Electrical upgrades for new build?

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#3315237 2-Dec-2024 19:15

almost forgot, heat pump power outlets. prewire/plumb the heatpump pipe work and wiring as well. i assume you have heating/cooling/ventilation all designed. a whole lot easier to get that done while its being built.

Jase2985

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#3315238 2-Dec-2024 19:20

tweake:

aerial/sat cables system. better to get an aerial guy to design and install than sparkies. its the no1 place where sparkies will cut corners (as well as ethernet or any other low voltage/signal cabling)

Don't even bother with that, streaming is just too good now days to need to go with terrestrial or satellite TV.

sir1963

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#3315239 2-Dec-2024 19:20

CrashAndBurn:

Agree. They offered all power outlets with USB ports which I declined. I'd rather use my chargers for fast charging.

We use ours all of the time, especially when we have family around. I am happy for grandkids to plug their devices into these.

Oh, I am also a sparkie, so I don't put crap into my walls. I have however seen my fair share of crap chargers the grandkids have had...

sir1963

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#3315241 2-Dec-2024 19:34

CrashAndBurn:

Agree. They offered all power outlets with USB ports which I declined. I'd rather use my chargers for fast charging.

I will also point out that the Sparkie will need to reference COC (Certificate of compliance) etc as part of signing off the property.
If the sparkie is willing to put in junk, you have a much bigger problem.

Its up to you to specify.

MadEngineer

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#3315243 2-Dec-2024 19:44

Jase2985:
tweake:

aerial/sat cables system. better to get an aerial guy to design and install than sparkies. its the no1 place where sparkies will cut corners (as well as ethernet or any other low voltage/signal cabling)

Don't even bother with that, streaming is just too good now days to need to go with terrestrial or satellite TV.

This. If you must have coax, use one run to where your AV gear is going to be based or where your patch panel is going to be, then use network cable to distribute via whatever flavour of x-over network cable you require… which you ran multiple of to each room

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

tweake

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#3315244 2-Dec-2024 19:49

Jase2985:

Don't even bother with that, streaming is just too good now days to need to go with terrestrial or satellite TV.

call me old fashioned but always good to keep options open. personally i use both, sat is free, internet costs.

everettpsycho

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#3315248 2-Dec-2024 20:03

gregmcc:
get the electrician to pre drill holes top to bottom in strategic locations and put in a draw wires, make it's it easy for the next guy,

I'd go one further and say put conduit in or hand them the cables to put in, especially if it's an insulated wall. They put faceplates by our tv and lower down with a draw wire and the draw wire snapped pulling the a replacement thicker draw wire through. Managed to fish it out and very carefully save the situation but what I thought would take 15 minutes running a few cables through conduit took several hours trying to work hdmi cables through thick wool insulation and behind the beams.

Also I'd say do this for any tv location so you can wall mount the tv and have equipment lower down and have plugs high for the tv and low for anything you might want on the side.

Not sure if this is the sparky or the builders responsibility. But make sure they dint put either of the panel or comes cabinet above the washing machine. They spaced ours out on the rear garage wall and ruined any ideas of stacking the washer dryer or putting high shelving units in to use the space as we need access to the panels.

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Handle9

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#3315312 2-Dec-2024 21:28

Under no circumstances accept a developer special recessed network enclosure. If they haven't allowed for a proper network enclosure get them not to supply one but to nogg it out for one you supply. Make sure there are a lot of power points in the same place. If you can go floor mounted, I've just put in a floor mounted 18U cabinet and it's wonderful having plenty of space.

Make sure you run several draw tapes/wires to the same place.

Go for ceiling mount APs powered by POE backed by a UPS. Having wifi in a power outage is great.

Handle9

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#3315314 2-Dec-2024 21:32

neb:

sir1963: Put in socket outlets that have a USB A outlet in them. Besides beds, Kitchen bench etc for charging phones, watches, headphones etc.

For that one I would suggest the exact opposite. If you plug in a USB charger you know exactly what you're getting based on what brand/type you buy, with the built-into-the-socket ones you're getting God-knows what sort of cheap junk with who-knows-what sort of characteristics, and which will be out of date either the day you install it or shortly thereafter.

Hard agree. GAN USB PD chargers are cheaper and a far better solution. If a charger is less than 40W it's a waste of time. That's aside from the obsolescence/servicing problem with power electronics in a wall.

neb

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#3315318 2-Dec-2024 21:47

Handle9: Under no circumstances accept a developer special recessed network enclosure. If they haven't allowed for a proper network enclosure get them not to supply one but to nogg it out for one you supply. Make sure there are a lot of power points in the same place. If you can go floor mounted, I've just put in a floor mounted 18U cabinet and it's wonderful having plenty of space.

This can depend on how you set things up, the Casa de Cowboy has a dedicated network cupboard with equipment on wire shelves for good ventilation, and the cables run from a hole in the wall straight into the switch, no need to go via a patch panel or similar. Also the walls there are lined with 12mm ply rather than gib which means you can attach pretty much anything you want to them without having to look for studs. Finally, there's a temperature-controlled fan at the top that acts to draw cool air through when it gets too warm, although due to its location against a basement wall that virtually never happens.

neb

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#3315321 2-Dec-2024 21:51

CrashAndBurn: No plans to go solar based solely on current usage.

Even if you've got no plans now, at some point it's going to start looking very tempting, so consider where you'd mount inverters, the ridiculous restrictions on battery placement, and how you'd run heavy-duty cable to and from each location. We were extremely lucky in that things just happened to work out to fit (batteries wall-mounted in a south-facing roofed-over area, cables run inside the walls), but if they hadn't been able to get it done the way they did it would have been a nightmare to put in and/or left ducts and big boxes full of electronics in view everywhere.

Handle9

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#3315324 2-Dec-2024 22:02

neb:

Handle9: Under no circumstances accept a developer special recessed network enclosure. If they haven't allowed for a proper network enclosure get them not to supply one but to nogg it out for one you supply. Make sure there are a lot of power points in the same place. If you can go floor mounted, I've just put in a floor mounted 18U cabinet and it's wonderful having plenty of space.

This can depend on how you set things up, the Casa de Cowboy has a dedicated network cupboard with equipment on wire shelves for good ventilation, and the cables run from a hole in the wall straight into the switch, no need to go via a patch panel or similar.

Yuk. It seems like a good idea until it's not. Been there, done that.

richms

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#3315375 2-Dec-2024 22:47

tweake:

aerial/sat cables system. better to get an aerial guy to design and install than sparkies. its the no1 place where sparkies will cut corners (as well as ethernet or any other low voltage/signal cabling)

I would not bother with any coax in a new build at all. Dead technology.

Richard rich.ms

richms

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#3315377 2-Dec-2024 22:49

tweake:

almost forgot, heat pump power outlets. prewire/plumb the heatpump pipe work and wiring as well. i assume you have heating/cooling/ventilation all designed. a whole lot easier to get that done while its being built.

Do not pre-plumb the heatpump unless the install will be happening immediately. Friend came unstuck because the pipes were left in place for too long and the installers would not use them as they had been open to the elements.

Richard rich.ms

neb

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#3315378 2-Dec-2024 22:55

Handle9:
This can depend on how you set things up, the Casa de Cowboy has a dedicated network cupboard with equipment on wire shelves for good ventilation, and the cables run from a hole in the wall straight into the switch, no need to go via a patch panel or similar.

Yuk. It seems like a good idea until it's not. Been there, done that.

What was the problem? It's been fine so far, and I can't see why it wouldn't be in the future.

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