Outside light

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Geffers

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Outside light, any ideas how I can get the cable through the cavity from 2 metre drop to be terminated back indoors? I wanted to drill straight thru the wall & run conduit to the light fitting. Client would rather not have conduit. Any sensible answers considered

 
Yes I have used Ho7 and I have used artic cable clipped direct, I have also used FP200 with metal clips, or you could use swa.

 
Drill hole at the top of the cavity hole at the bottom then tell client too stop being such u fussy t**t, but really top and bottom drop a weight and string down or mt1 lid might need two of u and plenty of time but long as he's paying....

 
KTGUK Nice one i drilled 22mm hole on outside wall measured exactly where the cable was gonna terminate inside (spur of socket) knocked a bit of breeze block out from behind the socket, dropped a plumbers steel plumbline in the cavity & got it first timeusing a magnet to tempt it out! Even through the insulation. Good tip i may put it on the tricks of the trade section.

 
Steps,

That went through my mind also.

IIRC it is prohibited as the cables cannot be suitably supported, also, you are bridging the vapour barrier/cavity in to out.

 
my thoughts also. You can run a cable in a vertical void upto 5 metres as long as its unaccessable and fixed top and bottom, but there is the risk of bringing moisture from outside skin to inside if the cable is touching both. Not sure how great this risk is but all you can do is advise the customer and note it on the cert as this seems to be your only option.

 
the cable touches both walls when passing straight through, only problem i can see with running in the cavity is if the cable is supported.

 
my thoughts also. You can run a cable in a vertical void upto 5 metres as long as its unaccessable and fixed top and bottom, but there is the risk of bringing moisture from outside skin to inside if the cable is touching both. Not sure how great this risk is but all you can do is advise the customer and note it on the cert as this seems to be your only option.
is a cavity simply classed as a void though? does it not serve a functional purpose, therefore is not a void as such?

I dont know, just thinking aloud.

 
One of the main reasons why running any cable in a cavity is frowned upon is the fact that falling debri can damage the cable, when passing a cable through a cavity to an outside wall you have the problem of falling debri and water ingress. Cables can be run through a cavity providing adequate protection is provided, and the water ingress is addressed. Unsupported cables in a cavity really is bad practice, the BRB does have some guidance on this.

 
is a cavity simply classed as a void though? does it not serve a functional purpose, therefore is not a void as such?I dont know, just thinking aloud.
Erm well i think anywhere where you might want to run a cable that is not easily accessable could be classed as a void? For example soil stack boxing is useful for rodding earth cables even though it wasnt built for that. I know that running cables in cavities has always been frowned upon by the guys i worked with but dont see too much of a problem with it myself. The only thing i can think is that it would not be a 'safe zone' to route a cable as it might be at risk from being drilled again? Tails are often run in the cavity at funny angles so i wouldnt loose any sleep over it for an outside light.

Oh and sellers, you made me:Blushing, why didnt i think of this? :red card

 
KTGUK Nice one i drilled 22mm hole on outside wall measured exactly where the cable was gonna terminate inside (spur of socket) knocked a bit of breeze block out from behind the socket, dropped a plumbers steel plumbline in the cavity & got it first timeusing a magnet to tempt it out! Even through the insulation. Good tip i may put it on the tricks of the trade section.
got that from a old old spark he used a weight and fishing line from loft the ground floor, took ages but he got it to ground floor, thought he gone mad at first

---------- Post Auto-Merged 3rd April 2011 at 00:00 ---------- Previous post was made 2nd April 2011 at 23:56 ----------

Erm well i think anywhere where you might want to run a cable that is not easily accessable could be classed as a void? For example soil stack boxing is useful for rodding earth cables even though it wasnt built for that. I know that running cables in cavities has always been frowned upon by the guys i worked with but dont see too much of a problem with it myself. The only thing i can think is that it would not be a 'safe zone' to route a cable as it might be at risk from being drilled again? Tails are often run in the cavity at funny angles so i wouldnt loose any sleep over it for an outside light. Oh and sellers, you made me:Blushing, why didnt i think of this? :red card
this was a BT cable, by the way but could drop a cable above a socket outlet or switch within the limits

suparod have made a product like this i was gonna do it but they beat me to it, oh well wont be rich will have to do with crawling through lofts and explaining to pensoiners that you cant get TV quality cctv (540tvl IR van cam) picture through a dvr displayed on a TV at the end of there drive... sorry rant

 
Do you know guys, sometimes I think , what if a college lecturer, a Part P scam assessor , an NICIEC inspector or a stalwart of ,say , the ECA, went out to a job to earn a crust............. they'd come up with that many reasons for NOT doing it in a certain way , they 'd still be there at midnight searching through the OSG or the BRB for a regulation that would actually allow them to get the job done.

They'd have probably come up with , drill straight through wall , fit 20mm Galvo steel conduit, a back entry end box on the client's lounge wall and galv conduit down to the switch , then feed an SWA cable through the conduit in case the client decides to drill a hole in it, and perhaps mount a dirty great transformer on the wall and drop the voltage to a SELV for extra safety. Oh and back it up with 10mA RCD just in case. ;)

Come on guys , no offence but who's ever found a cable conducting moisture across a wall cavity ?

 
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