Outdoor Trunking / Access box

[jtownson]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can get some good outdoor trunking from? It needs to be pretty thick as will be running about 10 cables through it. Dosent have to be water tight mind as I am using all outdoor grade cables. A matching outdoor acces box would be useful too - to put on the wall where the cable comes out of the house (ideally no bigger then a mouse mat size)

Can anyone help?

 

[ColJack]

what in the hell are you trying to do that needs 10 cables run externally?
and what do you mean "acces box"?

 

[Chri5]

Data cable and or TV network ?

No need for a box, but do have the access holes at an angle to prevent water ingress (angle up if drilling outside-> in, angle down if drilling inside-> out).

Drip loops for the bottom will add to the prevention, as will sealing with putty, plumbers mate or mastic.

 

[jtownson]

well seeing as you asked

4 X Speaker cables (outdoor speakers)
3 x Cat 5 Cables - Running outside into the loft to run into bedrooms
3 X Coax - Sky tv and Freeview
1 x Armourd Cable for outdoor sockets (awaiting Part P qualified person to install)

So actually 11!

Its a new house, so dont want to run it inside ie cut a chase. Just thought some sort of trunking would look better then lots of cables running up down the wall.

Thanks

 

[ColJack]

no airing cupboard to run through?
no floor void?

 

[Chri5]

You can't run the armoured cable in the same trunking as the data / TV / speaker cables.

So it will have to be compartment or 2 x seperate trunking drops. The same applies to the holes, seperate ones will be required.

If done nicely the SWA can be fixed and will look neat on it's own without containment.

As for the other cables, 38mm x 38mm plastic should be big enough, as would 25 x 50mm. You don't say if the TV stuff is single or double co-ax, so do get some small bits cut and group them together to test trunking size prior to ordering !

Some black waste pipe 38 /40mm used as containment would be a far better visual http://www.bes.co.uk/products/127.asp

 

[jtownson]

No unfortuntly not. Solid oak floor in quite a few rooms, tiles everywhere else. typical new build - no damn storage to run it through and no airing cupboard

 

[jtownson]

Thanks Chir5

Does the armoured cable have a huge effect on the other stuff? I wasnt aware of that.

 

[Chri5]

Rules (17th ed) state separation of extra low voltage (comms, data, TV) and low voltage (as in domestic 230v).

In air it means 50mm apart, in containment the barrier of the trunking, conduit, compartment wall is good enough.

I'm not convinced that Cat 5 or TV is ruined by breaking the rules, but the rules should be considered better than my comprehension

 

[rebuke]

Do you really have to separate them - given SWA is armoured with an earth - surely any RFI issues (which as I understand it is the primary reason behind the separation distance) are negated by that (it's better than the barrier of dual-compartment trunking certainly!)...

 

[Steve]

Chri5, can that rule be relaxed if the ELV cables are rated to 240v?

 

[Chri5]

but the rules should be considered better than my comprehension

Get out clause.

On personal note: I've done jobs with 10,000 ELV cables (Data / Cat 5) and in some risers, due to poor architect design the rules were broken and SWA / floor feeder sub mains cross, touch, etc.

Never once were Cat5 / 5E cable too noisy or failed the rigorous Pentascanner testing.

Same with domestics, we have all seen shared joist routes, cables bundled in a mix and again I've never seen genuine issue with crossover interference.

The rules say 50mm !