Damaged cable.

[Sharpey]

Hello all.

I've managed to put a chisel through some cable moving skirting and it's now damaged. I think the actual wires inside are still intact and connected, it's just all the plastic surrounding it. I've insulated each cable separately with electrical tape for now and I've booked an electrician. I just want to know what the consensus is on how to fix this for peace of mind as the cable will be hidden in a (hollow) wall. I've read some similar threads indicating removing the wire completely and replacing but I'm not sure that's practical here.

Thanks for any help.

 

[bernardgreen]

Did you know it was there or was it a total surprise ?

Replacing it in the same position hidden behind the skirting board could result in the same accident being repeated.

Cables must be run in safe zones which are horizontally and vertically from fittings such as switches and sockets.

 

[Sharpey]

Thanks for the reply.

The bunch of cables are run vertically underneath the light socket. I knew there were cables there as one was slightly protruding on the edge of the skirting next to the architrave and was filled over. I am replacing all the skirting so I tried to be as careful as possible removing it, but even then I managed to catch it. But yeah, even if I didn't see the protruding cable I would have assumed there were some there as there is a light switch a metre above.

I thought it would be OK to sheath each wire individually with electrical tape temporarily until the electrician comes and sorts it out, but now I'm not sure and am a little worried. If this is not OK, then what can I do? Also, is fixing it having to remove the entire cable and replace or are there alternative, safe methods?

Thanks.

 

[rjm2k]

Post a photo of said damage

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Removed.

Forgot to refresh before replying.

 

[Sharpey]

Post a photo of said damage

Can't at the moment, I'll post one tomorrow morning.

It's a three core and earth cable. The black one inside was fine and intact, the brown and grey had a 1mm cut in the insulation. Both cables were still connected.

 

[Sharpey]

Hello again.

Right, here are some photos of the cable. Hope they are of some help.

The first pic is of the overall damage. I cut off the outer sheath to be able to inspect it thoroughly. The black one at the back has a slight nick but not enough to expose the conductor in any way. The grey and brown also had slight nicks but I cut off a couple of mm on them to make the 'repair' neater. Looking at the conductors inside, the grey one seems perfect, the brown has a very slight, tiny mark on it. The earth is slightly dented but still firmly intact.

Untitled

• Sharpey
• 27 Sep 2013
• 1

Side view of brown:

Untitled

• Sharpey
• 27 Sep 2013
• 1

What I did to insulate inner cables:

Untitled

• Sharpey
• 27 Sep 2013
• 1

Final cable:

Untitled

• Sharpey
• 27 Sep 2013
• 1

I just need to know whether you think it's Ok to have the cable like this for a few days until the electrician arrives, and what repair you think he should be doing.


Thanks for reading and any help.