lead sheathed cable

[brucelee]

Hi all

my friends brother rang me to say he had drilled a hole in the wall and the power to lights has gone off

yes he has drilled the cable to be fair to him it was in back bedroom of 2 up 2 down terraced house
side of the window and not were yo would expect a cable to be

anyway I went to have a look and chased a bit of plaster off around the cable to see he had drilled a perfect hole bang in the middle of the cable and when i looked closer noticed it was lead sheathed

is it possible in anyway to repair this or should the damaged cable be replaced
I have told him its really old possibly around the 1940s and the house could do with rewiring

it has wylex fuseboard but with the replacement trip switches

on lead sheathed cable does the lead act as a earth?

I havnt had much experience of lead sheathed cables apart from ripping it out on rewires

if i do replace the faulty cable what do i do about the earthing regarding the cpc ? and then does this need rcd protecting all lights 1 circuit no rcd at present

any help and advice appreciated
my thought on it is a rewire for the whole house as it all looks original apart from newer switches and sockets

 

[brucelee]

cheers mate

yes mate keep at it and hope my luck changes cheers for replies and kind words

appreciated mate and everyone else who has taken the time to respond

 

[GLENNSPARK]

mate i am on the 2330 lv3 i started in june and restarting proper in sept also have the 2356 on the go so need to get going and set up to complete this as i need work for the evidenc ei would go work for someone for free to get the evidence and experience especially if commercial etc 3 phase anything to get it done or i will have wasted even more money I asked about the 2357 and yes very vague apart form at first they said yu had to be employed so if i set up ltd lol and emply myself i could send myself on this couse lol as employeee training but i would have to see the director about it eg me agin and discuss with accountant eg me and the receptioninst eg me again lol

yes mate they convinced ne it was ending the 2330 and basically i was knackered for the 2357
as its for 16-18 yr olds who will only be funded and no firm i dont reckon will take a 41 yr old almost spark on apprenticship even if i did offer to work for free lol

Dont you kid yourself mate! Listen, in these times does an employer want someone who is always on their phone or gawping at birds goin past or do they want someone who has site experience, commitments at home and will travel to jobs etc? If you were a prospective employer would you trust a youngster, giddy n silly near tpn? you`d have to have eyes in the back of your head and i dont think it cuts it at the moment as well as the best of times! Believe me, iv seen em. Would i employ em.........not on your nelly! I`d rather pay more and get someone who will turn up on time and do the work provided with quality and in a safe manner whilst not embarrasing me, themselves or my company in front of clients (all things i hold in high regard).......

 

[telectrix]

the lead cpc will be clamped into a metal JB which gives it continuity to the other cables in the JB. if replacing just the damaged cable, you will have to make off your cpc to the JB with a lug. as said, have to be careful with the existing cable terminations.

 

[Knobhead]

Just to add a complication, please wear disposable gloves when handling the insulation. If it is paper it could be impregnated with PCB! NOT nice stuff, if you can avoid contact with it, do so.
PCB’s = Polychlorinated biphenyls see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl

 

[oxocube]

Oh i be probably be back on here for more help to dumb questions

No such thing as a dumb question, and anyone who things they know all the answers about the electrical game probably knows very little.

Good luck, and hopefully you'll find the harder you try the luckier you'll get.

 

[brucelee]

the lead cpc will be clamped into a metal JB which gives it continuity to the other cables in the JB. if replacing just the damaged cable, you will have to make off your cpc to the JB with a lug. as said, have to be careful with the existing cable terminations.

cheers tel i was wondering how i am going to make the cpc of in the new cable to still get continuity

to test for continuity should i use the R2 lead or is it possible to test R1 +R2 byt testting the sheath

but how would the continuity be made of at the fuseboard as most of these are bakalite or have wooden backboards also


also in regards to IR testing how should i approach this L-N and the L- sheath? and N-sheath

cheers for reply mate

 

[telectrix]

as normal. just croc.clamp your green lead on to the lead sheath. you will probably find that the lead sheaths are all earthed inside the fuse board with an earthing terminal that clamps over the sheaths.

 

[brucelee]

Just to add a complication, please wear disposable gloves when handling the insulation. If it is paper it could be impregnated with PCB! NOT nice stuff, if you can avoid contact with it, do so.
PCB’s = Polychlorinated biphenyls see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl

mate reading that sounds nasty stuff mate i didt understand emost of the terms but reading between the lines its not good and should be avoided as much as possible

i seem to get all the good jobs

cheers mate i will be careful as much as i can not to disturb the cables

 

[brucelee]

thanks tel
straight to the point just the information i was after mate

cheers mate appreciated

 

[Knobhead]

mate reading that sounds nasty stuff mate i didt understand emost of the terms but reading between the lines its not good and should be avoided as much as possible

i seem to get all the good jobs

cheers mate i will be careful as much as i can not to disturb the cables

Just look after yourself, please :angelsad2:

 

[telectrix]

i'd date the lead sheathed cable as pre-1940. last on i came across was from 1926 as that was when the house was built. apart from insulation crumbling at the ends, the cable was as good as when it was installed.

 

[Geordie Spark]

i'd date the lead sheathed cable as pre-1940. last on i came across was from 1926 as that was when the house was built. apart from insulation crumbling at the ends, the cable was as good as when it was installed.

Yes, I worked on a house that was built in 1925 & it was wired with this lead sheathed stuff. (it isn't now though!!)

The mounting board for the cut out, & meter etc. was a lump of polished mahogany 3 feet X 2 feet X 1 1/2 inches thick !!

 

[telectrix]

Yes, I worked on a house that was built in 1925 & it was wired with this lead sheathed stuff. (it isn't now though!!)

The mounting board for the cut out, & meter etc. was a lump of polished mahogany 3 feet X 2 feet X 1 1/2 inches thick !!

and now you're lucky to get 1/2" weetabix that crumbles at the sight of a screw.

 

[telectrix]

thanks tel
straight to the point just the information i was after mate

cheers mate appreciated

and it's one of the few times you'll find R2<R1.

 

[Knobhead]

The mounting board for the cut out, & meter etc. was a lump of polished mahogany 3 feet X 2 feet X 1 1/2 inches thick !!

I hope you saved the wood. A good cabinetmaker would have the holes invisibly filled and knocked out as a coffee table at £450 by now!