Does this electric job look or or average?

[advancebooking]

We hired an electrician recommended by our builder who quoted the job but actually his is not doing any of the work. 2 other guys are doing it. Yesterday he was around most of the time 'supervising'. Today he wasn't there at all. 

 

We sent him a line msg last week with photo of a switch and the plastic cover running up the wall. It was a mid size plastic cover kind of double the size of the thin one you can see in the photos attached. We said we wanted the same. 

 

This afternoon I went to check the job and they are running the bigger size around horizontally along the ceiling area but then down to the switch its really thin size. I think it looks a bit <deleted> to be honest. 

 

What do you think? I thought it would be all the same size to be honest.... Any opinions are appreciated

thanks

[advancebooking]

or maybe when they finish doing silicon filling and the painters put 2 coats on I will not notice this? It will maybe look better??

[stouricks]

What a botch up. My cables are surface mounted, right in the corners, no plastic ducting. A coat of paint and you never see 'em!

[advancebooking]

4 minutes ago, stouricks said:

What a botch up. My cables are surface mounted, right in the corners, no plastic ducting. A coat of paint and you never see 'em!

My walls are all concrete. I assume yours are gyprock new walls and ceilings? If Im wrong and yours are also concrete can you please post some photos

[ExpatOilWorker]

It looks awful, buy a groove cutter and hide those cables forever. 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by ExpatOilWorker

[taninthai]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

It looks awful, buy a groove cutter and hide those cables forever. 

Exactly that type of wiring went out of date 20 years ago,sounds like a great builder doing surface wiring.

[Susco]

2 hours ago, advancebooking said:

We hired an electrician recommended by our builder who quoted the job but actually his is not doing any of the work.

So this is a new build, and they do all the wiring on the surface.

 

Where did you get that advancebooking username

[advancebooking]

23 minutes ago, Susco said:

So this is a new build, and they do all the wiring on the surface.

 

Where did you get that advancebooking username

no the building is 40 yrs old and we are renovating all floors

[advancebooking]

31 minutes ago, taninthai said:

Exactly that type of wiring went out of date 20 years ago,sounds like a great builder doing surface wiring.

Its an old building and we are renovating

[talahtnut]

Hint:

Remind them to put some wires in too.

[Crossy]

White acrylic (not silicone) sealer in the gaps and maybe a lick of paint (I'm not really a fan of painted trunking) and it will look as good as it can. "Back home" they would use various joiners and angles on the trunking but I've not seen those fittings here.

 

 

If you can access the other side of the walls you could wire in the "less used" room and drill through to fittings on the other side.

 

Are those walls solid concrete? If not chasing for concealed wiring, at least in the most visible areas would be a good option. 

[johng]

Does the Thai regulations still require wires to be on the surface so the electric company can inspect the job ?  types of wire/thicknes and even the spacing of the aluminum  wire thingies that hold everthing in pl.ace

[Crossy]

15 minutes ago, johng said:

Does the Thai regulations still require wires to be on the surface so the electric company can inspect the job ?  types of wire/thicknes and even the spacing of the aluminum  wire thingies that hold everthing in pl.ace

 

Theoretically, yes. But 99% of new builds have buried wiring and pass the "inspection" with no issue and no lubrication.

 

It won't be an issue for our OP as he's doing a re-furb, unless he intends changing the meter when the man may want to have a look.

[crazykopite]

Should of cut into the walls and placed the cable into yellow pipe and cement over is the cable 2 core or 3 core if it’s 2 core you will have no earth which I would advise you have if it was a good job it would look like this 

Edited February 19, 2020 by crazykopite

[anfh]

I would guess that the wider trunking has all the feeds to each outlet, then take a single cable down in the thinner trunking.

obviously the trunking is much easier to do, than cutting troughs and running pipes, then  Plastering over.

In hindsight, I guess it would have been better to discuss their methods before commencing work etc

[bankruatsteve]

I think the OP's issue is that he started up with a contractor that was looking for an easy way to do the job at most likely an exorbitant rate.  Not sure what the completion percent is but likely a predicament to change.  @advancebooking do you have the design layout?  IE: placement of power points, lights, switches, circuits, like that?  And if ground is being run?  If they can't provide, it might be time to stop everything and decide how to move forward.

Edited February 19, 2020 by bankruatsteve

[Parsve]

From the pictures you have attached I guess that what you complain about is not the electric drawing itself, but the the cable channels. They have different sizes, no problems with that. Usually done everywhere as the bigger ones cost more, but then if we looks at the cracks between the different parts of the chanels, that does not looks good. The reason it looks like it looks could be three. Either they have not pressed the "lid" suffently (try to press it down and you see if this is the thing). Either they have not saw the peaces in the right length, complain. Or they have used a to small chanel, complain.

 

As someone before said, control that there are three threads in the chanel as you should have earht in the socket as a safety. If you have a socket with three holes you easily check this with an "electic test screwdriver", they are sheep. Put it in the separated hole and put your thomb on the top of it. The inbuilt light should then turn on if it is ok.   

Edited February 19, 2020 by Parsve
Wrong spelling

[Cricky]

Lots of places for small animals to nest

 

Thanks for the photos, next time I get a quote for electrical work I shall make sure all wiring/trunking is hidden

 

Bloody dodgy workmanship.

[Jaxxper]

Personally I don’t like exposed cables, conduits or pipes in the house. I would have asked what their execution method would be. For the extra it would cost I’d have had the builder cut out channels in the wall and ceilings and run the electrical conduits, then let the sparky do his thing and then have the conduits concreted over. Job done.

I guess the key issues are safe wiring and then the aesthetics. 

[andygrr]

looks about the norm for a cheap rewiring job of a shop or up country concrete building. More important is that they fit a proper distribution box with RCD and that an earth is present. A proper earth spike not just a conection to the steel in the roof which I have seen many times. Make sure they run the earth to all power sockets. Many times I have seen the electrics go straight from the mains through a cheap knike switch to a gang of small breakers.

[malt25]

19 hours ago, advancebooking said:

no the building is 40 yrs old and we are renovating all floors

You doing the walls & ceilings as well ?

[bankruatsteve]

24 minutes ago, andygrr said:

A proper earth spike not just a conection to the steel in the roof which I have seen many times.

While a "proper earth spike" is the preferred method and the code here, attaching ground to the building steel is as good as an earth rod, if not better.  Google "Ufer ground".

Edited February 19, 2020 by bankruatsteve

[Cake Monster]

From a purely visual point of view, that is a C%%p job specially for what looks like new build.

All your cables should be Chased into the walls. There should also be the Yellow PVC pipe for the cables to  sit in within the walls, and then rendered over .All the Boxes for plugs and switches should also be chased in

As for Electric Company issuing Safety Cert, from experience the wiring was condemned on first Inspection, a few days later the "Inspector" re appeared and was followed onto the site about Minutes later by the Builder. And you know what  --- the Electrical Installation passed ! and he didnt even look at anything.

Read  into that what you will

[Captain 776]

20 hours ago, advancebooking said:

no the building is 40 yrs old and we are renovating all floors

Nothing wrong with exposed raceway in a 40 yr old remodel

[GreasyFingers]

54 minutes ago, Captain 776 said:

Nothing wrong with exposed raceway in a 40 yr old remodel

I agree. We had a licensed electrician rewire our 15 yo build when we bought (the original was sh%t). The wiring could have been concealed but Thais look at cost, not aesthetics. We have no problem with the exposed ducting. Maybe that is because I grew up with the circular iron ducting in old houses back home.

The same electrician used the concealed yellow ducting on the recent extension so it is a matter of cost V aesthetics.

Just tell them what you want.

[advancebooking]

2 hours ago, andygrr said:

Make sure they run the earth to all power sockets.

I wish I knew how to communicate that to the workers. Will try tomorrow

[rvaviator]

29 minutes ago, advancebooking said:

I wish I knew how to communicate that to the workers. Will try tomorrow

Make a simple sketch showing them the wires you want .. Blue / black / Green (yellow)  ..

[emptypockets]

3 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

While a "proper earth spike" is the preferred method and the code here, attaching ground to the building steel is as good as an earth rod, if not better.  Google "Ufer ground".

Not only prefered but also an electrical supply authority requirement.

[emptypockets]

3 hours ago, VYCM said:

Lots of places for small animals to nest

 

Thanks for the photos, next time I get a quote for electrical work I shall make sure all wiring/trunking is hidden

 

Bloody dodgy workmanship.

So the small animals can nest unseen? Critters can get in anywhere. And do.

[emptypockets]

3 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

From a purely visual point of view, that is a C%%p job specially for what looks like new build.

All your cables should be Chased into the walls. There should also be the Yellow PVC pipe for the cables to  sit in within the walls, and then rendered over .All the Boxes for plugs and switches should also be chased in

As for Electric Company issuing Safety Cert, from experience the wiring was condemned on first Inspection, a few days later the "Inspector" re appeared and was followed onto the site about Minutes later by the Builder. And you know what  --- the Electrical Installation passed ! and he didnt even look at anything.

Read  into that what you will

Surface mount may not be pretty but is still a valid installation method.