Bitumen

[switch10]

Right guys and girls just a quick question, customer reported a fair amount of bitumen on the floor and wall below some old supply cables. I took a quick look and was hard to see where exactly from as there's a large bunch of cables, now they called western power out to take a look and they said that the bitumen is leaking due to a cracked or pitted cable and is perfectly safe.  Now my customer had reported this to me and I find it hard to believe that if a old supply cable is cracked or pitted how it can be safe. 

Need some one advice please guys 

 

[Andy™]

its generally from inside the service head and does often leak when it gets warm. safe or not is upto the DNO to decide, it might be prefectly fine without it

 

[Tony S]

Are the heads cast iron? If they are the DNO has a duty to replace them.

Post a picture.

 

[switch10]

its generally from inside the service head and does often leak when it gets warm. safe or not is upto the DNO to decide, it might be prefectly fine without it

This is more than 18 metres away from service head running into a commercial unit .

Are the heads cast iron? If they are the DNO has a duty to replace them.

Post a picture.

I've tried to post pictures taken on phone but says I'm limited to upload size and not sure how to resize pictures

 

[Tony S]

Put them on photobucket and use the link here

 

[Tony S]

Looks more like a MV cast box that’s been buried in the paving which has been disturbed at some point. That will be the site owners problem.

The leakage isn’t a great amount, I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[switch10]

Looks more like a MV cast box that’s been buried in the paving which has been disturbed at some point. That will be the site owners problem.

The leakage isn’t a great amount, I wouldn’t worry about it.

View attachment 7144

No that is where the bitumen has fallen from the overhead cables, cables are approx 8 metres high up wall and that's what has fell down in last 24 hours 

 

[Tony S]

I’ve just enlarged the 2nd picture, the cables are PVC. I thought the bitumen looked grainy, it must be from somewhere on the roof and running down the cable. Are you having warm weather where you are?

 

[switch10]

No the cables where u see the bitumen is also where the bitumen has leaked onto them. The cables confirmed by dno as leaking bitumen are higher up, couldn't get a clear picture.  Dno confirmed it and just said cables pitted/cracked so definitely coming from a cable 

 

[Tony S]

So I’ve faffed about with pictures that have nothing to do with the problem!

 

[kerching]

Last one i saw like that was caused by bitch coming through newly felted roof, dripping through cracks, collecting on cables then dripping onto floor

just saying

 

[Tony S]

One of our electricians mates used cable compound to seal the felt on his garage roof. Cable compound unlike the normal stuff for roofs becomes runny at moderate temperatures. Pity about his car, it looked like it had the pox.

 

[switch10]

So I’ve faffed about with pictures that have nothing to do with the problem!

No the cables where u see the bitumen is also where the bitumen has leaked onto them. The cables confirmed by dno as leaking bitumen are higher up, couldn't get a clear picture.  Dno confirmed it and just said cables pitted/cracked so definitely coming from a cable 

the he pictures where to show the bitumen marks , never said they were of the cable itself as never had extension ladders myself to get up there that day to get a picture of the cables

Last one i saw like that was caused by bitch coming through newly felted roof, dripping through cracks, collecting on cables then dripping onto floor

just saying

 Ok so myself and dno are clearly both wrong then about this coming from a cable?

 

[kerching]

 Ok so myself and dno are clearly both wrong then about this coming from a cable?

 Whoa there!

i never said that!......you are there I am not.

I was merely stating the fact that the last time i saw something like that I was from a roof.

yours may well be from your cable...whereas the one i witnessed wasn't

just saying

 

[Tony S]

I know exactly where the bitumen is coming from now you've given the information and i know the cure. Pity you messed me about.

 

[Rob_the_rich]

I just googled bitumen cables and found extracts from a book called "the history of Electric Wires and Cables" by Robert Munro Black  . Apparently a man called Callender invented a way to use bitumen, imported from a lake in Trinidad to coat cables, Vulcanised Bitumen VB. A good read https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HUCieJjeQ-wC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=bitumen+cables&source=bl&ots=vbSOrz7ZtV&sig=fgIXLiVD8hD07y4wGJER3DbvGkM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGyuGQ7tLNAhXpKsAKHeU5A4UQ6AEINTAD#v=onepage&q=bitumen cables&f=false

Tells a tale about digging a trench and laying VB cables from lambeth to the royal opera house over waterloo bridge, backfilling with bitumen.

 

[Sidewinder]

Rob,

BICC, British Insulated Callender's Cables...

You may have heard of them if you are of a certain age, I certainly have, and used their kit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Insulated_Callender's_Cables

 

[Rob_the_rich]

Shouldn't you be watching the Footie SW?

 

[Sidewinder]

Eh?

 

[Blue Duck]

I just googled bitumen cables and found extracts from a book called "the history of Electric Wires and Cables" by Robert Munro Black  . Apparently a man called Callender invented a way to use bitumen, imported from a lake in Trinidad to coat cables, Vulcanised Bitumen VB. A good read https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HUCieJjeQ-wC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=bitumen+cables&source=bl&ots=vbSOrz7ZtV&sig=fgIXLiVD8hD07y4wGJER3DbvGkM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGyuGQ7tLNAhXpKsAKHeU5A4UQ6AEINTAD#v=onepage&q=bitumen cables&f=false

Tells a tale about digging a trench and laying VB cables from lambeth to the royal opera house over waterloo bridge, backfilling with bitumen.

lol I did exactly the same!

@sidewinder Wales 0 Belgium 1