I drilled a cable

[handyjack]

The cable is the cooker supply which I drilled into. As I drilled well outside of any safe zone, do I have to claim on my insurance or should customer claim on hers?

The double socket is well below where I drilled and is not affected anyway. The cable appears to come down behind the cupboard and then shoot off at 45 deg to the cooker socket out of shot below and to the right. You can see the holes in the masking tape.

 

[JohnW2]

The double socket is well below where I drilled and is not affected anyway.

Maybe the photo is misleading, but it looks as if the lower of your two holes is perilously close to being in the safe zone created by the double socket. Furthermore, it also looks very probable that both of your holes are in the safe zone created by the corner of the room.

Kind Regards, John

 

[handyjack]

The double socket is well below where I drilled and is not affected anyway.

Maybe the photo is misleading, but it looks as if the lower of your two holes is perilously close to being in the safe zone created by the double socket. Furthermore, it also looks very probable that both of your holes are in the safe zone created by the corner of the room.

Kind Regards, John

Thanks John
Well above the safe zone created by the socket and 160 mm from corner. How far from corner is covered by safe zone?

 

[Jackrae]

Who did the damage - they're the one at fault - so it's up to them to claim for making good their mistake. He/she could then attempt a counter-claim against the electrician who did the original installation on the basis of it being outwith the relevant regulations but the only winners there would be the solicitors involved. Note that the cable cores are multi-stranded so it wasn't installed "yesterday"

Don't think much of the way the tiler did the fitting round that box

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks John. Well above the safe zone created by the socket ...

In that case, the photo must be misleading. As a matter of interest, how far are the top of the socket, and the bottom of your lower hole, from the grout line below (which I'm assuming is horizontal!)?

...and 160 mm from corner. How far from corner is covered by safe zone?

150mm - so you are just outside of the safe zone!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Echo the husky]

150mm is the width of a double socket. A double socket is about the width of one of those tiles looking at the photo. Surely the drill holes are inside the corner safe zone?

 

[JohnW2]

150mm is the width of a double socket. A double socket is about the width of one of those tiles looking at the photo. Surely the drill holes are inside the corner safe zone?

As I said, that's certainly how it looks - but we're being told that the holes are 160mm from the corner. From the photo, I would have thought they were nearer to being ~100mm from the corner, in which case they would be well within the safe zone!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Iggifer]

Good spot Echo, appears to be smack in the middle of that tile. Which is likely a 150x150 (or 6"x6") so would put the holes at about 75mm out

 

[JohnW2]

Good spot Echo, appears to be smack in the middle of that tile. Which is likely a 150x150 (or 6"x6") so would put the holes at about 75mm out

Well, I would have said about two-thirds, hence ~100mm - but still well within the safe zone. That's why my initial comment was that the holes were "very probably" within the safe zone created by the corner (even though I've always thought that it is a really daft place to allow a safe zone, anyway!).

Kind Regards, John

 

[Spark123]

I take it they aren't pics of the same socket, is that double socket behind the hob?

 

[OwainDIYer]

The cable is the cooker supply which I drilled into. As I drilled well outside of any safe zone, do I have to claim on my insurance or should customer claim on hers?

Relying on safe zones being adhered to by previous electricians is not a safe system of work. You should have used a cable detector.

What is it with cooker cables - they so often seem to be run diagonally.

 

[Iggifer]

I think the socket is to the left of the hob, and the socket with the split cables, is the cooker switch to the right of the hob. I may be wrong

 

[stillp]

What is it with cooker cables - they so often seem to be run diagonally.

Shortest route? It's thick cable, after all!

 

[sparkwright]

150mm is the width of a double socket. A double socket is about the width of one of those tiles looking at the photo. Surely the drill holes are inside the corner safe zone?

As I said, that's certainly how it looks - but we're being told that the holes are 160mm from the corner. From the photo, I would have thought they were nearer to being ~100mm from the corner, in which case they would be well within the safe zone!

Kind Regards, John

I too have studied the pictures, and looking at the scale of things, those holes look well within 150mm from the corner - which again would be allowed.

 

[JohnW2]

I too have studied the pictures, and looking at the scale of things, those holes look well within 150mm from the corner....

Indeed.

.... - which again would be allowed.

"allowed" for cables, but not so clever for drilling!

Kind Regards, John