Poor guy probably thought he was doing you a favour since the nearer the corner you get on an old plastered wall the greater the chances that all the plaster will come away during the raggling process and you'll end up with a much greater plastering job. But that doesn't excuse any non-compliance.
Right angle in cable run - is this OK?
- Thread starter DavidA1982
- Start date
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This is exactly what happened.
He has said that it is not compliant and is coming back to rectify; the reason he gave was exactly as you state. The main electrician had been away for a week or so and left his team to carry on - he's had a look and said it was wrong and will fix it. I will just ask for the extra socket as suggested above - surely the best option for everyone.
That will do for me. Everyone is still friends and the work will be corrected. I am sure now that the boss is back things will be done properly... and at least the main builder knows that I am at least aware of building regs and will challenge obvious non-compliance.
Thanks for your help everyone. It really does help to have knowledgeable people with no vested interests to check this sort of thing with - it's not easy telling a professional that they have done their job wrong!
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Yes, 'fraid so.
Tell them to remove the skirting board and install the horizontal run beneath the floor level.
Doh!
Thanks for confirming - I was really, really hoping you were going to say it was fine this time!
Just so I can explain my challenge: why is this wrong? Skirting board not a safe zone? No conduit? Both?
I'd almost be inclined to say that's worse!!
No, skirting board especially hazardous being attached by big nails.
There is conduit which looks like the top of skirting board but you don't want that for about a foot.
I am supposing the floor is concrete; is that the case?
There is conduit which looks like the top of skirting board but you don't want that for about a foot.
I am supposing the floor is concrete; is that the case?
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The floor underneath the vertical run is concrete, yes. It is partly why I originally asked them to stick the socket on the edge of the chimney breast!
This is a pain. The electrician only lives a few doors away so I can hardly afford to fall out with him, but if the remedial work on an identified error is not compliant.... then what else is there that I am not seeing?!
It's better in that you are less likely to drill where the skirting board is - but non-compliant is non-compliant.
Had he used some earthed metal conduit over the bits that aren't in zones, it would have been ok.
If you were willing to have a low level socket in line with where the cables emerge from the floor, the problem could be solved fairly easily.
I understand you don't want to fall out with your neighbour.
I don't understand why your neighbour may want to fall out with you - after all, his previous error was pointed out and one would expect him to make a special effort to get this right.
The rules don't actually say 'don't run cables horizontally behind skirting boards', but this is clearly wrong.
The only way round it is to pretend the skirting board is a boxing for cables...!
Had he used some earthed metal conduit over the bits that aren't in zones, it would have been ok.
If you were willing to have a low level socket in line with where the cables emerge from the floor, the problem could be solved fairly easily.
I understand you don't want to fall out with your neighbour.
I don't understand why your neighbour may want to fall out with you - after all, his previous error was pointed out and one would expect him to make a special effort to get this right.
The rules don't actually say 'don't run cables horizontally behind skirting boards', but this is clearly wrong.
The only way round it is to pretend the skirting board is a boxing for cables...!
I would say the best thing would be to put a fused spur / isolator where you were talking about putting a socket. That way you can easily switch off power to the TV if something goes wrong etc.
This is a good idea - easy isolation when you go on holiday.
Update: he has taken off the skirting board and rerun the cable properly. Phew.
Good.
There is always a temptation to do things the easy way sometimes, and I'm glad you have sorted it.
How did you approach him about this?
Did he end up putting the cables in the floor?
THOUGH THIS IS ACCEPTABLE, YOU NEED IT DONE SO NAILS FROM ANY CARPET GRIPPERS CAN'T PENETRATE IT.
I just said that the rectification is still wrong, and that skirting boards are not a safe zone.
They took off the boards, and pulled the cables up through the floor directly below where the socket is. In the other room the cable does run along just under floor level for a few cm, but that runs through a solid hearth for a fire so I'll be putting down something like concrete on top of it anyway.
The skirting board error concerns me more than the first, to be honest. Surely they realised their card was marked after the first error?! They have done a few other things that seem a bit odd to a layman too. For example I want 3 sockets together in the living room which they have done, but they run the cables up the wall (not sure why they aren't pulled up from below) in the corner of the room, not above the sockets. This is obviously legit, but one of the walls that forms that corner is coming out in a few weeks! I was considering doing it in such a way that the wall is left flush, but that is no longer possible as the cables would then just be in the middle of a wall. So, I will now leave a nib in order to make the electrics safe. I might have done that anyway for reasons of cost, but it would have been nice to have the option.
They took off the boards, and pulled the cables up through the floor directly below where the socket is. In the other room the cable does run along just under floor level for a few cm, but that runs through a solid hearth for a fire so I'll be putting down something like concrete on top of it anyway.
The skirting board error concerns me more than the first, to be honest. Surely they realised their card was marked after the first error?! They have done a few other things that seem a bit odd to a layman too. For example I want 3 sockets together in the living room which they have done, but they run the cables up the wall (not sure why they aren't pulled up from below) in the corner of the room, not above the sockets. This is obviously legit, but one of the walls that forms that corner is coming out in a few weeks! I was considering doing it in such a way that the wall is left flush, but that is no longer possible as the cables would then just be in the middle of a wall. So, I will now leave a nib in order to make the electrics safe. I might have done that anyway for reasons of cost, but it would have been nice to have the option.
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