Ecmweb 17849 Service Secrets Talbot Pr
Ecmweb 17849 Service Secrets Talbot Pr
Ecmweb 17849 Service Secrets Talbot Pr
Ecmweb 17849 Service Secrets Talbot Pr
Ecmweb 17849 Service Secrets Talbot Pr

13 Tips for Working Smarter

Aug. 17, 2018
Try these suggestions to improve your work speed and environment.

I don’t claim to know everything, and I enjoy being a student of this trade even after becoming a master electrician. Sometimes, however, I sit back and observe how some people can turn a simple job into the hardest job ever. I once knew a technician who always claimed he got the hardest jobs — and that we never gave him anything easy to do. Come to find out, this tech was the one who was turning these jobs into a disaster. I’d like to take a few moments and share some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years to help make electrical jobs easier.

1. Before you begin a job, make a list of every task you need to complete. This way you don’t have to keep it all in your head, and you can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of every day after you check items off the list.

2. Organize your tool bag daily to ensure you have all your tools accounted for. How can you purchase new tools if you are continually replacing the ones you lost?

3. Use a heater box to bend your PVC pipes. This looks better, and it’s easier to pull the wire through the pipe if done correctly.

4. Make a list of every piece of material you are going to need before going to get supplies. Nothing wastes more time than having to leave the job because you forgot something.

5. Put baby powder on exposed skin before going into an attic with insulation. This will keep some of the fiberglass from getting on your skin and itching.

6. Use a figure 8 configuration when pulling multiple cables through a drop ceiling by yourself. This will keep your cables from becoming knotted up, and it will also cut down on the amount of area you need to pull your cables.

7. Use a vacuum to suck a pull string through underground pipes instead of pushing a fish tape.

8. Make the head of the cables you are pulling long and skinny to make it easier to pull through the pipes.

9. When putting wiring in a residential single gang box, cut the wire at the length of both your fists put together. This will make the wire length perfect for folding back into the box. This will also satisfy the length requirement per Code.

10. Make sure all your electricians pull the Romex into boxes the same way. For example, if you pull the constant hots in the center hole of box — and you pull the switch legs to the holes on the outside of that — then do all of them the same way. This consistency helps speed up the job when trimming the boxes out. The person trimming it out won’t even have to think about it.

11. When going out to the van to get something, always take something you are finished using back with you because you are heading in that direction anyway.

12. Organize all your staples, straps, connectors, crimps, wire nuts, and screws so you are not buying supplies you already have.

13. Cut a pilot hole in a shallow plastic fruit bowl then place the bowl between the 6-in. or 4-in. hole saw to significantly decrease the amount of dust while cutting can lights in drywall.

Remember, you can make your job easy with the right tools and methods. If you have some tricks of the trade, then don’t forget to pass them down to the next generation of electricians.     

Talbot is a licensed, master electrician in Georgia, where he was born and raised. He has been in the industry for 17 years and is currently the operations manager for Mister Sparky Atlanta, where he manages a team of technicians. In his spare time, he plays with his kids, volunteers, and is flipping his fourth house. He can be reached at [email protected].

About the Author

Gerald Talbot | Operations Manager

Gerald is a licensed, master electrician in Georgia, where he was born and raised. He has been in the industry for 17 years and is currently the operations manager for Mister Sparky Atlanta, where he manages a team of technicians.

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