Can anyone tell me if this is going to work or suggest things to watch out
for?
I need to get about 10 cables (audio, speaker, not mains) from TV to PC,
about 5 metres along the wall in the lounge.
But fireplace is in the way and trunking would look terrible, underfloor
isnt an option, and I want to be able to add extra wires easily in future.

So I thought about using pipes out through the wall along the wal outside &
back in again.
(other side of the brick cavity wall is just the side passage so aesthetics
are OK)
eg. using
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30862&id=15540
and
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30917&id=19046


Which I think should give me a reusable cableway... am I allowed to do this
with "waste pipes"?
Presumably I have to be careful :
-about water ingress from the pipe to the lounge? Do I have to make sure to
point the pipes downwards as they go out through the wall. And should I make
the outside pipe run slope down with a drain hole at the bottom? Or just
keep it horizontal & hope no water gets in.

-what do I use to seal around the cables ? (obviuosly need to stop draughts,
insects etc) I think they use some sort of plasticene sometimes.

-is the white pipe OK to use outside - does it discolour or crack in
sunlight/cold?

-do you think this is OK, a bodge or is there a better idea!

Thanks for any advice or experience,
keith




cheers

On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 20:18:12 +0000 (UTC), "keith"
wrote:

Can anyone tell me if this is going to work or suggest things to watch out
for?
I need to get about 10 cables (audio, speaker, not mains) from TV to PC,
about 5 metres along the wall in the lounge.
But fireplace is in the way and trunking would look terrible, underfloor
isnt an option, and I want to be able to add extra wires easily in future.

So I thought about using pipes out through the wall along the wal outside &
back in again.
(other side of the brick cavity wall is just the side passage so aesthetics
are OK)
eg. using
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30862&id=15540
and
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30917&id=19046


Which I think should give me a reusable cableway... am I allowed to do this
with "waste pipes"?

I see no reason why not as long as you are not including mains cables.
I've used it in the past for various ducting purposes.


Presumably I have to be careful :
-about water ingress from the pipe to the lounge?

Yes, but expanding foam is a good solution for this.

Do I have to make sure to
point the pipes downwards as they go out through the wall.

Slight;ly is a good idea.

And should I make
the outside pipe run slope down with a drain hole at the bottom? Or just
keep it horizontal & hope no water gets in.

If both ends are inside the house and you do the fixing with solvent
weld fittings then there is no reason why any water should enter the
pipe, so I would not have any holes outside at all.


-what do I use to seal around the cables ? (obviuosly need to stop draughts,
insects etc) I think they use some sort of plasticene sometimes.

For the ends inside, I would not seal around the cables in case you
need to add more later. I would use 50mm pipe, and thread two
lengths of string through as you are assembling the pipes and
fittings. Then you can pull cables through. Leave one in place
to pull through later additions.

To stop draughts (if they are a problem) cut some pipe insulation or
other stiff foam material and push into the ends around the cables.
Don't seal them in case you need to add or modify cabling.



-is the white pipe OK to use outside - does it discolour or crack in
sunlight/cold?

It is, but may look mucky after a while. You can paint it with gloss
paint, however.



-do you think this is OK, a bodge or is there a better idea!

I think that it's as good as any as long as you don't mind the
appearance.

Another trick you can do for vertical runs is to use rainwater
drainpipe the same as for the house. You won't notice that at all.
Depending on the situation, it may be an option for this job as well.






Thanks for any advice or experience,
keith




cheers


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"keith" wrote in message
...
Can anyone tell me if this is going to work or suggest things to watch out
for?
I need to get about 10 cables (audio, speaker, not mains) from TV to PC,
about 5 metres along the wall in the lounge.


I presume you just want to route audio/video to/from the PC? If so, there
are several wireless sender units that can do the same thing, without
needing to drill holes in your exteriour walls.

I'm not sure if you can do this with digital video/audio links, or whether
the video supports stereo, so you may have already discounted this approach
for these reasons.

F./

"keith" wrote in message ...
Can anyone tell me if this is going to work or suggest things to watch out
for?
I need to get about 10 cables (audio, speaker, not mains) from TV to PC,
about 5 metres along the wall in the lounge.
But fireplace is in the way and trunking would look terrible, underfloor
isnt an option, and I want to be able to add extra wires easily in future.

So I thought about using pipes out through the wall along the wal outside &
back in again.


Hi Keith.

Its inevitable that you'll get water in the pipes: air from the house
will diffuse into the pipe and condense in the outdoor pipe in winter,
very slowly filling the pipe with water. This is a bad thing, and can
be avoided by driling _very_ small drain holes on the underside of the
pipe at a few points. 2mm should work nicely.

Regards, NT

keith wrote:

Can anyone tell me if this is going to work or suggest things to watch out
for?
I need to get about 10 cables (audio, speaker, not mains) from TV to PC,
about 5 metres along the wall in the lounge.
But fireplace is in the way and trunking would look terrible, underfloor
isnt an option, and I want to be able to add extra wires easily in future.

Not sure if this will be an option in your case - but I had to overcome
a similar problem last time I reorganised the lounge.

I ended up with the Hi-Fi stack (and DVD player + VCR) one side of the
fireplace and TV the other. We have solid floors with a raised hearth
constructed from solid lumps of limestone.

SWMBO was also a little concerned that the solid stone hearth edge was
going to be a little toddler unfriendly should said newly toddling
toddler come into contact with it at speed.

The solution I called the "fireplace bra" - you could say it is "under
wired"!. It consists of a 2" by 1/2" hardwood top with a 5" deep (i.e.
depth of the raised hearth) softwood skirt attached to the front edge.
Biscuit jointed together, mitred at the corners, and with a nice radius
routed onto the top edge. I varnished it to match the other woodwork,
and it slides over the hearth providing a nice cover to the stone edge,
at the same time as hiding all the cables as the make their way round
the front of the fireplace.

It actually looks better than the stonework did in the first place.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

The solution I called the "fireplace bra" - you could say it is "under
wired"!.

This demands a picture ;-)

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
* old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam *
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

Hi Keith.

Its inevitable that you'll get water in the pipes: air from the house
will diffuse into the pipe and condense in the outdoor pipe in winter,
very slowly filling the pipe with water. This is a bad thing, and can
be avoided by driling _very_ small drain holes on the underside of the
pipe at a few points. 2mm should work nicely.

Regards, NT

Thanks - I thought there might be more to it. All very useful suggestions-
looks like there's no actual reason not to , just need to be careful as
suggested.

Colin Wilson wrote:

The solution I called the "fireplace bra" - you could say it is "under
wired"!.


This demands a picture ;-)

I shall see if I can excavate the layer of toys that currently envelops
it ;-)

(probably not a bad idea anyway - might want to use the fire soon!)



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Colin Wilson wrote:

This demands a picture ;-)

Your wish is my command! ;-)

http://www.internode.co.uk/bra


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

This demands a picture ;-)
Your wish is my command! ;-)
http://www.internode.co.uk/bra

Bra-vo ;-)

Looks quite nice doesn`t it :-)

What a time to be replying - can`t sleep - in too much pain, trapped
nerve in my back, unable to lie down, hurts like hell to breathe :-(

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
* old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam *
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

Can't fault Andy on this, but I will toss another one into the pot.

I am not sure what e.g. BT use for underground ducts, but it looks very
like mains water pipe of the plastic flavour.

Sealed with expanding foam and buried, this might be a neat soolution,
although if both ends are inside the house, it should be waterproof to
oustide anyway.

I can't off hand thnk why this wouldn't work.

Andy Hall wrote:

On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 20:18:12 +0000 (UTC), "keith"
wrote:


Can anyone tell me if this is going to work or suggest things to watch out
for?
I need to get about 10 cables (audio, speaker, not mains) from TV to PC,
about 5 metres along the wall in the lounge.
But fireplace is in the way and trunking would look terrible, underfloor
isnt an option, and I want to be able to add extra wires easily in future.

So I thought about using pipes out through the wall along the wal outside &
back in again.
(other side of the brick cavity wall is just the side passage so aesthetics
are OK)
eg. using
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30862&id=15540
and
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...30917&id=19046


Which I think should give me a reusable cableway... am I allowed to do this
with "waste pipes"?


I see no reason why not as long as you are not including mains cables.
I've used it in the past for various ducting purposes.



Presumably I have to be careful :
-about water ingress from the pipe to the lounge?


Yes, but expanding foam is a good solution for this.


Do I have to make sure to
point the pipes downwards as they go out through the wall.


Slight;ly is a good idea.


And should I make
the outside pipe run slope down with a drain hole at the bottom? Or just
keep it horizontal & hope no water gets in.


If both ends are inside the house and you do the fixing with solvent
weld fittings then there is no reason why any water should enter the
pipe, so I would not have any holes outside at all.


-what do I use to seal around the cables ? (obviuosly need to stop draughts,
insects etc) I think they use some sort of plasticene sometimes.


For the ends inside, I would not seal around the cables in case you
need to add more later. I would use 50mm pipe, and thread two
lengths of string through as you are assembling the pipes and
fittings. Then you can pull cables through. Leave one in place
to pull through later additions.

To stop draughts (if they are a problem) cut some pipe insulation or
other stiff foam material and push into the ends around the cables.
Don't seal them in case you need to add or modify cabling.



-is the white pipe OK to use outside - does it discolour or crack in
sunlight/cold?


It is, but may look mucky after a while. You can paint it with gloss
paint, however.



-do you think this is OK, a bodge or is there a better idea!


I think that it's as good as any as long as you don't mind the
appearance.

Another trick you can do for vertical runs is to use rainwater
drainpipe the same as for the house. You won't notice that at all.
Depending on the situation, it may be an option for this job as well.






Thanks for any advice or experience,
keith




cheers



.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Colin Wilson wrote:

Bra-vo ;-)

Looks quite nice doesn`t it :-)

It worked better than I expected in a way. (Would have been better if I
had made it the right width in the first place - rather than having to
cut it in the middle to insert a new section!)

What a time to be replying - can`t sleep - in too much pain, trapped
nerve in my back, unable to lie down, hurts like hell to breathe :-(

Sounds like you need a bottle of single malt anaesthetic! Rub a little
on then drink the rest - I might still hurt, but at least you won't care
as much ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Colin Wilson wrote:

This demands a picture ;-)

Your wish is my command! ;-)

http://www.internode.co.uk/bra



AAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!

NOW I remember what I was going to do whilst the floor was up - run conduit
for speaker cabling!!!!1

Doh!

Oh well. Expect the old gramophone player will be on ebay soon....

(alternatively, I'll crawl underneath or send the cat under when I do the
hallway floor)

Richard

--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Colin Wilson wrote:

This demands a picture ;-)

Your wish is my command! ;-)

http://www.internode.co.uk/bra


Interesting...out of curiosity, where did you get the custom (long) scart
cables from, and are they expensive? I'd love to move all my kit into a
cupboard at the other side of the room here, but scarts have always tied
things to near the TV. Plus, I'm sceptical on running video through long
cables...any picture quality issues?

I just used a rug thats the exact same width as the hearth (total
coincidence in size, it was a gift!) to hide my cross-fireplace wiring. With
the TV stand on one side and a floorstander speaker on the other, the sides
are also obscured. My hearth doesn't come out as far as yours though.
Successfully hiding two cat-5s, two audio channels, RF, cable TV feed, as
well as two speaker runs!! Thinking about installing conduit on next house
purchase!!

F.

PS Looks like a nice system on the left there...could maybe do with moving
the annual dusting off the shelves a little sooner though... ;-)

Fraser wrote:

Interesting...out of curiosity, where did you get the custom (long) scart
cables from, and are they expensive? I'd love to move all my kit into a

I needed to get two 5m cables in a hurry and hence went to Maplin. Alas
they were silly money (i.e. 24 quid each!) They are decent enough
however - fully screened plugs and coax used for all the AV signals.

If you have more time, then CPC have a better range at much better prices.

cupboard at the other side of the room here, but scarts have always tied
things to near the TV. Plus, I'm sceptical on running video through long
cables...any picture quality issues?

If you make sure you get cables that have individually screened video
connections (i.e. mini coax inside the cable bundle) then they are
usually fine up to 10 meters, possibly more.

CPC also do some flat cables - where every conductor is individually
screened. These are quite nice as well - handy if you need to route
through narrow spaces.

I just used a rug thats the exact same width as the hearth (total
coincidence in size, it was a gift!) to hide my cross-fireplace wiring. With
the TV stand on one side and a floorstander speaker on the other, the sides
are also obscured. My hearth doesn't come out as far as yours though.
Successfully hiding two cat-5s, two audio channels, RF, cable TV feed, as
well as two speaker runs!! Thinking about installing conduit on next house
purchase!!

I think if one day I do a self build, I will make sure there is built in
conduit everywhere!

PS Looks like a nice system on the left there...could maybe do with moving
the annual dusting off the shelves a little sooner though... ;-)

Wot my nice audiophile insulation layer ;-)) It's a lost cause I have
decided - lots of black kit, small children, and a dog that looses
enough hair to make a puppy every week....

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Interesting...out of curiosity, where did you get the custom (long) scart
cables from, and are they expensive?

You can buy the cable on a reel (or cut lengths) and attach plugs to them.
Not for the faint hearted, though. Wiring a full SCART takes patience and a
steady hand.

Alternatively, just do what I did once and run a length of co-ax and use
composite video. OK, RGB would be nicer, but it was good enough for the
purpose intended.

Christian.

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Fraser wrote:

Interesting...out of curiosity, where did you get the custom (long)
scart
cables from, and are they expensive? I'd love to move all my kit into a

I needed to get two 5m cables in a hurry and hence went to Maplin. Alas
they were silly money (i.e. 24 quid each!) They are decent enough
however - fully screened plugs and coax used for all the AV signals.

Yeah, that's been my experience, a vast price hike. I might take the time to
look around the web for alternatives, will try that CPC site.


If you make sure you get cables that have individually screened video
connections (i.e. mini coax inside the cable bundle) then they are
usually fine up to 10 meters, possibly more.

Screened, even on the RGB video lines? That'll be a monster of a cable!


CPC also do some flat cables - where every conductor is individually
screened. These are quite nice as well - handy if you need to route
through narrow spaces.

Hmm, thinks of lifting the laminate flooring....better not. One thing at a
time!


I think if one day I do a self build, I will make sure there is built in
conduit everywhere!

You could probably retro-fit it to some places. I've seen a few sites that
show you how to make reusable channels between floors/rooms etc.


PS Looks like a nice system on the left there...could maybe do with
moving
the annual dusting off the shelves a little sooner though... ;-)

Wot my nice audiophile insulation layer ;-))

No coloured triangles in key places around the room? Work for me!! ;-)

F.

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
. net...
Interesting...out of curiosity, where did you get the custom (long)
scart
cables from, and are they expensive?

You can buy the cable on a reel (or cut lengths) and attach plugs to them.
Not for the faint hearted, though. Wiring a full SCART takes patience and
a
steady hand.

I know. I recently added phono audio-outs to a game console scart that was
fully connected. Ouch, was very very tricky!

Never really considered building a cable from scratch though...interesting
idea! You could do some clever stuff, like routing S-Video/composite and RGB
through the same SCART, doubling the inputs. Mmm, interesting.


Alternatively, just do what I did once and run a length of co-ax and use
composite video. OK, RGB would be nicer, but it was good enough for the
purpose intended.

Nice and cheap as well!

F.

Fraser wrote:

Screened, even on the RGB video lines? That'll be a monster of a cable!

yup - mini coax is not that thick. The whole cable is maybe 12mm OD.

Wot my nice audiophile insulation layer ;-))


No coloured triangles in key places around the room? Work for me!! ;-)

No but there are probably some nice round rings on the top of some
surfaces.... about the size of the bottom of a cup ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/