Trunking problem

[tenroom]

I'd very much like to get rid of the unsightly trunking containing electrical wiring that seems to be EVERYWHERE in my hallway. I guess I know what needs to be done but I need to know how to make sure it's safely done and not going to cause me any problems later on.

Do I just hack out the necessary lengths of plaster on the wall and push the trunking to the newly created gap ready for a plaster fill / skim or do I bin the trunking and wrap the cables in some sort of tape or . . . . .

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[JohnD]

1) have a look in the trunking and see what it contains (may be just a single flat T&E cable e.g for sockets or light switches). With bit of luck it will have a clip-on cap.

2) chip off a sample piece of plaster from your wall and see how thick it is before you get to the brick or block; and see how hard that is.

3) Have a look at "capping" in a DIY store or builders merchant. You can use this to hold the cables in place while you replaster over them, and it will save you nicking them with your trowel.

4) Decide which of your rooms you want to decorate first, because once you have chased out the plaster and put your cables under capping, it will need it. No need to move the cables until you are ready to redecorate. It will make a lot of gritty dust that will get into any carpets or soft furnishings, as well as inside the casings of the TV, video, CD player, PC etc and possibly wreck them.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But before you do any of those things, read these:

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/C5-43.pdf

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/concealedcables.pdf

IEE article on concealed cables