In this review Gary Fisher of Lougar Electric ponders whether a new electrician-invented solution can help to get you out of a ‘Fix’.
Keen-eyed PE readers will have noticed a new product introduced into the magazine this year which stated as its primary claim that it can help users to speed up the installation of simple jobs and tasks that us sparks face on a regular basis, such as installing items like light fittings, sockets, surface wall boxes and smoke detectors.
CHUMPFix, which was invented by electrical professional and entrepreneur Kieran Pye, is a fixing that is designed to accept two or more screws, ensuring there’s no need to drill holes for plugs or insert fixings into additional holes.
The product arrived in a nicely presented packet of five units, with instructions and 10 x pozi screws included so that you have everything you need in one package.
In terms of appearance, CHUMPFix is sturdily built and looks a bit like a large plastic toggle. The product contains a plastic stick that you push through one of the two holes in the centre part of the unit (either one will work) and the second hole can then be used for additional support of a light fitting, or something of any weight, but for this you would need to tie a string to it, or loop some copper through it, before placing it in the ceiling area.
Easy installation
Once you’ve added the bits you simply bend the handle of the CHUMPFix and push the whole item through the ceiling area and pull down, keeping the pressure on to hold the CHUMPFix in place. You then screw it down using the supplied screws. Now it’s all ready for the light fitting bracket to be fixed.
My main use for CHUMPFix came on a bathroom project where the ceiling was being lowered for downlights, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give it a go as a way of fixing a pull switch to the ceiling. It worked an absolute treat.
There are also so many other jobs where I could see the product being put to good use. I’m sure we’ve all come across that light fitting where there are so many holes already in the ceiling and getting a fixing has been near impossible, meaning we must adapt to the situation or make a much bigger hole. This simple idea does away with that problem overnight.
Plus, if the customer changes their mind and wants a downlight instead, you can unscrew the fitting and the CHUMPFix will be loose, making it much easier to move things. To re-use the CHUMPFix just fix it in place with a single screw through the ceiling before you take the old fitting down.
It’s not just a ceiling fixing solution either, as CHUMPFix can be used for the same purpose, but on a wall instead. Again, the process is the same as before – just push the item through where the cable comes out and fit the back box. It’s as easy as that!
The product’s applications also extend outside of just purely the electrical domain, so can be used and utilised by any trade professional who has an item that requires a good, sturdy fixing. Plumbers are using it to fix radiators to lathe and plaster walls, where previously it would not be possible without significant work.
I own several container compartment plastic boxes with every conceivable screw fixing that’s out there. But do I have that box with me on all occasions and when I need it most? Carry a couple of packets of CHUMPFix in your vehicle or toolbox instead, and you might just be able to solve an issue without worrying about whether you can or can’t find the correct fixing.
Conclusion
My final thoughts on this product are that it is a simple and clever idea that really does have some genuine speed, safety and convenience benefits for us sparkies. It is pretty clear that it has been developed by ‘one of our own’, who has been in such a position on numerous occasions in the past, and the recent news of even more wholesaler stockists coming on board to carry the product shows that it is growing in popularity.
I’d highly recommend that others purchase a pack or two and give it a try!
Get more information on CHUMPFix here
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