I'm confused - protection of cables...

[numpty with a crowbar]

Morning chaps,
Currently plaster-boarding over a wall in a big cupboard that has some cables running along it unprotcted (it's just bare brick so the cables just been clipped onto it).
I'm fixing batons to the wall then attaching the board onto that, which will create a void of about 2 inches between the board and the wall. And I can't seem to work out from reading here if I need to be protecting the cables with steel capping, or if the capping is redundant since it's only supposed to protect the cable from cack-handed plasterers (as I understand it - correct me if I'm wrong), and since I'm boarding over a void should I use it?

Sooo - should I be capping the cables or isn't there any point?

 

[Adam_151]

Capping is to protect cables from plasterer's trowels, yes

If you make sure the cables end up at least 50mm in from the surface of the wall, strictly then no protection is necessary, whether this is sensible thing, I'm not too sure, but unless you want to play around with steel conduit, then you have little choice

 

[Har_vey]

Sooo - should I be capping the cables or isn't there any point?

If when you finish, there is no indication that the cables are there (ie a socket or switch on the same wall) It would be a good idea to put some kind of protection over them less someone comes along later and starts drilling holes.

Better still to move them all together so they are running in a safe zone.

 

[JohnD]

steel capping is not sufficient to protect cables from someone with an electric drill wanting to put up a shelf (guess how I know that)

 

[ltfc]

either make sure the cables are 50mm from the surface of the wall or put trunking down the wall and run them in that.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How many cables are there? Could you fashion a metal cover for them, made of something more substantial than capping?

Or if not a cover, what about a length of scaffold pipe cunningly positioned via cut-outs in the studs so that the cables are behind it?

 

[ltfc]

scaffold pole sounds a bit OTT. Cheat and stick a false light switch half way up the wall.
Would the metal cover have to be earthed, I think so.

 

[ltfc]

ill assume you will be fitting a light in this cupboard as you are going to the trouble of plaster boarding it. Why not fit the switch in line horizontally or vertically with the cables, PRESTO HEY no problem.
I also assume the cables are not run in the corner or near the ceiling or floor which all would require no protection apart from normal capping perhaps,

 

[numpty with a crowbar]

ill assume you will be fitting a light in this cupboard as you are going to the trouble of plaster boarding it. Why not fit the switch in line horizontally or vertically with the cables, PRESTO HEY no problem.
I also assume the cables are not run in the corner or near the ceiling or floor which all would require no protection apart from normal capping perhaps,

There's already a light in there - in a nutshell there's the cupboard (which is walk in size) and running parallel to it a larger utility room - they're both fed off the same light switch in the utility room so no separate switch - the cables are a legacy of previous owner (pre P regs ) so just really want to hide them & protect them at same time - scaff bar seems a bit extreme really (But like the idea though ) - might just run with the capping route as it gives a wire / voltage detector a bit more of a chance of picking them up if there's a great chuink of capping in there as well - any future owner who goes drilling holes in a house willy nilly without using a detector or checking cable locations deserves to get a shock IMHO - and BTW - what sort of "range" is there on a cable detector - would it pick up cables about 55mm from the surface of a finished wall?

 

[ltfc]

Do you know any industrial sparks that could let you have a bit of steel trunking lid, you could use this as capping, no one commented on weather it should be earthed but i still think it should, im sure it says in regs "earthed steel conduit" or something like.

 

[JohnD]

With my trusty Black and Decker, I'm sure I can drill through trunking. I can't think of anything as good as the "scaffold pole as conduit" idea, though

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yo - you wouldn't drill through that in a hurry, not without noticing, and not at all if you didn't hit it dead centre.

I wasn't suggesting using it as conduit, though, just positioning it behind the plasterboard and in front of the cables.

If you live near a scrap yard (proper scrap metal I mean, not a car-breakers) it might be worth a visit to see what you can find.

Or investigate what a few bits of dexion, misalaigned to fill in the holes might do.

 

[ltfc]

Direct quote from onsite guide.
"Where a cable is concealed in a wall or partition at a depth of less than 50mm from any surface it must be enclosed in earthed metal conduit (trunking or ducting) or installed either horizontally within 150mm of the top of the wall or partition or vertically within 150mm of the angle formed by two walls, or run horizontally or vertically to an accessory or consumer unit."
Use 50mm battons.

 

[ltfc]

what sort of "range" is there on a cable detector - would it pick up cables about 55mm from the surface of a finished wall?[/quote]

Your cables are more than 50mm from the surface no need to protect them according to regs but dont use a 60mm drill bit.

 

[numpty with a crowbar]

Many thanks all - 50mm batons it is then