Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

On 06/07/2020 14:53, George Miles wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George


Depends on the rating and what load it sees.

On 06/07/2020 20:02, Nick Odell wrote:
On Mon, 6 Jul 2020 06:53:20 -0700 (PDT), George Miles
wrote:

Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

Definitely flex?

I have purchased white T&E from Wilko in the past.

Nick

I have a suitable stash in the loft (just in case ..)

On Mon, 6 Jul 2020 06:53:20 -0700 (PDT), George Miles
wrote:

Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

Definitely flex?

I have purchased white T&E from Wilko in the past.

Nick

Well what sort of flex? Is it three core, in this house we found old wall
lights had been fitted at one time and just below a skim of pollyfiller was
two core flex of the type used on tv 2 core mains lead. Perfectly
functional in its day, but rather dangerous if left connected and the ends
covered in tape as ours were!

Brian

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This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"George Miles" wrote in message
...
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an
extension lead?

George

On 06/07/2020 14:53, George Miles wrote:


Instead of the grey copper cable behind one OSB wall I have white
flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

You can use it, but will need to make sure its adequately protected...

(for example if it were 1.25mm^2 flex, then its current handling
capacity would be too low to directly form part of a ring circuit, but
it could be safely used on a 13A fused spur)

If you can work out what CSA the conductors are then you would need to
go through the design exercise specified he

wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Calculating_A_Cable_Size

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an
extension lead?

A FCU would be a little more elegant.

--
Cheers,

John.

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On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George Miles wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards, unless it's a rental.


NT

On 07/07/2020 15:35, wrote:
On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George Miles wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards, unless it's a rental.

There's no requirement to set your house on fire either, so its worth
going to the effort of making sure you are not abusing the flex.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Ive been reading all the comments and thinking on it.
I dont like having FCUs and fuses in strange places,
they get forgotten about.

Originally there were 3 old fuseboxes around the house,
now I have 3 new ones all by the back door.

I'm going to tape some grey 4mm twin and earth to the white cable and try to pull it through behind the OSB wall. If that fails rip the wall down and put the twin and earth behind it.

[george]



On Tuesday, July 7, 2020 at 3:18:27 PM UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 06/07/2020 14:53, George Miles wrote:


Instead of the grey copper cable behind one OSB wall I have white
flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

You can use it, but will need to make sure its adequately protected...

(for example if it were 1.25mm^2 flex, then its current handling
capacity would be too low to directly form part of a ring circuit, but
it could be safely used on a 13A fused spur)

If you can work out what CSA the conductors are then you would need to
go through the design exercise specified he

wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Calculating_A_Cable_Size

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an
extension lead?

A FCU would be a little more elegant.

--
Cheers,

John.

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

On 07/07/2020 15:35, wrote:
On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George Miles wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards, unless it's a rental.


Now I have been doing a lot of EICRs for landlords. No way am I
suggesting that they have to have their 17th edition plastic CU swapped.
It's a code 3.


--
Adam

On Wednesday, 8 July 2020 19:50:02 UTC+1, ARW wrote:
On 07/07/2020 15:35, tabbypurr wrote:
On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George Miles wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards, unless it's a rental.


Now I have been doing a lot of EICRs for landlords. No way am I
suggesting that they have to have their 17th edition plastic CU swapped.
It's a code 3.

as I said, 'unless it's a rental'


NT

On Wednesday, 8 July 2020 18:46:40 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/07/2020 15:35, tabbypurr wrote:
On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George Miles wrote:

Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards, unless it's a rental.

There's no requirement to set your house on fire either, so its worth
going to the effort of making sure you are not abusing the flex.

Safety checks are warranted, including checking wire used is within ratings.. Where flex is used it's generally on 5 or 6A lighting circuits. If not that would be a concern. Easy enough to find out. The fact that flex is used does not inherently make wiring unsafe, though finding it certainly increases the risk of who knows what iffies in the system.


NT

On 08/07/2020 19:50, ARW wrote:
On 07/07/2020 15:35, wrote:
On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George MilesÂ* wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an
extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards,
unless it's a rental.


Now I have been doing a lot of EICRs for landlords. No way am I
suggesting that they have to have their 17th edition plastic CU swapped.
It's a code 3.


The government guidance certainly expects a normal EICR with the usual
Codes under the new regs. But the regulations do /seem/ to require
more. They require landlords to "ensure that the electrical safety
standards are met during any period when the residential premises are
occupied". And they define " €œelectrical safety standards€� means the
standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the
Wiring Regulations...". So they appear to require wiring to be brought
up to the 18th. But this was pointed out in response to the draft regs
so I assume the official view is that the plain words don't mean what
they seem but somehow plug into Chapter 65.




--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On 08/07/2020 23:13, wrote:
On Wednesday, 8 July 2020 19:50:02 UTC+1, ARW wrote:
On 07/07/2020 15:35, tabbypurr wrote:
On Monday, 6 July 2020 14:53:23 UTC+1, George Miles wrote:
Instead of the grey copper cable
behind one OSB wall I have white flex.

Will it be legal to use it or must I rip the wall coverings off?

If not, would it be legal if I put a plug on one end and call it an extension lead?

George

There's no requirement to bring old wiring upto current standards, unless it's a rental.


Now I have been doing a lot of EICRs for landlords. No way am I
suggesting that they have to have their 17th edition plastic CU swapped.
It's a code 3.

as I said, 'unless it's a rental'



And even if it /is/ a rental property to which the new regulations apply
then the Government guidance has made clear landlords aren't required to
carry out investigations or work not required by an EICR. I think it
would have been better if the regulations had been revised to make that
clear. But IMO the guidance gives landlords "legitimate expectations"
that would protect them from fines.


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On 08/07/2020 19:19, George Miles wrote:
Ive been reading all the comments and thinking on it. I dont like
having FCUs and fuses in strange places, they get forgotten about.

Originally there were 3 old fuseboxes around the house, now I have 3
new ones all by the back door.

I'm going to tape some grey 4mm twin and earth to the white cable and
try to pull it through behind the OSB wall. If that fails rip the
wall down and put the twin and earth behind it.

Fair enough, although you have not actually said what the flex is being
used for. That will have a big impact on your options.

For example, if its feeding a fixed load where there is no possibility
of it being overloaded, then you may not need the FCU either. The only
requirement being that it has fault protection. In many cases there is a
reasonable chance that even a B32 MCB it will be able to provide that -
however you would need to do the sums to prove it.

So work out the impedance, and thence prospective fault current at the
end of the flex, and stick the result into the adiabatic equation. That
will tell you if there is enough CSA of copper in the flex to withstand
a fault.



--
Cheers,

John.

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