Use of FP200. Will it get messed up by too much flexing?

[1Justin]

I have electrics to add in a listed barn. It's a unlined shell of a building, grubby cobwebby beams and timbers with external claddding. Customer must have all black wiring so as to hide it as much as possible. Everything will be clipped with metal accessories. Trunking/conduits are too big and because the whole building is utterly wonky, nothing which is straight or right angled will fit anyhow.
The BLACK thing has me going, so prevents T&E.
I immediately said to the customer I could run it in H07RN-F which is defined as "heavy duty" (Hence OK for permanent wiring re 521.9.1 and BS50565-1. ).
The slimmer, cheaper and easier to use H05RR-F (Which is most rubber cable in distributors) is not defined as "heavy duty" but merely "tough". This gets into semantics, but sticking with the regs and BS50565-1, I must have "heavy duty" (that does seem to be a technical terminology) cable for permanent wiring. Hence will probably make myself insist on H07RN-F

An alternative might be black FP200. I have to admit I've not used FP cable in the past. My thinking is, I'll be up a ladder and scaffold looping and flexing this round 300 year old dirty beams. I'm concerned that the FP200 being stiff with it's alloy tube will end up a complete mess if it gets flexed much during install. - Would I be right in that prediction?

 

[telectrix]

still needs to be run in safe zones if buried, so peeps know it may be there.

 

[Pete999]

I love working with FP200 Gold - I find it a real pleasure to work with. It is fully approved by BASEC for commercial and residential installations. Because it has a continuous CPC sheath, its use is not restricted to normal wiring "safe zones", though common sense needs to be used. It is also ok for surface wiring without covering - though only white (I think) is OK for external routes without conduit or other cover due to UV issues.

FP200 Gold has a better material for the internal wire sheaths c.f. 'No-Burn Platinum' which uses neoprene (I think) and is easy to damage mechanically.

As an earlier post stated, best way to strip is to score carefully around with knife (you do not want to cut right through it) and then gently bend backwards and forwards and then the outer covering breaks free and can be easily slid off.

I see no need for a ferrule and you would have to abuse it quite a lot to damage the foil CPC layer - there is a normal CPC wire run alongside the foil layer.

Think the Foil you talk of is a scree, not a cpc.

 

[Pete999]

I love working with FP200 Gold - I find it a real pleasure to work with. It is fully approved by BASEC for commercial and residential installations. Because it has a continuous CPC sheath, its use is not restricted to normal wiring "safe zones", though common sense needs to be used. It is also ok for surface wiring without covering - though only white (I think) is OK for external routes without conduit or other cover due to UV issues.

FP200 Gold has a better material for the internal wire sheaths c.f. 'No-Burn Platinum' which uses neoprene (I think) and is easy to damage mechanically.

As an earlier post stated, best way to strip is to score carefully around with knife (you do not want to cut right through it) and then gently bend backwards and forwards and then the outer covering breaks free and can be easily slid off.

I see no need for a ferrule and you would have to abuse it quite a lot to damage the foil CPC layer - there is a normal CPC wire run alongside the foil layer.

Think the Foil you talk of is a screen, not a cpc.

 

[davesparks]

It is fully approved by BASEC for commercial and residential installations. Because it has a continuous CPC sheath, its use is not restricted to normal wiring "safe zones", though common sense needs to be used. It is also ok for surface wiring without covering - though only white (I think) is OK for external routes without conduit or other cover due to UV issues.

FP200 Gold has a better material for the internal wire sheaths c.f. 'No-Burn Platinum' which uses neoprene (I think) and is easy to damage mechanically.

It is not fully approved by BASEC for commercial and residential applications, that’s not how BASEC approval works. BASEC independently test and approve the cable to confirm that it meets applicable British standards, the don’t make mention of what it should be used for or where it should be used.
The BASEC approval for FP200 gold (freely available on the FP website) merely shows that it meets the standards for fire resistant screened cable.

The sheath is not a CPC, there is an aluminium foil screen bonded to the inside of the sheath which is in contact with the bare CPC inside.

 

[alasdairp]

It is not fully approved by BASEC for commercial and residential applications, that’s not how BASEC approval works. BASEC independently test and approve the cable to confirm that it meets applicable British standards, the don’t make mention of what it should be used for or where it should be used.
The BASEC approval for FP200 gold (freely available on the FP website) merely shows that it meets the standards for fire resistant screened cable.

The sheath is not a CPC, there is an aluminium foil screen bonded to the inside of the sheath which is in contact with the bare CPC inside.

I have a letter from Dr Jeremy Hodge, then CEO of BASEC, written about ten years ago, confirming to me that FP200 Gold is fully approved for general wiring use in homes and commercial premises. I have also discussed the issue with him several times. The foil is an extension to the CPC (I agree it is not the actual CPC) that has been fully tested to trip a 100 mA RCD (I think it is OK up to about 1 A) if the cable is penetrated by a nail or screw and the phase conductor is touched by the screw. So, as long as the installation is RCD protected, the places the cable can be run are reasonably unrestricted. The reason CY and SY and similar braided cables do not comply is that you cannot guarantee that the nail will make a good enough contaict with the braid as there are 'holes' in the braid knitting.

In November 2017, Dr Jeremy Hodge stepped down as CEO but remains in the business as Technical Director to enhance BASEC’s technical leadership in cable testing and certification, supporting Tony. Jeremy also remains as a Board Director of British Approval Services for Cables.

 

[Pete999]

I have a letter from Dr Jeremy Hodge, then CEO of BASEC, written about ten years ago, confirming to me that FP200 Gold is fully approved for general wiring use in homes and commercial premises. I have also discussed the issue with him several times. The foil is an extension to the CPC (I agree it is not the actual CPC) that has been fully tested to trip a 100 mA RCD (I think it is OK up to about 1 A) if the cable is penetrated by a nail or screw and the phase conductor is touched by the screw. So, as long as the installation is RCD protected, the places the cable can be run are reasonably unrestricted. The reason CY and SY and similar braided cables do not comply is that you cannot guarantee that the nail will make a good enough contaict with the braid as there are 'holes' in the braid knitting.

In November 2017, Dr Jeremy Hodge stepped down as CEO but remains in the business as Technical Director to enhance BASEC’s technical leadership in cable testing and certification, supporting Tony. Jeremy also remains as a Board Director of British Approval Services for Cables.

It's impossible for the foil to be classed as an extension of the cpc, it is not connected to the earthing system in any way, other than contact by touch, not by connection, respectfully suggest that Dr Hodge is typical of many Scientists who take thing literally, and don't see the practical side of things.
FP200 Gold Fire Resistant Cable from Prysmian - https://www.fpcables.co.uk/FP200.html
Further information
Prysmian FP200 Cable - http://www.fpcables.com/prysmian-fp-cables/prysmian-fp200-cable/
Personally I would not use FP for anything other that what it is intended for.

 

[Ian1981]

If a cable complies to bs 8436 it can be non rcd protected and installed out of safe zones.

I’m not sure if fp200 gold meets that certain standard ie I doubt it.

 

[Pete999]

If a cable complies to bs 8436 it can be non rcd protected and installed out of safe zones.

I’m not sure if fp200 gold meets that certain standard ie I doubt it.

It would seem that by investigation FP 200 does not comply with BS 8436