I love living and working as an electrician in the Comox Valley. I’ve been an electrician for well over 30 years and in that time, I’ve worked on close to 1000 job sites. I’ve wired hundreds of residential houses, a great many condominiums and town homes, numerous commercial buildings of all sizes and I’ve even worked on massive industrial projects.
Through all that diverse professional experience, hands down – meeting new people is the best part about being an electrician. I’m happy to say I’ve met wonderful folks as a result of my work and I’m convinced that the Comox Valley is home to the nicest people in all of BC! Aside from the people element of my work, you might wonder what an electrician does all day. Here’s a sneak peek into my week:
1. Residential renovations and electrical updates. From tiny rental suites to large custom residences, providing general residential electrical services is a huge part of my work each day. This usually involves liaising with lots of different people (homeowners, inspectors, suppliers, other construction professionals and our amazing team of employees).
2. Planning and installing underground electrical services for a new home build. We try to stay on top of our contractors’ and homeowners’ schedules to get the electrical service conduits installed in time for foundation concrete pours. There are usually tight timelines to work around for this task so this is one of those jobs that has to be done at very specific times.
3. Installing a new meter base for a secondary residence, shop, barn, studio, office, shed, etc. We install meter bases for all kinds of residential applications.
4. Working with BC Hydro to install a new power feed from a transformer. This involves coordinating with excavation contractors and BC Hydro to ensure the work meets their specifications.
5. Leasehold improvements for local business owners. This can mean powering up new equipment, installing additional electrical outlets or upgrading lighting for a local business. Leasehold improvements are always diverse and interesting and I enjoy meeting and working with fellow Comox Valley business owners.
6. Rough wiring a new home build. We try to perform our work neatly and clean up after ourselves so as not to leave our customers or contractors with a mess.
7. Installing new data and cable outlets in homes and local businesses. Technology is a huge part of modern life and people need reliable, convenient access points.
8. Finish electrical involves installing switches and receptacles, hanging light fixtures and installing panel breakers to power up circuits. This is always an exciting time for homeowners as it means “move in” is right around the corner!
9. Custom LED lighting. LED strip lights used in lots of creative ways in houses and businesses (for accent features or for functional task lighting).
10. Installing custom power feeds for hot tubs, shop and commercial equipment. Whether it’s to power a pottery kiln, a welder, a commercial oven or a hoist, we can install custom power feed to get you up and running with your new equipment.
11. Installing tamper proof receptacles [as a father of 5 and a Grandpa to 3, we know how important this task is!]
12. Service calls are a pretty significant part of my work and I get regular requests to come and look at electrical malfunctions or problems. I try hard to fit these calls in the same day so I can repair malfunctions and get folks powered up again.
There’s a lot more to my work than what I’ve described and thanks to technology I do most of it “on the go” [answering client calls, taking out permits, requesting inspections, ordering materials, planning work flow, looking at prospective work and bidding on new jobs]. My days are full and busy but life as an electrician in the Comox Valley is always interesting and full of new challenges.
I hope you enjoyed this peek into my life as an electrician. I love my work and I especially love meeting and helping people in my community. If you ever need a licensed electrician – give me a call – I’d love to meet you!
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