Best way to cover these cable runs up?

[Dodgyrog]

Hi,

Picture shows the outer boundary wall of an integral garage that is being converted to a bedroom. It is already a cavity wall with insulated cavity so I was just going to skim it and put a small cupboard over the meter, but to the right you will see trunking (going down to a surface mount socket) and there is another one just out of the picture. By the time I've chased out the wall (clinker block) twice I'm thinking I just batten and plasterboard - it's only 3m of wall.

Firstly can the wide trunking on the left going up from the meter to the ceiling (and on to the cons. unit) just be covered up by the plasterboard?

Then same for the incoming supply (black cable)? It would make the cupboard a lot smaller and neater if I could cover the black cable up in PB rather than have the cupboard cover it but of the 2 cable runs that one certainly would not be obvious where it was.

Any help / suggestions appreciated.

 

[ericmark]

Cupboard with louvre doors.

 

[mattylad]

You need (as in MUST have) access to that big switch on the left 24/7/365.
So whatever you do, make sure its easily accessible and has room to work on the gear there.

 

[Dodgyrog]

You need (as in MUST have) access to that big switch on the left 24/7/365.
So whatever you do, make sure its easily accessible and has room to work on the gear there.

Yep - sorry my post wasn't as clear as it should be - I'm aiming to use a small 500mm wide by 400mm high by 300mm deep kitchen style cupboard with door to cover the actual meter and switches up whilst providing easy access - but it was more the cable runs I was asking about - as in can they be concealed beneath plasterboard on battens? I'll try and change the title to "cover these cables up"

 

[plugwash]

I don't know exactly what the regulatory position is but i'd be very reluctant to conceal a service cable (the cable from your supplier to your service cut-out) inside a wall without putting some substantial protection over it first.

If the service cable gets damaged then you have a much bigger problem on your hands than if an installation cable gets damaged. You have no way to isolate the power and the overcurrent protection may well not be enough to clear the fault so the cable may just sit there burning and sparking until someone from your suppliers emergency response team comes out, digs up the service cable and carefully cuts it.

 

[Dodgyrog]

I don't know exactly what the regulatory position is but i'd be very reluctant to conceal a service cable (the cable from your supplier to your service cut-out) inside a wall without putting some substantial protection over it first.

If the service cable gets damaged then you have a much bigger problem on your hands than if an installation cable gets damaged. You have no way to isolate the power and the overcurrent protection may well not be enough to clear the fault so the cable may just sit there burning and sparking until someone from your suppliers emergency response team comes out, digs up the service cable and carefully cuts it.

Yep, you've added extra weight to my concern the location of the black supply cable wouldn't be obvious - the consequences sound pretty severe. I'd love to shrink the cupboard down as it is going to be right in eyesight as you enter the bedroom. I'd happily pay an electrician to reposition the meter to be right and above where the black cable enters the room so it can be shortened, but from the sound of it that's not going to be easily done.