Routing problems

[Davisonp]

Hi,

I have a complex situation. Please bear with me.

I have been asked to "Repair" and add to some external lighting.

There is a road with a large common off it. At the edge of the common is a church. Beyond the church is a church associated primary school, and beyond that is a vicarage.
The path between the road and the vicarage (part of one of the regular paths across the common) is unlit by public lighting.

There is a vicarage light covering part of the path to the vicarage. This is on school property and attached to a tree in a wooded area bordering the vicarage garden, and there is a flint wall along the path to the vicarage, round the edge of the school. This flint wall is a Grade 2 listed feature,

There is a garage near the gate of the vicarage, and an existing supply to the garage with sockets, a garage light and external floodlight, and this circuit is tripping periodically.

I believe the best solution is a new cable from the house, to the floodlight on the garage, then on to a new light by the front gate, then on to a new light replacing the old light on the tree in the school wood. The problem is the routing of the cable.
There are two problems with the routing.

The paths round the back of the vicarage are gravel, with no secure fencing to attach to, so the only sensible route is to bury the cable, but I suspect that I will not get the cable very deep as if the path has been made correctly burying a cable at depth may be very difficult.
The first question is what would more experienced electricians do in this situation.

The second more interesting problem is how do I get from a new light on the vicarage gate post to the light in the school woods. I cannot clip to the listed wall, and I cannot bury the cables as the tree roots make this impossible. I know this is an area not used by the school, but I do not like the idea of laying SWA round the inner edge of the wall unsecured, and I do not see any workable alternative. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards
Davisonp

 

[davesparks]

First thing to do is diagnose and fix the fault causing the occasional tripping of the garage supply.

And for the cables you mark out the route with a trail of sand etc then hire a labourer to dig the trenches.
Put ducts in the trenches and backfill, adding marker tapes at suitable depths .
To get under a path dig the trench up to the side of the path both sides. Then drop a scaff pole into the trench and wallop it with a sledgehammer until it has gone all the way under the path and out the other side.


Or else get it moled.

 

[Engineer54]

First thing to do is diagnose and fix the fault causing the occasional tripping of the garage supply.

And for the cables you mark out the route with a trail of sand etc then hire a labourer to dig the trenches.
Put ducts in the trenches and backfill, adding marker tapes at suitable depths .
To get under a path dig the trench up to the side of the path both sides. Then drop a scaff pole into the trench and wallop it with a sledgehammer until it has gone all the way under the path and out the other side.


Or else get it moled.

Hmmm!! ....and how do you get compacted earth and stones out of the scaffold pole to run the cable in?? lol!!

 

[Rockingit]

Hmmm!! ....and how do you get compacted earth and stones out of the scaffold pole to run the cable in?? lol!!

Push it through with a clean one, or push it through and put a duct in its place.

 

[Engineer54]

That's easier said than done. Why not just do the job properly in the first place, it'll take far less time and cost less than excavating a trench wide enough either side of the path to pass/thump the scaffold pole through. That or hiring someone to mole a duct under the pathway....

 

[Farmelectrics]

mole machine

 

[davesparks]

Hmmm!! ....and how do you get compacted earth and stones out of the scaffold pole to run the cable in?? lol!!

I did say 'and out the other side'!

It's worked for me a few times, and it's no different to what a pneumatic mole does.

 

[davesparks]

That's easier said than done. Why not just do the job properly in the first place, it'll take far less time and cost less than excavating a trench wide enough either side of the path to pass/thump the scaffold pole through. That or hiring someone to mole a duct under the pathway....

But he's got to dig that trench anyway to put the cable in so that's not creating any extra work!

 

[Engineer54]

But the trench on either side of the path will need to be at least the width of the path and on one side even wider to be able to thump the the pole under the path, so if the pathway is 1.5 metres wide, that's the width (plus a bit) of the trench one side, where the pole is going to exit and on the othe side at least 2 metre wide. Might just as well trench across the path and drop a duct into it and make good!!

 

[R G]

Just completed a job , Transco put a new gas service in to an external cabinet , I was surprised how little disturbance and how quick the job took with a mole machine , they were done in 3 hours , with the ground cabinet and the connection to the main service all done as well , in future I would consider using a company like that rather than digging out if theres no obstructions .

 

[HandySparks]

But the trench on either side of the path will need to be at least the width of the path and on one side even wider to be able to thump the the pole under the path, so if the pathway is 1.5 metres wide, that's the width (plus a bit) of the trench one side, where the pole is going to exit and on the othe side at least 2 metre wide. Might just as well trench across the path and drop a duct into it and make good!!

I can't stand it any longer. :banghead: :6:

Davesparks is clearly an optimistic chap and has his cable trench running perpendicular to the line of the path.

On the other hand, E54 is a pessimist. His trench is running alongside the path and needs a joggle to get from one side of the path to the other.

 

[Engineer54]

I can't stand it any longer. :banghead: :6:

Davesparks is clearly an optimistic chap and has his cable trench running perpendicular to the line of the path.

On the other hand, E54 is a pessimist. His trench is running alongside the path and needs a joggle to get from one side of the path to the other.

You know, i never gave that a thought to be honest HandySparks. ...lol!!
Never know the cable could be running one side of the path perpendicular and the other side alongside the path...lol!! ....Still think it'll be easier to trench across the path, especially as the OP stated they were gravel paths!!

 

[Davisonp]

Thanks to everyone for replying, but folk seem to have been sidetracked with the path that is just going to be more hard work than I wanted. They have missed the real problem, which is how do you run a cable along the route of a grade two listed wall, through a relatively dense wood with lots of small bushes and large trees with large roots, and where the wooed area is in the outskirts of a school?

 

[HandySparks]

Get a quote from a groundworks contractor to dig a trench and lay in a duct, leaving you to do the easy bit. Then it's up to the customer to accept the price or not.

 

[davesparks]

Thanks to everyone for replying, but folk seem to have been sidetracked with the path that is just going to be more hard work than I wanted. They have missed the real problem, which is how do you run a cable along the route of a grade two listed wall, through a relatively dense wood with lots of small bushes and large trees with large roots, and where the wooed area is in the outskirts of a school?

1 you don't run cables along listed walls.

2 with a digger.

3 find and fix the fault on the existing installation before adding anything new to it