Cable Duct draw cord

[ban-all-sheds]

Haven't bought the pipe or the rope yet

Then I strongly commend to you Plan B:

PLAN B

Buy ducting which comes with a draw cord pre-installed.

 

[sherlockholmes]

Ferrets eh? I wasn't all that far off then.

 

[sherlockholmes]

Have you thought of using 50 mm rain water pipe and solvent weld the joins ? That would provide a duct more than adequate to take the steel wire armoured ( SWA ) cable which is designed to be laid directly into ground without ducting. ( but ducting is very convenient and worth the extra cost ).

Sorry but NO, NO, NO, NO, at any cost, even with marker tape (not required by the REC's) there have been serious accidents putting cables through the wrong type of duct!

That is the sort of situation where we will walk away aqnd insist the correct pipe is used.

I'm curious, what could go wrong with SWA? I'm just laying mine straight in the ground on the direct and detailed instruction of an NICEIC man, how would a not ideal duct be such a problem when you don't need one at all?

 

[westie101]

There have been cases of folk coming across an incorrect duct (say a plastic drain) that has an electricity cable in it.
Without checking they cut the duct with a hacksaw (don't forget most supply cables are un-armoured)

I'll let you guess the rest!!

 

[sherlockholmes]

Ah, yes that makes sense.

 

[Monkeh]

Have you thought of using 50 mm rain water pipe and solvent weld the joins ? That would provide a duct more than adequate to take the steel wire armoured ( SWA ) cable which is designed to be laid directly into ground without ducting. ( but ducting is very convenient and worth the extra cost ).

Sorry but NO, NO, NO, NO, at any cost, even with marker tape (not required by the REC's) there have been serious accidents putting cables through the wrong type of duct!

That is the sort of situation where we will walk away aqnd insist the correct pipe is used.

I'm curious, what could go wrong with SWA?

With SWA? You'd have to be pretty daft to cut right through the armour and not notice. Now, a concentric cable on the other hand..

 

[westie101]

With SWA? You'd have to be pretty daft to cut right through the armour and not notice. Now, a concentric cable on the other hand..

With SWA etc on a private system the risk is, of course, lower.
However the original question refers to a new supply from UK Power Networks (what used to be EDF), so it will be a concentric cable fed from their network.

(there are some pretty daft folk out there though)

 

[Monkeh]

With SWA? You'd have to be pretty daft to cut right through the armour and not notice. Now, a concentric cable on the other hand..

With SWA etc on a private system the risk is, of course, lower.
However the original question refers to a new supply from UK Power Networks (what used to be EDF), so it will be a concentric cable fed from their network.

I know, that's the point I was making. Not a cable you want to cut through if you value eyesight, hands, and life.

 

[bernardgreen]

We installed jointed plastic pipes for the electrical supply cable when we built our house in 1980 . The electricity supply company were the ones who suggested this rather than keeping the trench open until they could lay the cable. The cable is concentric Live and Neutral for a PME from over head.

That said I expect the rules have changed since then. But common sense would still suggest that if a marker tape " Electric Cable" was found above any pipe only an idiot would hack through the pipe. The same type of idiot would cut thoughtlessly through any duct be it "real" approved electrical ducting or old plastic drain pipe.

 

[westie101]

Yes the rules have changed somewhat, in the '80s we could use any colour/type of duct.
Now we have to use red pipe or ducting.

 

[bernardgreen]

Have you thought of using 50 mm rain water pipe and solvent weld the joins ? That would provide a duct more than adequate to take the steel wire armoured ( SWA ) cable which is designed to be laid directly into ground without ducting. ( but ducting is very convenient and worth the extra cost ).

Sorry but NO, NO, NO, NO, at any cost, even with marker tape (not required by the REC's) there have been serious accidents putting cables through the wrong type of duct!

How does the average person with a shovel and a hacksaw tell the difference between a harmless ( when cut ) pipe or duct and a dangerous ( when cut ) duct with cables in it.

Or does the "approved" ducting have " Electrical Cables Inside ~ Do NOT Cut " printed all along its length.

I can accept that the "wrong" duct above the ground level and un-marked could be mistaken for a harmless drain pipe if the end of the duct with the cable exiting it was not visible.

 

[westie101]

Electrical Cables Inside ~ Do NOT Cut

No it has "CAUTION ELECTRIC CABLE DUCT" printed on it and is bright red

Obviously the spec is that it is laid with the wording uppermost!

 

[bernardgreen]

That seems clear enough and is a vast improvement on what I have experienced in the recent past.

If it was printed on two or three sides of the duct it wouldn't need to be laid "label side upwards"

EDIT obviously this warning cannot be retrospectively added so anyone who finds an old duct when digging should treat it with care.

 

[Penelopejean]

Thanks chaps for all the info. Just to update you on how it all went.
We managed to thread the draw cord (reinforced washing line) thro the polypipe duct (as specified by UK Power) using bernardgreen's vacuum cleaner method,...it worked a treat. We didn't even have to pull the pipe completely straight as it was quite cold out there and we weren't strong enough either! So next stage is when the UK Power chap turns round and says "It's more than my jobs worth mate pulling the cable thro with that old bit of washing line"! Hope not!