DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to take mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the trunking but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was wondering if it was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the larger one and enclose the low voltage cables within?

Richard

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to take mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the trunking but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was wondering if it was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the larger one and enclose the low voltage cables within?

Richard

I could be wrong but had always assumed the requirement was based on the
need for separation between power and data to reduce
interference/inductive/capacitive coupling.

Putting trunking within trunking might increase the electrical
insulation but the mains cable itself should have more than adequate
insulation anyway.

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

Tricky Dicky wrote:

I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to
take mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the
trunking but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was
wondering if it was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the
larger one and enclose the low voltage cables within?

If you don't want to use the larger dado trunking, can't see why
trunking within trunking wouldn't be acceptable.

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

Bob Minchin formulated the question :
I could be wrong but had always assumed the requirement was based on the need
for separation between power and data to reduce
interference/inductive/capacitive coupling.

IEE Regs do not care about that, but it states something about the
insulation of the lower voltage cables has to be to mains spec.. Data
cables are not rated for mains voltages, so there has to be some sort
of physical barrier separating them. I would imagine that the data
cable in its own trunking would be OK.

Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

Personally I'd not want to get data cables anywhere near long runs of mains
wiring due to inductive effects that might affect their efficiency.
Brian

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"Tricky Dicky" wrote in message
...
I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to take
mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the trunking but
I cannot find any that will take a separator and was wondering if it was
acceptable to install smaller trunking within the larger one and enclose the
low voltage cables within?

Richard

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

On 26/10/18 16:36, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to take mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the trunking but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was wondering if it was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the larger one and enclose the low voltage cables within?

Richard


I see no problem with that.

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

On 26/10/18 16:47, Bob Minchin wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to
take mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the
trunking but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was
wondering if it was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the
larger one and enclose the low voltage cables within?

Richard

I could be wrong but had always assumed the requirement was based on the
need for separation between power and data to reduce
interference/inductive/capacitive coupling.

Putting trunking within trunking might increase the electrical
insulation but the mains cable itself should have more than adequate
insulation anyway.

The IET regs IIRC say that you can put ELV (what normal people call low
voltage, the IET calls extra low voltage) cables in the same containment
as LV (mains) if all the cables' insulation is rated for the highest
voltage present.

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

In article ,
says...

IEE Regs do not care about that, but it states something about the
insulation of the lower voltage cables has to be to mains spec.. Data
cables are not rated for mains voltages, so there has to be some sort
of physical barrier separating them. I would imagine that the data
cable in its own trunking would be OK.

I'm planning to put telephone extension cable in uPVC trunking
carrying 2.5mm cable. So I've bought some plastic angle that
is slightly narrower than the space between the lid and the
bottom of the trunking.

Plan is put lengths of good quality double sided tape on the
angle and insert it into the trunking beside the mains cable.

The telephone cable will then be run in its own compartment.

--

Terry

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DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

On 26/10/2018 16:47, Bob Minchin wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to
take mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the
trunking but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was
wondering if it was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the
larger one and enclose the low voltage cables within?

Richard

I could be wrong but had always assumed the requirement was based on the
need for separation between power and data to reduce
interference/inductive/capacitive coupling.

Putting trunking within trunking might increase the electrical
insulation but the mains cable itself should have more than adequate
insulation anyway.

No. IIRC the whole idea was to put AT LESAST two layers of insulation
between mains and datas. Trunking need not carry T & E - it can carry
solid core mains in single conductors.

Again the whole idea is to prevent shock from the data wiring should it
all chafe through.


--
"If you dont read the news paper, you are un-informed. If you read the
news paper, you are mis-informed."

Mark Twain

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

On 26/10/2018 19:07, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Bob Minchin formulated the question :
I could be wrong but had always assumed the requirement was based on
the need for separation between power and data to reduce
interference/inductive/capacitive coupling.

IEE Regs do not care about that, but it states something about the
insulation of the lower voltage cables has to be to mains spec.. Data
cables are not rated for mains voltages, so there has to be some sort of
physical barrier separating them. I would imagine that the data cable in
its own trunking would be OK.

That is a beter explantion of what I understand to be the case, than mine.

+1


--
"If you dont read the news paper, you are un-informed. If you read the
news paper, you are mis-informed."

Mark Twain

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

On Fri, 26 Oct 2018 08:36:25 -0700 (PDT), Tricky Dicky wrote:

I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to take
mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the trunking
but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was wondering if it
was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the larger one and
enclose the low voltage cables within?

Can't see anything wrong with that as far as electrical safety is
concerned. I'd be a bit more worried about common mode induction from
the mains into the Cate5e. What are the Cat5e's going to be used for?

--
Cheers
Dave.

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

On 27/10/18 09:45, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 26 Oct 2018 08:36:25 -0700 (PDT), Tricky Dicky wrote:

I am looking to use some 50mm X 50mm trunking around the garage to take
mains wiring. I would also like to run some Cat5e cables in the trunking
but I cannot find any that will take a separator and was wondering if it
was acceptable to install smaller trunking within the larger one and
enclose the low voltage cables within?

Can't see anything wrong with that as far as electrical safety is
concerned. I'd be a bit more worried about common mode induction from
the mains into the Cate5e. What are the Cat5e's going to be used for?


Granted they were not long straight parallel runs, but if the Cat5e is
being used for ethernet, you'd have to try hard to break it - I've seen
Cat5e piled on high current mains cables (from 32A flex to large SWA)
under computer room floors and never a problem at gigabit speeds - the
twisted pair balanced approach works very well. And there is magnetic
isolation at both ends no common mode rejection is pretty solid.

DIY: Separating mains and low voltage cables in trunking
 

Just to clarify some points. 50 X 50 trunking is chosen because the plan is to drop cables from the trunking at ceiling level in conduit to sockets and switches and that size is convenient to work with when it comes to joining conduit to trunking.

The Cat5e will mainly be to connect to CCTV cameras using POE and a single computer port.

I am inclined to agree with Tim Watts having seen exactly the same done by profesionals and having previously installed dado rail trunking with both telecoms wires and Cat5e running in the separated channels, I noted that distance wise there was little separation between them and the mains wires and was never aware of any interference in either.

Richard