Is it ok to run cable within a boxed vent pipe?

[magicstu]

I may get my head bitten off for this, but please be nice. I want to get the supply to my cooker replaced from 6mm to 10mm, but the existing route is almost impossible, but there is an easier route following the vent/stench pipe (that is boxed in ) through the bathroom and into the loft, then across to the front of the house and back down to the consumer unit. One company said they cant do it, as it passes through the bathroom, another has said it's ok because the cable is not part of the bathroom, and the boxed corner is completely built into the wall, I want to run the cable myself and get the electrician to do the final burying of the cable in the kitchen wall for the last 1.5 metres, and the final installation at the consumer unit with a new breaker, neither have an issue with that, its just the cable running down the boxed in pipework- Can anyone tell me if there are any regulations that it breaches? Thanks

 

[DNS1]

but we are not supposed to let cables dangle with out being supported.

If you could remove the boxing and maybe cable tie the cable to the pipe or clip it to the wall at intervals of say 2 feet then refit the boxing it would be acceptable.

I was under the impression that it was permissible to let a cable hang for up to 5 metres before additional support was needed.

 

[tidyboiler]

Geordie, i have noticed as time marches on, things that dangle unsupported tend to sag.

Which is where duct tape becomes useful. :rofl:

 

[Andy78]

I was under the impression that it was permissible to let a cable hang for up to 5 metres before additional support was needed.

What, any cable ? any size ?

 

[davethsparky]

Without getting the book out I think that 5mtrs is the rule for cables in vertical trunking/conduit if properly protected against pinching down on a tight bend etc at the top of the run, don't think it applies to just any old cable though.
How you apply this kind of rule to this situation really requires an application of common sense and good judgement (I think most wholesalers have run out of stock of these special items though)

 

[DNS1]

What, any cable ? any size ?

Sheathed, without armour, any size.

Only got the old red copy of the On Site Guide to hand, in that it's in Appendix 4. No idea where it is in the updated copy.

 

[Andy78]

Sheathed, without armour, any size.

Only got the old red copy of the On Site Guide to hand, in that it's in Appendix 4. No idea where it is in the updated copy.

See Dave's post. Applicable only to vertical conduit and trunking runs.

 

[davethsparky]

Raises an interesting question though, If I can follow that rule and install a T+E cable in vertical trunking whilst properly supported at the top of the run for a drop of 5 meters, why can't I support a T+E cable at the top of a boxing and let it hang for roughly half that distance from ceiling down to floor level?

I'm not saying that this is either right or wrong, just that this is where the aforementioned judgement, experience and common sense come in to the equation. Some of the factors I would be considering are construction and contents of the boxing, the size of the cable and most importantly can I find another better route for it?

 

[DNS1]

See Dave's post. Applicable only to vertical conduit and trunking runs.

Nah, it's applicable to any vertical run which is inaccessible and unlikely to be disturbed. Eg: like the OP has suggested. Dave is right about the bend though, there's a table in the OSG so you get it right.

 

[Andy78]

Nah, it's applicable to any vertical run which is inaccessible and unlikely to be disturbed. Eg: like the OP has suggested. Dave is right about the bend though, there's a table in the OSG so you get it right.

Not in my book it isn't, lol, clearly states trunking, conduit, and ducting. Now you could argue that the boxwork is acting as a ducting, I would say it wasn't, as a cable ducting is somewhere dedicated for cables and you would happily run single insulated cables.

Common sense would suggest it would be fine if strain relief was provided at the top of the boxwork, but it's not something I would personally be that happy with, especially with a 10mm T+E. I'd be looking at all other options first.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

I can't envisage ANY bathroom exceeding 5m in either vertical or horizontal dimensions, and 10mm cable may well be required and is very robust so in my opinion, crack on and wire it through there if that is easiest.

 

[davethsparky]

Just checked the OSG and I was wrong, page 127 item 7 applies subject to the support as I described earlier. Armoured cables in a similar situation (item 6 same page)don't appear to have any maximum distance stated!

 

[Andy78]

Just checked the OSG and I was wrong, page 127 item 7 applies subject to the support as I described earlier. Armoured cables in a similar situation (item 6 same page)don't appear to have any maximum distance stated!

Cheers for that. I do apologise DNS, you were right, I hadn't read far enough down the page, lol.
Not a situation I have ever really come across having to justify really.

 

[Des 56]

Isn't it truly astonishing how these final connection electricians tend get more holidays than the rest of us

When they are not on holiday,they also tend to be extremely difficult to contact on the phone
Personal contact is out of the question because of no known address

It seems to me these final connection sparks are not hardly worth employing

Perhaps the customer could consider a DIY solution.after all its only 2 wires or is that 3,anyway,there must be information on the web that will sort it out for them

 

[RWJ]

Isn't it truly astonishing how these final connection electricians tend get more holidays than the rest of us

When they are not on holiday,they also tend to be extremely difficult to contact on the phone
Personal contact is out of the question because of no known address

I think they only exist in the imagination! :devilish:

 

[davethsparky]

A bit like the aforementioned common sense and good judgement then?