Thick Power Cable Running Up The Outside Wall - What Is It?

[RDD]

I've just moved in to a new house and am still sussing out what's what. Something that seems rather odd however is a thick cable (must be an inch wide, probably more) that runs from the ground near the meters up the wall and into the loft.

I can't get up there properly yet as I need a ladder, however I can then see it running across the loft to near the front of the house, the complete opposite end of the house to the fuse box which is in the kitchen downstairs.

Has anyone ever seen this setup before, I've vaguely heard of power that is distributed from the top down but it seems like an arse about face way of doing things!

The house was built in the late 80s if that helps...

 

[londonboy]

Probably the mains into your property. Take some pics.

 

[RDD]

Probably the mains into your property. Take some pics.

Will do thanks, seems weird that it goes into the loft, in my previous houses the thick cable went to the fuse box and was split from there.

 

[londonboy]

I should have said the submain feeding your fuse board, from the meter.

I guess the meter and fuse board are on opposite sides of the house?

 

[aptsys]

^^ Sounds right

 

[RDD]

I should have said the submain feeding your fuse board, from the meter.

I guess the meter and fuse board are on opposite sides of the house?

Well that's the weird thing, the meters are in a cupboard on the outside of the building, only a few feet away in the kitchen is the fuseboard!

--------Fuse Board (Inside)------Cable To Loft (Outside)------
|
|
|
Meter (Outside)
|
|
|

 

[LearningSpark]

Shower feed perhaps?

 

[electronicsuk]

It's a flat grey cable, right? As above, £10 says it's a feed to an electric shower.

 

[riveralt]

I take it that you have established that the cable clipped to the wall does go to the meter and or the fuse board or even a henley block?

With such a large cable (over an inch - 16mm SWA??) going up to the loft - sounds like it will be using a lot of power - cannabis farm in the loft maybe

 

[RDD]

With such a large cable (over an inch - 16mm SWA??) going up to the loft - sounds like it will be using a lot of power - cannabis farm in the loft maybe

Funny you should say that, we all though similar when I moved in, everyone looked at it bewildered! Turns out even the pro's on here can't give a definite answer as I thought someone may so it's still a mystery!

It just comes straight out of the ground so I can't see where it comes from unfortunately, it seems to go past the bathroom and towards the front of the house over the main bedroom somewhere....

I hope it is a power cable after all this It definately looks like a mains feed and is really well secured to the wall with a lot of clips.

 

[ELZ4742]

shed/garage supply.

 

[pjcomp]

Is the house a semi or terrace? Could be next door's main going via your brickwork.

PJ

 

[Lectrician]

PHOTOS

 

[RDD]

Sorry folks, I was lying I looked again this morning (in the dark, can't do pic's yet) and the power cable comes out of the wall at roughly the same point as the fuse box is in the kitchen.

From there it goes up into the loft, still a little confused, could it be being distributed in the loft do you think?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Have you looked inside the meter cabinet?

Have you looked inside the CU?

A key piece of information when trying to determine what a cable is for is to find out where it originates....