breaking up some concrete, I came across a lead-sheathed cable which
came in from the road, at about ground level, before diving down a
galvanised iron pipe of about 1" diameter

the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

I'm trying to chip around the cable to see if it's just a loose end, but
it's such a slow job

our house was built in 1929 -- is there any chance that cable is still
in use? or should I just get brave and chop through it, to see what
stops working?

/phil

"phil chastney" wrote in
message ...
breaking up some concrete, I came across a lead-sheathed cable which came
in from the road, at about ground level, before diving down a galvanised
iron pipe of about 1" diameter

the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

I'm trying to chip around the cable to see if it's just a loose end, but
it's such a slow job

our house was built in 1929 -- is there any chance that cable is still
in use? or should I just get brave and chop through it, to see what stops
working?

/phil

Sounds a bit like the cable that the GPO installed when my parents had a
phone installed in the fifties - those were the days when they dug all the
way up the concrete drive and buried a nice steel conduit and took it eight
feet up the front of the garage because that was neater than near the font
door!

Peter

phil chastney wrote:
breaking up some concrete, I came across a lead-sheathed cable which
came in from the road, at about ground level, before diving down a
galvanised iron pipe of about 1" diameter

the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

I'm trying to chip around the cable to see if it's just a loose end, but
it's such a slow job

our house was built in 1929 -- is there any chance that cable is still
in use? or should I just get brave and chop through it, to see what
stops working?

/phil

If its buried there's more or less no incentive for anyone to ever
replace it, so I wouldnt rush to assume its dead.


NT

phil chastney wrote:
breaking up some concrete, I came across a lead-sheathed cable which
came in from the road, at about ground level, before diving down a
galvanised iron pipe of about 1" diameter

the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

I'm trying to chip around the cable to see if it's just a loose end, but
it's such a slow job

our house was built in 1929 -- is there any chance that cable is still
in use? or should I just get brave and chop through it, to see what
stops working?

/phil

get someone to video it when you chop it,
you could be in line for a suprise!

www.darwinawards.com


[g]

On Apr 27, 8:35*pm, phil chastney
wrote:
the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

Damn, knew I left it somewhere...

Lead sheathed small diameter is a description that can also apply to
paper insulated lead covered mains supply cable. I suppose it is
possible it once supplied a lamp post on your land or a small house
supply. I would not assume it is telephone.

js.b1 wrote:
On Apr 27, 8:35 pm, phil chastney
wrote:
the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

Damn, knew I left it somewhere...

Lead sheathed small diameter is a description that can also apply to
paper insulated lead covered mains supply cable. I suppose it is
possible it once supplied a lamp post on your land or a small house
supply. I would not assume it is telephone.
My parents house was wired for electricity in the 1940s that used lead
coated mains wire, rather oval in shape similar to modern cable, so be
aware!

--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

Broadback wrote:
js.b1 wrote:
On Apr 27, 8:35 pm, phil chastney
wrote:
the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

Damn, knew I left it somewhere...

Lead sheathed small diameter is a description that can also apply to
paper insulated lead covered mains supply cable. I suppose it is
possible it once supplied a lamp post on your land or a small house
supply. I would not assume it is telephone.
My parents house was wired for electricity in the 1940s that used lead
coated mains wire, rather oval in shape similar to modern cable, so be
aware!

thank you all for your feedback

it would have been nice to know it was definitely a telephone cable,
because we are now supplied by an overhead cable

it could well be mains, because it comes in from the road at about the
same point as the water supply

it's just the way it was bedded about 2 inches down in the concrete
supporting a fencing post, without any added protection

I shall treat this thing with respect

thanks again . . . /phil

On Apr 29, 9:57*am, phil chastney
wrote:
Broadback wrote:
js.b1 wrote:
On Apr 27, 8:35 pm, phil chastney
wrote:
the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

Damn, knew I left it somewhere...

Lead sheathed small diameter is a description that can also apply to
paper insulated lead covered mains supply cable. I suppose it is
possible it once supplied a lamp post on your land or a small house
supply. I would not assume it is telephone.
My parents house was wired for electricity in the 1940s that used lead
coated mains wire, rather oval in shape similar to modern cable, so be
aware!

thank you all for your feedback

it would have been nice to know it was definitely a telephone cable,
because we are now supplied by an overhead cable


What happens if you hold one of the those "live wire" detectors next
to it. that should confirm whether it is live or not.

Robert

RobertL wrote:
On Apr 29, 9:57*am, phil chastney
wrote:
Broadback wrote:
js.b1 wrote:
On Apr 27, 8:35 pm, phil chastney
wrote:
the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

Damn, knew I left it somewhere...

Lead sheathed small diameter is a description that can also apply to
paper insulated lead covered mains supply cable. I suppose it is
possible it once supplied a lamp post on your land or a small house
supply. I would not assume it is telephone.
My parents house was wired for electricity in the 1940s that used lead
coated mains wire, rather oval in shape similar to modern cable, so be
aware!

thank you all for your feedback

it would have been nice to know it was definitely a telephone cable,
because we are now supplied by an overhead cable


What happens if you hold one of the those "live wire" detectors next
to it. that should confirm whether it is live or not.

Robert


Lead sheath will stop any electric field, but it wont stop magnetic
field. You could use a coil on a microphone input of an amplifier to
detect any current flow. Couldnt confirm its dead that way, but if you
got a signal you'd know it was still live, and by comparing with a
known load on a modern cable you might roughly estimate the current.

....fwiw


NT

On Apr 30, 2:40*am, wrote:
RobertL wrote:
On Apr 29, 9:57*am, phil chastney
wrote:
Broadback wrote:
js.b1 wrote:
On Apr 27, 8:35 pm, phil chastney
wrote:
the cable measured 5/16ths in diameter

Damn, knew I left it somewhere...

Lead sheathed small diameter is a description that can also apply to
paper insulated lead covered mains supply cable. I suppose it is
possible it once supplied a lamp post on your land or a small house
supply. I would not assume it is telephone.
My parents house was wired for electricity in the 1940s that used lead
coated mains wire, rather oval in shape similar to modern cable, so be
aware!

thank you all for your feedback

it would have been nice to know it was definitely a telephone cable,
because we are now supplied by an overhead cable

What happens if you hold one of the those "live wire" detectors next
to it. * that should confirm whether it is live or not.

Robert

Lead sheath will stop any electric field, but it wont stop magnetic
field. You could use a coil on a microphone input of an amplifier to
detect any current flow. Couldnt confirm its dead that way, but if you
got a signal you'd know it was still live, and by comparing with a
known load on a modern cable you might roughly estimate the current.

that's a good point, I hadn't thought about it before but those cable
detectors must use the E field because they detect wires with no
current flowing in them.

To illustrate the dangers: in the house I just bought there is a 1960s
CU and the house had been rewired at that time. I found some old
lead covered cable under the floor and reasoned it must be a dead
cable left over. BUT on examination I found the previous owner had
reconnected some parts of the original lead wiring to the new system.
beware!

Robert