Copper Surface Trunking

Broomstick · Aug 20, 2012

Hi
i have an old stone cottage. I need to do some surface re-wiring but I do not like plastic trunking. Could I use copper piping for the wires as I feel this would make a good feature. Would this be safe.?

Adam W · Aug 20, 2012

biff55 said:
Have you any idea how dull and tedious that post was ?
good grief man , write an essay why dont you.

Very helpful, thank you.

D Skelton · Aug 20, 2012

biff55 said:
Have you any idea how dull and tedious that post was ?
good grief man , write an essay why dont you.

Dull and tedious his post may have seemed to you, I don't know, I can't comment? However, do you not think he makes at least a couple of fair points?

I was going to mention before he beat me to it about the plumber asking his apprentice to take a grinder to all the 'old' pipework! Very doubtful it would ever happen but still, if it did, it would be a rather 'shocking' situation

Marvo · Aug 20, 2012

I can certainly give you some pointers. My house is kinda like a beach house and there's no ceiling on the ground floor so when I extended it I recycled all the old copper pipe as conduit. There's a few things that make your life easier;

When you cut the copper pipe run a deburring tool around the inside of the cut to stop it chaffing the cabling.
I used 22mm copper pipe with solder type fittings but I used 2 very small pop rivets to secure the joints of elbows and couplings. This gives good continuity to the entire run of copper.
You can use plumbing elbows but they're tight radius, you must pull the cable through as you assemble the copper conduit. If you go to a refrigeration wholesalers you can get long radius copper refrigeration bends, they're imperial sizes but you can make them fit plumbing pipe by using a swageing kit.

Here's some pics of my handywork;

[ElectriciansForums.net] Copper Surface Trunking

This is the swaging tool and deburring tool I used;

Swicade · Aug 20, 2012

Whilst a good idea MICC can look terrible if not done by someone with good skills to dress it back let alone making it off.

Tbh the only thing wrong with using copper pipe as a substitute conduit is the fact it's it's just something we dont usualy do.... nothing more than that.

At times it is good to think outside of our small boxes....admittedly not always though.

Engineer54 · Aug 21, 2012

benji said:
read somewere conduit in HOUSE OF COMMONS is copper

Indeed the House of Commons does have extensive copper conduit installations... The conduit (brass alloy) box fittings and couplers are soldered to the copper conduit... Couplers also come in dual soldered/screw configuration.

In this particular instance though, MICC cable is ideal for keeping an old cottage in a oldie world setting, whilst out performing any other cabling system. What's more, installed correctly, it'll probably out last the cottage. Just don't ask a electrical trainee DI to install it!!.... lol!!

Copper Surface Trunking

Broomstick

Adam W

D Skelton

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Marvo

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Swicade

Engineer54

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