By example
Goa 26th July 2011
Day 3 in Goa and things are moving slow, looks like I may have to return back via Goa again after my Delhi visit, before heading back to Singapore. I had hoped to be able to start with some preliminary programming and scene setting, but it turns out that there is still so much electrical work to be done, such as termination of wiring in the dimmer racks. My meticulous testing of the circuits one by one to identify any malfunctioning, wrong connections or system failures brought more to the foreground then I wished for. As not all circuits were on or properly connected I could not really detect any lamp failures. Many things became clear that has prompted me to reschedule my India trip and loop my return back through Goa again and spent some more days here.
First of all lamp failures; though hardly installed more then 1-2 months I found at least 10-15% of the lamps already failing. I have ordered all lamps to be replaced. If the failing is due to faulty wiring they will find out soon enough. Secondly I found out that some circuits were incomplete, wrongly connected or not responding to any control address. The boys worked overnight to rectify as much as possible (and that was just the restaurant area!). One of my main bones of contention nearly always is cove lighting as there are few contractors that know, understand or even have the will to install linear lights properly. Ever climbed up and looked into a cceiling cove? The mess in there is scary! As contractors think it is out of view they don’t bother cleaning up or even properly wiring and cabling the lights.
To bring things to a good end there is only one way and that is to lead by example. Go up there and show them how it is done. It is amazing how much some good will and supportive explanatory action can motivate people to do things proudly! I hear some stories of colleagues screaming and scolding the site staff for ther sloddy jobs. But have they been properly shown how to do it? Have they been encouraged and instilled some pride and ownership? Leading by example has been my credo today 🙂
In Light Watch a sneak view into one of the ceiling cove lights. It shows the total mess and haphazard installation of fluorescent tubes. Try to shape some order and consistency in this …
Light Watch 130: Cove light horror
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