Cut straight through core cable

[sha256]

So I was going to drill a 100mm hole above the kitchen hob hood for venting. Did an analysis and figured there would be no wiring running down from the ceiling in that particular region (due to a new fit and my mum insisting the fitters had re-routed the cabling behind the bottom cabinets). There were also no plugs running under that region anyway, so it looked somewhat benign.

I drilled with a core bit, tripped the RCD and took 100mm clean off the core cable (3 core + 1 E); the Hob and oven no longer work.

Presumably I'll need to get in a sparky to replace the entire run ? I was thinking of getting some junction boxes in the short term to temp fix it (for 2-3 days), not sure if this is a good idea, please advice.

 

[sparkwright]

3 core + 1 E running hob and oven? Hopefully you have worded that wrong.

A decent electrician should be able to repair that in a compliant way. Or he may choose to replace the entire run. It usually depends on what is easier. Every house is different.

Up to you if you want to do a temporary repair, but often a proper repair is best carried out by a pro.

Sounds like the cooker cable was in an unexpected place.

Is this an older house? It was common once to place the cooker switch over what would have been a free-standing cooker.

If that is the case, there may already be a joint buried in the wall if the cooker switch was ever moved.

But now I'm starting to guess too many things...!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Presumably I'll need to get in a sparky to replace the entire run ? I was thinking of getting some junction boxes in the short term to temp fix it (for 2-3 days), not sure if this is a good idea, please advice.

1. Re where the cable runs, take a look at this: [wiki]electrics%3Awalls[/wiki]
   
   I can't work out from your description if the cable you chopped through was in an allowed zone or not, but if not then you will (should) struggle to find an electrician prepared to simply reinstate it - it should be re-routed.
   
   
2. As long as junction boxes are of the right rating, and properly done, they are fine for your temporary repair, but are a very poor as a permanent alternative to replacing the damaged cable, and if they too are to be concealed they should be maintenance free ones, not ones using screwed terminals.

 

[sha256]

Hi,

Sorry, 2 core + 1 E.

It sure is an older house; the isolation switch used to be on the back wall of the hob; it even got charred a few times due to hot pans. We were told to move the switch away from the hob hence the confusion.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sounds like that was very sound advice.

But when switches are moved then the cables to/from them need to be moved as well, not extended and dog-legged.

 

[sha256]

Presumably I'll need to get in a sparky to replace the entire run ? I was thinking of getting some junction boxes in the short term to temp fix it (for 2-3 days), not sure if this is a good idea, please advice.

1. Re where the cable runs, take a look at this: [wiki]electrics%3Awalls[/wiki]
   
   I can't work out from your description if the cable you chopped through was in an allowed zone or not, but if not then you will (should) struggle to find an electrician prepared to simply reinstate it - it should be re-routed.
   
   
2. As long as junction boxes are of the right rating, and properly done, they are fine for your temporary repair, but are a very poor as a permanent alternative to replacing the damaged cable, and if they too are to be concealed they should be maintenance free ones, not ones using screwed terminals.

Hi,

Thanks for the link; its in the yellow zone, right above the hood. It was buried about 5mm into the wall and tiled over though. I do suspect a re-route too as it is not exactly in a favourable position being vertically above the hob. Although, initially I had thought the fitters had re-routed it, so it's quite an annoyance to find out that isn't the case.

Thanks, I was going to get the screwed terminals ones but I'll get the lever ones instead.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks for the link; its in the yellow zone, right above the hood.

Never mind the hood - is it horizontally or vertically in line with a switch or socket or other outlet?

 

[sha256]

Thanks for the link; its in the yellow zone, right above the hood.

Never mind the hood - is it horizontally or vertically in line with a switch or socket or other outlet?

It 'was' vertically aligned with the isolation switch but that was moved.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

When the switch was removed then the zone it created for concealed cables to/from it was also removed.

Whoever removed the switch should have moved the cables as well. People have died because cables weren't in the right place. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to argue that whoever moved the switch but not the cables had not broken the law.

 

[sha256]

When the switch was removed then the zone it created for concealed cables to/from it was also removed.

Whoever removed the switch should have moved the cables as well. People have died because cables weren't in the right place. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to argue that whoever moved the switch but not the cables had not broken the law.

You are completely right. I didn't even know I had triggered the RCD or that I had eaten through a cable; it wasn't visible at first. That was until I realised the oven lights were off and the isolation led wasn't on, and here I was blissfully unaware, shoving metal ducting pipe down the hole! Fortunately the nut job earthed it, otherwise the evening may have had a very different ending. All the more to value my rubber gloves and boots.

Can you recommend a good kit that'll help identify wiring in walls ?

 

[333rocky333]

Am I the only one keen to see a pic of the damage

 

[OwainDIYer]

Am I the only one keen to see a pic of the damage

And the drill bit.

 

[333rocky333]

Am I the only one keen to see a pic of the damage

And the drill bit.

If it tripped rcd proberly nowt to see on the drill bit

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Maybe more than probably if the MCB was off and it was a NE fault that tripped the RCD.