I used to travel doing optical networking deployments between data centers. Got to see a good 35+ states and even some foreign countries over 4 years or so but also completely burnt out. Telecom is a pretty miserable industry.
Most of the work in/around DCs is contract of some sort. Local structured cabling firms, electricians doing stints of various lengths, security, etc. Some of it good and lucrative, some of it not.
Data center construction is consuming all of the tradespeople who usually do work in homes and causing price spikes for contracting similar to what we are seeing for hardware prices. I’m guessing those workers are doing at least OK for themselves ;)
Residential contractors are typically not the same as commercial contractors. Simply for the fact that commercial charges 2x what residential does is one of those reasons. Not saying there is zero overlap, but the pools are not totally shared.
Yea, commercial has far stricter inspection and material requirements then residential. You're playing with a whole lot more angry pixies in a pipe.
Most of the overlap I see is when there is a commercial building collapse (economically, not literally) and you end up seeing master electricians working on residential. Much more rare to see the opposite movement unless it's a permanent change.
> commercial has far stricter inspection and material requirements then residential. You're playing with a whole lot more angry pixies in a pipe.
Not only that, but the trades stick to their trades.
You don't get, for example, datacentre electricians rocking up pretenting they can install network cable to spec and running away having (if you are lucky) only done a continuity test on the cable they just installed.
Meanwhile every man and his dog, or even just the dog, will very happily turn up at your house and tell you they can install your CAT6 to spec for you when they've never seen a Fluke in their entire life.
In a bunch of recent residential building I've seen the electricians "attempt" to install networking cables as it's a value add they can install for very little while the walls are still open.
Needless to say I've re-pulled a lot of those cables due to so many failures.
> You don't get, for example, datacentre electricians rocking up pretenting they can install network cable to spec and running away having (if you are lucky) only done a continuity test on the cable they just installed.
I frequently have my electricians pull and terminate network cable if it’s only one or a few (daisy-chained VAV controllers or a network drop for a BAS panel), if the customer needs a formal TIA-568 test then I’ll sub that out. My electricians are already pulling and terminating building automation cable, CAT 6 isn’t gonna stop em :)
Oh awesome! I’m glad there are others in the industry around here :)
I’d like to learn more about PLCs and SCADA, but that scope of work usually falls on another contractor, we mostly provide installation for BAS systems that control HVAC and chilled/hot water plants.
I do some water treatment plant projects and there’s a local contractor that handles the PLC and SCADA stuff.
I think some of this comes from everyone "moving up a notch". If the "top" electricians are going to data centers, the second rate are covering their old jobs, and on down until residential electricians are doing light industrial and commercial work (can probably charge more, and open up a new avenue of business).
moofin_men · · focus · HN ↗
Most of the work in/around DCs is contract of some sort. Local structured cabling firms, electricians doing stints of various lengths, security, etc. Some of it good and lucrative, some of it not.
ls612 · · focus · HN ↗
logancbrown · · focus · HN ↗
pixl97 · · focus · HN ↗
Most of the overlap I see is when there is a commercial building collapse (economically, not literally) and you end up seeing master electricians working on residential. Much more rare to see the opposite movement unless it's a permanent change.
traceroute66 · · focus · HN ↗
Not only that, but the trades stick to their trades.
You don't get, for example, datacentre electricians rocking up pretenting they can install network cable to spec and running away having (if you are lucky) only done a continuity test on the cable they just installed.
Meanwhile every man and his dog, or even just the dog, will very happily turn up at your house and tell you they can install your CAT6 to spec for you when they've never seen a Fluke in their entire life.
pixl97 · · focus · HN ↗
Needless to say I've re-pulled a lot of those cables due to so many failures.
officeplant · · focus · HN ↗
We had to redo and re-pull so many circuits in the last datacenter project.
quickthrowman · · focus · HN ↗
I frequently have my electricians pull and terminate network cable if it’s only one or a few (daisy-chained VAV controllers or a network drop for a BAS panel), if the customer needs a formal TIA-568 test then I’ll sub that out. My electricians are already pulling and terminating building automation cable, CAT 6 isn’t gonna stop em :)
doobiedowner · · focus · HN ↗
quickthrowman · · focus · HN ↗
I’d like to learn more about PLCs and SCADA, but that scope of work usually falls on another contractor, we mostly provide installation for BAS systems that control HVAC and chilled/hot water plants.
I do some water treatment plant projects and there’s a local contractor that handles the PLC and SCADA stuff.
onefiftymike · · focus · HN ↗