The job of an electrician can be quite physically demanding. Sometimes, you have to be tradesman enough to know when you are beaten. The ladder is a tradesman's constant companion, and there will be times when a ladder is not up to the job.

I have been working for a client who purchased a water mill. The place and location are stunning; as you can imagine, plenty of water runs alongside. The property needed an electrical upgrade, and while this was the initial first step, the client had bigger plans! Plans to utilise the watermill to generate electricity. With a supply already coming into the property from an electrical supplier, their role in this project stopped at the pole. The installers of the generator at the mill also meant that their responsibility stopped at their generator. The bit in between... the bit to connect the watermill to the house and the house to outbuildings, became the responsibility of an electrician, and as I am already part of the project, that meant me!

I was responsible for connecting the 25mm 5core cable from the first fuseboard in the outbuilding and then running the cable outside to a resting position on the electricity pole. From the electricity pole with tight tension and special pigtail bolts, secure the cable to the house and into the second fuseboard. From the second fuseboard, back out from another corner of the house, with tight tension, connect the cable to another pigtail bolt and into the watermill, ready to connect to the third fuseboard. The hydro team had already installed their generator. Once all the cable was in place, the hydro team could connect to the final fuseboard to allow electricity to feed back through the complete electrical installation. I have been informed by the client that electricity is now being generated!

Unfortunately, 25mm 5core cable is not malleable, especially during these cold winter months. Although I had sourced winches and pulleys to help manoeuvre the cable, there came a point quite early on in this section of the project where one man and a ladder were not going to cut the mustard.

At the end of November, on a cold and foggy morning, accompanied by my wife, we set off for the first part of the installation, connecting the 25mm 5core cable from the fuseboard in the outbuilding, up into the loft space, outside and up to the electricity pole. The cable is hefty, so imagine carrying this up the ladder each time to correctly connect the cable under the eaves outside. On second thoughts, please don't imagine; it was difficult and took a lot of time and energy. Unfortunately, this resulted in medical attention, which I won't elaborate on here. So wife's wise words, "get down off that ladder now! and we will need to rethink this and provide a more efficient and effective safe solution."  

And that is what we did. We found an efficient and effective safe solution by contacting Steve Beck, the Cherry Picker Man, who gave us a price agreeable to the client. In addition, I reworked my hours, which allowed for this expense without additional funds to the client. And so, on another freezing cold day mid-January, Steve and I met at the client's property and successfully completed the mission together. All done in a day!

I, my tools and the cable were safely housed in the cherry picker basket and escorted to the correct heights at the various buildings so I could safely and efficiently carry out my electrical duties.

I now know my physical limitations. I also now appreciate my wife's wise words, "safety and efficiency" are always the order of the day. Sometimes, and I am sure other trades are the same, years of experience means you take a few risks because you know what you are capable of. But there are times when the risk is not worth compromising life and limb. This project had given me some sleepless nights, and once we knew the Cherry Picker Man was on board, the worry, which was as heavy as the 25mm 5core cable, also became lighter!

Now that the external side of this project is complete, my work continues inside.

For more information on how the Cherry Picker Man, Steve Beck can help you visit his website and or Facebook page.

And as always, I am here to provide safe electrics to every home!   

As a registered and insured tradesman myself, I hear lots of horror stories from customers and potential customers who have experienced unpleasant circumstances. As a registered and insured tradesman I have no qualms in presenting any details to any customer. For me, I want a customer to feel that they can do business with me that is legal.

When you are seeking the services of a tradesman the likelihood is that you will ask for recommendations from people that you know or from your local magazine. Don't take these at face value. There are a number of obligations that you need to consider before anyone crosses your threshold and commences work, as there are serious implications for the homeowner should you choose to use unregistered or uninsured trades people on your premises.

There are a number of sites that you can visit to check siret numbers :
https://www.infogreffe.com/societes/
http://www.manageo.fr/
http://www.societe.com/

However, please note that these sites will only provide details of the main and primary activity and not any subsequent activities.  If in doubt, feel free to call your local Chambre de Metier and ask them to verify what they are registered as, or enquire with your local Mairie.

Don't be afraid to ask to see attestation or confirmation of the relevant insurances attributed to trades. Who is the insurance with? Are payments up to date? We all know France loves a law and insurance. Each activity needs to have the corresponding insurance. Insurance for one activity does not cover for all.  Please note that there is difference between public liability insurance and decennale insurance and some trades are required to have both. If you have doubts, eliminate them from your research.

Artisan tradesman are required to have decennale insurance and a carte professionnelle – this provides confidence to a potential customer that they have had their qualifications verified by the Chambre de Metier and are appropriately insured. Plus artisan tradesmen are not allowed to register additional activities. For example as a registered artisan electrician you won't see me offering to cut your grass.

Devis and factures will need to show siret number and insurance details, these are recent requirements, so if you don't see this on any paperwork, again feel free to eliminate from your research.

Devis should be clear and set out exactly what will be done. Do not sign a devis until you are happy that everything you want done is included. There should be no hidden surprises between devis and facture. Be clear about when works are to commence, particularly when there are a number of trades involved.

A reputable tradesman will ask for a deposit or materials to be paid.

A reputable tradesman will clearly state how future payments are to be made.

A reputable tradesman will not insist on being paid cash.

A reputable tradesman will happily give you references of customers that you can contact if you request to do so.

A reputable tradesman will have more than just a mobile number to be contacted on. 

It is not unusual to seek 2 or 3 devis and a reputable tradesman will be aware of that. You as a customer should be able to ask questions and feel confident about who you are dealing with, as ultimately they will be working in your home and you will be paying them. So any doubts or concerns you have eliminate them from your research.

Always work with a reputable tradesman, there are serious implications as a home owner should an unregistered or uninsured or not appropriately insured tradesman be working in your home. Should an accident or death take place in your home, you as the home owner will bear some responsibility.

​Should you wish to sell your house you may be asked by the Notaire to provide invoices for major works that have been carried out within a certain timespan. If you are unable to do this, you may find yourself footing a bill should something untoward happen in the future once your home is sold.