Jointing ring main cable in wall

jamie1976uk · 20 Jun 2019

Hi, I've had bit of a disaster and drilled through a cable whilst putting a wall light up I'm my living Room. The walls are dry lined so the cables aren't in conduits . They're just loose down the gap between the block and the plasterboard. I'm just wondering what is an acceptable way of jointing the cable that can be buried back into the wall ?

Thanks

Taylortwocities · 20 Jun 2019

Cables in walls do not need to be in conduit but they should be in the recognised zones. Basically horizontally or vertically from a socket, switch etc.
If you don’t know about this you need to check out the regs before you drill any more holes!

Practically, any buried joint must be MF = maintenance free. (NOT a bit of choc block!)
Typical methods are (proper) Electrical crimps, or solder joints. The junction needs to be sleeved over. Heat shrink sleeve is commonly used.
Or use one of the MF products like WAGO or Ashley

jamie1976uk · 20 Jun 2019

Yeah it was just a lapse in concentration, was late and i was tired.

Managed to borrow a crimping tool. So if i just crimp with blue crimps and put a bit of sleeving over it that'll do the job?

jamie1976uk · 20 Jun 2019

bernardgreen · 20 Jun 2019

The better option is to replace the cable and not create a potential for a future failure whenthe connection loosens.

Even so called " Maintainance Free " connectors can fail when the current is close to the maximum rated current. Moisture from new plaster behind which the connector is hidden can corrode the terminals.

Is there enough slack in the cable to allow you to strip the insulation to have enough bare copper to make good connections ?

What is the cable that you drilled into ? Is it vertically above ( or below ) a power socket or horizontally at the same height as power socket ? If the ansere is yes that it is probably a power cable ( as apposed to a lighting cable ). Joining and burying power cables is never a good idea.

jamie1976uk · 20 Jun 2019

It's the ring main cable I've drilled. About 5 feet above the socket. There's enough slack on it to joint it. Running a new cable in isn't really an option. It's all fitted wardrobes above in the bedroom.

What if i crimped it and put the joint in some sort of enclosure?

bernardgreen · 20 Jun 2019

You could use a back box set into the wall to contain the connector with a blank cover plate. BUT visible.

Thinking out of the box, Would a new socket at that location be useful.

Taylortwocities · 20 Jun 2019

These are much better than crimped joints which can be troublesome, even when installed by an experienced crimper.
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/ASJ803.html

sparkwright · 20 Jun 2019

jamie1976uk said:
Yeah it was just a lapse in concentration, was late and i was tired.

Managed to borrow a crimping tool. So if i just crimp with blue crimps and put a bit of sleeving over it that'll do the job?

You say it's a ring circuit cable. I assume 2.5 mm2 cable with 1.5 mm2 earth - in which case the earths would fit better with a red crimp.

EFLImpudence · 20 Jun 2019

jamie1976uk said:
So if i just crimp with blue crimps and put a bit of sleeving over it that'll do the job?

Not really - but people do.

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Jointing ring main cable in wall

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