Cables in Walls

[ndg]

A quick question for sparkies out there.

I've heard that the latest version of the regs has changed the necesary protection for cables in walls to include RCD protection for anything in a wall and I'll be getting a registered spark to upgrade the consumer unit from a fuse box in due course. However I've also heard (more vaguely) that the cables need increased physical protection, i.e. the channel in the wall. So, does this now need to be metal and if so, how the hell are you supposed to earth it? The other side of this is what protection (if any) is required for a cable in a stud wall 140mm thick? I'll assume the cable is run at the mid point of the wall.

For information this will be for a couple of spurs from the ring main, one on each ring and a repositioned light switch.

Oh and neither of these spurs will be used to drive the big oven I posted about recently, that has it's own supply!

Many Thanks

Nathan

[mickk]

There are so many different regs concerning the installation of cables in walls now, i'd be here all night typing them out. Make sure the cable is mechanically protected in METAL conduit and fit a RCD

I always fit one now as part of the job, or get a qualified sparks to do the work

[Plotloss]

Metal capping/RCD would also work

[Brite spark]

Cables must be 50mm back from the face of the wall (either side on partition walls) or be adequately protected if the distance is less. (new regs are the 17th edition)

not sure why earthing will be a problem, all connections for the cpc (earth) will be contained within the outlet or backbox, unless I am mis understanding something in your post.


Again for the spurs that are being added I take it you mean 1 spur per socket outlet on the ring?

[miniman]

Brite spark said:

Cables must be 50mm back from the face of the wall (either side on partition walls) or be adequately protected if the distance is less. (new regs are the 17th edition)

not sure why earthing will be a problem, all connections for the cpc (earth) will be contained within the outlet or backbox, unless I am mis understanding something in your post.

Interesting, I shall mention this to the builder's sparky when he comes round to fix a few things, perhaps they will look kindly on my request to repair my outside light whose power supply I drilled through last week whilst putting up some curtain poles.

[Ganglandboss]

If you are having a new consumer unit make sure it has 2 RCDs - one for sockets, cooker etc. and one for one for lights, alarm etc.

Do not worry about metal capping or the depth of the cable; the regs permit either RCD, minimum 50mm depth or earthed metal capping. You must have an RCD to all socket outlets and to all circuits in a bathroom so the spark should be fitting RCDs anyway, therefore eliminating the requirement for earthed metal capping.

Dave - qualified spark.

[miniman]

Dave - how unpleasant a job is it going to be to fix my drilled-through cable? It runs up the wall from the switch, over the top of the french doors, down a bit and then out through the wall. Will it be in some kind of conduit or is it going to be a case of rip out plasterboard?

[Ganglandboss]

miniman said:

Dave - how unpleasant a job is it going to be to fix my drilled-through cable? It runs up the wall from the switch, over the top of the french doors, down a bit and then out through the wall. Will it be in some kind of conduit or is it going to be a case of rip out plasterboard?

Can you post a photo with a few 'Microsoft Paint' marker lines showing the route? It could be in conduit or it could not. It depends when it was done and who did it.

[ndg]

Just to say thanks Dave!

[miniman]

Ganglandboss said:

miniman said:

Dave - how unpleasant a job is it going to be to fix my drilled-through cable? It runs up the wall from the switch, over the top of the french doors, down a bit and then out through the wall. Will it be in some kind of conduit or is it going to be a case of rip out plasterboard?

Can you post a photo with a few 'Microsoft Paint' marker lines showing the route? It could be in conduit or it could not. It depends when it was done and who did it.

It wasn't in conduit, however the sparky who wired the house was round the other day to move a shaver point so sorted it out for me in 5 minutes.

[Deva Link]

miniman said:

Ganglandboss said:

miniman said:

Dave - how unpleasant a job is it going to be to fix my drilled-through cable? It runs up the wall from the switch, over the top of the french doors, down a bit and then out through the wall. Will it be in some kind of conduit or is it going to be a case of rip out plasterboard?

Can you post a photo with a few 'Microsoft Paint' marker lines showing the route? It could be in conduit or it could not. It depends when it was done and who did it.

It wasn't in conduit, however the sparky who wired the house was round the other day to move a shaver point so sorted it out for me in 5 minutes.

That's an odd route for a new build house. The idea of the regs is so that wiring isn't in a place where it's likely to be drilled through.

[miniman]

Deva Link said:

miniman said:

Ganglandboss said:

miniman said:

Dave - how unpleasant a job is it going to be to fix my drilled-through cable? It runs up the wall from the switch, over the top of the french doors, down a bit and then out through the wall. Will it be in some kind of conduit or is it going to be a case of rip out plasterboard?

Can you post a photo with a few 'Microsoft Paint' marker lines showing the route? It could be in conduit or it could not. It depends when it was done and who did it.

It wasn't in conduit, however the sparky who wired the house was round the other day to move a shaver point so sorted it out for me in 5 minutes.

That's an odd route for a new build house. The idea of the regs is so that wiring isn't in a place where it's likely to be drilled through.

My thoughts entirely. I was tempted to ask "where else did you expect people to fit curtains?"...