, the Inspectors (when they find out it was done) can (and usually will) arrive at the work site without warning (even if the work was done years ago) and say "I haven't seen/Inspected , open it up so I can Inspect it now" and you (the Home/Property Owner) MUST do it, even if the job is finished and all the work is closed up behind thousands of dollars worth of materials (Marble tile etc.). If the Inspectors don't find out Permit Required Work was done without a Permit and something happens (shoddy Electrical work burns your house down or leaking Plumbing causes severe Mold or rots structure collapsing a wall/floor etc.), your Insurance will NOT honor the Claim when the cause of the disaster is revealed to be shoddy work and they look for and don't find Permits for the work. Insurance Companies will also Cancel you Coverage and Black-List you (they'll never cover you again) when it's discovered you're doing/allowing Un-Permitted work to be done... After the Claim is Denied, you'll also likely get an unpleasant visit from the Inspectors who'll write you 1 or more expensive Tickets for doing work without pulling the required Permits. I've never understood why people don't get the Permits, they don't cost much and the Inspectors make sure the Work was done Safely so you'll know the work isn't going to kill you (electrical/gas/structural) or make you sick (plumbing)...
Why don't you just use the black wire as switch wire and have all the brown wires as live? Than you only need sleeving for the neutral. In other countries (like Holland) it is common to use the black wire as a switch wire.
HI CHRIS (Sorry I'm kind of late to this , only found you on here recently been looking through your vids. VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE. Keep it up. Love it) A question for you / bit of your advice if that's Ok? I do a bit of electrical installation , I actually make neon tubes / repair neon signs but this often involves some electrical installation . Feed to signs , fitting time switches , photocells , etc. I try to do everything 100% to latest standard / regs , etc (earthing , metal cable clips , metal wall-plugs etc) I am curious about the "boot lace" crimps / ferrules and the crimper you use? ( shown at 8.50 onwards in the vid)? . I have just started using these , not used them before. The company I do most work for issues me with stuff , tools , etc , and give me boxes of these crimps plus the crimpers . HOWEVER , the ones they issue are kind of cheap , not best quality. I thought about getting myself some really good top line ones. I wonder what make / brand you recommend ? (Looked at lots on e-bay , etc , but they are all cheap looking around £20.00) . I am new to using these things so wonder what you'd advise? Regards . Jerry
I've stuck with retro fit gu10 led downlights as don't like the idea of not being able to change bulbs. Also on connecting downlights I use a j501 jb to connect twin and earths and 12 inch of flex from that into each light fitting. Personally think it just makes for better a better job. Just my opinion tho. Great content mate 👍🏿
Been using the same ck stripper's for about 15 years..I took one of the springs off mine to make it easier on the ✋ as i found the two springs a bit r s i lol only gripe I've got with mine is the plastic handles are too brittle when i dropped the they cracked!
I am a retired sparks and I agree about DIY electricians -mainly kitchen fitters and small builders . Some finds are horrific and in fact now as soon as I this wiring I refuse to touch it.
I'm sure there's no malice Chris! I saw them just after you said "I've got to show you.." then boom! SOCKS I literally wow'd :) "Come for the socks - stay for the sage electrical advice" x
Top job, 👍🏼 I must be lucky I always use intergrated lighting units, I’ve never had a problem. I always use a quality fitting, I see where your coming from though. 👍🏼
I work on a big site with about 20 sparks, we’ve been using plugs with T connections but it’s ridiculous how people can’t connect up properly. While testing I’ve seen live in the earth terminal, live down to Dali, and neutral in the earth terminal. Also the stripped flex with single conductors hanging out. It’s embarrassing how bad people are and how little they care! I just try do the best I can!!
You made me laugh. Laws dont stop joe public doing anything. Im a domestic gas engineer. The number of times I find a installation dangerous, and ask who installed this, and the story changes from a brother/father or uncle who are gas safe registered, to some bloke from the pub who broke in, and installed everything while they were all asleep is unreal. Many customers lie with every word that comes out of their mouths, and think all trades people are stupid. But we know the real situation.
Flex to a 3 pin click flow connector for me. Those terminals aren’t fit for purpose, getting your grey sheathing into that little box will leave terminations forever under stress, also two 1,5s will try to tell the fitting how to sit, too rigid for my liking, hence a short length of trs flex. You wouldn’t terminate a large swa unless you had spreading room to relieve the stress and that, to me would be the same.
One part of the latest electrical installation regulations (18th) states some curious things, like a fully qualified electrician can install a non fused spur, but a non qualified person i.e. DIY has to have it fused, however the DIY'er would have not got a clue about fuse ratings. Another curious thing is that under the 18th edition is that a fully qualified network electrical engineer, who has gained qualifications whilst at work is treated as a DIY'er when working on his own house, the solution is to obtain a job number from work to do your own electrics.
Im a great fan of thinking about the next man, labeling in a similar way for first fix, but leaving pvc labelled after 2nd fix is kind of encouraging diy isnt it? Any 1 confident or qualified would know what to expect in a switch......... Do you leave as much pvc in a 3g switch with strappers and feeds?! Also is this not considered excess pvc?
That bit @6.48 - you mentioned efixx video with fire rated lights - I could have sworn efixx had a video maybe a week ago with some cheap fire rated downlights from electrical factors that were fully made of plastic and didn't have intumescent gasket, and they were pointing out that the labels on the boxes were misleading - but now that video seems to be deleted and today efixx is promoting a gasketless plastic plastering shim for downlights that's apparently, somehow - fire rated. Or am I going mad?
I was taught that the earth should always be longer than any Phase cable! Also Never bend a solid cable even if there is only One cable in the terminal. What’s with leaving so much outer Sheaving in the back box? May I ask are you a fully trained electrician and completed a full apprenticeship or just a PART P. Love the pen by the way!
CJR ELECTRICAL you can’t be as they don’t mind getting dirty lol. Nice to see you never replied or give answers! Do you really think you’re qualified to give people guidance on here or at all.
the CK strippers are great but don't stand up to drops too well. i managed to drop two different pairs (after replacing one) and found that the RHS jaw started biting down harder than the left so rather than the pull the insulation off and to the right it was just pushing the insulation to the left back down the cable.
I've got a pair of those CK strippers too. They work but they're not my favourite. I've used them on lighter duty jobs and they're a pain for offcuts of insulation getting trapped so the next operation only scratches rather than strips the insulation. My next door neighbour used to be a rep for Bowthorpe Hellermann who carried the Ideal range in the UK. They do a stripper for USA UF or Romex cable (45-235) which they sold in the UK for T&E cable. Problem is it was £50 for a new set of blades once worn out. However you can now find the exact thing (but black instead of blue) in the electrical wholesalers branded "Quickwire" for their junction boxes at about half that price. They're great for T&E up to 2.5 and will do up to 6.0 at a pinch. Gets you in nice and neat for about 15-20mm of sheath through back box grommet, the cable going through the middle of the tool.
cheers for the headsup. i had seen that design of stripper in a few videos and had wondered about it. the quickwire jb looks pretty interesting too but I'm wondering if it will catch on at that price point.
Not only that, I've seen down lights with earth snipped off or not properly connected to the next cable because so many down lights I've seen doesn't have earth terminal, just L/N 🤦♂️🤷♂️
I was always under the impression that bootlace ferrules were only applicable for fine flex/tri rated rather than stranded singles as the cores aren’t as delicate.
Hi Chris, if you're wanting to fit the can and lamps from now on, take a look at the other version of the Aurora downlights that have push fit terminals. Did you have trouble with using the Luceco integrated fittings or some others? I see you now use the Click range of wiring accessories, how do you find them? Thanks if you can answer .
Hi Steve Thanks il take a look at the push in connections ones next time. I was quite unclear in my moan but it was a moan at led batten fittings and bulk heads that I’ve had to go back and replace at my own cost. I’ve not had 1 failure on the Luceco Downlights yet and will continue to fit them where necessary ie really dark black holes. Yes I love the click range it’s got a great look with good strong terminations and a great price. It’s all I fit now.
@@balke7935 hardly thinks hes a scientist, just someone who has trained for years to become an expert in his field seeing the work of people who do not have a clue what theyre doing and just go blue to blue brown to brown lmao
Don't tar all DIY electricians with the same brush. I did my own electrics when I converted my garage a few years ago and then paid a good chap like you to test and sign off for the building control cert. passed with flying colors and he was very impressed with my work.
Ray Roulstone . The sort of electrician willing to sign off someone else's work probably has pretty low standards. Did he sign for design, construction and testing or just testing?
Yes I agree the grey cable should be inside the fitting but the design of the light is poor it takes a long time to do it u way they should of designed with more room for the cables
To be fair, your content is actually worth paying for! Thanks for taking the time in making these videos..
Good to see a fellow sparky doing the job properly and correctly. Too many guys nowadays just lash it in and run with no attention to detail and pride in their workmanship. Well done 👍🏼.
I gave up fitting integral leds a year ago, even with quality lights you still get the odd duffer you have to replace free of charge and I’m done with that hassle, it’s cans and lamps all the way now.
Rant about downlights from Gaz from GSH Electrical and eFIXX RUclips channels 😁 👍... keep up the great work Chris
I bring my feeds into a separate grommet and switch lines in another. No chance of getting mixed up then.
" Why do people connect up light like this " i have been self employed 15 yrs sub contract , sole trader. I mainly sub contract to companies by myself and reluctantly by employment agencies. Sometimes i hate to say is ruined ruined by the guys you work with. The times i have mentioned about this particular issue and similar but money over rides this and co workers have said " oh don't worry about that " you carry on doing the decent standard and find yourself first out the door . It is a shame as i admire your decent ethical standards and this should be the yardstick what we go by.
Get yourself out then mate. I’m glad I work in Oil & Gas... Everything is too a higher standard.
So so true. Only recently I watched an episode of Kevin McCloud's Grand Designs programme and the down lights were being terminated just like this, with the grey sheaths stripped too far back; everyone seemed happy and thought nothing strange about it. Also true is the fact that the man who does the job right will be first out of work as all the others are quicker and cheaper despite their poor work standard.
Often it's not slower to do a good job. Taking those light fittings - it would take me (very slightly) longer to strip off too much sheath so the bad job would take me longer than the good job. What it is is poor training
Another quality video Chris - as someone that does some occasional electric DIY (spur socket, changing switches, lights in loft) it would be awesome to see a video of common DIY issues you’ve seen like you did a bit of at the end. Thanks again !
Good tip re bending back the unused tabs in the back box, I had a mystery tripping out on the lighting circuit once, 'twas indeed an errant tab.
I bend the spare tabs back prior to first fixing the back box
I agree with the baton holders in the attic with led lamps in . But in Ireland we can’t do this because it’s a fire hazard we have to fit a bulk head. I also always roll my cables up in switch and socket boxes it looks very tidy and plasterers appreciate it more and very few cables are buried or damaged as a result.
Love the videos full of great content and you are a good guy. Keep them up.
Love that previa crimp set, I’ve booted my ferrules over twice. Then put them all in a new box from Homebase.
Just bought a load of these downlights for my own house. Glad you’ve used them too, gives me some confidence I made the right decision!
Top job mate. Some people don’t take leccy seriously they argue that you have power leads permanently flying around the house which are live all the time from appliances getting knocked etc so they think they can just cobble together anything to get something to work.
Just fitted 14 of the fire rated type downlights with metal cans , in my extension/kitchen with wago type connectors built in and yes the mouse trap springs bloody hurt when you pull one back down , and yes I am a car mechanic/ garage owner , my job is quiet at the moment due to you know what , so if I can do it , I will do , great video , nice birdies in the loft and yes they all worked first time , if I can build up a body shell from scratch / build engines that start , swap dashboards and deal with canbus wiring , fit alarm systems and reversing sensors/ dash cameras etc my 40 years experience does help, Nice socks by the way !!!🇬🇧💪😂😂😷😎
Not just handy men and bathroom fitters that mess up downlight cord grips.
A major national house builder that rhyme with Wailor Timpey fitted a total of 23 downlights to my home. Each and every one had the cord grips hacked off with side cutters and the cable secured with electrical tape and then tried to tell me that that was fine as they always work to the appropriate standards....
Thankfully the NICEIC didn't agree!
Matt Beddow First mistake was even considering a new build property built by any of the big names. Was recently house hunting myself, and visited multiple sites. Without exception the standards were terrible. I lived in a new build briefly twenty years ago, which was bad enough but I though things may have improved. They haven't, things are worse than ever. I will never, ever consider one again.
Ohhh a qualified electrician screwing up whatever next!
I have a feeling some house builders save costs by having labourers or sparks who are maybe qualified in their home country but not registered here working under the 'supervision' of a qualified person. I've seen this with the other trades on site. Nothing against the guys trying to earn a wage but somewhere standards are bound to to slip or be overlooked.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 thanks for the shoutout Chris
Should be a law like the gas one where you can be prosecuted for bad electrical work as it can cause very bad damage and fires!
Nice work chris looking good 👍 stay safe
and death.
If more people got killed by crap work, something might get done. But because our system is over engineered it compensates for the crap installs.
To many Self-taught no qualifications PART P people out there!,,, it should be banned and controlled like the gas is
Same should be in the car job , always some cowboy/ butcher from the pub who can have a go ,cock it up leave wires and bolts loose , the they ring a proper tradesman to rectify it and complain at the cost to put it right ,every trade should be registered to do jobs
Excellent video again Chris maybe if as and when you come off the tools become a collage tutor its really helpful when you show us the close ups of the connections and an explanation of why you do it this is one channel I would make a contribution to thanks for sharing 👍
You was generous with your bad example, more realistic would of been cutting the cpc off both of those before they enter the connector. :)
I've been using almost those exact same downlights for a long time now precisely because the integrated ones always result in callbacks (I get the push-fit connections though). Usually with Philips core-pro GU10s if they want my advise on bulbs (if you're a client) or lamps (if you're a wanker).
Checked since the malarkey about fire rating for engineered joists came out and they claim to be good for it.
The reason why diy customers don't bring the the cable sheath into the connecter enclosure is because the fitting designers have not provided a large enough enclosure and give up trying to squeeze it all in. Maybe the Prats who design them ought to spend a week on site fitting them !
kbultray very well said
Hey, this DIY monkey brings in his cable sheath and earth sheath.. 😂
Had too, as i need a certificate for a new ring, but cant get a spark out during corona, so read as much of the rules as i could and wired up, then when mr spark comes, hopefully it will be a test and sign off deal.. Hopefully.
@@Runawaygeekchannel highly unlikely, only a muppet spark would sign off on a DIYers work. I'd tell you to rip it out and I'd start again, charge you a fortune because well...........just because. Maybe the next time you wouldn't be so quick to endanger your own life, your family lives and everyone else that uses the Electrical system. Theres one of you born every day.....
and you wonder why people don't ask for help and get in over their heads? To Mr DIY a) He knew there were regs - puts him in the top 20%, b) he knows about earth sheath - top 10%, c) he knows it needs to be signed off - top 5%. He only loses marks for admitting that he doesn't have the required test equipment to fully test it. However I suspect compared to a "handy man", "kitchen fitter", short course "qualified" spark - his work is better.
@@MagnetechSolidSolutions Seriously dude? You're a fucking spark, not a brain surgeon. Anybody who does their homework and actually cares about what they're doing and takes their time to do it right and get the appropriate stuff for the job (which actually rules over half of the "professionals" out) can do a perfectly safe and legal basic installation, probably better than a "professional" routine rush job as well. Where I live, sparks aren't allowed to pass or fail their own installs, they don't even put their names on the plans, there are different companies assigned by the government who come over to check if everything matches the plans, do testings... I did all electrics in my house myself, took plenty of pictures, made plans the best I could, then paid an electrician to do a pre-check and convert my drawings into professional plans with all the correct symbols (something I've actually never seen a British spark on RUclips do, do you guys even make plans?). The electrician told me everything seemed fine, so I just had to pay him a few hours work for the testing and drawing. The official guy told me the same thing, absolutely no on- or off-record remarks, and actually asked me who I hired because apparently it was rare for him to see a new install without any shortcuts or attempts to hide stuff.
So nice to follow someone thorough like yourself amount of butchers I've followed up after left no cable no grommets no sleeving for identifying perm/switched just annoying enit... Good job mate keep it up.
Hi Chris, thanks for the upload. I really enjoy watching your videos.
I have stopped watching a certain electrical channel after someone considered charging for content and ironically it backfired. I respect you 100% for the time & effort you make. Stay safe out there mate.
Who’s charging for content? Can’t see that being successful
Who was that?
Great video and going into detail on the lights/ fan socket with feeds and switch lines is gold for me as an apprentice, it’s almost taken for granted sometimes on other channels (which is normal I guess!) also love the socks 👍🤣 cheers Chris
Free content yes but I believe you should be rewarded for all your hard work by offering your followers CJR branded hoodies, t-shirts etc for profit of course. You are a great ambassador for good kit and tools. Screwfix owes you bags of commission. Wago owes you a bob or two as well. Keep doing your thing.
Great (FREE) content Chris, I wouldn't be going in that loft either!! Personally fit the GU10 cans only now mate, far too many jobs I've been to have had integrated fittings fail and manufactures no longer make them anymore.
The Aurora EFD Pro's have push fit connections which make installing a bit quicker,
Chris you're rocking those sock buddy.👍🏼
You are completely right, the law should change. People seem to think it's ok to dick around with electrics coz they see wires and think if you put the colours together, especially lighting, everything is ok, until they switch on and goes bang. They wouldn't do it with a gas, so why with electricity? Is this one of the reasons why self employed plumbers/gas fitters are able to drive nice vans with the fancy logos as i see in my area but self employed electricians are still driving round in old virtually clapped out vans!
Loving the thumbnail pic Chris Genuine guy keep up the good work and produce quality content like this mate!
Find these videos very helpful and find them interesting from another electricians view 😊! With connecting up the sockets my tutor for my 18th edition said that the suggested way with the earths is to put the earths of the ring in separate terminals to one another and put the fly lead into either side with one of them (although not required obviously) that way if one becomes loose chances are you’ll still get some sort of earth 🤷🏻♂️. I find another good way is to leave one earth of the ring slightly longer and go to the terminal of the back box without cutting it, then going to the terminal on the socket (similar to and equipotential bond). That way if the back terminal ever becomes loose or breaks off, the earth is still continuing the circuit 👍🏼
You’ve probably heard it all before, I thought I’d just share the information I’ve learnt 😊 keep up the hard work 👍🏼
Ryan Jones . That is the correct way to connect them and it's the reason for having dual earth sockets. MK dual earth twin sockets have outboard rockers to differentiate them from the standard single earth ones. (Their single sockets are all dual earth) It's usually in the spec for commercial buildings, schools etc.
When installing upstairs dowlights (like you do at the end of this video) which then go into an insulated loft space, do you need to try and keep insulation away from the cabling or with the plastic cable covering insulate the wires enough to not transfer any heat?
CJR It's all your fault! I put 12V spots in my garage running off the solar panel 12V battery and it's all held together with Wagos. I never knew Wagos existed until I watch you. I would have soldered and heakshrunk everything, but no... Wagos. Everywhere. :) :)
How come you still use a fly lead from the back box ? It’s not necessary if you have 30ma protection ?
In my experience LOFT= APPRENTICE no matter whats up there.
Top Genuine Guy! Great upload as always.
Dont know why the uk hasnt sleeved the cpc yet! In ireland they made it the same size as the conductors and its sleeved as standard now :) No more sleeving!
Agreed, should be done as standard I'd have thought.
Yes I agree, I hate the bare earth wire, it’s crap, cheap and nasty.
Do you leave you tail ends sticking out of sockets and switches when you do first fix or do you curl them in to the boxes?
Neutral at switch?
Also how do you go about connecting a Live Neutral In and Out up at a downlighter?
Great Vids
Be brave they are only birds 🦅
It’s only a bit less deadly than corona - a full hazmat suit required me thinks
Bird shits are actually hazardous, so no I wouldn't go into the attic. No thanks!!
Last bird i had took me for all i had, so yeah, Chris has every right to be worried. 😁
some birb poop isnt dangerous
I guess also another advantage of replaceable GU10's is that the customer can then change things after the install for say a brighter / dimmer bulb (different wattage / lumens etc) maybe over a bath or even a different colour temp for the room eg warm white if they prefer just by changing the bulbs. Normally, once fitted this option wouldn't be available to them. I'm a fan of these fittings all the way.
I'm not sure what the Laws/Rules/Regulations are like in the UK but here in Canada, if you do Permit Required Work (Most Electrical, Most Plumbing, All HVAC/Gas, Most Structural) without Pulling the Permit, the Inspectors (when they find out it was done) can (and usually will) arrive at the work site without warning (even if the work was done years ago) and say "I haven't seen/Inspected , open it up so I can Inspect it now" and you (the Home/Property Owner) MUST do it, even if the job is finished and all the work is closed up behind thousands of dollars worth of materials (Marble tile etc.).
If the Inspectors don't find out Permit Required Work was done without a Permit and something happens (shoddy Electrical work burns your house down or leaking Plumbing causes severe Mold or rots structure collapsing a wall/floor etc.), your Insurance will NOT honor the Claim when the cause of the disaster is revealed to be shoddy work and they look for and don't find Permits for the work. Insurance Companies will also Cancel you Coverage and Black-List you (they'll never cover you again) when it's discovered you're doing/allowing Un-Permitted work to be done...
After the Claim is Denied, you'll also likely get an unpleasant visit from the Inspectors who'll write you 1 or more expensive Tickets for doing work without pulling the required Permits.
I've never understood why people don't get the Permits, they don't cost much and the Inspectors make sure the Work was done Safely so you'll know the work isn't going to kill you (electrical/gas/structural) or make you sick (plumbing)...
Where you have two conductors that are alike in a switch box, are you not allowed to twist the 1 mil ends together..?
Why don't you just use the black wire as switch wire and have all the brown wires as live? Than you only need sleeving for the neutral. In other countries (like Holland) it is common to use the black wire as a switch wire.
Here in England even if you use black as a switched live it must be identified with brown sleeving or tape.
HI CHRIS (Sorry I'm kind of late to this , only found you on here recently been looking through your vids. VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE. Keep it up. Love it)
A question for you / bit of your advice if that's Ok?
I do a bit of electrical installation , I actually make neon tubes / repair neon signs but this often involves some electrical installation . Feed to signs , fitting time switches , photocells , etc. I try to do everything 100% to latest standard / regs , etc (earthing , metal cable clips , metal wall-plugs etc)
I am curious about the "boot lace" crimps / ferrules and the crimper you use? ( shown at 8.50 onwards in the vid)? .
I have just started using these , not used them before. The company I do most work for issues me with stuff , tools , etc , and give me boxes of these crimps plus the crimpers . HOWEVER , the ones they issue are kind of cheap , not best quality.
I thought about getting myself some really good top line ones. I wonder what make / brand you recommend ? (Looked at lots on e-bay , etc , but they are all cheap looking around £20.00) . I am new to using these things so wonder what you'd advise?
Regards . Jerry
"Almost forgot to show you....... My socks, I mean lamps I got."
I've stuck with retro fit gu10 led downlights as don't like the idea of not being able to change bulbs.
Also on connecting downlights I use a j501 jb to connect twin and earths and 12 inch of flex from that into each light fitting. Personally think it just makes for better a better job. Just my opinion tho.
Great content mate 👍🏿
Thank you for making these videos,times are tuff at the moment and i understand if you had to set up a charging service.
Never ever will I charge for my content on youtube.
Been using the same ck stripper's for about 15 years..I took one of the springs off mine to make it easier on the ✋ as i found the two springs a bit r s i lol only gripe I've got with mine is the plastic handles are too brittle when i dropped the they cracked!
at 12:20 ish is it your preference not to use the black as a neutral or current code/edition?
I am a retired sparks and I agree about DIY electricians -mainly kitchen fitters and small builders . Some finds are horrific and in fact now as soon as I this wiring I refuse to touch it.
Really been enjoying your vids. Thanks
Have you fitted any smart light switches that can be controlled via the phone?
6:17 Socks look amazing :-)
Part of me thinks its a dig/reference to LAsparkTV
@@Wholikavimto me too, I enjoy watching both channels hope it wasnt meant derogatory think rupert deserves the same respect
Nothing aimed at anyone I had a pair of my Peter Jones specials on a though it would be funny 🤷🏻♂️
@@Cjrelectrical fair enough can see the link with that, not a big fan of peter Jones though ha ha
I'm sure there's no malice Chris! I saw them just after you said "I've got to show you.." then boom! SOCKS
I literally wow'd :)
"Come for the socks - stay for the sage electrical advice"
x
Socks, couldn't watch the rest of your vid until I mention the socks. Don't worry, still a big fan of your channel.👍
Correct was banter
Rupert socks?
Those socks!😂😂
Top job, 👍🏼 I must be lucky I always use intergrated lighting units, I’ve never had a problem. I always use a quality fitting, I see where your coming from though. 👍🏼
What type do you use ?
Aurora/JCC
Good video,enjoyed you giving a bit more detail 👍
I work on a big site with about 20 sparks, we’ve been using plugs with T connections but it’s ridiculous how people can’t connect up properly. While testing I’ve seen live in the earth terminal, live down to Dali, and neutral in the earth terminal. Also the stripped flex with single conductors hanging out. It’s embarrassing how bad people are and how little they care! I just try do the best I can!!
You made me laugh.
Laws dont stop joe public doing anything.
Im a domestic gas engineer. The number of times I find a installation dangerous, and ask who installed this, and the story changes from a brother/father or uncle who are gas safe registered, to some bloke from the pub who broke in, and installed everything while they were all asleep is unreal.
Many customers lie with every word that comes out of their mouths, and think all trades people are stupid. But we know the real situation.
Flex to a 3 pin click flow connector for me. Those terminals aren’t fit for purpose, getting your grey sheathing into that little box will leave terminations forever under stress, also two 1,5s will try to tell the fitting how to sit, too rigid for my liking, hence a short length of trs flex. You wouldn’t terminate a large swa unless you had spreading room to relieve the stress and that, to me would be the same.
Jon Higginson J501 and flex for me.
One part of the latest electrical installation regulations (18th) states some curious things, like a fully qualified electrician can install a non fused spur, but a non qualified person i.e. DIY has to have it fused, however the DIY'er would have not got a clue about fuse ratings.
Another curious thing is that under the 18th edition is that a fully qualified network electrical engineer, who has gained qualifications whilst at work is treated as a DIY'er when working on his own house, the solution is to obtain a job number from work to do your own electrics.
Christ! How much cable was in that shaver point!😂😂
Im a great fan of thinking about the next man, labeling in a similar way for first fix, but leaving pvc labelled after 2nd fix is kind of encouraging diy isnt it? Any 1 confident or qualified would know what to expect in a switch.........
Do you leave as much pvc in a 3g switch with strappers and feeds?! Also is this not considered excess pvc?
Hi Chris, how much were those downlights, 50p each!
37p
Nice work 👍
That bit @6.48 - you mentioned efixx video with fire rated lights - I could have sworn efixx had a video maybe a week ago with some cheap fire rated downlights from electrical factors that were fully made of plastic and didn't have intumescent gasket, and they were pointing out that the labels on the boxes were misleading - but now that video seems to be deleted and today efixx is promoting a gasketless plastic plastering shim for downlights that's apparently, somehow - fire rated. Or am I going mad?
Il ask the man himself and get back to you.
I was taught that the earth should always be longer than any Phase cable! Also Never bend a solid cable even if there is only One cable in the terminal. What’s with leaving so much outer Sheaving in the back box? May I ask are you a fully trained electrician and completed a full apprenticeship or just a PART P. Love the pen by the way!
Carpet fitter by trade.
CJR ELECTRICAL you can’t be as they don’t mind getting dirty lol. Nice to see you never replied or give answers! Do you really think you’re qualified to give people guidance on here or at all.
the CK strippers are great but don't stand up to drops too well. i managed to drop two different pairs (after replacing one) and found that the RHS jaw started biting down harder than the left so rather than the pull the insulation off and to the right it was just pushing the insulation to the left back down the cable.
I've got a pair of those CK strippers too.
They work but they're not my favourite.
I've used them on lighter duty jobs and they're a pain for offcuts of insulation getting trapped so the next operation only scratches rather than strips the insulation.
My next door neighbour used to be a rep for Bowthorpe Hellermann who carried the Ideal range in the UK.
They do a stripper for USA UF or Romex cable (45-235) which they sold in the UK for T&E cable.
Problem is it was £50 for a new set of blades once worn out.
However you can now find the exact thing (but black instead of blue) in the electrical wholesalers branded "Quickwire" for their junction boxes at about half that price.
They're great for T&E up to 2.5 and will do up to 6.0 at a pinch.
Gets you in nice and neat for about 15-20mm of sheath through back box grommet, the cable going through the middle of the tool.
cheers for the headsup. i had seen that design of stripper in a few videos and had wondered about it. the quickwire jb looks pretty interesting too but I'm wondering if it will catch on at that price point.
Nice socks Chris. 👍🏽
Have they taken off the F symbol for the fire rated fittings?
Not only that, I've seen down lights with earth snipped off or not properly connected to the next cable because so many down lights I've seen doesn't have earth terminal, just L/N 🤦♂️🤷♂️
How do the pigeons stop you from working in the loft ?
They kept eating my sandwiches.
Excellent work and thanks for the content
I put bulkhead lights in loft space of rental so bulbs can be changed by Tennant if needed I prefer enclosed bulbs
4:07 knock flat the vertical lugs in that metal backbox ...11:27 you did it !
How do you know how many down light to fit?
What’s the reason for the stranded cable to the back box?
is that green on the walls primer?
why permament feed for the ext fan black ?
Why do you need a fan isolator when you are installing a switch for the fan which is isolating the power?
Valdox the switch does not isolate the permanent supply
Just ordered a set of your recommended CK wire cutters. If they're shit you owe me 18 quid 🤣
Thanks Chris very entertaining
06:07 Love the socks chris 😎😎😎
Hi Chris yes I agree with you and it is also true
Chris is it me are all the light switches above 1200mm on the walls they look pretty high in the video
Yep all went back in at original heights
Have you had many callbacks on the Luceco downlights?
No not one in 4 years of fitting
I was always under the impression that bootlace ferrules were only applicable for fine flex/tri rated rather than stranded singles as the cores aren’t as delicate.
Your customer's got the thrush. Among other troubles with little birds.
When I fit a switch like that I try o fit a deeper box. Always spend to much time fighting it like a box of worms.
Nice sockeys x
Can i wire 2 single stranded cables in a ferrule and connect that into a wago connector??
They do make one that will take two conductors
when they said they wanted a feed in the loft, they were talking about bird feed
Was probably the NEST thermostat they fitted that brought the birds in. Good job they didn't fit a HIVE eh?
Hi Chris, if you're wanting to fit the can and lamps from now on, take a look at the other version of the Aurora downlights that have push fit terminals. Did you have trouble with using the Luceco integrated fittings or some others? I see you now use the Click range of wiring accessories, how do you find them?
Thanks if you can answer .
Hi Steve
Thanks il take a look at the push in connections ones next time. I was quite unclear in my moan but it was a moan at led batten fittings and bulk heads that I’ve had to go back and replace at my own cost. I’ve not had 1 failure on the Luceco Downlights yet and will continue to fit them where necessary ie really dark black holes. Yes I love the click range it’s got a great look with good strong terminations and a great price. It’s all I fit now.
Why do you earth the back box
Mate, remember you only see the DIY stuff that went wrong. Some of us are vaguely competent.
He's a sparky... naturally thinks he's a scientist
@@balke7935 hardly thinks hes a scientist, just someone who has trained for years to become an expert in his field seeing the work of people who do not have a clue what theyre doing and just go blue to blue brown to brown lmao
Don't tar all DIY electricians with the same brush. I did my own electrics when I converted my garage a few years ago and then paid a good chap like you to test and sign off for the building control cert. passed with flying colors and he was very impressed with my work.
Ray Roulstone . The sort of electrician willing to sign off someone else's work probably has pretty low standards. Did he sign for design, construction and testing or just testing?
Skinny wago? We call them "low profile" ;)
👍👍👍👍👍
Nice socks
Hmmm I wonder who the sock render was for 😂😂😂
Those download light connections are a waste of time, I just remove them and use wago boxes and wagos, or even a clik ct101 plug.
Yes I agree the grey cable should be inside the fitting but the design of the light is poor it takes a long time to do it u way they should of designed with more room for the cables