Handy electrical installation techniques

[John Rumm]

I feel another wiki article coming on, and this could be a really handy one.

We have done loads of stuff on the engineering side of electrical installations, but very little on the practical side. This seems a bit unbalanced really when you think that the design and testing elements of an electrical system only represent a small part of the practical knowledge and experience required to actually do jobs like a house rewire.

So can we collect tips and techniques for the practical stuff? For example I am thinking of how you:

Chase walls, and get past things like coving and skirtings without wrecking the place.

Lift floors of various types

Access via ceilings

Pull cables - cable snakes, fiberglass rods, bits of capping off trunking etc.

Handy cable routing tricks

Supporting cables on vertical drops, and under floor voids.

What is your favourite technique for chopping out walls for backboxes?

Handy tools, and test gear you could not do without.

[Owain]

I agree

Ceiling mounted pull switches can save chasing walls Wall lights can be supplied using surface coloured coily flex as a feature - make sure flex is clamped/protected at the luminaire

those access hatches you can make with a router and a plastic former.

radio controlled cars...

catapult a draw line across...

Owain

[dennis]

A plastic ball with some string, plastic tube and an air compressor will get cables a long way under floors. ;-)

[Tim S]

John Rumm coughed up some electrons that declared:

Good idea John,

Been building my tool collection up from more or less nothing and testing them - I'll write up a few items with pros+cons later today.

Cheers

Tim

[The Medway Handyman]

My BIL used a crossbow...

[Dave Liquorice]

Not a full scale weapon type crossbow I should imagine. One of them would put the bolt right through 2" joist at normal room size ranges and/or a soft block or a nasty dent in a brick. Formidable weapon the crossbow...

Getting cables run cross ways to joists is the challenge, weight and bit of string does well enough when running with the joists.

[meow2222]

Maybe thats what the crossbow idea is for :) (Would be neat if it worked)

And a fine idea for an article too. Or a few articles possibly.

NT

[Andrew Gabriel]

Let us not forget the American who decided to shoot a hole through his wall for an aerial cable IIRC, and his poor late wife who was standing outside to see where the hole came through.

[The Medway Handyman]

IIRC it was about 18" wide across the bow part. He used to run computer network cables above suspended ceilings.

[chrisj.doran]

Getting a cable through a tight hole, or tight sleeving on a cable -- soap it. I've always been a bit worried what the entrapped water/soap might do to the insulation, but never had any obviously fail for this reason. IB there is an official cable lubricant for the purpose, but few d-i-y-ers will have any around at the crucial time.

Chris

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Talcum powder is the usual method.

[Tim S]

Dave Plowman (News) coughed up some electrons that declared:

Tallow is also an option, though a bit messier.

Cheers

Tim

[Owain]

I dunno, there are probably a few mankie frankies who would have cable lubricant but be unfamiliar with 'soap'

Owain

[The Natural Philosopher]

silicone grease..

[geoff]

There's always Hellerman lubricant

[Rod]

Wot? Mayonnaise? :-)

[geoff]

try it ...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Bit pricey, though.

BTW - a tip for a suitable container. An old re-fill bottle from a printer ink kit.

[Frank Erskine]

Johnson's 'Baby Oil' (other makes are available!) is very effective for this.

[dennis]

If I caught an electrician using mayo to lubricate cables he would be cleaning all of it and he wouldn't get paid. It is totally wrong to put something that will grow mold anywhere other than the bin. Its probably an offense under the elf and safety laws and would get many places shut down.