I get the new master Builders Magazine. Inside there is big-assed full page ad from the local IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). There is a big color picture of a structured wiring panel with some dude working on it.

The ad specifies that this group is now installing Smart House wiring and panels at no - extra cost. FREE when you select any IBEW Local 46 electrical contractor.

"Let the contractors and electricians build you "Smart Houses" at no additional costs. "Smart Houses" contain all of the wiring and switching panels needed to connect computer networks, entertainment systems and communication throughout the home. Just one more reason to use IBEW."

Pretty cool huh? I wonder if they still squash the RG6 connectors onto the cable ends with pliers for free too?

Kind of like hiring a frame carpenter to build your cabinets.

That's the best analogy I have ever heard and I can promise you I'll use it.

What?

You don't let the frame carpenter build the cabinets? Why on earth not? After all, it's just nails isn't it?

The original cabinets in my personal home were built by a rocket scientist....

He must have been a rocket scientist, because he da** sure wasn't a cabinet maker.....

great now we have to compete agains the union hacks now as well.... wonder how many we will have to clean up?

i bet they all stayed at the holiday inn last night!

its like hiring an animal dr to work on you..its still a dr.

ed

Mr. S -- which magazine specifically? I want to check it out.
thanks

And dont forget the romex staple must be beaten down until the cat5 jacket changes color.

Look for the union label.

Still cant find Jimmy Hoffa.

As an electrician friend of mine said to me, only 2 out of every 10 electricians are truely capable of doing this type of work well. He's one of those two out of 10 electricians and not only owns an electrical company, but also a CI company (one of the largest Lutron delaers in north america).

Point being, some electricians are extremely capable people so don't paint all of them with the same brush.

In addition, I use several electrical contractors to do my pre-wire work (I'd rather not spend my time pulling wires). I just do the project management/QC part of the job and it works just fine.

jj
Dang!!! I left it at the office today. I'll get you the info tomorrow!

I know, I'm not bashing Electricians, I just felt this was a move on the part of the (local) electricians' union to take away business from the CI guys. This was in the Master Builders Magazine whcih goes out to the Builders in our area. The ad went on to say how it "was another reason to do business with your electrician".


...And i think that's great, really I think about it from time to time. I've seen some fantastic electrical work, and some messy, "cluster" jobs.

The same is true of CI guys of course.

Last week I was working on a final phase of a theater in a costly remodel. When I looked at the structured panel, there were 18 home runs of RG6 to the panel. Rad-Shack twist-on fittings. Most of them were loose, crooked or both.

I think that electricians should be held to the same standards for low-voltage work as we are.
At this same job, I asked the head electrician if their CAT5 stuff gets certified, or tested--(it was one of those jobs where the cat 5 was flattened by the romex nails, pulled tight etc.)... He said he had never heard of that being done before, that all they ever do is make sure they have continuity.

Anyway, the Ad in the Master Builder Magazine I thought was kind of a cheap shot. Now if they consistantly doing superior quality work it wouldn't have bothered me as much.

Just my 2 bits worth.

In my state everyone in the company is required to hold a level 1 certification and have a FBI background check to pull security wire. A licensed electrician is not.

I got hit on to join the IBEW Tuesday. They hit on me a few years ago when I was doing all the LV work for the #10 builder in the area. The BA actually said he was told be the national that each local should have ALL the work of the top 10 builders in every market. They made life hell for a while, and then the builder caved and bought a union electrical company. Shortly thereafter, I was told they would be doing all the LV work as well.

FRR, 2 out of 10 seems about right. But that still leave 8 that have no clue what they are doing. I am not saying every CI tech knows what he is doing either, but most of the time CI companies are small firms and there is still some ownership supervision on site.

Once the Unions realize that we are a seperate and distinct trade things will be better. Who is for forming the Custom Interagtor's of America Union? No that won't work, people will think we are bugging them.

Why?


Not me.

In Chicago, the unions have been advertising this on the radio for years..

hasn't effected us yet....give the cients some credit

It's not that no electrician can do the job... it's the FREE thing that bugs the snot out of me. If you are going to ace me out of a job do it by providing a better product... not giving away a viable service. Now builders that beat me down for price are literally de-valuing what we do to the point of FREE?

I'd like to see the FREE smart home (dumb ass moniker anyway). Wire nutted phones, unterminated data and a splitter hanging loose in an 14" enclosure. Even that crappy job incurs cost though, so why give it away. Are they thinking they'll make it up setting up the guys network?

The number of houses that are going up around here with substandard wiring is staggering but I've beat my skull against a brick wall with these bozos for years. I learned to be a great retro-fit guy because the new home market is full of builders who expect somethin for nothin and stupid businesses who will give it to them... and gladly wait 45 days to get paid. Now at least they won't have to wait to get paid.