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Why Use The Plastilock ICF Electrical Components? "Let's face it. People choose to build with ICF's because of all the advantages. Choosing the right electrical system to add to those benefits just makes sense. " Q: You specialize only in ICF construction, why is that? A: Well, I guess because I really believe in them, and the demand has become so strong. I easily stay busy year round installing only ICF systems. I can't believe how popular they have become! But once people learn about all of the advantages, I guess it really is a no brainer. Q: Do you see any problems still facing the ICF industry? A: Yeah. Homeowners need to be selective when choosing an ICF contractor. Most of the problems you hear about usually result from poor workmanship on the part of some ICF installers, or the trades people who put the mechanical systems in the foam once the walls go up, like the electrical boxes and wiring. Even though ICF's have been around for a long time, it still seems like some guys are making it up as they go along, especially when it comes to the electrical system, which is really a shame. Q: How do you handle the electrical installation on your jobs? A: I use the Plastilock electrical boxes combined with a conduit based system that gets installed inside the walls before the pour. It's a faster, cleaner, easier way of doing the electrical on my ICF jobs, and it provides additional benefits for the homeowner. But man, I have seen it all! Some guys still insist on having the boxes and wiring "cut in" the finished foam walls. I guess so it becomes the electrician's problem. Let him hack through all that foam with a hot knife, router, chainsaw or whatever, right? That's crazy! Hot knives are slow, and chainsaws? Well, that just creates a heck of a mess, and totally chews up the finished foam. I've seen homeowners get real upset with that. Why cut away all that valuable insulation and lower the R-value when there's a better way? Q: What advantages do the Plastilock boxes offer the homeowner? A: First of all, your wiring paths are upgradeable. When faxes and computers first started showing up in people's homes, a lot of them wanted to upgrade to CAT-3 or CAT-5 wiring. Then came cable modems for high speed internet access, and the need to pull coaxial. Putting in a home theatre? Don't forget to run the good stuff, like RG6. Not to mention these new "smart homes" with all kinds of automation circuits for climate control, lighting, security, you name it. What's next? Fiber optic? Triaxial? The point is, wiring technologies will continue to improve. You want to be able to upgrade these circuits without having to tear out your walls to do it. Even your standard 120/240v power circuits will benefit by being accessible. Wouldn't it be great if you could simply pull new wires through existing conduit paths, like they do in office buildings? My customers can, because I use the Plastilock boxes and conduit. But some folks just don't know any better. Think about it! If you wait until after the walls are up, and let some guy cut and foam the wiring in, that's it! There's no way to make simple upgrades later on without tearing out drywall. I've read where they are starting to run conduit in stud framed walls to get this same upgradeability. Man, building with ICF's and using Plastilock boxes and conduit make this so much easier! Why do it any other way? Besides, most electricians hate having to cut the wiring into the foam. It's is a pain. So believe me, they are going to charge extra for doing it. My electricians just have to pull wires through Plastilock boxes and conduit that have already been set. That is a lot easier for them, and they are used to doing it on commercial jobs, so it takes less time, and they can charge less. Q: But as an ICF contractor, you make your money installing foam, not electrical boxes, right? A: Hey, I make money doing both. The Plastilock boxes sure are a nice extra, though. Since I'm not an electrician, I can't pull wires. But I can set all of the Plastilock boxes and conduit. I just cut them into the top edge of the foam blocks as I go, and the conduit gets set right along with the rebar. I charge $20 per box for the materials and labor to set each one, including one sweep and a stick of conduit. It only takes me a few minutes per box. An electrician will charge around $25 to retrofit a "cut-in" box, and you're not even getting a wiring chase. On a basement job, I might only set 30 boxes. But on a larger, all ICF built home there can be as many as 400 boxes to set! Do the math! I make good money installing the Plastilock boxes! Plus, using them in my current jobs actually helps get me future business, too. Once a potential customer comes by the job site and sees how clean the electrical installation looks, they are sold. It definitely gives me an edge over my competition. It's just one more thing I can offer my customers to add value, which might make the difference of me getting the job or not. Q: But overall, doesn't it cost more for the homeowner? A: Absolutely not! Even though they are paying me to set the boxes and conduit, those materials and labor are things the electrician no longer has to charge for. Most electricians don't want to be there at that stage of the building process, anyway. And because the Plastilock boxes can be set so much faster while the foam is going up, compared to the time it takes to cut boxes and wiring into the finished foam wall after the pour, the net amount for the electrical is actually less. I include it on the bid as a separate line item, so my customers can compare apples to apples, when figuring their total costs. When comparing bids, it is very important for a customer to understand the breakdown of costs, since some of the trades may overlap on an ICF home. Q: What do the electrical inspectors think? A: The inspectors I work with love the Plastilock boxes. Heck, they have seen more horror stories than me when it comes to people retrofitting 'off-the-shelf electrical boxes that are no good for use in foam. The Plastilock boxes are UL Listed specifically for use in ICF systems. They were made just for foam forms, and they work great! I like using the right part for the job. You know, some guys will take those cheap, blue plastic boxes and run a nail or screw through the back of them into the concrete, or just spray foam them in. Well guess what? That's not code! Hey, even if the inspector doesn't catch it and make them tear 'em all out, the first time someone yanks on the vacuum cleaner plug and the whole outlet rips out of the wall, don't you figure they're going to be upset? I would be. Q: Will the Plastilock electrical boxes work with any ICF system? A: Pretty much. They will fit in any foam form with a thickness of 2" to 2 %", which includes all of the major solid wall systems out there. Flange adapters can be ordered for the boxes when 2" foam is being used. Q: Any final words for the ICF contractors reading this? A: Sure. If you take pride in your work and want to way to make more money on every ICF job, do yourself and your customers a favor and install the Plastilock boxes and a conduit based wiring system for them. Don't just pass it off on the electrician as "Not my problem". No matter how good a job you do installing the foam and concrete, if the next guy that comes along butchers it all up to put in the wiring, not only will it reflect poorly on him, but also on you, me, and the whole ICF industry. It doesn't have to be that way. Q: How about some final words to the homeowners considering ICF's? A: Above all, go with a reputable contractor. If you are doing the work yourself, get lots of good advice. Don't let anyone sell you on the old way of cutting the wiring into the foam after the pour just because "that's the way we've always done it". By choosing to use ICF construction, you are being innovative. The components you use, like Plastilock electrical boxes, should be innovative too. Q: SO, given everything you have said, why would anyone still want to "cut in" the wiring? A: Well, let's see. It takes longer... it costs more... it's not upgradeable... and it creates a heck of a mess. I don't know, you tell me! I guess they just don't know any better. But then again, making a snowstorm on the neighbors' front yards by buzzing through your new foam walls with a chainsaw is a great way to have Christmas in July! So maybe they are just feeling festive!
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