Rewiring a "just rewired" house - (Part 1) Oh dear Oh dear | Thomas Nagy

[@farmersteve129]

Aligning boxes - join them with a bit of conduit or coupler e.g. Screwfix 7530J. Takes seconds and costs pence & also means that you can get a consistent spacing if you have several to do.

[@thomasnagy]

Very clever idea; I’m stealing that one. I’ll refer to that idea in another vid 👍

[@casperme6552]

Laser level and a coupler or two. Just make sure the boxes are from the same manufacture!🤨

[@GazzJ82]

I'm stealing that one too. You never stop learning :)

[@flyboy7584]

Top notch idea 💡

[@kearneyboy]

Good shout.

[@jamie142010]

Tip for making boxes lined up and the distances equal: When marking out the back-boxes, mark out the fixing holes and drill them BEFORE chasing Then re drill them deeper once chased out.

[@lewisgraham11_65]

I just started electrical installation in college love it so far, this channel was one of the main reasons why i started

[@Superkev001]

Use step drill to make fixing hole in back box bigger, then fit penny washer when fixing to wall. This gives you room to move box around to get level and straight

[@thomasnagy]

im stealing that one too; awesome idea

[@blueslsd]

Doh| I'm having that!!!! cheers

[@AdamWaumsley]

Absolutely love the new style, editing of this is perfect and shows Tom’s comedic style. Keep it up 👍

[@SME_Ste]

We use a pair of brass bushes and a coupler to space back boxes. Bang on everytime Tom

[@muzikman2008]

or even pvc...cheaper! :-)

[@MarcUK]

The PVC coupler is only threaded on one end. :D

[@MarcUK]

Just don't forget to take them off, that's £5 right there. :D

[@GeorgeCox]

I admire your candour about making mistakes (and we all make them at any age/experience). As long as their lesson is learned then they're not made in vain.

[@niallgilmore2411]

Thomas nagy group has its own film crew now 👍👍👍👍👍

[@LordClunk]

Camera man is called Tom.

[@VAX1970]

I think that was the Polish Carpenter

[@stevend9960]

Vax Buster if he’s really apprenticed and qualified then he’s a carpenter. Otherwise he’s just another chancer. London is full of then.

[@gedman9527]

Thomas Naggy is Ed Chinas lover

[@SME_Ste]

Theres no such thing as " too much slack" when it comes to pulling in cables

[@TheRocky3211]

Curious to know how much they paid for that "rewire" . Also what other quotes they turned down.

[@K21_KXW]

This was the cheapest I'd think

[@zack9912000]

Craigslist special pricing

[@PhilipHousel]

As a yank... it's interesting to learn how electrical is done in other countries. Fascinating how some things are different yet so much is similar. In the end we are all working to get the job done with excellence.

[@jamanemaraashollington8760]

Dewalt laser line for kitchen sockets. On a tripod it is brilliant

[@robertchapman4726]

Get them all lined up with the fixed lug....job done.

[@wutwut5476]

I like the capping. Stops the plasterer damaging the cables, and one day, gives the next guy half a chance of pulling in some new cable without having to chase again.

[@nathanbruce7831]

The "Morning" at the beginning, Could literally see your eyes move down. 😂

[@cameronsteel6147]

Who's the mystery camera op?

[@thomasnagy]

Will be revealed soon 🤪🤪🤪

[@marksie1988]

they need a steadier hand :P

[@awweaver1]

Hopefully its someone else named Tom!

[@JPSElectricalServicesBristol]

Is there a reason they're 'behind' the camera? (jokes) :)

[@gibbo9089]

Is it Laura who was on one of your videos recently?

[@enisylo]

No offence to any electricians out there, but... I've never done more than wire a plug etc, but I think I might have been able to do a better job than the previous sparks did for that place. Probably would have taken me much longer, but still.

[@carlinglis7705]

Welcome back Tom, hope you enjoyed your holiday.

[@davidpyke8844]

Pricing jobs is always a guessing game. Customers think we are more magicians than electricians. Great works guys.

[@dosgos]

Great bathroom pipe story and what you were thinking at the moment. Happens to the best of us.

[@dangraves7808]

Just use a coupler and 2x bushes to connect the boxes together mate

[@Prairielander]

Wiring in England looks so different than it is here in Canada. Most homes where I live are made of wood and have wooden studs. Plus all of our homes have a basement so the electrical box and furnace and everything is down there. Also our sockets don't need to have a switch. Yet most Electricians charge at least $75/h - $100/h.

[@stephenconnell]

What I like is no matter that Thomas is making a video he still asks Tom is the kitchen power off. which means he doesn't lose his safety focus even though he is making a video. an important job survival skill in any field. let alone one involving electricity..

[@callumBee]

Only after touching it. 😂

[@12000gp]

Never believe anyone when they tell you something is dead, always check for yourself

[@Andrew-bl2vo]

Should be putting a meter on it, own responsibility!

[@muzikman2008]

Totally ignoring safe isolation tests! :-D ah well, we all do it..

[@thomasnagy]

sorry i cant find roll eye emoji on this keyboard

[@nearlyjuly7990]

Feel so sorry for the client having to get the work done twice but at least they're in safe hands now. Looking forward to seeing the end result.

[@ColinLittley]

Tom have you ever though about using a long screw and washers and nut to line up your socket boxes, you can always remove them once you got it locked into the wall, and you can vary the width between by the number of washers and you end up with a striaght from one to the other.

[@kingbubbles4509]

Thank you for this video. Great work.

[@johnschlesinger2009]

Re capping: I always used oval conduit, and took it well up into the ceiling and right down to the KO - it means it's rewirable. I think I mentioned in a comment on another of your videos about my practice of coupling back boxes with steel couplers and brass bushes. No pfaffing with levelling boxes: you can have as many adjacent ones as you like. Just tighten the bushes slightly firm, place the row of boxes on a flat surface, tap lightly with a hammer to get them truly level, and tighten. An additional benefit is that if two circuits are in two or more boxes, the cpcs are paralleled, meaning an improved Zs.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Been using grid switches a lot in kitchens... It's neater when complete but 15 cables out of one grid gets congested. A tip if you do start using them: PVC conduit and singles.. the stranded wire makes them a joy

[@kierantaboryt7827]

Love The "Morning" at 0:30 legit made me laugh for 5 full minutes XD

[@kevinwhite2380]

Hiya. Great to see that I'm not the only sparkie who comes across recently installed crap work!! For lining up multiple sockets, especially in a kitchen, I always use a laser :-) As for capping I NEVER use it - I prefer oval conduit. I, like you, always leave a reasonable amount of slack. With conduit, you can pull the cable out of the back box to terminate it easily & when finished you can push the slack back up the conduit :-)

[@christastic100]

Just to say use knock out box joiners then you can configure the knock out boxes as you need . They come in two forms . Firstly as a plastic coupler that fits in 20mm knock outs . Or in galve screw and clamp type that fits from the front and the side reassess for the internal lugs . Also use the new marxman fixing markers.

[@antonstener1883]

Wish i lived in the UK, would join the Nagy Enterprise instantly! Best Regards from a swedish spark.

[@stevendrage9392]

@ 9.50 youre aligning wall boxes here in Australia our wall boxes have the locating screw holes on slides so alignment is nearly always perfect.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

3rd Person needs to be "Big Clive"...…. Just for the laughs. :-)

[@craigemmott4976]

Just an idea for the single gang back box if the problem keeps arising. Could you not use a conduit coupling and brass bushes, cutting the coupling to the size you require and once said boxes are fixed to the wall you can remove it to use again when you need it?

[@benwyatt7619]

You should see some of the shit in France. Our house has three very old ceramic fuses, the main cut off switch tingles when you touch it, no earthing anywhere, smashed up light fittings in the barn etc…

[@DerHeilendeLotus]

If you're living there, you should get it fixed ASAP...

[@donkmeister]

France is one of the primary reasons we now have the revised standardised wiring colour scheme... Electricians in France were free to use whatever colour they wanted for whatever conductor. You like purple? Use it for live. You like green? Use it for neutral! Earth? What's that?! Fortunately we have RCDs, RCBOs etc in new installations that levels the playing field but the British attitude to electricity is the correct one. I had to do some research into this around 15 years back and if I recall correctly in the UK we had 8 fatalities in the preceding year due to domestic wiring, and in France in the same year there were around 1000. Similarly-sized, similarly-wealthy developed countries but for some reason the one with the seemingly anally-retentive electrical regs had 1% of the electricity-related deaths of the one with the laissez-faire attitude... do you think there might have been a connection?!?! Additionally, some American colleagues were over for a business trip. All of them were engineers, and in a quiet moment before a meeting the chief was marvelling at our BS1363 plugtops. He guessed they were rated for 40 amps and was shocked when told they were rated for 13 amps. That was before he was told they carried individual fuses to knock the short protection down to as low as 3A (officially) and 1A (unofficially).

[@johnlasher3103]

Nice work Thomas and team 👍💪

[@gyasikrasineb4808]

Thomas, the reason why we use the capping on PVC cables is to protect cables from mutual detrimental effects caused by the coroasive action within the plaster itself.

[@--JohnDoe]

Glad to see you have a mate to work with.

[@philliosr3615]

I feel your pain with lining back boxes up. Have you thought about connecting them with 20mm bush and couplers? Should give you a uniform gap and they should always line up then?

[@chasingcapsaicin]

I nearly drowned on a 30th or so floor when an old galvanized pipe snapped off. Just over 130# of water pressure out of a 3/4" line and was holding the door shut from the inside. Lots of happy people later, whew what a show that turned into.

[@TheeJoshJ]

In Northern Ireland in houses we HAVE to install pvc conduit for cabling in walls! Rumors that certain plaster can eat away at (erode) the cable sheathing over time?

[@KDC_Electrical]

It's just because we care about the next guy behind us. Rewiring made much easier. We wouldn't touch that capping shite. Our wholesalers don't even sell it. English sparks are Shit!

[@deg1647]

Yer that’s true takes a long long time though and it only gets to that extent if cable is over loaded and bit moisture in the walls. But was taught told that I’m in England

[@mickyboysmith1]

Organic squidgy bit .Thats one for the book Tom

[@zombie2blackopsxbox250]

I’m really liking your new way of filming via a camera man/woman.

[@mrQubeMaster]

Just want to say, amazing camera shots! Keep up the great work tom!! Loving it

[@lynchbennettelectricalltd79]

Penny Washers on the fixings are great for levelling boxes mate. Gives you more play with them.

[@foxaxel]

I'm curious about something. In Spain cabling goes through tubes in the walls to boxes where it's derived and connected to outlets, lamps... Google for "tubo coarrugado" you'll see what I am talking about, I haven't watched all your videos but I cannot see any tubing. I know about the ring/star distribution, we use star or tree distribution in Spain, but I would like to know about cable laying. Do you simply embed the cable in walls, floor and ceiling? what happens when you have to recable? do you need to break walls and open floors again?

[@craigmalone7121]

Conduit is no longer used in houses. Commercially still used but not in home. 30 years ago all the houses had conduit but not now. Cables lay in walls,under floors or in the ceiling. When something goes wrong you need to break down walls.

[@GwresYnKernow]

Tom actually discusses that at 9:45. If you're lazy you just put it in the wall and cement/plaster over it so the next guy has to rip the wall out again to rewire it. Most professionals use those white tubes (conduits) you can see in the video, so all the wiring goes through them. Very similar to your tubes. We sometimes use those tubes in ceilings or under floors, but its not such a huge deal there because it's mostly just a case of lifting up floorboards and screwing them down again, which you'd have to do anyway to get to the tubes.

[@shlepkovac3759]

I don't know about UK, but I bet it's different in every country. Where I'm from we simply put cables into the walls and don't need to have any kind of tubing or whatever as long as the wall is not combustible. If it's wood then you need tubing, if it's brick you don't. Every country has it's own code. And yeah you need to break the wall if you want to change the cables latter

[@michaelboyes4948]

There's many different methods, its just usually the electricians or customer preference or the type of situation for example if you have a good plasterer doing you patching up then your more than likely gonna clip direct if you don't know whos doing it maybe a little bit more mechanical protection like oval conduit or capping to protect against the plasterers trowel if it's in a warehouse or somewhere industrial your more likey gonna use steel conduit or trunking so its never the same its personnel preference and situation 👍

[@tlangdon12]

Much of the housing in the UK is built with brick walls covered in plaster with wooden floors laid on wooden joists. This means horizontal runs of cables are generally run through the joists. Our building regulations allow this and provide guidance on where holes can be drilled. Vertical cables are set into the walls. The electrical regulations here don't mandate that cables set into the walls have to be in conduit, but some electricians do use conduit, although it tends to be smooth and rigid rather than flexible "tubo coarrugado". Some electricians use the sort of capping that we see Thomas using - this is only designed to protect the cable from the plasterer's trowel. It provides no other mechanical protection and doesn't make it easy to reinstall cables. Some electricians don't use conduit or capping which means the wall does have to be opened up again, but as PVC cables last 50+ years and plaster is cheap, it's not a big issue.

[@korona3103]

100% agree with leaving slack! The most expensive bit of cable is the one that's too short! Also if you're using capping why not go ahead and use conduit? It makes it easier to rewire next time and it won't pop out of the back boxes (like lame grommits).

[@gwil6100]

If the cables are plastered over does that add to the thermal insulation on the circuit in part, that what was my understanding anyway could be wrong here. I obviously know that the primary purpose of the capping was to give mechanical protection to the cables during plastering but thought that the thermal insulation was also a factor?

[@Error-hv4on]

Gabs_MAC cables in plastered walls is reference method 3,this is used when your designing the installation

[@johndufton9686]

Cable in a plastered wall is Refrence method C.

[@jondack61]

Great videos Tom , you should get a wallchaser with hoover , no dust and 20mm oval conduit straight into the knockout ?

[@petertallowin6406]

Jon Dack. No dust? Perhaps my chase tool is pants but even rigged up to the vac it generates more dust than itching powder at a dandruff convention. :)

[@jondack61]

Hi there Peter . I use the Bosch wallchaser with Bosch hoover , I don’t get any dust at all . Great tool , looks neat and loads quicker .

[@KrisX7331]

In some eastern countries this is considerated overengineered.

[@RWL2012]

The original job, or Thomas' job...?

[@LucasBorntreger]

I run into jobs like this all the time, they get so far then realize they are over their head and give up. That's when they call the professionals in and complain about the cost... They usually get over it when they realize you'll actually finish. I love the epic cutting scene. As always very good work Thomas. I can't wait for the follow up videos of this place. Also, perhaps your third guy should be from the American Midwest maybe a master electrician. 😂 I've wired in Brazil and Belize briefly but my dream job would be to wire in the UK.

[@R.H.Electrical]

Been a spark for over 10 years..... and that was an atrocious rewire A great video

[@stevebrindley]

Lazer level and some cable reels required ! I agree with capping makes a job look neat !

[@liamstancombe8785]

This y i love working in france our back boxes are all round you drill the with a hole saw and as long as all your centers are level all is good and we have to put all wires in tubing so you pull new cables easy

[@peterdevine6086]

Would it not be better to install 10mm cable for cookers as best practice. This would future proof for a double oven.

[@barryhall7]

Great video, I use metal conduit adapters to join 2 boxes together

[@PixiBoii]

You should look into getting a proper chaser with a vacuum, I could not imagine using an angle grinder for rewiring a house. Saves time by cutting two parallel lines and by not making a huge mess. Also if you're having problems putting in boxes, try using mortar. We do it here in Denmark, and it's acutally pretty easy. Just don't put in the cables until it dries.

[@bikerchrisukk]

Great to see another video guys, keep up the good work.

[@GnightOwl]

Man you're so rad I hope to be like you one day

[@kylejones5281]

I missed you dad

[@johnbull5394]

Met a few sparkies who consider it poor practice not to use capping. Capping allows retrofit work more easily, and protects the cable from the plaster which (allegedly) could affect the PVC coating. In fairness, my house was wired with capping, and I'm glad it was, as I do now want a couple of sockets added; the capping means short sections of cable can be replaced and the new sockets will not result in chasing out existing sockets just to avoid use of junction boxes.

[@WaltonPete]

With regards to doubting yourself, it's the tradesman that don't that people really have to avoid!

[@Flirkann]

re: box alignment - sounds like it is not too uncommon concern...ever thought about knocking together a quick jig/frame to make lining them up a 5 second affair?

[@dj_paultuk7052]

I was thinking the same. A little pre made Jig, to use again, and again, and again...….. Spot on, everytime.

[@Jys71208]

I use 20mm coupler and two male brass bushes

[@iandlv6835]

We always striped out any obsolete cabling on a job, sold it for copper scrap and paid for the Christmas party out of the proceeds.

[@richardsandwell2285]

Another great video and I admire your honesty, I hate to see shoddy work like that, it must be soul destroying to have to try and put it right.

[@bluedeath996]

how about making a jig to line up the boxes? You could 3d print such a thing pretty easily that would clip on to the boxes and hold them in line.

[@Benzknees]

So apart from missing glands and no cable slack, it’d be interesting to know what else was wrong with the installation, and why was it easier to rewire rather than connect in new sections of wire. If possible could you explain a bit more in the next vid?

[@chrisstleger9181]

They make special clips to join boxes together so that there is no gap between the accessories. I'm long out of the trade and can't remember what they were called, but I think they were made by Blaco.

[@jamescorrigan1002]

Use 20mm conduit couplers and bushings to join the back boxes

[@sparkyprojects]

To space the boxes and get them in line, get some offcuts of wood the right thickness, clamp the boxes together on the floor with a spring clamp where you can use a straight edge, transfer the lot carefully into position and fix them, remove clamp. if possible remove wood but not important although you need to allow for the wire, If you are doing several double/single combo's, they will all look the same ;)

[@Samtreee]

Slack is good for future sparks on rewires or replacing accessories that have different terminations, even moving accessories and the wires to suit. so unless you leave 2 foot in the ceiling I don't get why people are moaning. We do a 50mm gap on all boxes, not sure why but I think it comes out looking a little better than the accessories right next to each other. Anyhow rewire looks like a nightmare, have fun rectifying it you guys!

[@JP-nb7tm]

I used to carry a bag of bonding coat with me to fix back boxes It would go off in a few minutes so you didnt even need to fix the boxes most of the time.

[@jagsingh7334]

I'm not a professional electrician but have read the 17th edition. don't use grid boxes, you have less choice of face plates. In regards to aligning the back boxes, bond the boxes in first then level them together, leave 4cm between both boxes. once the bonding has cured it will hold them in place after which you can then drill, plug and screw them, don't forget the rubber grommets when bonding them in. Then run your cables and bond them in. Capping entirely up to you, however i normaly bond the cables in. Shit of a job from the previous workmen, hope the info above helps. Keep up the good work chaps 👍🏼

[@Biela2008]

That halfass job reminds me of my late fathers "thaaat'll do"....."fixes & solutions" :O

[@harveysmith100]

keep a small piece of wood the thickness you want your boxes apart in your bag. place it between the boxes and run some tape around both boxes. Fix, pull the wood out.

[@Bryan-fg3ey]

If you are using the same back boxes,then a little frame made from wood in a single,double,double +1 and a twin double with the frame setting the gaps and being proud of the wall so a small level could be used,would save a lot of time when fitting. Might take a few hours to make ,but in the long term save way more than that,and crucially aid fitting being square and true.

[@shaunbeard593]

I'm with u on the capping. Would imagine it would help if any problems and need to rewire later on

[@philiphesden7550]

Good work Tom... But I would have had to go get the black stuffing gland... Would have eaten me away that! Haha OCD to the max. Roll on next week!

[@firsteerr]

the reason you should put some capping or conduit over cables run in a plaster wall and concrete floor is that the chemicals in both mediums can destroy the pvc on twin and earth

[@Danny-do2ov]

Great upload. Love this! Keep up the good work! Top Genuine Guys!!

[@MrRorz12]

You cap your cables to prevent them from being damage when the plastering is undertaken.

[@travis4798]

I had the reverse happen to me. An electrician came in and changed everything around, some stuff is no longer code, other stuff is just inconvenient wiring. 15 amp receptacles on 20 amp circuits, cut lines out so some palces no longer have power, removed a line from a gfci breaker (ground fault) and added in a gfci outlet for who knows what reason.

[@rse855]

You’d want to get yourself a laser lever Tom for aligning boxes, only job

[@bigdogg313]

I fucking respect electricians like you who are ultimately held to a higher standard because there's nowhere to hide when you're Infront of the camera

[@RiffRaffMakes]

Had a good laugh this week with a washing machine - doing a bathroom reno and there was hot and cold fucking off through the wall to an old washing machine hookup, had to check it didn't relate to the new location, slide the washing machine out and the main RCD trips. Turns out they'd installed the washing machine by taking the plug off and plastering the wire in to the wall up to the fused switch. The dishwasher beside it had a surface mount double box dangling on the wire, with its own switch. To clarify, that place had beautifully executed plumbing that looked like a church organ. By the by, on cutting boxes and really anything in to walls, now admittedly I usually have masonry to do if I'm there but scribing a level line and stabbing a 9" grinder in to cut a nice level line for everything to bottom out on. After the kango's done you have a bottom that actually does the job for sitting stuff on. Just eh, only do the important lines that way, or you'll be fishing bricks out of cavities.

[@Tocsin-Bang]

Love the organic squidgy bit! Its always the bit that causes me problems.

[@hlynurstefansson9947]

Interesting to see how the wires are just slapped inside the wall, in my country we put PVC pipes 16 mm and 20 mm (now i use 20 mm for everything) and than you can pull with a fish tape through it, it seems that every country has a different method. (I´m from Iceland i have also worked in Norway)

[@xelnahaa]

Out of curiosity, why is it that in the UK electricians don't seem to use conduits and run the cables through the conduits, like in other European countries such as the Netherlands? It would make rewiring that much easier? I understand its perfectly legal under BS 7671?

[@stephenrowley4171]

How can anyone think that acceptable to leave that for client?

[@thesteaktc]

What was the issue with the lights not being terminated properly? Can you explain what was wrong and how it should be, because I didn’t understand that bit.

[@martinwinfield2935]

No box

[@silenzzio]

Basically the wires were too short and sockets set wrong. Also connecting was done wrong,or there is more to it?

[@mickuljatheseagull]

Dave Dave Dave Dave Dave. The guys name is Dave. Good vid Tom.👍

[@Eicles]

Have you ever installed a DIN rail doorbell transformer? I've got one to put in and wondered how you would do it?

[@leecolburn7849]

Any reason why you use capping and not oval tube? Always thought it’s easier to pull in and out of.

[@mick326100]

Loving the vids, try getting a laser level, you will be amazed, perfect every time especially for kitchens.

Never take someone's word cables are dead....always test.....a proximity tester was my best friend when I was in this game.....he had no idea how bad things can get this install is award winning compared to some things I've seen.....the worst is probably someone used a 3 pin plug socket to extend a 3 phase supply....each pin was 240v and icing on cake was the live feed was to the plug.....35 years on I still remember picking up that plug and flying through the air with a burnt hand.....I did the water pipe thing but not with drill but cutting through floorboard and cold water pipe with circular saw....luckily house was empty and water ended up on stone floor 4 stories down by dropping through open light pendants.....

[@drmkiwi]

I've seen some dodgy work, but I think it is doubtful a licensed sparky would have done work like what you found in that place. Cheers, David.

[@donnierobertson3088]

Nice job

[@jayrickards1141]

How come you use plastic capping?

[@DejcoDoesStuff]

You should write everything that is wrong and dangerous with wiring and give that list to the owner if he decides to sue whoever did the rewiring previously.

[@timcondliffe6698]

Perversely, all the faults could be summarised in a condition report.. But who in their right mind would suggest a condition report on a new installation?! You'd have to seriously hate life and have no faith in anyone, ever, to go down that line

[@timcondliffe6698]

..and good luck asking for the customer to pay for a condition report, especially as they just paid for a rewire!

[@Benzknees]

Assuming the owner didn’t do it himself...

[@stefjefimowicz281]

To fix KO boxes level screw a batten of wood , level up horizontal , Do not chop KO boxes too deep as you have dot and dab plasterboard leave max 12mm proud of existing wall finish When using 20mm depth KO boxes screw direct onto existing wall no need to chase cable in clip direct on wall rccbo protected pvc capping or trunking does not give mechanical protection