Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

[Darkwood]

Right ... Just been nudged to set this up by Paul.M and sounds a good idea following recent threads I've done in the Arms..

Rules....No Offensive material... edit if required before posting as this is the public arena.
Anything to do with the trade or in and around it ...H&S pic's welcome.



I've posted this a few times and this is at a mates house following a kitchen refirb several yrs ago. mg_smile:

 

[7029 dave]

Never known the DNO or supplier to take tails any further than the meter or isolator (if fitted). Tails out to the meter box are the domestic electricians responsibility.

Yep through the cavity in nearly all cases

 

[brianmoooore]

One issue is where services come in to new builds. Our meter box is on the outside of a kitchen wall, with tails coming across that room to CU in utility room.

Who designs these things? Is it beyond the wit of the architect to place the incoming supply directly outside the proposed position of the CU.

 

[DPG]

Who designs these things? Is it beyond the wit of the architect to place the incoming supply directly outside the proposed position of the CU.

Fully agree. No need for it, and should never be done.

 

[Raptor0014]

Never known the DNO or supplier to take tails any further than the meter or isolator (if fitted). Tails out to the meter box are the domestic electricians responsibility.

Odd, when they installed my smart meter and upgraded my cutout to 100A they also ran a new set of 25mm tails to the CU.

It’s often impossible to run a straight through sleeved set of tails. In fact in almost every property I’ve worked at you couldn’t. I can only think of one at the moment when I installed an EV charger where the CU was directly behind the cabinet.

Eg the one I did today.

Meter box is outside at chest height. Consumer unit is 2m away at 2 o’clock to the meter and up by the ceiling. The cabinet is also straddling the point where there is an internal separating wall. So I either sleeve the tails straight through in to one room, put some form of trunking or box to cover it and then drill though the wall to the utility where the CU is and then run more trunking up to the CU. (Could also chase into the wall but would be a deep chase and far too invasive). Or I could just follow the existing tails and run it up the cavity.

Out of curiosity. How would you have done it if you always sleeve? Not having a go, I’m always happy to learn other methods. I’ve yet to see a property with a straight through sleeved set of tails.

 

[brianmoooore]

Tails would be in trunking if I couldn't get them into safe zones. I don't compromise regulations for aesthetics. If the customer complains, tell them to take it up with the architect who did the sloppy design in the first place.

 

[nicebutdim]

Who designs these things? Is it beyond the wit of the architect to place the incoming supply directly outside the proposed position of the CU.

I don't disagree, but these are common types of homes. I assume developers simply pay for use of plans drawn up by someone who knows little about acceptable cable routes. To be fair, the house styles I have in mind are well designed to make the most of a limited amount of space.

Still, there's nothing to stop developers installing a duct with draw string - they probably haven't thought to do so or simply don't care.

 

[brianmoooore]

Odd, when they installed my smart meter and upgraded my cutout to 100A they also ran a new set of 25mm tails to the CU.

I would have expected the meter supplier to request that you provide the upgraded tails to the meter cabinet before they uprated the cutout. That's what I've always done - new tails to the meter cabinet, connected with Henleys to the old tails in the cabinet (along with a note not to walk off with my Henleys.)

 

[nicebutdim]

Tails would be in trunking if I couldn't get them into safe zones. I don't compromise regulations for aesthetics. If the customer complains, tell them to take it up with the architect who did the sloppy design in the first place.

If more sparks adopted this approach things might be different, but there'll always be someone prepared to take work and not raise a fuss.

 

[brianmoooore]

Still, there's nothing to stop developers installing a duct with draw string - they probably haven't thought to do so or simply don't care.

That's the point! As long as we don't push back, and create waves, they will continue to do so.

 

[brianmoooore]

If we go with ducting along the cavities, there's still the problem of serious derating of the tails if cavity insulation is installed.

 

[timhoward]

This is an interesting discussion.
There's a whole estate near me with 60 amp PME cutout in cabinet outside, 'tails' are 10mm T+E through cavity to CU high up on other side of wall in garage. Main earth is not adequate for PME requirements and my first job at any of these houses is always running an extra independent earth.
But replacing the tails has proved to be very hard due to the amount of rubbish in the wall. It's almost as if all the trades used that cavity as skip!
Apart from the cost, and if I could get them through, is two lengths of Kopex, one per tail a possible solution?
I've never seen it done which makes me suspect there's a flaw....!

 

[Raptor0014]

Tails would be in trunking if I couldn't get them into safe zones. I don't compromise regulations for aesthetics. If the customer complains, tell them to take it up with the architect who did the sloppy design in the first place.

I agree it’s sloppy design. But most houses are like this, even new builds.

 

[Raptor0014]

I would have expected the meter supplier to request that you provide the upgraded tails to the meter cabinet before they uprated the cutout. That's what I've always done - new tails to the meter cabinet, connected with Henleys to the old tails in the cabinet (along with a note not to walk off with my Henleys.)

It was Octopus that did it. Can’t comment as to why as I was expecting to need to do it myself.

 

[Raptor0014]

This is an interesting discussion.
There's a whole estate near me with 60 amp PME cutout in cabinet outside, 'tails' are 10mm T+E through cavity to CU high up on other side of wall in garage. Main earth is not adequate for PME requirements and my first job at any of these houses is always running an extra independent earth.
But replacing the tails has proved to be very hard due to the amount of rubbish in the wall. It's almost as if all the trades used that cavity as skip!
Apart from the cost, and if I could get them through, is two lengths of Kopex, one per tail a possible solution?
I've never seen it done which makes me suspect there's a flaw....!

I’d never have gotten Kopex up the wall today. I had to pull one tail in at a time and use liberal amounts of cable lube.

 

[Raptor0014]

I don't disagree, but these are common types of homes. I assume developers simply pay for use of plans drawn up by someone who knows little about acceptable cable routes. To be fair, the house styles I have in mind are well designed to make the most of a limited amount of space.

Still, there's nothing to stop developers installing a duct with draw string - they probably haven't thought to do so or simply don't care.

The latter. All down to cost/time