Cable for a borehole pump

[clifford1]

We are considering getting a specialist firm in to sink a borehole, to replace our unreliable water supply from a well.
The man who came round to do an initial survey said that the water pipe from the borehole to the house did not have to be buried - it could be simply trailed along a handy hedgerow on our property, and had no risk of freezing.
However, he seemed to think that the necessary outdoor armoured electricity cable did have to be buried. I am querying this with the firm, because I have seen plenty of instances of armoured cables secured to walls, fences, or just run along hedges, and have found plenty of on-line advice that this is fine. The only requirement, apart from suitable cable capacity, is that it is not placed in a vulnerable position, does not cross paths etc where someone could trip, has no public access, and is secured at appropriate intervals along walls or fences etc.

Is there someone here who can actually quote the rules please?

 

[SimonH2]

You basically have it. Such a cable doesn't have to be buried, merely installed in such a manner that it isn't likely to get damaged or cause a nuisance (such as a trip hazard).
If someone is saying otherwise, challenge them for the reg thst requires it. There isn't a reg that says "SWA doesn't have to be buried".

 

[ericmark]

Trace heating can stop water pipes freezing, flowing water does not tend to freeze, but water will not be flowing all the time.

SWA does not need to be buried, I have one cleated to house wall outside, but rules not easy, as not all electricial rules.

 

[Murdochcat]

FWIW a cable shouldn’t really be fixed to a fence unless it’s really low down

 

[ebee]

FWIW a cable shouldn’t really be fixed to a fence unless it’s really low down

so it`s not allowed to fix it 10 foot above the ground then! That is interesting, which reg number would that be?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

FWIW a cable shouldn’t really be fixed to a fence unless it’s really low down

There is no such rule, or advice - it is one of those occasions where basic common sense needs to be employed.

For the OP - The pipe either needs to be buried, or otherwise protected from freezing, because otherwise, it will freeze, and burst.

 

[clifford1]

Thanks. It's what I guessed - mostly commonsense and circumstances, and it's now become an "advised preference" not a rule.

Actually the plans have now changed anyway, and the water diviner (I keep an open mind!)) has come up with a new location that is only 30 yards from the house and just outside a barn that has an electricity supply. Incidentally this now saves about 200 yards of trenched pipework and armoured cabling.

I suspect that there is probably water everywhere in West Wales.

 

[fixitflav]

The pipe either needs to be buried, or otherwise protected from freezing, because otherwise, it will freeze, and burst.

Agreed. Although the game has now changed, on the original set-up, since a trench is needed for the pipe, the obvious answer is to bury the cable in the same trench. Much better and safer than it hanging on a hedge.

 

[EFLImpudence]

FWIW a cable shouldn’t really be fixed to a fence unless it’s really low down

In my experience all fences are really low down - or they don't work..

 

[ebee]

Water Divener!
Someone I knew spent a lot of time in Portugal.
He told me he had to hire an expensive drill bore vehicle complete with driver captital costs to the firm that hired it to him in thousands/millions of money yet they got a bloke with a twig to walk in front to tell the the machine driver whereabouts to drill . I am not kidding!

 

[fixitflav]

Water Divener!
Someone I knew spent a lot of time in Portugal.
He told me he had to hire an expensive drill bore vehicle complete with driver captital costs to the firm that hired it to him in thousands/millions of money yet they got a bloke with a twig to walk in front to tell the the machine driver whereabouts to drill . I am not kidding!

Is that so strange? The drill bore vehicle complete with driver only drills where water is expected to be found. There might be more modern ways of doing it, but I believe water divining does work (though nobody knows how!)

 

[EFLImpudence]

I believe water divining does work (though nobody knows how!)

That is probably because it is divine.

 

[clifford1]

This is a modern water diviner. Hazel sticks are old hat - this one uses a 6" bit of steel rod. He can locate a suitable source of water 100 metres deep, can tune-out so as to ignore intervening water strata with insufficient available flow rates, and is so precise in his directional ability that he can tell where to drill to a metre, ie to within an angle of about 0.5 degrees.

 

[polesapart]

Please update when the the borehole is sunk and water flowing - it would be nice to know how good the diviner is.