In this three-part special, we profile three electricians and their problem solving solutions. First up, Vex Box.
It was three years ago to this month that Vex Box first appeared on the pages of PE.
The concept of electrician, Paul Coy, the idea came to light whilst its inventor was working on a project for the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.
Thieir new cafe had been dry-lined and, in some cases, accessory boxes had been set too far into the walls, the cut-outs were in the wrong places, or a combination of both.
After giving the problem some consideration, Paul came up with an idea and designed a product to extend the front of the accessory box flush with the plasterboard, in order to give the plasterers an edge to work to and help to achieve a superior quality wall finish. The product was later named and trademarked “Vex Box”.
Putting it to good use
Vex Box is a universal template which can be formed to fit within either a single or twin electrical accessory box, varying from 5 to 35mm of extension.
As well as dry lined scenarios, Vex Box has proven to be equally effective when used on refurbishment projects where boxes have been chopped too deeply into traditional brick or block walls.
Paul says: “Another ‘spin off’ employed by enterprising sparkies is during kitchen refurbishments. To prevent boxes being tiled over prior to second fixing, they install a Vex Box and leave the extension proud of the wall. This prevents the box being tiled over and gives the tiler an edge to work to at the same time.”
Overcoming hurdles
After a year of deliberation with the Intellectual Property Office, Vex Box was granted a UK Patent in January of this year. The original application was filed in December 2012, so this shows you what a long and arduous journey these things can result in!
Paul concludes: “Now that the Patent has been granted, there are still more goals to achieve, such as accreditation to be able to claim improved air pressure test results on new builds and a reduction in acoustic transmission. We also want to improve our presence in wholesale and retail outlets.”
