Securing Mains Cable

[hamd01]

We are just in the process of renovating an old outbuilding, which is going to involve a floating stud wall covering all the walls.

Is there a best practice for securing the twin and earth into the safe zone? Id prefer to secure it to the brick before the stud wall goes up, but 2.5mm cable clips dont seem to come in a screw variety (just nail).

Cheers guys.

 

[plugwash]

The nails in cable clips are suppposed to be masonary nails. However, my experiance was that the masonary in my property was not compatible with said nails. The bricks were too hard (the nails bounced off) and the mortar was too soft/powdery to hold anything.

I resorted to pulling the nails out of the clips and then drilling plugging and screwing the clips in place. Which worked but was rather time consuming.

 

[hamd01]

The nails in cable clips are suppposed to be masonary nails. However, my experiance was that the masonary in my property was not compatible with said nails. The bricks were too hard (the nails bounced off) and the mortar was too soft/powdery to hold anything.

I resorted to pulling the nails out of the clips and then drilling plugging and screwing the clips in place. Which worked but was rather time consuming.

Ahh yes understand. Theres no way in a month of sunday that a nail is going into these bricks....its a 300 year old barn and the brickwork seems impenetrable.

Are you saying you put screws through the clips? these are the ones Im looking at from screwfix.

 

[ericmark]

Wall pin plugs for cable clips. I have used them, the problem is the job takes too long, but that is the official method.

 

[hamd01]

View attachment 340651 Wall pin plugs for cable clips. I have used them, the problem is the job takes too long, but that is the official method.

Thank you.... my tiny brain is struggling to understand how hammering a pin in will cause the plug to expand in the wall, but that looks like a good solution! Will give me 16 year old helper pleanty to be getting on with!

 

[JohnW2]

.... my tiny brain is struggling to understand how hammering a pin in will cause the plug to expand in the wall, ...

I think you'll find that, although there is a sizeable 'hole' into which one inserts the nail at one end, at the other ('split') end of the plug there is virtually no 'hole' (i.e. the two 'split sides' are virtually (maybe literally) in contact before one inserts a nail) - so that is the bit which expands when the nail is hammered in.

I have used them in my time, and they do generally seem to work - but, as eric has said, it really takes 'too long' if one has a lot of clips to install.

 

[hamd01]

I think you'll find that, although there is a sizeable 'hole' into which one inserts the nail at one end, at the other ('split') end of the plug there is virtually no 'hole' (i.e. the two 'split sides' are virtually (maybe literally) in contact before one inserts a nail) - so that is the bit which expands when the nail is hammered in.

I have used them in my time, and they do generally seem to work - but, as eric has said, it really takes 'too long' if one has a lot of clips to install.

Thanks mate. I am a DIYer so doing it in my own time, so Ill have to take the hit on the extra time. Ive ordered some.

 

[justigator]

If there's room, you could attach a strip of 12.5mm ply or similar to the brickwork - a few screws and plugs or maybe even just some blobs of adhesive would do - and then nail the cable clips into that.

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks mate. I am a DIYer so doing it in my own time, so Ill have to take the hit on the extra time. Ive ordered some.

Fair enough.

I'm a "DIYer", too, but probably would have better things to do with my time than drill hundreds of holes for cable clips - but if it's only a few, that's no great imposition!

 

[JohnW2]

If there's room, you could attach a strip of 12.5mm ply or similar to the brickwork - a few screws and plugs or maybe even just some blobs of adhesive would do - and then nail the cable clips into that.

... or, indeed, if the stud wall has not yet been constructed, arrange for a stud to be in an appropriate position (relative to 'safe zone') such that the clips can be nailed to that stud.

 

[plugwash]

Are you saying you put screws through the clips?

Yeah.

Pretty sure the screws were either 3mm or 3.5mm and the wall plugs were the "yellow" size.

 

[hamd01]

... or, indeed, if the stud wall has not yet been constructed, arrange for a stud to be in an appropriate position (relative to 'safe zone') such that the clips can be nailed to that stud.

Thats not a bad idea tbh.

 

[JohnW2]

... or, indeed, if the stud wall has not yet been constructed, arrange for a stud to be in an appropriate position (relative to 'safe zone') such that the clips can be nailed to that stud.

... in fact, on reflection, if the 'studs' were deep enough (i.e. actually studs, rather than just battens), it would probably be possible to clip the cable to the 'deepest' part of one of the planned studs (i.e. close to the wall), wherever it was - since the requirement for the cable to remain within 'safe zones' only applies to cables less than 50mm from the surface of the wall.

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks mate. I am a DIYer so doing it in my own time, so Ill have to take the hit on the extra time. Ive ordered some.

... I should have added .. if you use those 'plugs for nails', for the reason you mentioned it's obviously important that the hole you drill is as small as possible whilst allowing you to get the plug in - otherwise the nail will not expand it enough to become 'tight'

 

[hamd01]

... I should have added .. if you use those 'plugs for nails', for the reason you mentioned it's obviously important that the hole you drill is as small as possible whilst allowing you to get the plug in - otherwise the nail will not expand it enough to become 'tight'

I think Im going to go with the wall option.... puerly as it allows me to get that job out of the way before the stud wall. Will bang some insulation tape on the drill so not to go too deep.