On Aug 26, 8:45*am, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:
In article
,
* wrote:

It's not recognised in any wholesaler I've used in London - and that's
plenty. Of course if you add plenty of description a decent counter
person may deduce what you mean - but many get annoyed by the use of
it.
Did you ask them for a pattress? If not, how would you know.

*I did when I first arrived in London to be met with blank looks. The term
was/is in use in Aberdeen, my home town. I subsequently brought up the
subject with both pro electricians and a pal who has been in the
wholesaling game all his life and probably knows more about it than most.
Of course he had heard the term and referred to it as 'northern'.

Its also not hard to find counter staff that dont know what youre
asking for because they've never been in the business themselves, and
know nothing beyond what the catalogue says.

*So therefore in an FAQ it's best not to use jargon. Use a term which is
universally understood. You can continue to call it a humgrommet or
whatever in private with consenting adults.

None of this establishes anything germaine.

*There are plenty of examples where jargon varies regionally. And 'shows
you up' if you use the wrong term. Which is not what a newbie needs when
visiting a wholesaler for the first time.


So far we've got 3 choices:

1. Pattress - widely used, but as you've pointed out, not universal

2. Backbox - again widely used but not universal, plus there's no
shortage of other things it can also mean

3. Electrical accessory wiring box - probably everyone would realise
what this is, but its simply too long for a wiki article title. It
also appears to cover other items such as junction boxes, and perhaps
even small CUs etc, its not an entirely clear name either.

Whichever term we use there will be various references to it in other
articles requiring links to this pattress article. Really there is no
winner here, there are issues with all 3 options. One plus of
'pattress' is that the history of the word and its DIY uses can be
included, both structural and historic electrical, so more information
would be there. Another plus, in common with backbox, is its short and
sweet.

The issues around the name(s) can be mentioned/discussed in the
article so no-one is left in confusion - that would be best whatever
title we use.


NT