Basement surface wiring on brick

[todd]

Hello

Am about to install a ring main and lighting circuit in a habitable basement. All walls are painted - unplastered - brickwork, dry and sound. Dry concrete floor, exposed timber ground-floor joists in ceiling. As the sockets will be 500mm above floor, I want to run ring around perimeter at floor level and vertically up/down to each skt. Cannot chase into walls or floor, so all has to be surface mounted.

Question: Do I need to run all exposed wall borne-cabling in round plastic trunking/T-junctions or can it just be clipped neatly to the brickwork and painted with a PVC friendly white paint?

CU also located in this basement mounted in middle of one of the same walls. Plan to simply clip cables and cover/box in for short distance from ceiling space down the wall to CU.

Many thanks

 

[GaryMo]

I would recommend mini-trunking or pvc conduit so the cable has a degree of mechanical protection.

 

[CallEdsFirst]

If the brickwork is bare on purpose, giving a bit of a rough industrial look, galv conduit looks the best in my opinion. It's a hell of a lot more work, which I assume is the opposite of what you're looking for, buts it's rather cool.

And if you're made of money, go for stainless steel conduit!

 

[todd]

OK guys, thanks for that.

Money and time definately not no-object, so will look at D-Line half-round mini trunking from TLC Direct. 30*15mm for 2 * 2.5mm T/E.

This space is painted brick 'cos it was never anything else & I can't justify plastering it. Having renewed the paint the brick finish is rather cool in it's own right and suits the nature of the space anyway. Walls also have a hint of dampness, held back very well thus far by ScrewFix basement paint, so I'm not sure if conventional plastering would have been the right approach.

Many thanks

 

[RF Lighting]

Personally I'd opt for PVC conduit.

It is difficult to make a neat job of trunking on an uneven wall

 

[bernardgreen]

Walls also have a hint of dampness, held back very well thus far by ScrewFix basement paint, so I'm not sure if conventional plastering would have been the right approach.

Many thanks

In that case consider water proof sockets (MK MasterClad etc) and solvent welded conduit to keep moisture out of the socket boxes. It doesn't take a lot of moisture to cause problems.

The paint will be punctured by the screws fitting the boxes to the wall so the very place the damp will come out is at the box. The fixing screws for water proof boxes are outside the water proofing.

 

[todd]

Thanks for the suggestions - not sure about the need for waterproof boxes - the hint of dampness is just that - I expect it to only improve as remedial improvements ground and rain water drainage have their effect. Will check them out anyway.

Re screws compromising a paint layer I've believe inserting the screws with a silicone sealant can get around this issue. Can anyone elaborate please?

Many thanks

 

[CallEdsFirst]

You meant Masterseal, but I'll forgive you, although I cant see IP56 being required! Many rooms in houses get damp but normal accessories suffice. I can't imagine this room would be of any use if water was running down the walls!

I'd go with plastic conduit as suggested, glued at all joints, and a lick of silicone in the screwholes of any accessories wont hurt!

Chuck a dehumidifier in the room and you are laughing. You could even plumb one in!

 

[bernardgreen]

You meant Masterseal, but I'll forgive you, although I cant see IP56 being required! Many rooms in houses get damp but normal accessories suffice. I can't imagine this room would be of any use if water was running down the walls!

Yes I got my clads and seals mixed up,

But I stick by my concerns that sockets in basements with damp walls need a bit more protection from damp. I changed some sockets in a "dry wall " but humid cellar ( no through ventilation ) last year due to the corrosion and tracking across the back of the sockets from damp.

 

[RF Lighting]

Also its a good idea to use stainless steel screws if you're fixing into damp masonary