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Thread: Electrical Installation Costs

  1. #11
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    Thanks for all the updates, My last house which was built about eight years ago which i purchased as a building package had crabtree light switched and plugs. I never really had a problem with their plugs but their light switches were bad, all the plastic toggle switches were falling apart coming off the switches etc.

    Din mount breakers were also standard in my old place and gave me no problems.

    So i definitley wont be using Crabtree again i have been recommended the CBI light switches and sockets, any comments on those?

    After walking around the estate on Saturday and walking into other builds i can cleary see that the general standard of workmanship electrical and building related in this industry appears to be in a bad state, I walked into 3 or 4 homes under construction to find light switches in bathrooms ,thin electrical cable buried in the ground, wiring leading into boxes without adquete protection between the boxes sharp entry holes and the cable itself and no earth on lighting circuits, the list goes on, and these houses are to be issued with COC's.

    These COCs appear to be not even worth the paper they written on.

    Clearly the regulating bodys arent doing there jobs and appear to be toothless. Do people no longer have pride in their work or the saftey of the people they are building and wiring these houses for? its definitely buyer beware,
    If i did my actuary job like some of these guys i would have no job. thank goodness im going the owner builder route and will have some sort of control over the standard of workmanship in my new home. cheers

  2. #12
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tracsec View Post
    If i did my actuary job like some of these guys i would have no job.
    Looks like keeping an eye on the detail isn't going to be a problem then

  3. #13
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
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    I've always found Crabtree to be fine. They're not sexy but reliable. I don't like CBI, I came across some of their sockets about a year ago and they were nasty build quality.
    If you want something reliable go with legrand or even Gewiss. If money is no object then Gira are good quality and babe pullers all in one.:-)

    There's nothing wrong with DIN mount breakers, I use a lot of Merlin Gerin range which are good. Try avoid the cheapies though, there's a lot of far East imports around.

  4. #14
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    i went from crabtree to clipsal then back to crabtree after they told me they had sorted out their issues but still had problems...went back to clipsal had plenty problems with plugs and switches...so i decided for the price half clipsal and amost 3 times cheaper than crabtree after you add the cover plate...and havent to date had any problems with the product just really bad deliery service...cant get stock through the wholesaler.

    merlin and gerin a great product but expensive...cbi circuit breakers have just become too expensive to use...dont get the job if i quote usiing cbi...and their e/l unit have been giving plenty problem especially the 2006 ones.

    what you are seeing is the new electrical standard unfortunely...unless you are prepared to pay for a company like mine...which most are not...i have also had to get team of cheapy installers to keep up with the low standard otherwise i get priced out the market.

    i will say it again until they impose hefty fines for illegal workmanship...it will just keep getting worse as they get away with it.

    the other problem you have to look at is what happens if a building next to your one catches on fire due to bad workmanship and gutters your house in the process and your family is sleeping when it happens? i sound like an insurance salesman trying to get you to buy life insurance

    i just wish people would wake up and see what is happening around them because evetually it is gona get so bad like eskom that there is no turning back...and who is gona pay?

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    Its a pitty price always seems to be the deciding factor.

    If this is the new electrical installation standards, i expect the fire department and hospitals to be very busy in the winter time!

    Im really not worried about next doors house going up in flames, i have a 2m fire break (2m build line) around the premises so hopefully this will come in handy if a fire does break out.

    I have just finalised my contractors so we should be breaking ground next month.

    Thanks for all the help guys, i was able to make informed descions and get fair pricing.

    You guys are clearly in the wrong business, if you want to make money start a plumbing company because the plumbing quotes i recieved for my new place are insane, for a couple of pipes, drains and gulleys well over 100k and this excluded finnish materials such as baths basins taps etc.

    Clearly building a modest home these days needs a seroius amount of cash, i just hate to think how much these multistorey buildings currently under construction in Sandton and other places cost

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    talking about pricing...i remeber eca meetings in the old days when everyone would say yeah yeah put prices up...next day you quote and the prices are even lower...i can get a company to do work for me at R120 per hour...and i know these guys they are experienced and have been around for a while...how they do it i can only imagine they do not reegister with anything or anyone and they dont pay their staff the correct rates.

    i agree about the plumbers pricing...nodody wants to do the kak jobs...so everyone becomes "an electrician" rather and flood the market and prices...whether they are labourers or semi skilled they all seem to apply for wark as electricans and when they dont get a job they quote against you and as you mentioned price wins every time...the customer complains then expects me to feel sorry for them when they try sell the house and i do the inspection...you always make more money stripping and replacing.

  7. #17
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    Veti by Major Tech

    Hi Guys,

    I'm new to the forum and have read a few interesting an informative topics.

    I'm busy building a house and would like some input of the Veti modular switches and sockets. they seem to be a new brand and I would like to know if anyone has had any experience with the product.

    Thanks
    Garin

  8. #18
    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
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    Hi Garin, welcome to TFSA.

    I don't have experience of the Veti modular range. From their website it looks similar to the Gewiss and Legrand range where the switch and socket modules clip together in a grid plate.

    Have you priced them? What does it work out to for a double 16A socket and a 2-lever switch?.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

  9. #19
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    talking of din breakers,i like the hager range from electromekanica.
    the price isnt too bad either.
    i see theres a copy of the samite breakers/earth leakages for sale.never used it yet and i cant remember the brand name ,but its dirt cheap.
    i ,ve also used these conversion clips where you can install any din earth leakage relay in a samite board.comes with a small blank to close the gap up of the larger samite db covers.
    oh and 1 more thing.please ,whoever installs a heinemann lcd timer in a din board.(it can be clipped in samite and din)dont go cut the din db cover bigger,just pull off the black surround and it will fit perfectly.

  10. #20
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    The veti modular looks good but with only 3 years of testing as indicated on their site i would be hesitant . Just imagine having a faliure of you whole house, i had this in my previous home when the new clipsal stuff came out, the whole development was done with this and most of the switches plugs and dimmers failed, it was a complete nightmare, if your brave enough and want to be the test subject then you should, but from personal experience building your new home is complicated enough , you dont need another problem on your back

    As for the Din switches these are great, Im having Gewiss Din breakers installed in both the upstairs and downstairs dbs, CBI samite is just too expensive for what they are.

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