Is there any rule against having a water pipe buried in the wall directly behind a light switch and cables? Its a hot water pipe, but the lighting cables dont need to shed much heat do they? Also the pipe would be suitably insulated and wrapped. Having the pipe in line with the switch should make anyone think twice before drilling in that location.
Water pipe behind switch
- Thread starter cakeman72
- Start date
No.
True - although, in theory, they should keep in mind the fact that the accessory creates 'zones' in all four directions, even if one can only see a cable going in one of those directions.
In any event, this has nothing to do with any electrical regulations, and I am personally unaware of any regulations regarding the routing or buried water pipes are you?
I'd put a warning label inside the back box with a diagram..
That would certainly do no harm, and might conceivably prove to have been worthwhile.
However, as I've implied, in the absence of any regulation (of which I'm aware) regarding the routing of water pipes, the possibility of drilling into one (and, yes, I've 'done it'
), 'anywhere', is always going to be greater than the risk of drilling into a cable (which are 'meant' to be within prescribed 'zones')! As the OP implied, having it travelling vertically or horizontally behind an electrical back box would probably reduce the risk of anyone drilling into it.
Is the pipe there now or is the question could the pipe be there? Or is the pipe there and the question is could the switch and cable be put there?
Fair play but the OP is going to have to bury the pipe deep enough to fit the back box and then make sure that the back box fittings are not too close to the pipe. That said, I am assuming that we are talking about copper pipe in plaster. My assumptions might be incorrect, they often are...
The thickness of the wall may be a concern.
I don't know, however I have worked in lots of properties where the water mains runs up to the tank in the loft. There is nothing to indicate that the pipe is in the wall.
Sounds a bit dodgy to me.....cant the pipe go up in a cupboard or some other more sensible route?
As I said, not that I am aware of.
In any event, I don't see how they could work - unlike electrical installations which have 'accessories', I'm not sure what could be used to create usable 'zones'. As has been said, there would seemingly be no sensible way of defining what route a pipe had to take from a tank in roofspace to the ground floor of a house!
The pipe will be run there as i can't go anywhere else. A deep enough chase has already been cut. I dont have to put the switch and cables there (they could be put a couple of inches to the right) but if it helps protect the pipe not?
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