Any low voltage electricians/technicians here?
- Thread starter AngryJoe
- Start date
awdblazer
Well-known member
i am on the opposite side as you
i am a power electrician
i work on power equipment up to 230kV
i am a power electrician
i work on power equipment up to 230kV
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
I am a licensed C7 and a union electrician....
Bad Habit
Well-known member
Yeah, been in the industry for a few decades. Started in it back when everything was on coax or twin-ax, only a few terminals spread around an office. Little bit different now...
Good snips, punch down too, VOM, and basic hand tools are the minimum. Understanding basic trouble shooting skills is a definite need, unfortunately that is in short supply.
A fish tape can be handy, what would probably be used more though are what's known as Glow Sticks, fiberglass rods that screw together. Harbor Freight has a cheap set, but most HD, Lowes, supply houses have sets too. Ladders typically (although not always) would be considered a tool supplied by the contractor. Really depends on the type of environments and areas you end up working in, but 6' is rare for us anymore, all 8' or 10'.
The general area you work in can really effect the types of facilities you work in too. Major metro areas, you'll probably see more Enterprise type office space, cube farms with a lot of UTP cable. More rural areas, probably more of a mix of industrial and outside plant cabling. One thing about this industry though, if you're in it long enough, you will be in every type of building, facility you can imagine. Nice pristine new buildings to run down shacks that should have been knocked down years ago. Military installations where they literately blind fold you as you pass through areas to warehouses where the building dimensions are measured in miles.
Of all the trades, I've always found electricians to the most widely versed in the trades, they have to be pipe fitters, carpenters, sheet metal guys, etc. The LV guys should be able to do most of those things too, albeit probably not as commonly, but having knowledge of it sure helps. Understand the other disciplines, know what the HVAC guys are doing, you have to work around their ducts and VAVs. Know what the electricians are doing, you have to work around and through their conduits and panels. If you get into Data Centers and large MDF/IDF equipment rooms, they'll be looking to you for answers. Learn about the equipment you are hooking to. The comm guys, more so than any other trade, become the middle man between the IT geeks and the construction world. The better you can interpret things for both sides, the more valuable you become to all.
JR
Good snips, punch down too, VOM, and basic hand tools are the minimum. Understanding basic trouble shooting skills is a definite need, unfortunately that is in short supply.
A fish tape can be handy, what would probably be used more though are what's known as Glow Sticks, fiberglass rods that screw together. Harbor Freight has a cheap set, but most HD, Lowes, supply houses have sets too. Ladders typically (although not always) would be considered a tool supplied by the contractor. Really depends on the type of environments and areas you end up working in, but 6' is rare for us anymore, all 8' or 10'.
The general area you work in can really effect the types of facilities you work in too. Major metro areas, you'll probably see more Enterprise type office space, cube farms with a lot of UTP cable. More rural areas, probably more of a mix of industrial and outside plant cabling. One thing about this industry though, if you're in it long enough, you will be in every type of building, facility you can imagine. Nice pristine new buildings to run down shacks that should have been knocked down years ago. Military installations where they literately blind fold you as you pass through areas to warehouses where the building dimensions are measured in miles.
Of all the trades, I've always found electricians to the most widely versed in the trades, they have to be pipe fitters, carpenters, sheet metal guys, etc. The LV guys should be able to do most of those things too, albeit probably not as commonly, but having knowledge of it sure helps. Understand the other disciplines, know what the HVAC guys are doing, you have to work around their ducts and VAVs. Know what the electricians are doing, you have to work around and through their conduits and panels. If you get into Data Centers and large MDF/IDF equipment rooms, they'll be looking to you for answers. Learn about the equipment you are hooking to. The comm guys, more so than any other trade, become the middle man between the IT geeks and the construction world. The better you can interpret things for both sides, the more valuable you become to all.
JR
kaffine
Well-known member
I was an alarm tech for a few years. Low voltage wiring was a large part of it. All of our cabling was in conduit. Depending on the size of the install on if we did the conduit or had the electricians do the conduit.
One of my favorite tools I found is a small cable puller that attaches to a drill.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Madison-Electric-Products-Power-Pull-It-Wire-Pulling-Tool-MWP/203352104
Of course I did some long pulls it wasn't uncommon for 350 feet between pull points where I worked. On some of the larger pulls I used 3/8 inch rope and used the puller as a capstand winch just loop it around the puller a few times and feed back off.
One of my favorite tools I found is a small cable puller that attaches to a drill.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Madison-Electric-Products-Power-Pull-It-Wire-Pulling-Tool-MWP/203352104
Of course I did some long pulls it wasn't uncommon for 350 feet between pull points where I worked. On some of the larger pulls I used 3/8 inch rope and used the puller as a capstand winch just loop it around the puller a few times and feed back off.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
They still use punch down blocks ? I though they went the way of the buggy whip !
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
What else would you use for keystone jacks/wall plates?
Bad Habit
Well-known member
Every patch panel and jack uses an insulation displacement termination, i.e. a 110 style punch down (well at least 98% of them)
The big problem is that a lot of low voltage installers have only one value because of the **** they pull, and that is for them to be used as subjects of medical experiments. 
The reason is their penchant of busting fire walls & otherwise making a mess.
The reason is their penchant of busting fire walls & otherwise making a mess.Filling boxes with mud, covering them over, nicking the conductors with their router, are all standard practice with hangers, & tapers, but when someone smashes holes in 2 hour firewalls for example, if a fire were to occur, that is a situation that could result in a loss of life. That is the reason for sending the them off for medical experiments rant, lucky for them it's not happening.
Note: on one job I did the hangers did use fluorescent orange spray paint on the floors at boxes and in the center of the rooms where there were cans or boxes, too bad that one room was a hardwood floor though.
ard
Well-known member
Ive always viewed the low voltage vs electrician thing as a continuum.....
Just so much overlap in skillset, tools, methods.
back in the day, 'low voltage' used to be 'run telephone wires and some TV cable'. Even office buildings it was telcom primarily, some alarms.
Then in the heyday, it was telephone, alarm, networking..cameras...
now with IP everything, its just boring ethernet everything.
As things move towards networked homes, smart homes, etc, is it even more blurred?
Just so much overlap in skillset, tools, methods.
back in the day, 'low voltage' used to be 'run telephone wires and some TV cable'. Even office buildings it was telcom primarily, some alarms.
Then in the heyday, it was telephone, alarm, networking..cameras...
now with IP everything, its just boring ethernet everything.
As things move towards networked homes, smart homes, etc, is it even more blurred?
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
The big problem is that a lot of low voltage installers have only one value because of the **** they pull, and that is for them to be used as subjects of medical experiments.
to be the devils advocate here
, Ive seen a lot of screwed up work by licensed and or certified electricians.The UC Merced union job i worked on last summer was the highlight of it.
Conduits turned the wrong direction in firewalls, fire alarm cable pulled too short or way too long or not enough leads to the devices, wrong cable pulled, wrong gauge, tractors digging up fiber conduits feeding the MDF for the whole campus taking out the internet and main phone service, etc etc etc
what a shitshow that was.
And this was with 2 of the biggest union electrical contractors in the region or perhaps state.
to be the devils advocate here
The UC Merced union job i worked on last summer was the highlight of it.
Conduits turned the wrong direction in firewalls, fire alarm cable pulled too short or way too long or not enough leads to the devices, wrong cable pulled, wrong gauge, tractors digging up fiber conduits feeding the MDF for the whole campus taking out the internet and main phone service, etc etc etc
what a shitshow that was.
And this was with 2 of the biggest union electrical contractors in the region or perhaps state.
This the result of not enough qualified people?
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
Uh everyone on the job was either state certified journeyman, or apprentice directly monitored by a journeyman.
Milton Shaw
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2011
- Messages
- 4,835
Legrand makes a cat 5-6 tool that punches down and cuts all 8 wires at one time on their matching wall jacks.
Bad Habit
Well-known member
Every state has different licensing requirements for different levels of electricians, then the union locals may have different contracts for various classifications.
WA has 01 General Electrician - licensed to do all electrical work, 8000 documented training hours under direct supervision (4k in commercial or industrial), 96 hours of classroom study.
Then there's "specialty" license. The 2 main ones for this discussion are:
06 Limited Energy Systems - controls, fire alarm, security systems, intercoms, etc. 4000 documented training hours under direct supervision, 48 hours of classroom study.
09 Telecommunications Technician - individuals aren't licensed, but contractors do need a license. Basic requirement is warm and breathing. They are not allowed to run any type of raceway more than 10' and can only install racking/tray withing comm closets.
The IBEW local (46) for Seattle has a different contract for Sound and Comm. The barrier to entry for the Sound and Comm contract is being able to spell your own name correctly 2 out of 3 times. They don't do any employment suitability checks, that is the problem of the contractor. We've had people dispatched that didn't know how to use a ladder.
There's a growing push to do away with the 09 technician and make everybody get at least on 06. The state tried it a few years ago because of POE, any cable could be used for POE (it provides power, not just signaling) so that meant it had to be installed by an 06. They realized there were not enough 06 licensed guys, nor adequate training/licensing infrastructure to get it done. Oregon currently does have a licensing requirement for Limited Energy and Telecom, LEA and LEB classifications. Any cable installation need at least an LEB, LEA also adds Fire Alarm and Nurse Call.
Full on electricians can have a good career and stay in the field side the trade. For Comm Techs, it's less of a life long career. While there are a few that do stay in the field their whole career, the typical path generally means moving into a supervisory and ultimately Project Manager role, or going to work for a end user and becoming part of their IT group.
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
I use vertical cable jacks and their V-Max punch down tool.
I like it a lot
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011W2LTPE/?tag=atomicindus08-20
If i order a certain number of jacks from my vendor, they will throw in a free one for me.
Get a short fishtape like this one https://www.techtoolsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GRE-438-2X&source=googleps&gdffi=a2fd11e1880844dfbe0b89871fd6ef5c&gdfms=C0D94EAD2F84424BB7AFB73F30F7F5EE&gclid=CjwKCAjw-7LrBRB6EiwAhh1yX6cHyeoLbS31iSvBMfv5H6_9uxP4WBw5iPj0PEyYn0g6Ot5ulRmYPxoC6rAQAvD_BwE. A lot of your installs will involve pulling cable down 8' insulated walls. Run a short fishtape down the wall, pull a drag line up and attach to your cables to pull down. For running cable in suspended ceilings, as someone mentioned, fiberglass rods are the name of the game. You also want a flashlight with a strong beam, this one is pretty good https://www.harborfreight.com/588-lumen-tactical-flashlight-63934.html?_br_psugg_q=flashlight.
alfredeneuman
Well-known member
alfredeneuman
Well-known member
There is no Union "stranglehold" on labor in CA.
It isn't a requirement for work. I worked non-union for 45+ years, mostly on commercial and industrial jobs, including some for the State and Federal Govts.
One of my ex-employers moved to the area around Flagstaff/Sedona and he is now an Arizona EC only. The requirements for licensing are the same in AZ and CA