Cables in cavity wall?

[iggy]

I read somewhere in a conservatory forum that electrical cables for power sockets are not allowed to run in the wall cavity according to the regs.

Q1. Is this correct?

If so Q2. Our new conservatory will have exposed brick walls internally so there's no plaster to sink the cables into. How should the cables be run to the sockets?

Thanks.

 

[breezer]

you can run them surface mounted (not nice) or in trunking

 

[il78]

personally, I aint heard of that one...........

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's because if you at some point inject cavity wall insulation it will leach the plasticiser from the PVC insulation.

This is a Bad Thing.

You may take cables through a cavity inside conduit. Normal cavity bridging rules re damp etc apply.

You don't say if the wall is painted, or bare brick.

As Breezer says, surface mounted cables are ugly, as is that white trunking.

Have you considered metalclad accessories and surface mounted metal conduit?

A bit industrial for the living room, but maybe OK in a conservatory?

If you're painting the brick wall you could paint the conduit and sockets etc the same colour to blend in, or, what I saw once, and it looked very effective, which was all of it painted with one of those special paints which gave it an old bronze-y, verdigris appearance. Looked pretty cool, actually.

Other thoughts - consider if you actually need lightswitches in the conservatory, or if they could be indoors, because if all you need are some sockets, then provided you can get the cable through the wall, you could use this sort of stuff mounted where a skirting board would be:

 

[il78]

How about thoughs wireless ones.............you the know the ones where people think they have them wherever....just like magic....

 

[breezer]

or you could have the camoflage ones..........trouble is i cant see them

 

[il78]

Like this brick coloured socket

 

[iggy]

OK OK! Cavity will have non combustible glass fibre type insulation so there's no risk of leaching the plasticiser.
Thanks for your help.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I believe that you are still not allowed to do it.

I don't think it's a case of "you shouldn't if...", I think it's simply "you shouldn't"