Anyone can fix an MICC cable leading to a light switch in my house (London, N6)?

[Deleted member 148954]

Hello, I am looking for an electrician who has an expertise in dealing with MICC (mineral-insulated copper-clad) cables. It is a domestic job in my house (I live in Highgate, London; postcode is N6). When I was replacing a light switch in my living room, 2 out of 6 wires coming out of 2 MICC cables (which come through the wall; each cable has 3 wires) broke off. I am attaching two photos of the light switch in question (the 2 wires that have snapped are behind the switch). Please contact me if you can do the job and provide a quote. (If you need any further info, please let me know). Thanks, Eugene

 

[UNG]

Have never know MICC to be used domestically except as a sub main up a tenement building in Edinburgh.

Sometime around the I think late 50's / early 60's BICC produced the Octpus wiring system which was used for wiring flats I believe it had a central box and all the cables were terminated into it this was laid out on the shuttering and the cables laid out to there various positions before the concrete was poured. A friend of my mum worked at the BICC factory in Prescot terminating the ends on piece work and was paid something like 3d per end it doesn't sound a lot but they could terminate upto 20 ends per hour. I remember seeing the film at college back in the 70's and it was amazing how they did it

Around Prescot you quite often find the odd older house wired in MICC usually the owner or past owner worked at the MICC part of the factory or were a relative of someone who worked there

 

[ipf]

I

Sometime around the I think late 50's / early 60's BICC produced the Octpus wiring system which was used for wiring flats I believe it had a central box and all the cables were terminated into it this was laid out on the shuttering and the cables laid out to there various positions before the concrete was poured. A friend of my mum worked at the BICC factory in Prescot terminating the ends on piece work and was paid something like 3d per end it doesn't sound a lot but they could terminate upto 20 ends per hour. I remember seeing the film at college back in the 70's and it was amazing how they did it

A penny a minute, 5 bob an hour, eh?
Must have been in the fifties UNG, maybe early 60’s, though.
I remember the octopus, they used loads in 60’s high rise flats.

 

[ipf]

Why the insulated lugs with metal screws in the switch back box?

It's still not clear to me where, exactly, the wires have broken.

 

[7029 dave]

Never liked this type of MICC clamp switch box, they were always shallow not designed for dimmers etc.
The better way would of been to use full terminations Micc glands then pot and coupler and bush into a standard deeper box .

 

[ipf]

Never liked this type of MICC clamp switch box, they were always shallow not designed for dimmers etc.
The better way would of been to use full terminations Micc glands then pot and coupler and bush into a standard deeper box .

I agree.... but when that one was designed the best description of a household dimmer was a lamp getting towards the end of it's life.

 

[7029 dave]

I agree.... but when that one was designed the best description of a household dimmer was a lamp getting towards the end of it's life.

Never got on with them stupid clamp (on the pot) accessories. Used them once that was enough

 

[ipf]

Never got on with them stupid clamp (on the pot) accessories. Used them once that was enough

Hey up......look what I've found. A church attic littered with them.

Installed correctly, they had their uses, I suppose


.

 

[7029 dave]

Hey up......look what I've found. A church attic littered with them.

Installed correctly, they had their uses, I suppose


View attachment 101651.

View attachment 101650

Nah would look better with a glanded MICC and stop end box , more expensive but a quality job lol

 

[littlespark]

Orange pvc coated MICC…. Now that’s a proper job!

Fire alarms in red as well?

 

[Dustydazzler]

I am certain that Del used on of those pancake pyro boxes on a job when he had to repair a damage pyro cable is a garage

 

[7029 dave]

I am certain that Del used on of those pancake pyro boxes on a job when he had to repair a damage pyro cable is a garage

Yup he did, dont know why he didnt use full terminations into a conduit through box or AB.
Looks the bees when using PVC coated orange and shroud if you please. lol
Maybe Del could not source gland.

 

[UNG]

Nah would look better with a glanded MICC and stop end box , more expensive but a quality job lol

I have always thought those boxes made it look like a cheap job and wasted the effort exerted installing the cable, it's a bit more of a complete job when MICC is glanded looks more reassuring

Orange pvc coated MICC…. Now that’s a proper job!

Fire alarms in red as well?

When it was manufactured in Prescot you could get MICC with any colour serving you wanted if you were prepared to order the minimum quantity which was if I remember 3000m

When BICC manufactured MICC in Prescot they would even supply imperial sized glands and seals which were metric sizes drilled to imperial size

 

[littlespark]

I just remember years ago, it think it was going to be a museum or something... general power in orange, fire alarms in red and i think emergency lighting in white.

Apprentices jobs were to stand at the board and basically strip 2-3 foot off each cable as it came into the plant room.
Every day for a week coming home looking like Casper the flippin' ghost!


I think last time i even touched pyro was running a non-stop 500m length through the bowels of Ninewells hospital in Dundee.

There were more corridors under the hospital than appear above ground...

Spooky place sometimes.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I have only ever worked with bare and orange pyro

But I am certain I have seen white , grey and red pyro

I still remember clear as day being at a church we were adding some emergency lights and I came across pyro for the first time ( other than at college ) and my heart sank when I had to work on the old pyro circuit , but after a couple hours it wasn't too bad

 

[westward10]

As @UNG says BICC would produce it in any colour provided the quantity was cost effective.
I was also told 'Megger' every gland you make off. Strangely enough was in one of our local churches yesterday and whilst my girlfriend was signing the Queens condolence book I was scratching the MI cables to the light switch thinking they were painted grey but the sheath and shrouds were indeed grey.