Thread: Another random job i've been asked to do..

The base is definitely cast and it appears to have been poorly welded originally.
I am assuming the base isnot removable and that the wiresrun internally.
You will want to hit that with a bit of power or a lot of preheat to offset the thickness.
Typically most of those castings are fairly ordinary, but weld reasonably.
I would grind it up well to remove the powder coating and hit it with a good hot mig weld and ensure that it gets a good bite on the casting. You will need to put thought into removing or shielding the wires though.
Why did it break? Physical damage such as reversing a car into it or wear and tear such as wind. If it is wear and tear, then give sone t hought to reinforcement of some sort.

Karl in your opinion is it aluminium? If so i dont have the gear to do it. the post was run into by a runaway golf cart and appears to have internal wiring. Cast steel i will have a go at but aluminium i simply cant.

Thanks for your response mate.

A magnet test will soon tell you if the pole is cast steel.

Grahame

Agreed Grahame. It's 45 minutes drive out to test. Guess i will still charge a callout which i don't normally do but fuel is costly for me at the moment.

If it is aluminium and you have access to a DC welder,it can be repaired insitu, you'll need ally welding rods though.
Kryn

I am only looking at the photos on my phone at the moment and based upon the colour I was pretty certain it was aluminium, plus you do see a lot of ally lamp posts.
Now, having had another look, I'm undecided even though I am leaning towards ally still.
Looks like a call out fee and a magnet. Atleast if it's steel it will be an easier repair.

Guessing that it is aluminium. Steel wouldn't have broken off so easily without damage to the post.
You need a decent source of power nearby or a petrol/diesel driven generator welder to fix that IF my guess is correct.
Karl is right in saying you also need to shield the cables inside.
Perhaps it's better to bring a jackhammer along, pull the base out, after an electrician has disconnected the cables, take away for welding it properly and fit back in. Is this an insurance job?
How much can you charge for that fix? It all comes back to how much you can charge.

Of course you could fix back straight by concreting 3 braces and screw them to the post. It will look as ugly as, but will be firm.

I cringe when asked to do repairs like this as it is usually very difficult to explain/justify the expense to the customer. So many factors to consider such as sparkies to disconnect, jack hammer hire, reinstallation costs. You may get lucky and find that the base plate is a bolt down, actually, that is more likely I would have guessed.
The aluminium welding electrode option is an interesting one. Yep, they are definitely out there and have been for some time. I haven't used them, but would love to give them a go just so I can say I have tried them. My concern would be that much of the old knowledge about their use has passed on with the older tradesmen and what I have seen on youtube is not promising to say the least, therefore I would be a bit reluctant to trial them out on a paying job that I may then become responsible to rectify if it doesn't work, plus then wear the negative word of mouth outcomes.
Whichever way it pans out, make sure that you do what you feel is safe and correct. You didn't break the lamp post, so you have no responsibility to try and fix it on the cheap and you will wear it if it goes pear shaped. Customers are like that unfortunately.

Thanks a heap guys. I really think im going to pass this job in. There's too much uncertainty with it really. I very rarely pass on a job and could certainly do with the money but its just not worth the hastle. Thankyou again guys. I love this forum for the fact that i can run things like this past you guys and get your opinions.

Originally Posted by Zumanity

Thanks a heap guys. I really think im going to pass this job in. There's too much uncertainty with it really. I very rarely pass on a job and could certainly do with the money but its just not worth the hastle. Thankyou again guys. I love this forum for the fact that i can run things like this past you guys and get your opinions.

Better to pass on a job, than to lose money and reputation.

Totally agree mate. thank you

The other thing to consider is...what did the whole thing cost in the first place.

If it is thin, light aluminium.......the hole they potted it in probably cost more than the post.

The other thaught is to make it..." not a welding job".

Cut the post off flush with the ground, square it up a bung a sleeve in it.

Or as someone said before.....dig the whole shebang up.

THEN...do what should have been done in the first place.....weld a plate on the bottom and set it on rag bolts.

that way next time it gets broken...there WILL be a next time, it can just be unbolted for repair or replacement.

cheers

agree with soundman ... make it a non-welding job

from the photo it looks like a cast base which under the wood chips is likely bolted to a concrete base

I'm guessing that the request to "weld it back together" is someone looking for a "cheap fix" or a fix cheaper than having an electrician install a new $54 lamp post from Bunnings http://www.bunnings.com.au/brilliant...light_p7070796

so rather than just saying "no" -- perhaps enhance your reputation by advising that in this case, a welded repair will likely cost more than a new post