Does anyone know a way to protect cables where they go over sharp edges
which can't easily be reached (without v. long ladder / safety harness /
scaffolding) ?

Some kind of gizmo attached to the cable then positioned on the edge?

Often I see cables which have just been left to swing in the wind.

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m

In article , Windmill
writes
Does anyone know a way to protect cables where they go over sharp edges
which can't easily be reached (without v. long ladder / safety harness /
scaffolding) ?

Some kind of gizmo attached to the cable then positioned on the edge?

Often I see cables which have just been left to swing in the wind.

Where I've been forced to do this I've used adhesive lined heatshrink
sleeving[1] on the cable over the bearing part. From memory prob 12mm
bore but even then it's a bugger to get it over the cable to right
location. Positioning is the other issue, you have to estimate the
position a leave a bit of extra slack at the roof end to make sure there
will be enough cable to make off at the aerial. I used 2 overlapping
1.2m lengths to make it easier.

Even with the reinforcement I made sure I had a fixing a few feet under
the eaves and a fixing under a tile just above. Without fixings it will
move about and wear through in no time.

Let me guess, a tall flatted property?

[1] Generally thicker walled and more resilient
--
fred
FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ********

"Windmill" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know a way to protect cables where they go over sharp edges
which can't easily be reached (without v. long ladder / safety harness /
scaffolding) ?

Some kind of gizmo attached to the cable then positioned on the edge?

Often I see cables which have just been left to swing in the wind.

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m


You can take a piece of small-bore rubber pipe such as petrol pipe for
lawnmowers or what have you, and slit it length-wise. The slit can then be
opened, and superglued over the edge of the gutter. A sort of 'linear
grommet', if you like. You can get the pukka stuff for protecting cable runs
where they pass through holes in metal chassis and so on, but I've always
used either thin rubber pipe or plastic sleeve such as from coax, in the way
described.

Arfa

On Jul 27, 10:08*am, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
"Windmill" wrote in message

...

Does anyone know a way to protect cables where they go over sharp edges
which can't easily be reached (without v. long ladder / safety harness /
scaffolding) ?

Some kind of gizmo attached to the cable then positioned on the edge?

Often I see cables which have just been left to swing in the wind.

--
Windmill, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Use *t m i l l
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * @ O n e t e l
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *. c o m

You can take a piece of small-bore rubber pipe such as petrol pipe for
lawnmowers or what have you, and slit it length-wise. The slit can then be
opened, and superglued over the edge of the gutter. A sort of 'linear
grommet', if you like. You can get the pukka stuff for protecting cable runs
where they pass through holes in metal chassis and so on, but I've always
used either thin rubber pipe or plastic sleeve such as from coax, in the way
described.

Arfa

All you need is a short single piece of eletric cable about 9" long
with the coating taken of to expose the bare wire. fold into a U shape
thread the coax through and push the two end of the wire under the
tiles or slates, this will pin the coax cable tight.

On 27/07/2011 09:21, fred wrote:
In article , Windmill
writes
Does anyone know a way to protect cables where they go over sharp edges
which can't easily be reached (without v. long ladder / safety harness /
scaffolding) ?

Some kind of gizmo attached to the cable then positioned on the edge?

Often I see cables which have just been left to swing in the wind.

Where I've been forced to do this I've used adhesive lined heatshrink
sleeving[1] on the cable over the bearing part. From memory prob 12mm
bore but even then it's a bugger to get it over the cable to right
location. Positioning is the other issue, you have to estimate the
position a leave a bit of extra slack at the roof end to make sure there
will be enough cable to make off at the aerial. I used 2 overlapping
1.2m lengths to make it easier.

Even with the reinforcement I made sure I had a fixing a few feet under
the eaves and a fixing under a tile just above. Without fixings it will
move about and wear through in no time.

Let me guess, a tall flatted property?

[1] Generally thicker walled and more resilient

A piece of hosepipe slipped over the co-ax and taped with insulation
tape at both ends lasted many years here.

SteveW

fred writes:

Even with the reinforcement I made sure I had a fixing a few feet under
the eaves and a fixing under a tile just above. Without fixings it will
move about and wear through in no time.

Let me guess, a tall flatted property?

In one case, and even in the other it looks to be a dangerous business
if one tries to get down to a gutter edge which is 30 feet above ground
(hence the comment about a safety harness).

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m

"Arfa Daily" writes:


You can take a piece of small-bore rubber pipe such as petrol pipe for
lawnmowers or what have you, and slit it length-wise. The slit can then be
opened, and superglued over the edge of the gutter.

Only if you can get to the edge of the gutter with some degree of
safety. Otherwise it can be a long way down, maybe as much as 70 feet
in some cases.

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m

Steve Walker writes:

A piece of hosepipe slipped over the co-ax and taped with insulation
tape at both ends lasted many years here.

Sounds like that might be the most abrasion-resistant method.

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m

In article , Steve Walker
writes

A piece of hosepipe slipped over the co-ax and taped with insulation
tape at both ends lasted many years here.

Yes, that sounds good. I'd prob do the taping with self amalgamating
tape for grip and longevity, and put it at the top only to avoid any
risk of trapped moisture.

Thinking of multiple comedy moments with the hose slipping down to
ground level I'd hold it underneath temporarily with a loosely tied
cable tie until the position was set.
--
fred
FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ********

fred writes:

In article , Steve Walker
writes
A piece of hosepipe slipped over the co-ax and taped with insulation
tape at both ends lasted many years here.
Yes, that sounds good. I'd prob do the taping with self amalgamating
tape for grip and longevity, and put it at the top only to avoid any
risk of trapped moisture.

Sounds like a very helpful suggestion, thank you.

I'd been wondering about the possibility of a contraption
which somehow gripped the gutter edge, but couldn't see how to do that,
and anyway it might risk blocking the gutter.
This seems far better.

Thinking of multiple comedy moments with the hose slipping down to
ground level I'd hold it underneath temporarily with a loosely tied
cable tie until the position was set.

Comedy moments, or cursing ? :-)

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m

In article , Windmill
writes
fred writes:

In article , Steve Walker
writes
A piece of hosepipe slipped over the co-ax and taped with insulation
tape at both ends lasted many years here.
Yes, that sounds good. I'd prob do the taping with self amalgamating
tape for grip and longevity, and put it at the top only to avoid any
risk of trapped moisture.

Sounds like a very helpful suggestion, thank you.

I'd been wondering about the possibility of a contraption
which somehow gripped the gutter edge, but couldn't see how to do that,
and anyway it might risk blocking the gutter.
This seems far better.

Thinking of multiple comedy moments with the hose slipping down to
ground level I'd hold it underneath temporarily with a loosely tied
cable tie until the position was set.

Comedy moments, or cursing ? :-)

That depends if I'm an observer or a participant ;-), although I do try
to have a giggle at my self induced fups every now and again.

As another has mentioned it is good to fix down the cable at odd points
on the roof and certainly a few feet before it goes over the edge. The
traditional way is to cut a foot or so of the aerial cable, bend it
double, place it over the cable to be fixed and slide the ends under a
tile (lifting a little if needs be). Leave the loop slack enough so that
the fixed cable isn't tight over the edge of the tile but tight enough
to stop it flopping about.

This does mean you will be walking about the roof a bit so take care. I
do wear a harness and work off a rope when I'm doing something like
this. The risk of slipping on all but the steepest tiled roof is slight
but the consequences of failure are obviously massive. You could use a
static rope with a hand on it (but not leaning on it) at all times but
bear in mind that having the rope there actually increases the risk of
tripping. If I didn't have proper gear I would probably use a static
11mm rope round a chimney with the other end doubled and tied round my
waist at such a length as to limit my travel to 3' from the edge. Watch
out for the rope slipping round the chimney and giving you more slack
than you think, the rope round your waist would kill you in short order
if you get it wrong and end up suspended by it over the edge.

For fixings on the way down, if flats then try to get access to all at
once and fix the run about a out foot from the windows for minimal
leaning out, that's what the riggers do.

Good luck.
--
fred
FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ********

fred writes:

For fixings on the way down, if flats then try to get access to all at
once and fix the run about a out foot from the windows for minimal
leaning out, that's what the riggers do.

That's probably what they do in a situation where all the flats are
owned by the same person, but that's not the case in most of Edinburgh.

What I see, nearly everywhere, is coax over various sharp edges, with
no protection, and just swinging in the wind with no support of any
kind. Not good (except for repeat business).

I plan to do a bit better, but doubt if I'd be able to get access to
all lower floors when/if needed.

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
. c o m

In article , Windmill
writes
fred writes:

For fixings on the way down, if flats then try to get access to all at
once and fix the run about a out foot from the windows for minimal
leaning out, that's what the riggers do.

That's probably what they do in a situation where all the flats are
owned by the same person, but that's not the case in most of Edinburgh.

What I see, nearly everywhere, is coax over various sharp edges, with
no protection, and just swinging in the wind with no support of any
kind. Not good (except for repeat business).

I plan to do a bit better, but doubt if I'd be able to get access to
all lower floors when/if needed.

I didn't word that at all well, I meant that _if_ they fix, it will be
within 12" of the window but I did not mean to suggest that the average
rigger bothers their arse to knock on the door of upper flats to get
higher fixings in.

As I'm sure you can figure, the key is to get access to the top flat(s)
first to get that first fix under the eaves as high as you dare (min 2,
best 3 in sequential block joints). If it's plain stonework you could
then fix it tightly at low level (2 or 3 again), take it into the
building and tidy up the intermediate fixings when you can get access
(weekend?). If you have to go over ornate stone details/shelves then you
could perhaps leave the spare bundled loosely at the lower levels then
try to get access in sequence top to bottom to fix it over the bumps.

This is obviously the owner's/enthusiast's approach, there's no way
anyone could make any money doing it this way. The alternative is to
take up abseiling.
--
fred
FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's ********

fred writes:

As I'm sure you can figure, the key is to get access to the top flat(s)
first to get that first fix under the eaves as high as you dare (min 2,
best 3 in sequential block joints). If it's plain stonework you could
then fix it tightly at low level (2 or 3 again), take it into the
building and tidy up the intermediate fixings when you can get access
(weekend?). If you have to go over ornate stone details/shelves then you
could perhaps leave the spare bundled loosely at the lower levels then
try to get access in sequence top to bottom to fix it over the bumps.

Sounds like good advice, though I don't think I can go that far. Just
wanted some way to protect from the more obvious problem of sharp-edged
metal gutters.

This is obviously the owner's/enthusiast's approach, there's no way
anyone could make any money doing it this way.

I'm an owner, but not that much of an enthusiast!

The alternative is to take up abseiling.

I'm sure there are OAP abseilers, but not for me, I think.
Getting up onto a flat roof hasn't been too difficult, but there are
limits to what I'll tackle.

If the Council, which charged us all to install communal TV aerials
long ago, had avoided destroying them later when performing communal
roof repairs, several issues would never have arisen.

There ought to be a course for people like me, to teach us how to get
Councils to do what they are supposed to do, and to teach us not to
believe them when they claim they can't.
Being a part of 'the government' seems to go to their heads, and
(what's worse) many of us are tempted to accept their verdicts.



--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
@ O n e t e l
J.R.R. Tolkien: . c o m
All that is gold does not glister / Not all who wander are lost