Garden lights

[mickys86]

Got called out today to look at some garden lights which are only 12-18 months old because they keep tripping the rcd. When I get there I have a look and I find armoured coming out of the house and going into a ip rated jb which is buried underground. What then happens is non armoured flex joins to another jb and 6 garden lights are then all connected via non armoured flex which is buried underground and running for several metres. Four of the cables have breakdown in the insulation and the solution I had after playing about with two of the lights is to reinstall the lights using SWA etc.

My question is....
Is burying non armoured flex against regulations or just bad practice (because it's on an rcd) because personally I wouldn't do it, rcd or not

Cheers,

Michael

 

[mark80]

Well i havent a regs book to hand but im sure theres something along the lines of providing adequate mechanical protection and also protection against external influences which would come to mind.

 

[Newsome3]

Agree with above

 

[simpson93]

not sure if this is the right answer to you but
reg 512.2 external influences
512.2.1-equipment shall be designed appropriate to the situation in which it is to be used or its mode of installation shall take account of the conditions to encountered
512.2.1-if equipment by its construction, have the characteristics relevant to the external influences of its location, it may be used nevertheless be used on condition that it is provided with appropriate additional protection

 

[mickys86]

So I guess it should've been done in SWA but it's all fine to bury flex if on an rcd?. It's all quite contradictory haha. Cheers for finding it, I'm still not home and the book is gonna be opened when I get in

 

[simpson93]

i personaly would never bury flex in the ground unless in conduit.

 

[Newsome3]

I've seen t+e, and flex burried before but like you say they've always been in conduits

 

[mickys86]

Surely using SWA would just be easier?

 

[Mr.Si]

Surely using SWA would just be easier?

Maybe the installer hated making off CW20s...

 

[telectrix]

2 words. lazy & cheapskate. never bury T/E or flex inprotected. SWA every time. ( or flex conduit )

 

[mickys86]

The guy that did this was a fully qualified sparks coming
Out of a big company to go out on his own, and yet I'm new to the trade and though I don't know everything (I'm not naive to think that I could know everything) I know that a cable has to be mechanically protected. To think that people do this is really frustrating!!

 

[simpson93]

well im guessing if he just started he was skint and didnt have the armoured but some flex in the van. and thought that will do.

 

[telectrix]

being skint is no excuse for bad workmanship. the idiot could have made a bigger profit and more labour hours by using SWA.

 

[simpson93]

being skint is no excuse for bad workmanship. the idiot could have made a bigger profit and more labour hours by using SWA.

agreed and he new its not acceptable otherwise he probably would of done the full run in flex.

 

[Mr.Si]

If that was the case, he should have got the customer to buy the materials up front and done it that way, surely.

But we can only guess WHY it was done.