Service cable - aesthetically unpleasing

[Jonesy127]

Currently have electricity meter in downstairs cloakroom. Photos show old ugly meter and service cable mounted on wall. To the left you can just see the new fuse box from a re-wire from a couple of years ago, which is above the door in to the cloakroom. The room is 'L' shaped with the loo 'round the corner.

Considering chasing the service cable in to the internal wall for aesthetic reasons. I am aware my local DNO can only move (or extend) the service cable, so would the cost be prohibitive for such a small benefit?

I'm slightly confused as to whether moving the cable say 5 inches in to a wall (i.e. meter position and entry point both in to the interior of the house and entry in to meter are unaltered) would be as expensive as a traditional service meter move.

Perhaps I should just cover the service meter with some plasterboard - my concern is that we'll loose precious space entering the cloakroom (we want to continue storing coats where they are).

Any thoughts?

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• Jonesy127
• 27 Aug 2012
• 1

Untitled

• Jonesy127
• 27 Aug 2012
• 1

 

[JohnD]

don't chase it in, one day someone will drill or nail into it.

You could put a bit of white plastic trunking over it if you want, preferably open top and bottom for airflow. You can paint trunking.

 

[TicklyT]

There's little difference in the work, or the hazards involved moving the cable an inch or a yard.

Attempting to DIY a move of the cable could result on a VERY loud BANG , molten copper spraying everywhere, fire, serious injury, death etc. etc.

Meter readers and DNO engineers will need access to the meter and service head, so don't hide it away completely.
A vertical batten attached to the wall either side of the cable, and a plywood cover bridging them would conceal the cable, and a modified kitchen cupboard would hide the service head and meter, but still retain easy access when required.

 

[westie101]

Put it in some trunking as has been used near the consumer unit

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Can't see an easy way to fix PVC trunking over it. And if you want to paint it, paint will probably stick better to timber and/or plasterboard than PVC.

 

[westie101]

Can't see an easy way to fix PVC trunking over it.

Fix the lid to the wall and then the trunking over the cable, seem it done and it can be quite neat. Though I agree regarding painting

 

[JohnD]

non-drip gloss goes on fine. So does emulsion but it is not so durable.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Fix the lid to the wall and then the trunking over the cable, seem it done and it can be quite neat. Though I agree regarding painting

Sure there's room between the cable and the wall to slide a lid in?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

non-drip gloss goes on fine. So does emulsion but it is not so durable.

Emulsion is what's usually used on walls.

 

[westie101]

Sure there's room between the cable and the wall to slide a lid in?

Without inspecting it on site I doubt any of us can give a definitive answer, just offer suggestions of solutions we have seen or suggested in similar situations.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I did think of mounting trunking that way - I've made the suggestion before, and done it myself to conceal pipes.

To me it looks pretty certain that there isn't room....

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• Jonesy127
• 27 Aug 2012
• 1

 

[bernardgreen]

Two vertical lengths of inch by 2 inch timber screwed to the wall either side of the cable ( or more than 2 inch if the cable is thicker than 2 inches ) and then screw a plank of inch by 4 to them to cover the cable.

LABEL IT WITH HIGH VOLTAGE WARNINGS

as an accidenta screw for a coat hook through the cover and into that cable will make a very big bang and could be a roman candle for quite a while until the 100 amp ( or larger ) fuses at the sub-station open.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It isn't High Voltage though, is it.

And TBH, anybody who would drill into box which clearly must be covering the cable running to the meter deserves to be removed from the gene pool.

 

[jj4091]

http://www.lowcostplumbingsupplies....pe-single-pipe-cover--to-suit-22mm-pipe-p4118 double clip shown,(plus Google for a shorter length) but you can clip the single fixing to the cables & then spin them round to the wall before clipping the cover on. May not be a tight fit, but looks a bit better.