# Residential service vs Commercial rough in



## Marlo (Apr 20, 2018)

I have a option to work for a residential service company or a commercial compan. I’m leaning towards residential. What’s better?


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Commercial first. Residential service after you make a real jman. Why?

Get fricking great at commercial and pipe bending. Learn everything commercial has to offer you. Fire alarm, hospital wiring, generators, vav's, machine room work, relays, contactors, plc's, vid's walk in boxes, rooftop chiller controls, you name it. Afterwards you can apply what you are solid at to the different world of resi service. Suddenly finish work is the most important thing, and knowing how. to conceal romex and chase down a loose backstabbed wire is the new game. But just about everybody and his cousin can do residential work so get some good long commercial under your belt, learn on the other guys dime.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I agree. Learn all the basics in commercial before you transition into service. You need to learn to be a "whole electrician" before you do service of any sort, in my opinion. Service, even in resi, will warp your mind if you don't have all the fundamentals down pat.


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## Marlo (Apr 20, 2018)

Commercial its more of labor work i don’t mind working but I love the science behind electricity


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Go with the commercial work. I don't particularly like it but it's something every electrician needs to be good at. To be good at residential service and renos takes a lot of ptactise but we're always fighting the clowns who think they know what they're doing. At least with commercial work, you're dealing with slightly more evolved clowns (although not by much).


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

Commercial first. When you eventually get out on your own as a one man show, resi will be gravy, then you can build up a couple guys and start hitting the commercial again instead of not knowing exactly what to do in that world.


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

Marlo said:


> Commercial its more of labor work i don’t mind working but I love the science behind electricity


I love science too. 

I have a light saber I built in my garage, but cutting people in half just doesn't pay the bills.

^^ listen, they know^^


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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)

In my 33+ years in business, the "experienced" electricians who have worked a few years in commercial/industrial are more experienced overall and have better troubleshooting skills then those that have no commercial experience. 

They tend to be more safety conscious and in most cases take more pride in their craft and have a better work ethic. 

When we hire an entry level apprentice out of trade school, we put them with the electricans that have the commercial/industrial backgrounds. They experience generator service and installation, some commercial service work and a lot of resi service work.

What they don't get from us is any resi or comm new construction experience. This doesn't seem to be a big factor in their overall success with our predominantly service oriented company. 

So yes, follow the advice of your fellow electricians and get started in commercial and or industrial work. In the end, you'll be more well rounded, more valuable to a prospective employer and make more money.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Marlo said:


> Commercial its more of labor work i don’t mind working but I love the science behind electricity


Starting in commercial will give you are far broader range of experience than some guy that has been pulling romex through attics for years.

Go where you will learn the most in the least amount of time.

Many go easily from commercial to resi but not so much the other way around.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

Beyond the great advice given so far, I would urge you to learn the fundamentals of electrical circuits no matter what part of the trade you go into. In particular, understanding these things will help you greatly in becoming an ace troubleshooter:

- Opens and shorts (L-N, L-L and L-G) and how they behave
- Open neutrals and how they behave
- Multi wire branch circuits and how they behave
- 3 phase circuits and different voltage systems
- Know all the different 3-way configurations
- Know the situations where "ghost voltage" might be present, and how to measure voltage properly
- Know the basic 3 wire start/stop circuit for motor starters
- Know the basics of fire alarm circuits

This is not a comprehensive list, but covers the majority of what you will experience in the commercial and residential realm. This may seem daunting and it does indeed take years of training and real life experience to have this broad range of knowledge, but I truly believe if you get a handle on these things it will put you in the top 5% of electricians. I'm astonished at how many electricians lack very basic knowledge in understanding electrical circuits and theory and how many limitations it then puts on their ability to troubleshoot.


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## ptheriot72 (Apr 11, 2018)

My take between the two. 
Residential is more bountiful. Easier on the brain. Harder on the body. Shuffling through an attic all day standing on an 1 1/2 piece of wood can drain your energy quick. All that said the pay out is lower. 
Commercial jobs are more spaced out between the them. That’s more planning out before hand. The work is easier at least for me. Holding a button to up and down is nicer than up and down on a ladder all day. You will make more doing these jobs. 
If either is done right you will make a costumer for life. However a call from residential homeowner to add a plug won’t pay as much as a commercial costumer that will always need lights worked on or machines added etc. a homeowner would be more likely to do a lot of these little jobs themselves. While a commercial costumer generally have safely guys that wouldn’t allow an employee to mess with anything electrical. 
Just my take. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

I do not think it matters where you start off, what matters is you do not stay in one aspect of the trade for more than a year or two if you want a wide range of experience.


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

To be a good electrician you need both ressi and commercial experience, but that is difficult to get.

One year roughing houses.
One year on a big commercial job.
One year on a slab.....well, maybe only 6 months, slab sucks!
One year on a service truck with a seasoned service guy.
One year estimating in the office.

That will turn out a great electrician, but good luck getting all that experience in your five year apprenticeship.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

eddy current said:


> To be a good electrician you need both ressi and commercial experience, but that is difficult to get.
> 
> One year roughing houses.
> One year on a big commercial job.
> ...



I've done that more or less, but I worked for a big commercial EC on smaller commercial projects, and I never did slab work, don't care to either. Next stop - estimating.


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## tjb (Feb 12, 2014)

Lots of great answers already, so I feel foolish adding my two cents, but ...

As a trend (not 100% of the time, but a TREND), I have noticed that many resi guys (especially those who work/have worked for themselves or with one other guy like their dad) tend to have learned only the bare minimum needed to install lights, switches, outlets, and make up a panel like a 5 year old. AS A TREND. (I know plenty of resi guys who are excellent, on the other hand, but this is the trend). 

Guys who grew up on industrial (especially) and commercial tend to be GOOD electricians, and when it comes time to do a little resi, they tend to be way more knowledgeable, professional, and do cleaner work. As a trend. 

So my advice agrees with what everyone else has said (and which I’m sure you’ve already chosen): do the commercial. Spend several years becoming an excellent well rounded elec chicken. Then go do some resi in your sleep.


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## bullheimer (Feb 1, 2013)

ditto


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