Jason Scott talks with Rob Swyrd the owner of Robart Services.
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Introduction
Robart Electrical Services Ltd is a family owned business with over in residential and commercial electrical services.
Jason and Rob talk about how he became an electrician, what the 35 years of experience most common issues he sees people facing, and what to look for when hiring an electrician. Rob also talks about their 100 amp upgrade process they have with Epcor and the training program they offer to help Realtors and home inspectors.
Key Points & Questions
- [spp-timestamp time=”00:30″] How did you become an electrician?
- [spp-timestamp time=”01:51″] What are the most common electrical issues you see people face?
- [spp-timestamp time=”02:10″] Aluminum wiring is a huge issue with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
- [spp-timestamp time=”04:15″] Pig tailing is a common fix to problems with aluminum wiring. It involves placing a copper connector under the screw or plug of the switch.
- [spp-timestamp time=”05:30″] When we do pig tailing, we take out an electrical permit from the city of Edmonton and have an inspector come in and check our work.
- [spp-timestamp time=”07:35″] What are some other issues that home buyers should look for when buying an older home?
- [spp-timestamp time=”11:30″] How common are houses that need to be upgraded to 100 amp service?
- [spp-timestamp time=”12:10″] A lender will not give money if the house is not insurable.
- [spp-timestamp time=”12:40″] We have a system worked out with Epcor for upgrading to 100 amp service. Robart shows up at the site between 8:30 – 9:00 am, Epcor arrives between 9:30 -10:30 am, the inspector shows up between 1-2 PM and after they are done they call Epcor, who comes back to connect the power between 3- 4:30 pm.
- [spp-timestamp time=”16:00″] Knob and tube wiring is the 3rd major thing that we deal with. It is a method of wiring that was popular in the 1950’s but is not accepted today. If you have this kind of wiring in your home you have to have the whole place re-wired.
- [spp-timestamp time=”18:30″] Ungrounded circuits were also popular until 1964 and have a risk of electrocution. We install GFI’s into unground circuits to protect it as if it were grounded.
- [spp-timestamp time=”20:05″] What do you mean by ‘master electrician’?
- [spp-timestamp time=”21:37″] What should someone look for when hiring an electrician?
- [spp-timestamp time=”23:45″] We at Robart created an electrical training program for Realtors and home inspectors that help them identify if a home is a 60 amp home or a 100 amp.
- [spp-timestamp time=”27:50″] If you call Epcor and ask them what amperage your house is, they will always say 100 amps because all the wiring they use from the pole to the house is 100. Otherwise, if it was 60 amp it would break.
- [spp-timestamp time=”30:20″] I go through a lot of light bulbs, why is this happening?
- [spp-timestamp time=”33:30″] Rob tells a story about one of his craziest experiences on the job.
- [spp-timestamp time=”35:50″] We have started using thermal imaging so we can check all the plugs and switches to see if there are any heat sources to help prevent fires or damage.
Contact
Tel: (780) 238-8195
Email: robartelectric@me.com