Buried armoured cable in garden. What could it be?

[UrbanGreen]

I have found a buried armoured cable in the garden. I was digging a hole for a new fence pole when I came across it. There’s nothing near by as far as I can see that it could be feeding. There’s a telegraph pole about 30 feet away but I don’t think it’s anything to do with that. It’s only about a foot below the ground and is about an inch in diameter. Any suggestions?

 

[Wayners]

Mains power maybe.
I found one once on a job I was working on and electric supplier came out to have a look. They owned it but didn't know it was there

 

[Bear2Biker]

Ooh intrigue, photos please, any writing on it?, give us a plan with location & direction, showing electrical/technical installations within 50 metres.

Sure its not a black Alkathene water pipe ? What was on the site previously (factory, army base, farm, mine, allotments etc.)

 

[Murdochcat]

be aware that there was is no minimum depth for burying cables so treat this with extreme care

 

[JohnW2]

be aware that there was is no minimum depth for burying cables so treat this with extreme care

What exactly do you mean? The OP has already found the cable (well, something which he believes to be a cable), and has told us that it was buried about a foot below ground level.

 

[Murdochcat]

What exactly do you mean? The OP has already found the cable (well, something which he believes to be a cable), and has told us that it was buried about a foot below ground level.

Because these threads get read by many people now and later. Adding such relevant and useful information may prove handy to somebody else

 

[JohnW2]

Because these threads get read by many people now and later. Adding such relevant and useful information may prove handy to somebody else

OK -but the information relevant to those other people already existed in the very first post in this thread.

 

[Murdochcat]

OK -but the information relevant to those other people already existed in the very first post in this thread.

Not sure I agree with you (as usual)


The point is that cables, water and gas pipes can be at various depths

 

[UrbanGreen]

It could be a mains cable. The house and garden has been here 67 years so I assume it’s been here since before that. I’ll photograph it later.

 

[JohnW2]

It could be a mains cable. The house and garden has been here 67 years so I assume it’s been here since before that. I’ll photograph it later.

It could - but, as has been asked/suggested, are you certain that it is an electrical cable at all (rather than a 'pipe')? You described it as an 'armoured cable' -does that mean that you saw some exposed armour?

 

[opps]

Not sure I agree with you (as usual)


The point is that cables, water and gas pipes can be at various depths

I am not an electrician...

I thought that swa was supposed to be 600mm under the surface. That said, I don't know when that became a reg..

 

[JohnW2]

I am not an electrician... I thought that swa was supposed to be 600mm under the surface. That said, I don't know when that became a reg..

For various 'special locations' (such as agricultural land, caravan/camping sites, marinas etc.), the Wiring Regs (BS7671) do specify, or at least recommend, a minimum depth of 600mm, but I'm not sure there are corresponding requirements, or even recommendations, for more 'general' situations. In any event, DNOs see to work to their own rules, not BS7671, and it's certainly far from ususual to find their distribution cables buried a lot less deep than one might 'expect' (or hope!).

 

[blup]

I have found a buried armoured cable in the garden. I was digging a hole for a new fence pole when I came across it. There’s nothing near by as far as I can see that it could be feeding. There’s a telegraph pole about 30 feet away but I don’t think it’s anything to do with that. It’s only about a foot below the ground and is about an inch in diameter. Any suggestions?

My supply was literally a few inches under the surface, get the leccy board in.

 

[JohnW2]

My supply was literally a few inches under the surface, get the leccy board in.

I'm not surprised- as I recently wrote ...

..... it's certainly far from ususual to find their distribution cables buried a lot less deep than one might 'expect' (or hope!).

 

[ericmark]

I remember working for a firm, and we realised there were steam lines and electric cables going basic nowhere, and in some cases powering things no longer in use.

So we were tracing cables and steam pipes and finding where they went, and one seemed to go into a domestic properties back garden.

On approaching the owner, it seems her late husband was an engineer for the company, and the central heating was running from a steam line, and also all the electrics came from the factory. We have no idea if this had been sanctioned or not, but it could not continue that way, so she had to get central heating and an electric supply put in.

As to depth, I have seen a garden levelled, lifted etc, so when fitted the services may have been 1 meter down, but that is no longer the case. Sometimes one looks around, and one has an idea what it may be, but digging through a water or gas pipe is not what we want, and an 11 kV electric cable will go with a massive bang.

Should be tiles, or tape or something to tell you what it is, the last of summer wine ""Why Does Norman Clegg Buy Ladies' Elastic Stockings?" a comedy but so easy to drill through a water pipe.