December 3, 2020 - Electric Pilot

Do you feel like you’re circling around in your bowl like a goldfish? Do not remain an electrician; change!

Physical problems:

This time, this is an unwanted reason, since we are dealing here with problems linked to the disease.

These are not diseases that require heavy treatment since in this case, it is not a question of retraining but of being treated. No, I am talking about handicapping physical problems for the electrician profession.

Two examples:

The herniated disc which can be very annoying (I speak knowingly).
An allergy. I have already met a person who had to change their activity after having developed a strong allergy to glass wool (with quite serious reactions).

These are only examples, but they echo the change in a professional career in a forced way.

Hernia, a problem that can lead you to change jobs and consider another job after an electrician

Fed up with electricity:

That’s what made me change my profession at the time: fed up.

It was not so much from a technical point of view, but rather hierarchical and technocratic.

So I can understand that as an electrician, you can also get fed up and want to change your professional path.

The impression of being a sheep:

This is a point that will appeal to independent craftsmen (electricians).

I put electrician in brackets because I think it is applicable to all professions.

There may one day be a moment when you feel oppressed by the French tax and administrative system. I have known several electricians, who after having achieved good results with a company of several employees, said stop to change the professional path.

Do you think you are a sheep or a sheep and you are thinking of stopping your activity as an electrician?

Work after an electrician, ideas for reconversions in the world of electricity:

If you are not sick of electricity, here are some ideas for retraining in trades where your knowledge will be particularly useful.

Teacher in education:

Do you mean vacation every 6 weeks?

Well, I stop right away, because I know from experience that this will trigger virulent comments.

More seriously, your professional career in electricity may be of interest to the professional sector.

If you are an educator and patient, it is possible retraining.

Electricity teacher, a good way to pass on your knowledge

Private trainer:

Adult training:

It is not only the education of young people but also people retraining in adults.

Many training centres recruit trainers. Once again, pedagogy is necessary.

Professional training:

If as an electrician, you have developed a specific skill, you can provide it as a professional in a private training organization.

Examples?

Riser installer.
Fibre optic welder.

Technician for electrical diagnostics:

You will need to pass certification (in some cases with a pre-requisite for a diploma).

Working in electrical diagnostics, a good way to change jobs

Commercial in electrical equipment:

Finally, if you have a bit of flair and want to keep your footing on construction sites and rub shoulders with electricians all day long, you can opt for the trade of electrical equipment suppliers.

Your knowledge of the trade and the equipment will be a real plus.

Conversions that have nothing to do with the electricity trades:

You should not think that because you have worked in a very specific field like electricity, you will not be able to get out.

Quite the contrary.

More and more entrepreneurs are interested in profiles that do not correspond to the industry.

Why? Because there are new things to bring with a different experience.

On the other hand, this will not be done in large companies, which prefer to “stay in the matrix” and find the exact profile (and sometimes the 5-legged sheep).

Conclusion, what to do after an electrician?

Do you want to change jobs and leave the electricity works?

With what I told you in this article, you already have a few possibilities.

So, to your CV and belief in yourself: this is what will help you to go to the end and change your profession.

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The electric heating method is no longer on the rise. Other heating systems now dethrone it. Wood is one of them.

But we often think that, as soon as we want to heat with wood, we no longer need electricity.

This is indeed the case with the classic wood stove. But some systems that use wood for heat require an electrical supply.

This electricity requirement is related to ventilation or management of the fuel supply.

Here is an article that will address this subject, within particular the electrical connection of the pellet stove, chimney vents or even the wood boiler.

Connecting the pellet stove:

The pellet stove, in the majority of cases, is equipped with a system which allows the management of the pellet feed.

There is a mechanical and electrical system that manages an endless screw. Pellet stoves can be fitted with a programming manager that allows the fire to be turned on and off at the desired times.

Ventilation for the fireplace or for the chimney:

Fireplaces and chimneys are sometimes equipped with ventilation systems.

There are also heat exchangers that allow heat to be recovered from the exhaust duct to send heat through pipes to heat other rooms.

These different elements must be connected to a power supply to operate.

Wood boiler:

The wood-fired boiler is a device that transmits the calories produced by the combustion of wood to a heat transfer liquid, itself conveyed in a heating system (on the floor, on the ceiling or visible on the wall).

This system is identical in principle to gas or oil boilers.

There are several sub-systems (circulator, regulation) which require a general electrical supply to the boiler.

When you have to make a connection and refer to this standard, you have to ask yourself two questions:

Is the circuit considered a specialized electrical circuit? The answer to this question conditions the connection in the electrical panel with a dedicated circuit breaker.
What is the electrical power requirement of the supplied equipment? This other indication conditions the circuit breaker rating and the section of the electrical wire associated with the electrical connection.

Regarding the various connections linked to wood heating, the standard indicates that the circuits of the “boiler and its auxiliaries” must benefit from specialized electrical lines.

But these are nevertheless circuits which require a dedicated connection because they must be independent of the other circuits sockets and lights.

Here are general rules to be adapted on a case-by-case basis, also referring to the recommendations of the device manufacturers if they exist:

Chimney ventilation: 2A circuit breaker, wire section 1.5mm2.
Wood-fired boiler: 16A circuit breaker, wire section 1.5mm2.
Woodstove: 16A circuit breaker, wire section 1.5mm2.

It is important to refer to these instructions since very often, the indications in the manufacturer’s instructions are very light on this side.

Extract from a manufacturer’s manual which describes the electrical connection of a pellet stove

Pellet stove and wood boiler:

In the following configuration, the pellet stove and the wood boiler are protected by a 16A circuit breaker.

An electrical outlet materializes the electrical connection point. A cable outlet can also be used.

The pellet stove or the wood boiler requires an electrical supply with upstream protection of 16A.

Installation without upsetting the electrical panel:

The addition of a wood heating system requiring an electric power supply sometimes intervenes after the construction of the house. The electrical panel is then already in place.

In order not to upset the organization of this switchboard or because this switchboard is too old and requires complete renovation, the solution consists in creating a small panel next to it with differential protection and the circuit breaker dedicated to the pellet stove, to the boiler electric or ventilation. Sometimes it takes less work and makes it possible to secure at least this new electrical circuit.

A small panel with a few modules can be added next to the main panel to make the electrical connection of the pellet stove or the wood boiler.

Consider continuity of service by isolating from other parts of the electrical installation:

When designing an electrical installation, you have to think about the continuity of service.

By that, I mean that some circuits must be given priority over others.

A lighting circuit, if it is momentarily unavailable for a few hours, this is not a problem.

A fault in the freezer for a whole day or a wood stove that does not light, it is a little more annoying. Dedicated devices must therefore be assigned to these circuits.

This is, of course, not an obligation. The wood heating circuit protection circuit breaker can be protected by a 30mA differential switch which protects other electrical circuits.

This is what I indicated in the previous electrical diagrams.

Conclusion:

I find it a shame to install a wood-heating system which requires an electrical supply. Indeed, through wood heating, we often think of “energy autonomy”. By that, I mean that in the event of an electrical power cut, it is possible to heat up.

But anyway, you have to understand this need before installation. Because too often, I see electrical connections that have been made hastily to power a pellet stove or a wood boiler.