Garden PIR Floodlight Needs Installing. How Do I Hire A Good Electrician?

electribem

I am wanting to install a PIR floodlight at the rear of my property. I was going to try to install it myself but have come to the conclusion that I need a qualified electrician to do the job. How do I go about securing a reputable one (one where I won't get fleeced)? What are the things to do and look for when getting such tradesman to do a job for you? I have had bad experiences with the 24hr response tradesman that you get from the Thompson Local. How much roughly do you think it will cost? Please share any interesting and helpful experiences. The floodlight will be attached to a house wall. Fuseboard is 5 years old. Location Greater London.

I_have_spoken

Best bet is to ask for recommendations from neighbours etc. Otherwise get three quotes and pick the middle one.

evoke

This should be about an hour's work. Obviously the main issue is getting electric power to the location that you want the floodlight. This will be the bulk of the work as it may involve some difficult routing of electrical cables.

You're also likely to need a switch to control the floodlight and this will typically be installed within your property.

Any competent electrician will be able to perform this work - just make sure the electrician is certified. You can do a search for one here:

http://www.niceic.com/Page/SearchContractors

Things to look for when getting a PIR floodlight fitted:

1. Sensitivity - do you want it going off at every opportunity?

2. Brightness - obviously you want to light the relevant area sufficiently but be aware that it might annoy neighbours if it shines into their windows.

3. Delay - how long do you want it switched on for after it has been triggered?

4. Weatherproofing - a lot of the cheaper floodlights will only last a year or so.

5. Ease of replacing bulbs - the bulb will blow eventually so how easy is it to open the light and replace the bulb? Also, what type of bulb does it take and are these easy enough to get hold of?

6. PIR sensor - is this fixed to the light or independent? In other words, can the PIR sensor be adjusted to point to a slightly different direction compared to the lamp unit so that you can define the area that triggers the light more accurately?

Justicia

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Best bet is to ask for recommendations from neighbours etc. Otherwise get three quotes and pick the middle one.

Agree ^

If you absolutely cannot get a personal recommendation, I would suggest that you check (for obtaining quotes from locals) on the following;

ElectricSafe
Electrical Safety Register

There are two as they are run by competitive schemes who can't work in the collective, and not just their own, interest...

electribem

Justicia wrote: »

Agree ^

If you absolutely cannot get a personal recommendation, I would suggest that you check (for obtaining quotes from locals) on the following;

ElectricSafe
Electrical Safety Register

There are two as they are run by competitive schemes who can't work in the collective, and not just their own, interest...

Well I got recommendations, acted on them but they haven't turned out for the best. So I got a guy round from the electrical safety register but he wanted to charge me £250 for the job!! Is that normal? Seems a bit steep just to install 2 PIR lights with added switches. Decided to stall the rush and get some more quotes in.

Ken68

Tradesmen are short of work, Electribem. Offer them £20 an hour plus parts. Take it or leave it. And if you can't get a decent price, drop the project.

Myser

electribem wrote: »

Well I got recommendations, acted on them but they haven't turned out for the best. So I got a guy round from the electrical safety register but he wanted to charge me £250 for the job!! Is that normal? Seems a bit steep just to install 2 PIR lights with added switches. Decided to stall the rush and get some more quotes in.

If a new lighting circuit has to be run and walls chased for the light switches, £250 is reasonable if that also includes the cost of the lights.

electribem

Myser wrote: »

If a new lighting circuit has to be run and walls chased for the light switches, £250 is reasonable if that also includes the cost of the lights.

The lights I have already purchased for the job.

Myser

electribem wrote: »

The lights I have already purchased for the job.

Obtain a few more quotes from other electricians using the Electric Safe Register.

Do you want the wiring for the swithes chased into walls and made good or just surface mounted with conduit?

electribem

Myser wrote: »

Obtain a few more quotes from other electricians using the Electric Safe Register.

Do you want the wiring for the swithes chased into walls and made good or just surface mounted with conduit?

I would like the wiring to be unseen but was told yesterday that the the wiring would be external on the rear walls and then drilled trough to power points where the switches would be added. I was told that was 5hrs worth off work!

Myser

electribem wrote: »

I would like the wiring to be unseen but was told yesterday that the the wiring would be external on the rear walls and then drilled trough to power points where the switches would be added. I was told that was 5hrs worth off work!

Seems like he was going to spur off the nearest power socket to provide a feed for the lighting circuit.

Externally, wiring is usually clipped to the walls and under soffits etc.

If chasing of walls and making good is required, this can be quite time consuming and will add to the cost. The chasing can be done with a drill and then chiselled out.

If the switches are to be installed at the same level as the power sockets and close-by, there shouldn't be too much chasing involved.