Bodgeitman

[Argyll]

I removed a door lining the other day which I assume was put up by the previous home owner. I found another bodge from him. You can see the nick I must have made from the cold chisel. I didn't notice it until afterwards. No conduit and he ran it down behind the architraving.

IMG_20200805_184728.jpg (58.97 KiB) Viewed 7602 times

[Bob225]

no wooden lintal above the old door lining ? or was a structural

is it just a nick it the outer ?

[Gadget]

Power cable?

[Argyll]

Yeah the power cable.

[camallison]

That was a favourite trick in the 70s in bodged rewiring jobs. We moved into our current 70s built bungalow 9 years ago. Within a month of moving in, I condemned all the wiring in the place. Joints taped with clear Sellotape, cable run in plaster with no capping, bell wire run round skirting to an additional socket .... the list was endless. Got an electrician in to do a complete rewire and consumer unit (there was a 4-fuse board with ceramic Wylex fuse carriers originally). Luckily, we bought the place as a doer upper, at way below market value.

Colin

[Chippo1]

Is the circuit protected by an RCD or RCBO ?

I often wonder how much protection a bit of flimsy plastic cover or conduit gives in these circumstances ?

[Someone-Else]

Capping over a cable before plastering is only meant to give protection from the plasterer and his float or trowel, daft that it may be, but you can cover a cable in plaster/cement etc, so long as it is in a "permitted route / zone"

Plastic conduit can take a heck of a beating before it fails, so long as its not with something sharp.

[camallison]

Is the circuit protected by an RCD or RCBO ?

I often wonder how much protection a bit of flimsy plastic cover or conduit gives in these circumstances ?

In our new installation, RCBO. Plastic capping can take quite a battering before breaking. I've seen situations where it saved a cable when a hammer and brick bolster were being used.

Colin

[LadySpark]

Argyll, you are allowed to run electric cables without conduit in the top 150mm where ceiling meets wall. The idea is that if everyone puts them there, everyone will expect them to be there so will be careful. The reality of always putting all cable in conduit would be expensive and sometimes be difficult to conceal. Sadly people worry about cost and appearance more than safety. You can buy a device that will light up if there is a cable hidden behind the wall. They don't cost much and can save a lot of issues.

Personally I would advise changing that cable if in any doubt at all. It is a C3 fault having the outer grey nicked like that. However, in reality, so long as the coloured sheaths and the copper cables inside are undamaged, you would probably get away with it as it will be encased in cement and unlikely to be pulled and nobody is likely to be putting their fingers in it.

I assume that it is protected by RCD because it is old so probably before RCBO use became more ususal. RCD protected because it looks like 2.5mm twin and earth so probably to the socket ring or something like that which would normally have RCD protection.

[Razor]

I would take a guess at it being the 1.5mm switchline for the light.

Totally agree with the lady about using a voltstick. They aren't meant for fine diagnostic work but they are great for safety. I use mine all the time especially before opening boilers up or cutting pipes.

Just be aware that most on the market don't comply as they need >200v to work reliably. You need a model that goes down to 50v or less like this one:

https://www.sterlinghpc.co.uk/Testing-E ... ee-VVD-Pro

[Argyll]

I have a Megger voltstick which I use all the time. The cable ran from the ceiling to the socket 150mm from the floor behind the architrave (no capping). The exposed cable shown in the photo was 500mm from the ceiling. It was where the horizontal and vertical architrave meet at the mitre. No one would expect cable to be there. I cut the cable under the floorboards upstairs and made safe. I've left the cable in the wall as it would give me more work which isn't necessary. I'll create a new socket and chase it further along the wall when I feel better.

[Argyll]