Just starting to contemplate the downstairs floors in my extension and was wondering what you are allowed to run, and what you are not allowed under the final screed.
Logically speaking I guess it makes sense to run gas and water pipes and maybe even some electrical cable. Which of these are you actually allowed to do and how? Can anyone point me in the direction of any online resources perhaps?
Cheers!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Gary Quigley See my build at
for electrical cabling, I'd strongly consider conduit, if you can fit it in the space.
Its all an issue with serviceability.
Bare copper pipes do go eventually.
Cables may go after several tens of years.
Plastic pipes should not, and are used in screed for UFH.
I've often buried T & E in it, because it nmatters little safety wise if it does go - shorts are not a fire hazard in screed. You could use armoured cable as well I suppose.
However I think that i would probably bury just about anything in it myself - even gas - provided there was enough depth to get the services in with a good insulating and protective sheath roond it to prevent it being torn apart by differential expansion.
There is a fine line between serviceability and sheer bloody madness with inspection panels and pull throughs everywhere. If you want to spend the next thirty years staring at an inspection panel over some trough just in case you get a burst pipe, rather than accept that if you do, its up with the floor and re-screed, be my guest.
You have to analyse the MTBF versus the number of times you e.g. want a new carpet, and make sure the infrastructure needs touching less frequently than that.
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