Which route would you take here for trunking at CU?

[Iain Kay]

I've been looking at a route to run mini trunking (16x25) from CU to a cupboard and from there on to another room.

Got most of the route planned in terms of getting from the room to the cupboard and from the cupboard to hall ceiling.

Now I'm looking at options to get from the ceiling down to the CU.

Is there any issue with running trunking down the pink route shown below?

Or would the green be a better option to go with, albeit less tidy looking as it would have to go over the doorframe.

 

[Pete999]

I'm not the LL but I've been given the agents go ahead pending landlord giving the OK, so I'm looking into the design for this run.

As I'm studying, I certainly want the experience of designing and running the circuit up to the point of actually terminating it in CU and sockets. This last part will either be done by qualified sparks or under supervision of qualified sparks. If they'll let me, I'm confident to do the works in full.

(Note: Trunking will be left open for visual inspection.)

I've got a -lot- of 16x25mm plastic mini trunking so making use of this would be best I think, plus there's already mini trunking installed throughout the property for the smoke alarms so it would not look out of place.

As noted in my other thread, the sparks are willing to do the job with me labour and testing only for £120 all in.

I'll be supplying trunking, appropriate cable (thinking 4mm T&E for 20A radials run through the trunking but I've not completed all my maths there so take this with a pinch of salt) and MCBs.

The sparks will be checking over my design but I wanted it to be as best as it could be before sending it over and thought well why not get some pros experience on which route to take.

The wood broad is flush with the wall so there's no cable going behind it without removing it, and I'm not keen to make any major modifications, just add a nice easy run of trunking.

This may need to be removed when I leave the property so I certainly want that part to be pretty easy with, again, just a quick sparks visit to deal with the disconnection at the CU.

What will you be supplying with this new circuit?

 

[Iain Kay]

What will you be supplying with this new circuit?

There will be two circuits, both 20A radials.

The first will terminate in the hallway cupboard and provide power for the tumble dryer and comms cupboard equipment (modems, switches, PoE switches, led lighting to work in, perhaps a number of low voltage devices with transformers, 650W server).

The second will go on from this cupboard through the wall to the master bedroom where it will provide power for up to 5 PCs/servers, and assorted peripherals attached, each with a 1,000W PSU.

When the PCs are fully loaded the PSU can actually be pulling 1,200W from the wall as measured with a plug in device.

The plan is to have these high usage appliances off the main ring final circuit leaving it for the rest of the household use.

This plan should suffice for me until I leave here to purchase a place.

 

[Pete999]

There will be two circuits, both 20A radials.

The first will terminate in the hallway cupboard and provide power for the tumble dryer and comms cupboard equipment (modems, switches, PoE switches, led lighting to work in, perhaps a number of low voltage devices with transformers, 650W server).

The second will go on from this cupboard through the wall to the master bedroom where it will provide power for up to 5 PCs/servers, and assorted peripherals attached, each with a 1,000W PSU.

When the PCs are fully loaded the PSU can actually be pulling 1,200W from the wall as measured with a plug in device.

The plan is to have these high usage appliances off the main ring final circuit leaving it for the rest of the household use.

This plan should suffice for me until I leave here to purchase a place.

Really?

 

[ipf]

Are you planning to run two 4mm2 t+e's through a 20x16 trunking?
If you're coming down from the ceiling why not run to the right of the existing fcu and fit an adapt box directly above the timber. Make sure it stands out enough and run down the wood to the cu. No cable joints, just run through the box.

 

[davesparks]

Are you planning to run two 4mm2 t+e's through a 20x16 trunking?
If you're coming down from the ceiling why not run to the right of the existing fcu and fit an adapt box directly above the timber. Make sure it stands out enough and run down the wood to the cu. No cable joints, just run through the box.

What’s the purpose of the adaptable box rather than running the trunking straight down to the CU?

 

[Toneyz]

What’s the purpose of the adaptable box rather than running the trunking straight down to the CU?

Iy's easier to get over the lip of the wooden backboard I think is the thought there Dave.

 

[Iain Kay]

Really?

That's the plan.

I've attached some pics of the hall cupboard and the wiring/set up getting started in there.

Not finished by any means but getting there.

As you will see, the cabling is most clearly temporary and is just cable tied in place for easy removal.


The master bedroom set up is a bit of a mess whilst trying to agree on organisation with my partner. Will get pics when it's coming along.

 

[Pete999]

That's the plan.

I've attached some pics of the hall cupboard and the wiring/set up getting started in there.

Not finished by any means but getting there.

As you will see, the cabling is most clearly temporary and is just cable tied in place for easy removal.


The master bedroom set up is a bit of a mess whilst trying to agree on organisation with my partner. Will get pics when it's coming along.

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I have to ask, you aren't leaving it like that for any length of time are you?

 

[Iain Kay]

I have to ask, you aren't leaving it like that are you?

Absolutely not!

All power cabling on the walls is just velcro sticky tie things which will come off no bother.

The network cabling is easy to just snip off the cable ties and down it comes.

The cabinet is not attached to the wall, just rests on a convenient shelf.

Tumble dryer is a condenser so doesn't have any holes knocked out to patch.

The virgin media cabling which is supporting the network cabling wasn't my doing, so will stay, but all of that grey cable and the BT extension will be ripped out on me moving.

Done it in pretty much every prior rental and it's always either been left perfectly or the LA has said to just leave it for the next tenants.

Given how 'raw' this looks, there's no way it will be left in place.


If you mean for the duration I'm in the property though then yes. I don't mind the look of it at all and no complaints from my partner.

It's a little tidier coming down the wall on the straights now though.


Edit: I did try some white cable tidies that velcro'd around it, but it actually looks worse. Given it has to be temporary, I'm avoiding using trunking for it so it will have to do.

 

[Octopus]

So you are running a business from home....

Can't imagine the owner is going to be very happy about all this. Hope you have their agreement in writing PLUS the fact that you are doing the work..........

Not met many landlords like you claim to have.

 

[Iain Kay]

So you are running a business from home....

Can't imagine the owner is going to be very happy about all this. Hope you have their agreement in writing PLUS the fact that you are doing the work..........

Not met many landlords like you claim to have.

I am most definitely not running a business from home as I have no clients and no income from this.

All I've done is run high speed networking to rooms and hook it up to master servers for internet and media purposes, plus run some PCs of my own for experimentation.

Definitely no business here...

 

[Pete999]

Absolutely not!

All power cabling on the walls is just velcro sticky tie things which will come off no bother.

The network cabling is easy to just snip off the cable ties and down it comes.

The cabinet is not attached to the wall, just rests on a convenient shelf.

Tumble dryer is a condenser so doesn't have any holes knocked out to patch.

The virgin media cabling which is supporting the network cabling wasn't my doing, so will stay, but all of that grey cable and the BT extension will be ripped out on me moving.

Done it in pretty much every prior rental and it's always either been left perfectly or the LA has said to just leave it for the next tenants.

Given how 'raw' this looks, there's no way it will be left in place.


If you mean for the duration I'm in the property though then yes. I don't mind the look of it at all and no complaints from my partner.

It's a little tidier coming down the wall on the straights now though.


Edit: I did try some white cable tidies that velcro'd around it, but it actually looks worse. Given it has to be temporary, I'm avoiding using trunking for it so it will have to do.

This a kin wind up, isn't it' got to be.

 

[Corbs]

whats the computers going to be used for, bit ott for media usage

where are the servers all i see is a set if switches

 

[Iain Kay]

Had an inspection recently and no complaints raised over the most blatantly temporarily installed cabling.

A bit over the top, absolutely, but it’s been a fun project and the end result is a rock solid reliable network that I can configure centrally to achieve whatever I need throughout rooms.

Obviously were it a client install it would be trunking or chased into the walls but I’m not doing that here.

Working in IT I’m regularly seeing cabling like this and it doesn’t look that out of place in my house lol

 

[Iain Kay]

whats the computers going to be used for, bit ott for media usage

where are the servers all i see is a set if switches

Right now the cupboard is just the tumble dryer and the comms cabinet is in.

Need to add a shelf before I can put any gear in as it would way too hot directly on top.

It’s not the most ideal solution, but works for the space I have.

Servers run VMware ESX enabling me to run any number of VMs on the top.

Got a few GPUs for GPU passthrough which enables some serious processing power at the expense of actual power from the wall