Expanding foam?

[Plumbryan]

Hi guys.

this is my first post in this forum! Been on the plumbing forum for a while.

Im a plumber and have had some work done at my own house, had a spark come and move some sockets and add some bits and bobs.. All seems ok.

Plasterer came today and sprayed expanding foam (not fire rated) into the chasesd out walls and around sockets and junction boxes?

Gas safe does not allow for fire rated foam to be used to seal flues. So alarm bells started ringing when I seen what he had done.

Is It within regs??

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[Marvo]

I doubt it would be a problem with the electrical regs but maybe the building or fire regs would have something against it depending on the circumstances.

 

[Leesparkykent]

If polystyrene or polyurethane foam comes into contact with thermoplastic (pvc) cable sheathing, plasticiser can migrate from the thermoplastic to the foam. The thermoplastic sheathing then becomes less flexible and the foam becomes soft and tacky. Such contact should be avoided regulation 522.5.3 of bs7671 says Materials liable to cause mutual or individual deterioration or hazardous degradation shall not be placed in contact with each other.

 

[Marvo]

Wouldn't the cable be in conduit or under capping?

 

[davesparks]

Wouldn't the cable be in conduit or under capping?

Not necessarily, there is no requirement to do so (it was news to me as I was taught that it is required as an apprentice)

 

[Leesparkykent]

Wouldn't the cable be in conduit or under capping?

Thats hope so ay for his sake.

 

[Marvo]

Not necessarily, there is no requirement to do so (it was news to me as I was taught that it is required as an apprentice)

Lol, news to me as well.....so they install normal flat twin cabling straight into a chase and plaster over it? Every day is a school day, I thought we Africans were supposed to be the rough ones .

 

[davesparks]

Lol, news to me as well.....so they install normal flat twin cabling straight into a chase and plaster over it? Every day is a school day, I thought we Africans were supposed to be the rough ones .

That's the blue touch paper well and truly lit!
You've just opened up a subject which is as bad as the damn three plate/feeds to switches argument!

 

[TJ Anderson]

Lol, news to me as well.....so they install normal flat twin cabling straight into a chase and plaster over it? Every day is a school day, I thought we Africans were supposed to be the rough ones .

The problem is, if we actually install it like that, we have to spend so much time telling everyone it is not "illegal" lol, that it is quicker to cap / conduit it

 

[Marvo]

I wasn't looking for a ruckus, I was genuinely surprised. I thought capping was as rough as it got, even that wouldn't be allowed here but I've always bitten my tongue and kept quiet about it because when there's a riot I'm the one cleaning it up but flat twin straight in plaster came as something of a shock, I had no idea that was permissible.

 

[davesparks]

I wasn't looking for a ruckus, I was genuinely surprised .

And there was me thinking you'd adopted an 'if you can't beat them, join them' attitude to trolls!

 

[Marvo]

Just goes to show how superior we actually are out here in the sticks, did you know we also always loop the supply through the switches on our lighting circuits Dave?

 

[Simonslimline]

I wasn't looking for a ruckus, I was genuinely surprised. I thought capping was as rough as it got, even that wouldn't be allowed here but I've always bitten my tongue and kept quiet about it because when there's a riot I'm the one cleaning it up but flat twin straight in plaster came as something of a shock, I had no idea that was permissible.

Table 4A2 Installation method C, Unless i am reading it wrong?

 

[Marvo]

I've got a copy of the UK regs somewhere I'm tempted to do some reading of them to see what other gems I can find.

 

[HandySparks]

I'd expect a better thermal performance for a cable directly plastered in, rather than capped or in conduit. However a squirt of PU foam over the cable is going to act as a pretty good thermal insulator, so not a good thing.