ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Wiring Location in Walls

Just eyeballing 3000, s3.9.4.5, regarding "safe" locations of wiring in walls. What constitutes free movement of a cable?

I assume the intent is to allow anything penetrating the wall to deflect the cable instead of cutting it, not many contractors i know that leave that much slack in wiring, or hole saws/spade bits that are designed with deflection guards.

Anyone seen a ruling on this one?

Hi Spock,
For those "not in the know" about this bit of legislation:

One thing that annoys me these days, is the fact that timber in houses is so much thinner than what it was when I started my time as an Electrician.
It was all rough sawn 100 x 50 mm,
these days it's all been watered down to Kiln- dried ex 85x40.
It might be better for the builders to work with.
But I digress, no good in a decent earthquake though.

Gentlemen, we in the UK have a simular regulation 522-06-06, this calls for the use of earthed metal conduit to protect cables run in a wall or partition of less than 50mm in depth from the cable to any surface of the wall or partition.
An alternative offered in our regs is to run cables in what are termed permitted zones.That is vertically from above or bellow any outlet or accessory. Horizontally from accessories, 150mm horizontally from the ceiling and in any corner of a room vertically upto 150mm from the corner.
If the zone route is chosed it must be clearly identifiable from both sides of the wall. Probably best option is the steel conduit.
Agree with you Mike walls have become painfully thin over the last few years.

So painfully thin that when my oldest sprog put 4 of those big-screw self-drilling rockwall fixings in his bedroom wall to support the tv bracket, they emerged on the other side into the stairwell! Length 1.5". The "Wall" turned out to be two sheets of 1/2" sheetrock, back-to-back, no studs! That's in a brand new US $400,000 dollar house!
Nationally known UK builder.


Alan

Alan is this "WALL" supposed to be supporting anything ?

Surely a nationally known building company wouldn't build a supportive wall without framing ?

Would they ?

Kiwi,
As is usual in the UK, the external walls consist of 4" of brick, with an 8" lightweight (foamed) cement inner wall tied every 3ft horiz. and 18" vert. to each other with metal-ties bedded in the mortar and spanning the cavity, which can have an insulation board fitted within. A further rockwall skin inside may also be insulated. This traditional 'cavity-wall' has been proved to resist water penetration from the bit of rain we get occasionally in England. The roof structure is spanned over the masonary walls with trussed rafters, such that all the roof loads, tile, man-access, snow, wind etc., bear to the brickwork skin only. This means that all the internal room-dividing walls are non-loadbearing. Then, at the stairwell, where it abuts to bedrooms, the "wall" can be of enough sheetrock thickness to comply with the UK Building Regulations, which of course at this location is only the strength of a standard stairway handrail! There is a genuine need to cut build costs in the UK, where houses are so expensive due to a shortage of building land. That $400,000 house by the way is an ordinary 4 bed 'box' on an estate, 150 miles from London, nowt fancy, but my boy will be paying around 40% of his take home pay in mortgage payments for the next twenty five years provided interest rates stay low. If they rise to 1980s levels, he'll be ruined or on the cadge to me!

Alan

Real estate prices are just insane in Britain these days. Take a look here for an idea of what's on offer:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/


Multiply Sterling prices by:

1.8 to get U.S. dollars
2.4 for Australian dollars
2.6 for New Zealand dollars

Alors! - Raisons que des Anglais ont achetées ses maisons ici en France:
Maisons tres moins cher ici.
Taxes sur salaire ou pensions aussi tres moins cher ici.
Systeme medicale, le premiere qualité du monde.
Du vin!
Du soleil!
Pas de crime ou drugs ( en campagne).
Pas de "road tax".
Et, pas de Tony!!!

Alan

You rang, Mr. Belson?

Tony