Electrical cable - how cold?
 

Before I put the top coat of render back on my house I want to decide
about electrical wiring.

In a massive timber frame house the usual thing is to run the cable
over the timber frame in a discreet spot but it strikes me that I
could take the cable behind the timbers instead

Part of the cable would then be outdoors. Not exposed to the elements
cos it would be under the render but not cossetted by any heating
either

Will the cable cope with this or does it like warm temperatures?

Anna
~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

Will the cable cope with this or does it like warm temperatures?

The colder the better!

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 07:12:44 GMT, Anna Kettle wrote:

Part of the cable would then be outdoors. Not exposed to the
elements cos it would be under the render but not cossetted by any
heating either

I for one would not be expecting to find wiring under exterior render,
I don't think many others would be either. I guess if you stick to the
rules of vertical/horizontal from a visible fitting then a few bells
might be rung in the minds of those about to drill holes. Still a bit
risky IMHO.

Will the cable cope with this or does it like warm temperatures?

I'm not sure how it would like being constantly flexed, all be it tiny
amounts, by the thermally induced movements of the building. If the
cable is free to move in a conduit not so bad but effectively and
rigidly fixed, buried in render?

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message ill.com...
On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 07:12:44 GMT, Anna Kettle wrote:

Part of the cable would then be outdoors. Not exposed to the
elements cos it would be under the render but not cossetted by any
heating either

I'm not sure how it would like being constantly flexed, all be it tiny
amounts, by the thermally induced movements of the building. If the
cable is free to move in a conduit not so bad but effectively and
rigidly fixed, buried in render?

Thats a non problem. The time you'll get in trouble is when the
rendering gets redone, and someone puts a chisel through it. So its
best to put a cover over it before the render.

Regards, NT

All cables should run vertical or horizontal of any electrical point or run
in the zones of 150mm from corners or ceiling or a depth of more than 50mm
if none of the above then the cable must be protected by a metal EARTH
sheath
"N. Thornton" wrote in message
om...
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ill.com...
On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 07:12:44 GMT, Anna Kettle wrote:

Part of the cable would then be outdoors. Not exposed to the
elements cos it would be under the render but not cossetted by any
heating either

I'm not sure how it would like being constantly flexed, all be it tiny
amounts, by the thermally induced movements of the building. If the
cable is free to move in a conduit not so bad but effectively and
rigidly fixed, buried in render?

Thats a non problem. The time you'll get in trouble is when the
rendering gets redone, and someone puts a chisel through it. So its
best to put a cover over it before the render.

Regards, NT

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 21:58:25 +0100, Adrian Chirgwin wrote:

All cables should run vertical or horizontal of any electrical point
or run in the zones of 150mm from corners or ceiling or a depth of
more than 50mm if none of the above then the cable must be protected
by a metal EARTH sheath

Quoted(ish) from the regs but that is for *interior* walls. Does it
apply to exterior walls? And what about all those electrical points
outside...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

I for one would not be expecting to find wiring under exterior render,
I don't think many others would be either.

The time you'll get in trouble is when the
rendering gets redone, and someone puts a chisel through it. So its
best to put a cover over it before the render.

All cables should run vertical or horizontal of any electrical point or run
in the zones of 150mm from corners or ceiling or a depth of more than 50mm
if none of the above then the cable must be protected by a metal EARTH
sheath

A handy group, uk.d-i-y! I was so busy thinking about damage to the
cable by weather that it it didn't occur to me to think of damage by
human. Perhaps I will abandon the idea of running the cable behind the
timbers and be sensible like everyone else, run them in front and
disguise with a bit of acrylic paint camouflage when the time comes.

It has been worthwhile thinking about electrics at this stage though
cos I have fixed battens between the studs which the switch boxes can
be screwed to

Thanks all
Anna
~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642