Wide Electrical Channeling

[JohnW2]

Morning John, Yes, all cables run vertically out of the consumer unit (housing the RCDs). The box is 450mm wide, and the cables are bunched to a width of 160mm, running to the ceiling.

Fair enough - that's OK then.

The cables are clipped down neat enough. The channeling is to cover the cables before plastering and add a bit of protection should someone choose to drill in this location. I do appreciate that its still possible to drill through this channeling, but it does act as a first line of defence.

That's obviously your choice but, as I said at the very start, I think you are probably over-estimating the additional "bit of protection" that would be afforded by standard 'capping' / 'channeling'. If you really wanted to protect against drills, nails and pins etc., you would really need steel sheet, probably at least 2-3 mm thick, or some equivalent.

I would also say that, of all the bits of wall in a house, the bit vertically above a CU is probably the place where anyone with even half a brain would suspect that there were probably buried cables, and if cables coming out of the top of the CU and entering the wall are visible, that would also apply to anyone with quarter of a brain, or less

You may well not like it aesthetically, by scousespark's suggesting of "boxing everything in" would have the advantage that any future work which may be needed on any of the cables (or additional cables) would be far less destructive.

Kind Regards, John

 

[sparkwright]

i have seen Cable Tray fitted on back to front before, to secure the cables back

It's full of holes!

I mentioned galv trunking lid earlier - I believe you can actually get galv lid to go over galv tray.

It looks like trunking lid, and presumably you can buy it separately.

 

[Sureitsoff?]

You can
https://directchannel.uk.com/300mm-premier-universal-lid-1.5metre-(hdg)
or could you use 200mm wide trunking surface mounted. I have done similar to hide pipes and it's easier if you fix the "lid" to the wall rather than the channel

 

[JohnW2]

You can ... https://directchannel.uk.com/300mm-premier-universal-lid-1.5metre-(hdg)

Indeed ... which says ...

... so, if the OP feels that he really must have protection for the cables, that would probably be close to satisfying my ....

... If you really wanted to protect against drills, nails and pins etc., you would really need steel sheet, probably at least 2-3 mm thick, or some equivalent.

Kind Regards, John

 

[sparkwright]

or could you use 200mm wide trunking surface mounted. I have done similar to hide pipes and it's easier if you fix the "lid" to the wall rather than the channel

If you fix the lid to the wall first, how are you supposed to then fit the channel?

 

[Sureitsoff?]

If you fix the lid to the wall first, how are you supposed to then fit the channel?

The channel just clicks on just as it would the other way. Try it. You can also fix the lid by securing it with the pipe clip screws.
Just figured out that perhaps you were thinking of metal channel and I meant plastic!...

 

[JohnW2]

The channel just clicks on just as it would the other way. Try it. ... Just figured out that perhaps you were thinking of metal channel and I meant plastic!...

Fair enough, but plastic 'channel' would presumably do little to offer the protection against drills/nails/screws etc. that the OP wants?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Sureitsoff?]

Agreed but the surface mounted channel is visibly obvious whereas plastered over cables arent

 

[JohnW2]

Agreed but the surface mounted channel is visibly obvious whereas plastered over cables arent

Very true, but I suspect that one of the OP's desires is to have 'nothing visibly obvious' as regards the cables (but, at the same time, have them protected from mechanical damage).

However, as I've said, I would have thought that most half-sensible people would realise that vertically above a CU would be just about the most 'dangerous' bit of wall to attack with a drill, screws or nails etc.!

Kind Regards, John