Chasing In Wires

[samshiells]

Hi there, I've just got a house with all the wires out of the wall and so I've bought a chasing in tool which will be arriving soon...

When I come to do it is it wise to turn off the electric for where I'm chasing in or is it ok to do it with the wires live?!

Thanks, Sam

 

[ColJack]

if they're out of the wall ( presume you mean they are surface mounted in trunking? ) and you intend to sink them, then it would be a good time to replace them with new ones and make any additions..
this means that you'd have brand new wires with a 30 year or so life span rather than older wires that have been in use already for who knows how many years..

as for whether you need the power off.. it's advisable to turn off the power to whatever cables you are working on or near.. that insludes lighting cables..

you should also use a stud and cable finder prior to chasing the wall in case there happens to be a sunken cable or pipe or anything else already in the wall..

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Always isolate circuits you are working near,
chasing tool what type? Could be messy
Are aware of the regulations concerning chases?

 

[JohnD]

Wow, you've bought a Grit and Dust generating machine!

I hope the house is unoccupied and you have a respiurator and goggles?

Take all the carpets, curtains, furniture and belongings outside.

 

[samshiells]

yeah, currently the wires are in trunking attatched to the wall, but its a fairly new rewire by the council (an old lady lived there before me) so don't need replacing - they just didn't bother chasing them in so want to get that done.

The house is currently empty so no problems with dust ruining things and am used to using angle grinders, etc so am aware of the dust it causes!!!

I am not aware of any regulations regarding chasing in wires! What are they?

Thanks, Sam

 

[JohnD]

he is probably thinking of Safe Zones

I can't find a link just now. May be in http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics
or http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7553

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Vertical chases should be no deeper than one third of the walls thickness, in cavity walls this only one third of a single leaf.
Horizontal chases should not be deeper than one sixth of thickness of wall/leaf.
So don't be chasing out both sides of wall, opposite of each other.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I am not aware of any regulations regarding chasing in wires! What are they?

So why are you doing it then?

Are there any other regulations applying to the work of which you are also unaware?

 

[electronicsuk]

Wow, you've bought a Grit and Dust generating machine!

I hope the house is unoccupied and you have a respiurator and goggles?

Take all the carpets, curtains, furniture and belongings outside.

Having read previous topics regarding chasing machines on this forum, I had been put off buying one in the past. However, I borrowed a friend's cheap Erbauer chasing machine (£100 or so at Screwfix) a couple of weeks ago to help with chasing in some pipework and wiring at my parent's house. I had an Earlex CombiVac hooked up for dust extraction, which I have had for a while, but in all it's just a cheap £50 workshop vac. So, £150 worth of tools in all, I cut five floor-to-ceiling 30*30mm chases and total dust generated during chasing was more or less zero, the amount not caught by the vac being about equal to the brick dust you'd expect in drilling a 6.5mm mounting hole. FAR more dust and dirt was chucked up when chiseling out the remaining brick with a scutch and cold chisel.

So, to anyone sitting on the fence, I would quite seriously suggest you consider hiring one of these machines with a good workshop vac and giving it a try. Saves a serious amount of time and effort, and doesn't generate half the mess that people would have you believe. Unless, of course, you've been using the machine incorrectly or without extraction...

I don't do a lot of domestic work, but if another situation comes up where I'll need to do a fair amount of chasing, I'll be buying one for myself.

 

[samshiells]

I am not aware of any regulations regarding chasing in wires! What are they?

So why are you doing it then?

Are there any other regulations applying to the work of which you are also unaware?

Someone's a bit of a pessimist! You wouldn't get anywhere in life with that attitude!? We all start somewhere, even if we do make mistakes along the way the main thing is to have a go and learn from them!

Also, I'm only chasing in a few wires and thanks to this forum I now know what the regs are for that! Thanks guys!!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We all start somewhere, even if we do make mistakes along the way the main thing is to have a go and learn from them!

An interesting attitude when applied to situations where mistakes can kill you, or your nearest and dearest, in the blink of an eye.

IMO the main thing is to not be so stupid as to do things when you must realise that you don't have a clue what's involved.

Also, I'm only chasing in a few wires and thanks to this forum I now know what the regs are for that! Thanks guys!!!

Because you happened to ask.

Let's all hope that something you don't happen to ask about because you have no idea that it even exists doesn't kill you, or worse, somebody else.

 

[RF Lighting]

I'm suprised no one has yet mentioned the requirements to RCD protect all flush mounted cables.