Cable routing

[Mug-o-Latte]

I read somewhere that all electrical cable routes in walls should be either vertical or horizontal from the socket they are serving. I also read that any horizontal cables should be close to the ceiling or close to the skirting, and not in the middle of the wall.

Is this true, or can I run a horizontal route from a double socket that is at kitchen worktop height to another double socket?

 

[plugwash]

the bit about just above the skirting is bullshit

permitted routes are

near the top of the wall (not sure how near)
near the corner of two walls (not sure how near)
horizontally or vertiallcy from what they connect to.

outside permitted routes you need either mechanical protection or earthe metal this usually boils down to three options

steel conduit
SWA
MICC

 

[Mug-o-Latte]

Cheers plugwash, that makes my wiring a bit easier.

 

[JerryD]

permitted routes are

near the top of the wall (not sure how near)
near the corner of two walls (not sure how near)

in each case 150mm

i.e. from ceiling to within 150mm from the ceiling

and from internal corner to within 150mm from that corner

 

[ban-all-sheds]

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/C5-43.pdf

 

[duxster]

Is that so!!!

We moved into our current new house 3 years ago and found out the hard way that this rule is not always followed...

The CU is in the kitchen about 1ft from the ceiling and you would expect the wires to go straight up into the ceiling?

They in fact criss-cross the wall in all directions. Some straight up, some diagonal, some in a step layout (vert then horz then vert again). I had luckily just bought a wire detector other wise I would have drilled straight through them. I fitted some shelving on another wall with no sockets, no light switches, nothing but in reality I found 2 wires running diagonally across the wall and around the corner to a socket on another wall.

None of these wires are protected by anything other than the plaster board!

The wiring should have been fitted by a qualified sparky and should meet the regs but when something is buried out of sight how the hell are you supposed to know!

Rant over....

Dux

 

[plugwash]

note that cowboy and fully qualified electriacian are not mutually exclusive terms

its perfectly possible for a fully qualified electrician to become a cowboy because of prasure (finincial time or otherwise) or simply wanting to get rich

 

[Mug-o-Latte]

Ban,

Thanks. The wiring regs also cover me for another problem. I want to put the FCU's for the hob & oven on the other side of a wall from the kitchen (in a utility room) so that they do not clutter the kitchen.

The walls are less than 100mm thick, so I'm covered.
Cheers.