What Tools Are Used By Electricians?
Most of us keep a few tools around the place for small jobs at home. But when you need to call in a professional, electrician, they tend to show up with a bulging tool belt and couple of bags and boxes of mysterious appliances. Have you ever wondered what’s in there?
Electricians’ tools fit broadly into two categories – hand tools and power tools. Many of the hand tools may look familiar and some may be identical to those you use yourself.
Tape it up
Take the simple tape measure – every electrician carries one for quick and straightforward measurements. Sometimes they have a magnetic tip to stick to metal surfaces but are otherwise similar to the one in your kitchen drawer. But for more sophisticated or tricky measuring jobs, your electrician may pull out a laser measure, which looks like a chunky cell phone.
Keeping in trim
Your electrician will also carry a range of pliers with different sizes and nose types. Side-cutting, long-nose and needle-nose pliers are all essential pieces of kit for electricians enabling them to easily trim wires. Down to the wire
Alongside the pliers, an electrician’s tool belt will include a well-used wire stripper. Once the wire is cut to length, the stripper removes the insulating plastic on the end to enable the wire to be connected.
Trusty screws
No electrician will be seen without their screwdriver. More often than not they’ll have screwdrivers of different lengths and sizes. Electric ones are speedy and strong, but you’ll always find a manual one in a sparky’s tool belt.
Name it with a labeller
A nifty tool that the most thorough professional use is the labeller. Each wire and cable is labelled for easy identification at a later date – either scribbled by hand or generated by a sophisticated labelling machine for hardwearing and long-lasting readability.
Tape it up
The final hand tool is a staple of the electrician’s armoury and works magic when drawing electrical wire and cable through conduits or cavity walls. Fish tape looks a bit like a tape measure but is up to 30 metres long, and magically directs wires to the right place.
Power up
But what about power tools? An electrician will often have some of the best spec available. A power saw is a handy tool and is usually wired to cut through wood or plasterboard. A drill, with or without cord, with an assortment of bits, is also essential electrician’s kit.
Circuit and wire tracers are expensive but carried by all sparkies and a safe and simple way to find electrical wiring behind walls and underground. They either flash or bleep when a live wire is found and are essential to avoid drilling into a hidden live cable.
Now you know what’s lurking in the toolkit. The electricians at PWA Electrical Services have spent years learning how to use these tools effectively and safely, so for your next job contact us. With no call out fees and free quotes, we offer a reliable, affordable around the clock service in and around Perth.