Metal Conduit

[Anna Kettle]

I see what you mean. I can run the heating pipes in a void below the skirting to keep them away from the wires. I had planned to put the cable there too until my electrician told me I needed trunking. Trunking wouldnt fit in the void cos it comes in straight sections and my house doesnt

So can I do trunking behind the skirting boards and then normal cable from that to the sockets?

Hm. I was planning to do that bit myself. Am I asking too much? It wont be visible

If I move the heating pipe elsewhere (ie 50mm away) then I wont have a requirement for high temperature use which might simplify the choices

continued ...

Anna ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repair and conservation / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Anna Kettle]

No that cant be managed

50mm*50mm is a tad large so maybe I should look again at round c/s. Would it be too expensive to get my own trunking made up by a metal fabricator at say 25mm*50mm? I think it would be within the regs cos I just had a look at the wiring reg you suggested thankyou and it says

"be enclosed in an earthed conduit trunking or ducting satisfying the requirements of these regulations for a protective conductor or be mechanically protected sufficient to prevent penetration of the cable by nails, screws and the like"

Yes I've seen MICC It was used on a job I was working on earler in the year and it blended very well with the old timbers but the electricians who were installing it had been on a special course and I expect they charged the client an arm and a leg. I dont think my electrician has any experience of using it so although in theory it sounds like a great option, as Dave says I dont think it will be a goer ...

but perhaps something like

be OK. So far as I can see the metal is just there for mechanical protection and otherwise it is just normal cable

Is this the answer?!

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repair and conservation / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[David Hansen]

On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:25:38 GMT someone who may be [e-mail] (Anna Kettle) wrote this:-

Perhaps you need to describe your house in a bit more detail. For example, why does the cabling need to come up from skirting level?

Whether it is visible or not is irrelevant. What is important is that there is little chance of people being electrocuted or the house catching fire. If your electrician is prepared to verify that your workmanship is good enough then there is no problem. The workmanship of enclosures must be verified as part of the inspection process.

[Owain]

hititwivanammer! (the trunking, not the house).

Probably - in T&E. You'd need to grommet (at least, I'd prefer a gland) the trunking where the cables exit.

Visibility doesn't matter, but you would need pipe bending, screwing, and metal-bashing skills. You also need to understand how to ensure electrical continuity including bonding across joins and to removable lids.

Accessibility does matter though - there are regulations about mantaining access to cables in conduit/trunking either by removable lids/inspection points or by drawing the cables out - you can't pull cables round IIRC more than two 90deg bends or equivalent.

Owain

[Owain]

At least with MICC it's *only* the terminations, the actual cable runs are quite like microbore CH pipe.

With MICC though you really do need a megger to test every segment as you go.

Owain

[Owain]

Looks interesting

It's not clear how you would terminate it into the boxes whilst maintaining continuity of the screen - or whether that is necessary given there is also a stranded copper CPC (earth)

Owain

[fred]

It says the aluminium tape is bonded (to the CPC) so presumably joining that in the usual way at outlets will maintain the connection. I think I'd prefer to back the skirting with earthed plate to provide a degree of armouring and reduce the likelihood of damage rather than this sort of approach.

[gort]

Agreed, ever seen MICC burn/explode through incorrect ratings ?, I have and that was in a explosive situation as well!!. ( no I did'nt install it).

Dave