Burying outdoor cable - protection method
 

I'm going to run power to a pair of lights in the pillars either side of
my gate when the drive is relaid.

Having miles of 2.5 T+E dated prior to 2005 can I use this provided it
is (a) buried in a sand lined trench of suitable depth below the drive,
(b) marked with that yellow warning tape and (c) in some sort of
protective tube?


I had 1" overflow pipe or 22mm polypipe in mind for the protection. Is
that suitable/acceptible?

TIA

Richard

--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

The information contained in this post
may not be published in, or used by

http://www.diyprojects.info

Richard wrote:
I'm going to run power to a pair of lights in the pillars either side of
my gate when the drive is relaid.
Having miles of 2.5 T+E dated prior to 2005 can I use this provided it
is (a) buried in a sand lined trench of suitable depth below the drive,

No. PVC T&E is not suitable for direct burial

(b) marked with that yellow warning tape and

This is usual for any type of cable, but does not change the fact that
PVC T&E is not suitable for direct burial

(c) in some sort of protective tube?

Yes, but ...

I had 1" overflow pipe or 22mm polypipe in mind for the protection. Is
that suitable/acceptible?

No, because it isn't manufactured to the relevant British Standards for
buried-conduit-for-electric-cable, so wouldn't comply to the IEE Regs
which require things to be made to appliccable British Standards. If for
no other reason, it's probably not the right colour for a buried cable duct.

Just buy some armoured cable and do the job properly. We won't tell
anyone, honest. (And if the job is done in pre-2005 T&E inside the house
and the junction to armoured is concealed-but-accessible I don't think
anyone will notice.)

Owain

Having miles of 2.5 T+E dated prior to 2005 can I use this provided it
is (a) buried in a sand lined trench of suitable depth below the drive,
(b) marked with that yellow warning tape and (c) in some sort of
protective tube?

You should be using SWA, I'm afraid. It just shows how Part P is encouraging
people to do a second best bodge job, rather than do the job properly.

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:
Having miles of 2.5 T+E dated prior to 2005 can I use this provided it
is (a) buried in a sand lined trench of suitable depth below the drive,
(b) marked with that yellow warning tape and (c) in some sort of
protective tube?


You should be using SWA, I'm afraid. It just shows how Part P is encouraging
people to do a second best bodge job, rather than do the job properly.

Christian.



As you both guessed I'm trying to avoid a very visible length of SWA
bearing the dreadful numbers '2005'.

At present I have an external socket on the end of a length of SWA
supplied from a dedicated MCB. The intention (back in 2003) was to
extend the SWA from the socket, i.e run it down the wall to the drive,
and thence (buried) to the gate posts via a dusk-to-dawn switch. It's
the problem of the metre or so that will be visible to the naked eye
that I'm trying overcome.

Any suggestions? Serious surface abrasion to suggest really old cable?
My local factor can still supply pre-harmonisation colours.

Actually, I've just had a thought. I may have a short length of the
original SWA knocking about that might reach the ground. I could start
the extension with that and bury the join to the 2005 SWA. What do you
think?

Or I could use new SWA from posts to the external socket but terminate
it in an IP65 or whatever box and from there run a bit of flex to a 13A
plug that 'whenever I need the gate lights to operate' I plug into the
wall socket. I assume that non-fixed installations like extension
cables are not caught by Part P? Getting silly now! It's been a long week.


Richard
--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

In article , "Richard"
says...
snip
As you both guessed I'm trying to avoid a very visible length of SWA
bearing the dreadful numbers '2005'.

So paint it.

Rob Morley wrote:

In article , "Richard"
says...
snip

As you both guessed I'm trying to avoid a very visible length of SWA
bearing the dreadful numbers '2005'.


So paint it.


Good idea. The existing SWA to the socket stands out like a whatever
against the very bright white textured paint on the wall. And I just
happen to have some left..

Ta

Richard :-)

--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

In article ,
Richard writes:
As you both guessed I'm trying to avoid a very visible length of SWA
bearing the dreadful numbers '2005'.

Good grief...
I can just see it now, ebay adverts for pre-2005 T&E,
only installed once before, not many kinks or nail holes,
some cable clips still attached, starting bid 9p/metre...

It's amazing just what the side effects of a truely crappy
piece of legislation are, and besides those which were well
known in advance, I bet there are a load we still haven't
even thought of, let alone seen.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
Good grief...
I can just see it now, ebay adverts for pre-2005 T&E,
only installed once before, not many kinks or nail holes,
some cable clips still attached, starting bid 9p/metre...

It's amazing just what the side effects of a truely crappy
piece of legislation are, and besides those which were well
known in advance, I bet there are a load we still haven't
even thought of, let alone seen.


Yep.

Fortunately I have a couple of 50m reels of 2.5 T+E dated 2004 ad
goodness knows how much lighting cable.

Richard
--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

Rob Morley wrote:

"Richard" says...
As you both guessed I'm trying to avoid a very visible length of SWA
bearing the dreadful numbers '2005'.

So paint it.

Nah, the previous cable, installed in 2003, met with an unfortunate
accident involving vermin and a hacksaw. You then did an exact
like-for-like replacement, didn't you...?

--
Andy

Andy Wade wrote:


Nah, the previous cable, installed in 2003, met with an unfortunate
accident involving vermin and a hacksaw. You then did an exact
like-for-like replacement, didn't you...?


Er, yes. Including laying a new drive? Plausible?

Richard ;-)
--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 19:01:18 UTC, Andy Wade
wrote:

Nah, the previous cable, installed in 2003, met with an unfortunate
accident involving vermin and a hacksaw.

Ah, IMM came to visit...!
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

Richard wrote:
Andy Wade wrote:
Nah, the previous cable, installed in 2003, met with an unfortunate
accident involving vermin and a hacksaw. You then did an exact
like-for-like replacement, didn't you...?
Er, yes. Including laying a new drive? Plausible?

The previous cable met with an unfortunate accident while the new drive
was being laid, so was replaced with a like for like replacement before
the new drive was finished.

Like anyone's going to look. The only issue is being very careful what
responses are made to a house-buyer's questionnaire, which is the same
whether the work is done in old cable or new.

Owain

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
Good grief...
I can just see it now, ebay adverts for pre-2005 T&E,
only installed once before, not many kinks or nail holes,
some cable clips still attached, starting bid 9p/metre...

Ebay already has lots of things to help you wire your home the
pre-Part-P way

http://search.ebay.co.uk/switch_Vintage-Retro_W0QQcatrefZC2QQfromZR41QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsac atZ69851
http://search.ebay.co.uk/switch_Antiques-Art_W0QQcatrefZC2QQfmcZ1QQfromZR41QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1 QQsacatZ353

Owain

Richard wrote:

Fortunately I have a couple of 50m reels of 2.5 T+E dated 2004 ad
goodness knows how much lighting cable.

Go to B&Q and you'll find no evidence that colour harmonisation is
taking place at all, and you'll find all their cable still has the old
colours (don't know if it's date-stamped - haven't yet unwrapped the
reel I bought yesterday!).

David

In article ,
Richard wrote:
As you both guessed I'm trying to avoid a very visible length of SWA
bearing the dreadful numbers '2005'.

Why? The chances of anyone picking up on this are remote, to say the least.

--
*Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
Nah, the previous cable, installed in 2003, met with an unfortunate
accident involving vermin and a hacksaw.

Ah, IMM came to visit...!

Aww - that's just plain nasty. About one who clearly needs treatment for
his poetry infection.

--
*Xerox and Wurlitzer will merge to market reproductive organs.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

markzoom wrote:
Maybe there will be lots of pirated 2004 cable available on the black market?

On the red-and-black market ;-)

Owain

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Aww - that's just plain nasty. About one who clearly needs treatment for
his poetry infection.

That was poetry?! Then IMM *is* Paul Neil Milne Johnstone AICMFP.

--
Andy

Owain wrote:

Like anyone's going to look. The only issue is being very careful what
responses are made to a house-buyer's questionnaire, which is the same
whether the work is done in old cable or new.

Owain


Tricky one that. SWMBO is a solicitor.

Richard
--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

Lobster wrote:

Richard wrote:

Fortunately I have a couple of 50m reels of 2.5 T+E dated 2004 ad
goodness knows how much lighting cable.


Go to B&Q and you'll find no evidence that colour harmonisation is
taking place at all, and you'll find all their cable still has the old
colours (don't know if it's date-stamped - haven't yet unwrapped the
reel I bought yesterday!).

David

Looked at their SWA on Friday and it is dated 2005. That is what
started this thread.

Richard

--
Real email address is RJSavage at BIGFOOT dot COM

Richard wrote:
Owain wrote:
Like anyone's going to look. The only issue is being very careful what
responses are made to a house-buyer's questionnaire, which is the same
whether the work is done in old cable or new.
Tricky one that. SWMBO is a solicitor.

She should know how to answer the questions sufficiently vaguely
without lying then!

Owain

Actually, I've just had a thought. I may have a short length of the
original SWA knocking about that might reach the ground. I could start
the extension with that and bury the join to the 2005 SWA. What do you
think?

Given that the likely outcome of being discovered is that you get a slap on
the wrist and have to pay for a normalisation notice (probably at the same
cost as the original certification), I'd say do it properly in modern (even
harmonised) cable and then leave it to your conscience as to getting it
certified. However, do make sure that you've properly tested the cable,
including an earth loop impedence test. If you don't have the equipment to
do this, submitting a building notice might be a reasonable method of
getting the test done anyway.

Christian.