Heard a senior installer say he never uses impact drivers on wall plates

He said it cracks the plastic around the screw holes about 30 percent of the time, and after checking my last 10 jobs I think he's right, has anyone else noticed that?

3 comments

3 Comments

troy_butler75d ago

And @barbara429, you mentioned going back to the shop for a six cent plate, that hit home because I've done the exact same thing except mine was a 45 minute round trip for a plate that probably cost a dime. Wait, you said six cents though, where on earth are you finding plates that cheap? I pay like a buck each at the supply house.

gavin9285d ago

Back in my HVAC days I had a 2 hour round trip to swap out a 50 cent capacitor I forgot in my other van. @barbara429 that six cent plate story had me laughing because we've all been there with that gut punch of driving back for something ridiculous. I still find myself triple checking my toolbag now before I leave a job just to avoid that feeling again.

barbara4296d ago

Oh man, I learned that one the hard way myself. My first year in the trade I cracked a brand new plate on a customer's beige wall and had to drive 20 minutes back to the shop for another one. Now I just use a regular screwdriver or my drill set to the lowest clutch setting. That senior installer knows what he's talking about, plastic gets brittle in cold weather too. Watch out for those cheap contractor-grade plates, they seem to crack if you look at them wrong. Your mileage may vary but I'd rather take an extra two seconds than make another trip for a six cent piece of plastic.