How to chase a socket like a PRO in the worlds hardest brick wall, Link to Tradify @ This video is for entertainment purposes only and is in no way intended as a guide or 'how to'.
I actually learnt to chase from watching your past videos, i have seen and been taught to do it others ways but your way is by far the best , quickest and cleanest
Should teach adam the proper way,4 pound lump hammer and a bolster chisel for the chasing and a plug jumper for the fixings.Even more fun if engineering brick is involved
nice vid, some good tips thanks. I have been using an Armeg socket sinker round bit for a while now, its good for brick with not too many cement lines and breeze blocks, creates a bit of dust but works well.
Great work, keeping with what the customer wants and trying you u r best to work clean as you can, I am not a sparky by trade but when it comes to planing our house rewire I xan understand why things are place in the way you run them
I use a similar technique when cutting out on a finished wall like this one. I use my mini-circular saw with a midget diamond wheel and extraction to neatly cut the outline. Then I use an sds drill with a bit of meat (12 or 14mm) and drill as many relief holes as I can within the area, to just over 35mm depth (I use nothing but 35mm boxes). The chiseling is super quick and easy then, its just a case of getting the rear edges chipped back and its usually a neat job with no chipping of the edges. As for 1st fix work in a gutted house, I just blitz it with a 5" grinder, overlapping the edges to get near-full depth and make whatever gashes I need in the side to get in behind it and chisel it out in big chunks.
The hard plaster at the bottom of the wall is cement render, likely put there for damp proofing many years ago. Which is why it was just lime higher up the wall.
Oooh yes, definitely floor boards being pulled up. I'd love to see how to fill in a chased wall the correct way too, and and also how to box in bathroom pipes if that's something you've done in the past 👍
When you have the box ending up like this it's even easier if you use one screw and then blow expanding foam through the screw hole, after it cures it holds the box quite well
Just mix up a bit of hardwall, fill out the hole, push the box in and leave a couple of hours. A lot cheaper than foam. I finish off by drilling a hole and using a masonry screw when the hardwall has gone off. You can just knock a plug through with a hammer and old screw instead of using a masonry screw. The added advantage of doing something like hardwall or foam is you don't have to worry about the back of the hole being level.
@@ComDotlol In which case consider that you don't have to breath in the nasty flammable/explosive propellants from the foam guns if you use some hardwall. Basically hardwall is much better for the environment than foam in addition to being cheaper.
Srip of double sided tape or sparky tape, to hold a thin plastic sheet just below the cutout and when you drill chisel all the dust crap slides down sheet, and not on carpet or skirting board, easy to just lift up and pour into slop bucket, no vacumming required ,tape full length of palstic about a foot each side of cutout, dont use gaffer tape it will pull the paint or wallpaper off.
Great stuff as always Nick, the "spirals" on your drill are call flutes as they are called flute drills. Found this out recently so thought I would share my massive knowledge of useless information. 😂
Great content peeps, could we have some more on fault tracing on existing installations. As well as tracing earth leakage 🙏🏼👍🏼. It's great to see how others approach this. As there are more ways then one to skin a cat.
South Africa uses square 4" x 4" boxes for sockets and 2" x 4" for lights (sometimes sockets too). But ours are rounded corners, not 90° ones. Means we get 2 of the old sockets or up to 6 of the new ones per box!
As a DIY purist and finding that breaking into hollow blocks leaves nothing behind to set the depth or screw into, I use a mix of 1 cement, 2 bonding and 2 sharps sand. Fill the back of the hole and push the box in to set the depth. Goes off in minutes.
Works a treat to get you out of awkward situations where you can’t get a mechanical fixing. I usually just use bonding and cement together so the mix is more stronger but I have also used drywall adhesive which goes off really quick!
Bit of insulation tape at 35mm round the drill bit gives you the right depth every time and it's easier to see and use a paint brush to clean out the muck at the bottom of the chase, clears it out much easier
Swiss cheese the whole area with drill holes, then multi tool blade around the outside. SDS chisel bit to clean up and level off. PVA 50:50 seal and bonding behind the box if the brick blows out.
Hi thanks for the vid, you mentioned a Bosch grinderfor chasing the wall, I tried that and the room filled with dust within seconds, so won't be using a cutting disc again.
Great example for apprentices and others regarding PPE lads. What happens if you are cutting for a deep box and find it's one of those blocks with a void?
Hi Nick im a second year apprentice and love your videos, was just wondering how come you dont use the wall chaser to cut out your boxes aswell as the cable track? Thanks
How do you fix this if you go too deep. Used a 45mm back box now they have told me they are applying a 10mm plaster covering so the box is too deep and I am not sure how to fix this??? Once the plaster is on. Can I just screw the face plate on with longer screws to take it up to the wall tight or place some ply behind it then screw again??? Any help Would be appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
Just for my information what part of the country are you in. I’m in West Yorkshire, my question is what price do you charge for a 3 bed semi in your part of the country. Thank you George.
Not too far from me, a red brick was manufactured the Accrington red stock brick, the Nori as I believe it was known as, toughest brick in the country.As it was made locally, a lot of properties were built using this brick. As a young apprentice and sparky.. I absolutely hated the dam things, there were no electric drill issued for domestic type work, and if there were, there were no hammer functions and SDS would have been a wet dream ! It was had chisels/ bolsters etc and... fixings and hole through walls were done using rawltools and star drills (star headed chisels) Holes through joists were done using short throw brace and bits.. Now lets see a video using those and then you can claim.... this shit is hard !!! Even in industrial situations like petrochemical sites, holes anywhere were all done by hand, yes, in stone, brick and steel ! Only last week, as I had omitted to take my SDS 18V Miwaukee on a job I burnt out two 6mm non SDS Bosch masonary bits using a non SDS Milwaukee 18v combi drill. It was a renederd and refurbished bungalow and no clue to what was underneath the rendering...I only manage four 1" deep temporary fixings to fit two IP cameras, yup, tips of masonary bits are now non existant, revisit just to refix two cameras.... my fault, should have taken SDS drill, it still will not like the Nori brick, for sure.
The bricks were known as NORI because the mold was made the wrong way around and should have spelt IRON and yes most terraced houses are built with these red bricks.
Have you ever tried the sds box sinkers ? Wondered if they are any good , I always thought they looked to good to be true . Also prefer Bosch kit I find DeWalt stuff is look at me and attracts thief's .
I seen the video length at 14.58 and thought I would get sacked if it took me that long to sink a double socket lol serious side good tips for the younguns.
Could you please do a video on how you keep track of the wires (where comes from where, to where etc) in a consumer unit change? It always mystifies me on when you rip out all the earths and neutrals and get them all back in again!! Much love. Great video
He explained it in a video 2 years ago. As Cablesmith says he takes a Sharpy Pen and marks each of the live wires. 1 stroke for circuit one, 2 strokes for circuit 2 etc. czcams.com/video/BEoHHXwQGH8/video.html
Hi Got a question what is the regulation of chasing the wall for electric cable . I got a electrician who is qualified issued me the the certificate but when I inspect the property he just done shitty Job .he just chased the wire upto 2m just wire to hide in the wall .when I pointed at him he said he done according to the regulations
Personally I like to get the cables in first before I start chasing boxes in, there's always a chance you can't get cables to where you have cut a box in, happens occasionally, then you have wasted your time and effort for nothing
I've been an apprentice for 5 months and figured this out a month ago after plugging the wall and screwing the box on and then realising I was supposed to have chased it out. Quite glad I realised early on. Comes in handy when you've got to chase out for a big media plates with 6 screws!
@@zu1875lu he means before you start cutting the box out, from the fixing holes first, then knock the box out, and you will have your fixing holes already there
If you use 20mm oval there's no need for grommets, you can squeeze the end of the tube to make it round. Can never work out why people use oval then fit grommets, waste of time and money.
I would have thought that the wall between two terraced properties will be two bricks deep so there should be no possibility of breaking through unless using a ridiculously long drill bit. Not that you want it unnecessarily deep of course.
@@nomadicsoul34 - Prob not, but I've come across serious structural cracking in party walls where builders/owners thought they could do whatever they wanted on their side.
Such a shame that the people employed by local authorities don't have this skill. The preferred look is ugly, surface mounted boxes and cables. I actually challenged the estate manager of a council property on this and his response was 'tenant's complain'. To which I replied it was because of poor workmanship. You also see crap in cheaply renovated properties.
How much is your hearing impaired? Do you just use this as an excuse when Adam asks for a pay rise? It is amazing what bosses can hear or not as tey say. Just a laugh please do not take this seriously. you two are amazing and although you might not realise this, it comes across how much you love each other professionately. Keep up the good work and thanks for the vids.
I actually learnt to chase from watching your past videos, i have seen and been taught to do it others ways but your way is by far the best , quickest and cleanest
How-to videos are always good for the apprentice. Nice one guys
Excellent demonstration
Fantastic video Nick as always 👍👍👍❤️
Nick thank you. That was interesting. You always do a nice job.
Game change, thank you!
Used the multi tool / segmented blade. Perfect finish 👌
Great demonstration.
Well. Adam 👏🏻👏🏻has shown you the pro way . Congratulations nick 😂😂👌🏻 great videos as always guys ! Byeee!!
Should teach adam the proper way,4 pound lump hammer and a bolster chisel for the chasing and a plug jumper for the fixings.Even more fun if engineering brick is involved
Doing my Level 3. These are really useful thanks
nice vid, some good tips thanks. I have been using an Armeg socket sinker round bit for a while now, its good for brick with not too many cement lines and breeze blocks, creates a bit of dust but works well.
Great work, keeping with what the customer wants and trying you u r best to work clean as you can, I am not a sparky by trade but when it comes to planing our house rewire I xan understand why things are place in the way you run them
Nice! The hoover attachment works a treat when stitch drilling. Tidy work fellas
Awesome, thank you. Very clear explanation
Hey Nick, how is your back ? Thank you for the amazing tips and tricks !
Awesome video Nick 👍
Great job nick u can get some bonding in there behind the blown brick let it set then u can get screws ad raw plugs for fixing the box
Great work and thanks for sharing this with us take care
I use a similar technique when cutting out on a finished wall like this one. I use my mini-circular saw with a midget diamond wheel and extraction to neatly cut the outline. Then I use an sds drill with a bit of meat (12 or 14mm) and drill as many relief holes as I can within the area, to just over 35mm depth (I use nothing but 35mm boxes). The chiseling is super quick and easy then, its just a case of getting the rear edges chipped back and its usually a neat job with no chipping of the edges. As for 1st fix work in a gutted house, I just blitz it with a 5" grinder, overlapping the edges to get near-full depth and make whatever gashes I need in the side to get in behind it and chisel it out in big chunks.
thank you for this, informative and clear
Nice work. I’m like you, and use a combination of all these methods along with a few others. All depends on the wall
Love the videos mate. Makes me want to me an electrician.
Best of luck 👍🏻👍🏻 great video thanks
The hard plaster at the bottom of the wall is cement render, likely put there for damp proofing many years ago. Which is why it was just lime higher up the wall.
Oooh yes, definitely floor boards being pulled up. I'd love to see how to fill in a chased wall the correct way too, and and also how to box in bathroom pipes if that's something you've done in the past 👍
When you have the box ending up like this it's even easier if you use one screw and then blow expanding foam through the screw hole, after it cures it holds the box quite well
That’s exactly what I do! I thought I was alone in doing this.
Foam is the way to go. It’s sets rock solid.
Just mix up a bit of hardwall, fill out the hole, push the box in and leave a couple of hours. A lot cheaper than foam. I finish off by drilling a hole and using a masonry screw when the hardwall has gone off. You can just knock a plug through with a hammer and old screw instead of using a masonry screw. The added advantage of doing something like hardwall or foam is you don't have to worry about the back of the hole being level.
@@jonathanbuzzard6648 we’re Sparky’s mate, we don’t care about saving money 🤣
@@ComDotlol In which case consider that you don't have to breath in the nasty flammable/explosive propellants from the foam guns if you use some hardwall. Basically hardwall is much better for the environment than foam in addition to being cheaper.
Srip of double sided tape or sparky tape, to hold a thin plastic sheet just below the cutout and when you drill chisel all the dust crap slides down sheet, and not on carpet or skirting board, easy to just lift up and pour into slop bucket, no vacumming required ,tape full length of palstic about a foot each side of cutout, dont use gaffer tape it will pull the paint or wallpaper off.
Loving the marksman!
Did Adam steal the PPE after the first pattress? 😂 Good vids lads.
Great stuff as always Nick, the "spirals" on your drill are call flutes as they are called flute drills.
Found this out recently so thought I would share my massive knowledge of useless information. 😂
They are called flutes because lengthways grooves like on classical columns are also known as fluted columns.
this is a great video 👏 but how do you then install the wiring and everything so that the plug becomes functional?
Thanks for the video mate
Nicely done
Great content peeps, could we have some more on fault tracing on existing installations. As well as tracing earth leakage 🙏🏼👍🏼. It's great to see how others approach this. As there are more ways then one to skin a cat.
I hope you brits get to be using round boxes one day :D Feels like its 10 times faster to drill 1 round hole than chizzling for a square box.
Me too, but we are stubborn to change. A round box is so brilliantly simple and easy that it'll be at least another 20 years until we admit defeat..
South Africa uses square 4" x 4" boxes for sockets and 2" x 4" for lights (sometimes sockets too).
But ours are rounded corners, not 90° ones.
Means we get 2 of the old sockets or up to 6 of the new ones per box!
@@the_real_hislordship South African here. Watching this video thinking the same :)
Use a segmented diamond blade rather than a metal/wood blade on the multitool. Will last much longer!
As a DIY purist and finding that breaking into hollow blocks leaves nothing behind to set the depth or screw into, I use a mix of 1 cement, 2 bonding and 2 sharps sand. Fill the back of the hole and push the box in to set the depth. Goes off in minutes.
Works a treat to get you out of awkward situations where you can’t get a mechanical fixing. I usually just use bonding and cement together so the mix is more stronger but I have also used drywall adhesive which goes off really quick!
Bit of insulation tape at 35mm round the drill bit gives you the right depth every time and it's easier to see and use a paint brush to clean out the muck at the bottom of the chase, clears it out much easier
So I use a bit or paint inside the spirals of the drill to indicate depth. Red paint for red wall plugs. Brown for…. Lasts long er than tape
@@AndyK.1 good thinking
Swiss cheese the whole area with drill holes, then multi tool blade around the outside. SDS chisel bit to clean up and level off. PVA 50:50 seal and bonding behind the box if the brick blows out.
Hi thanks for the vid, you mentioned a Bosch grinderfor chasing the wall, I tried that and the room filled with dust within seconds, so won't be using a cutting disc again.
Hi nick
Have you ever used the rake sds bit to do boxes? It’s bloody awesome nice flat back you get, desalt do one and there’s onther brand too
Heller is the other brand
Armeg, decent for airated or concrete brick. Doesn't work great on standard bricks.
I have a newly tiled bathroom on the opposite side of the 4"wall I want to chase. Would the hammering affect the tiles surface do you think?
Great example for apprentices and others regarding PPE lads.
What happens if you are cutting for a deep box and find it's one of those blocks with a void?
After the swearing and crying stops usually get the foam gun out
Great "how to" video 😎
What is the Name of This drill machine Sir ? Love this work
Hi Nick im a second year apprentice and love your videos, was just wondering how come you dont use the wall chaser to cut out your boxes aswell as the cable track? Thanks
It's fiddly and no matter how careful you are, you end up with lines you have to patch from the discs
@@acelectricalsecurity thank yous for the reply mate
Sometimes it’s easier just to use the drill mate,
@@NBundyElectrical it looks like a much neater finish aswell
If the damn thing is gonna be plastered use a an Armeg and you’ll be done in half the time.
i like your bosch sds .what model ?
Can also try start with an angle grinder at the start to get a deep straight cut. Accurate, quick, cheaper
How do you fix this if you go too deep. Used a 45mm back box now they have told me they are applying a 10mm plaster covering so the box is too deep and I am not sure how to fix this???
Once the plaster is on. Can I just screw the face plate on with longer screws to take it up to the wall tight or place some ply behind it then screw again???
Any help
Would be appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
Damn when you have round boxes it's waaay easier just a diamond hole saw and like two hits with a chissel and done
Just for my information what part of the country are you in. I’m in West Yorkshire, my question is what price do you charge for a 3 bed semi in your part of the country. Thank you George.
I Know it may be extreme but have you tried a Hammer and Cold Chisel ???
What do u think of armeg sinking kit for dbl n sngle sets??
You need a grinder there for your cable chase bud. Them cable chases be rough af 🤣 socket box spot on 😁
Not too far from me, a red brick was manufactured the Accrington red stock brick, the Nori as I believe it was known as, toughest brick in the country.As it was made locally, a lot of properties were built using this brick.
As a young apprentice and sparky.. I absolutely hated the dam things, there were no electric drill issued for domestic type work, and if there were, there were no hammer functions and SDS would have been a wet dream !
It was had chisels/ bolsters etc and... fixings and hole through walls were done using rawltools and star drills (star headed chisels)
Holes through joists were done using short throw brace and bits..
Now lets see a video using those and then you can claim.... this shit is hard !!!
Even in industrial situations like petrochemical sites, holes anywhere were all done by hand, yes, in stone, brick and steel !
Only last week, as I had omitted to take my SDS 18V Miwaukee on a job I burnt out two 6mm non SDS Bosch masonary bits using a non SDS Milwaukee 18v combi drill.
It was a renederd and refurbished bungalow and no clue to what was underneath the rendering...I only manage four 1" deep temporary fixings to fit two IP cameras, yup, tips of masonary bits are now non existant, revisit just to refix two cameras.... my fault, should have taken SDS drill, it still will not like the Nori brick, for sure.
The bricks were known as NORI because the mold was made the wrong way around and should have spelt IRON and yes most terraced houses are built with these red bricks.
Are the walls in UK homes not hollow like they are in the US?
Have you ever tried the sds box sinkers ? Wondered if they are any good , I always thought they looked to good to be true . Also prefer Bosch kit I find DeWalt stuff is look at me and attracts thief's .
I use the armeg one and love it
I seen the video length at 14.58 and thought I would get sacked if it took me that long to sink a double socket lol serious side good tips for the younguns.
Could you please do a video on how you keep track of the wires (where comes from where, to where etc) in a consumer unit change? It always mystifies me on when you rip out all the earths and neutrals and get them all back in again!! Much love. Great video
When you put marks on the lives, the neutrals and earths are in the same t&e sheeth 👌🏼
Tally it
He explained it in a video 2 years ago. As Cablesmith says he takes a Sharpy Pen and marks each of the live wires. 1 stroke for circuit one, 2 strokes for circuit 2 etc. czcams.com/video/BEoHHXwQGH8/video.html
Hope they're getting that wallpaper off 🤣😂🤣
Come back to mine and lower the dining room ones, we're not knocking it through now 🤣🤣
😂😂
Hi
Got a question what is the regulation of chasing the wall for electric cable .
I got a electrician who is qualified issued me the the certificate but when I inspect the property he just done shitty Job .he just chased the wire upto 2m just wire to hide in the wall .when I pointed at him he said he done according to the regulations
Any experience with concrete houses.
11:49 what is the make of the back box level please. Cheers
Can you show us how you fit an electric shower in an old house from the switchboard to the shower unit please?
The most annoying and upsetting thing on a rewire is the first chop being solid brick 😂😂😂
Is grip fill the same as liquid nail?
Before you chase the wall out to fit the back box , mark and drill your fixing holes - then you will know that they are always in the correct place 👍🏻
Personally I like to get the cables in first before I start chasing boxes in, there's always a chance you can't get cables to where you have cut a box in, happens occasionally, then you have wasted your time and effort for nothing
I've been an apprentice for 5 months and figured this out a month ago after plugging the wall and screwing the box on and then realising I was supposed to have chased it out. Quite glad I realised early on. Comes in handy when you've got to chase out for a big media plates with 6 screws!
I don't understand what you mean by this comment. Chase the box out, fix box in... then chase for the cables?
@@zu1875lu he means before you start cutting the box out, from the fixing holes first, then knock the box out, and you will have your fixing holes already there
@@acelectricalsecurity oh right. He mean use a longer 5.5 bit for fixing holes. Gotcha thx
Grip fill solid fixing ? Used too bonding or foam if a blow out .. never thought of grip fill 🤔 🤦🏾♂️
Do you put the grommet in the box after you fix it? Seems harder to get at.
If you use 20mm oval there's no need for grommets, you can squeeze the end of the tube to make it round.
Can never work out why people use oval then fit grommets, waste of time and money.
Jus a quicky, you should mention to check walls for pipes, cables etc, before drilling , cutting!
If only the mounting boxes were round like they are for european sockets and switches. Making the hole in the wall would be so much easier.
Amen!
Hey, chopping boxes into a house that isn't falling down is cheating.
Making it look easy fella
What is that spirit level Nick?
We just drill two holes next to each other and thats it..Put two round boxes in it.In the Netherlands..
where is your intro from?
Try rubbing washing up liquid on your safety glasses and rub it off no more steaming up glasses oh great video
What is the chance of going through to next door???
Chasing machine and hoover is the way forward
A tip about noise that always works, turn your hearing aid off lol
Use an sds to drill down the back of the skirting after you chase lol no need to butcher the skirting too 🤣
Why is JRC always first? It's not fair.
What batteries are they on your bosch impact as don't look like bosch ones?
8amp pro core one bud
Isn’t that chasing for the tv socket out of zone .
I would have thought that the wall between two terraced properties will be two bricks deep so there should be no possibility of breaking through unless using a ridiculously long drill bit. Not that you want it unnecessarily deep of course.
Tens of Thousands of Victorian terraces were built with only a single brick party wall.
Get a mate to weld a washer on your 5.5 mm bit at the depth you want your box sunk to, takes the worry out of going too deep 🤭
I didn't know you could use glue to fix a metal box to brick. Interesting to know.
We had to learn how to cut in sockets with a mash hammer & bolster & scutch chisel all done by hand 😥
Thought it should be 350mm from the corner?
im doing this with two cuts of 70 mm masonry hole-saw
A fucking massive lump out of the skirting board too 🤣🤣
Congrats on the £10k job 😎
Why are the tradesmen I use never this precise. We got a switch installed for a shower and it's about as level as the leaning tower of Pisa
Nice video you say about PPE and only 1 set of eyes use a mask as you only get 1 set of lungs silcia is a killer
He wants to use Grindr?
Kango time in them bricks
If you chase into a party wall, then the Party Wall Act 1996 applies, and you need to serve the appropriate Notice to the neighbour.
no one has ever done that , ever, in the history of tradesmen.
@@nomadicsoul34 - Prob not, but I've come across serious structural cracking in party walls where builders/owners thought they could do whatever they wanted on their side.
Such a shame that the people employed by local authorities don't have this skill. The preferred look is ugly, surface mounted boxes and cables. I actually challenged the estate manager of a council property on this and his response was 'tenant's complain'. To which I replied it was because of poor workmanship. You also see crap in cheaply renovated properties.
How much is your hearing impaired? Do you just use this as an excuse when Adam asks for a pay rise?
It is amazing what bosses can hear or not as tey say. Just a laugh please do not take this seriously. you
two are amazing and although you might not realise this, it comes across how much you love each other
professionately. Keep up the good work and thanks for the vids.
I always use cup washers with counter sunk screw😛