cable outside zone. is it a big deal? EICR code?

bureaucrazy · Jun 9, 2015

A 10mm cable supplying shower is chased down the bathroom wall (in correct zone) and is then chased from celing height down the wall in the kitchen below. The cable pops out of the kitchen wall below contertop level making the rest of the journed to the CU on the surface but cannot be seen because it is behind cooker/cupboards.

The cable is not within a prescribed safe zone (150mm from corner or ceiling nor in line with an accessory).

The reason for safe zones is to prevent someone accidentally drilling into a live concealed cable.

The cable is RCD protected. To move the cable will be expensive and time consuming and drilling into it is very unlikely because the place where it is buried in plaster is behind the cookerhood and tiled cooker splashback.

Is it a C2 or C3?

to move it will require chasing into the brick another channel and could weaken the wall.

Clive P · Jun 9, 2015

Hi,

I've never really understood the requirement for safe zones. How many householders know where the safe zone should be? To open myself up to some ridicule here, I've drilled a cable that I have installed myself in the past.
No doubt somebody will give you the advice on coding, but as I see it RCD protected; happy days.

Regards.

SJD · Jun 9, 2015

bureaucrazy said:
The cable is not within a prescribed safe zone (150mm from corner or ceiling nor in line with an accessory).

You could just fix a simple cover plate - over the cable - taking care of course not to drill into it. Then it will be in line with an accessory. Perhaps on the wall under the cover plate, you write something like "Cable buried here!".

Andy78 · Jun 9, 2015

bureaucrazy said:
A 10mm cable supplying shower is chased down the bathroom wall (in correct zone) and is then chased from celing height down the wall in the kitchen below. The cable pops out of the kitchen wall below contertop level making the rest of the journed to the CU on the surface but cannot be seen because it is behind cooker/cupboards.

The cable is not within a prescribed safe zone (150mm from corner or ceiling nor in line with an accessory).

The reason for safe zones is to prevent someone accidentally drilling into a live concealed cable.

The cable is RCD protected. To move the cable will be expensive and time consuming and drilling into it is very unlikely because the place where it is buried in plaster is behind the cookerhood and tiled cooker splashback.

Is it a C2 or C3?

to move it will require chasing into the brick another channel and could weaken the wall.

What has the cost or difficulty of potential remedial work got to do with the severity of coding applied to an issue in a report based on the regulations ?

davesparks · Jun 9, 2015

Clive P said:
Hi,

I've never really understood the requirement for safe zones. How many householders know where the safe zone should be? To open myself up to some ridicule here, I've drilled a cable that I have installed myself in the past.
No doubt somebody will give you the advice on coding, but as I see it RCD protected; happy days.

Regards.

I blasted a hole through a 16mm 4C SWA a couple of years ago, immediately after installing it!

The thing that gets me with safe zones is that the vast majority of people understand that cables can run vertically from accessories, but don't know about the rest. And as for the one at the top of the wall exactly where the coving will be nailed in place?????

Andy78 · Jun 9, 2015

davesparks said:
I blasted a hole through a 16mm 4C SWA a couple of years ago, immediately after installing it!

The thing that gets me with safe zones is that the vast majority of people understand that cables can run vertically from accessories, but don't know about the rest. And as for the one at the top of the wall exactly where the coving will be nailed in place?????

In my experience nobody knows about safe zones apart from electricians and building control officers. Very rarely maybe another tradesman, but certainly no homeowner or landlord I have ever met.
As for the 150mm round the top of a wall, I have never used that yet and never will unless there is no alternative.

Andy78 · Jun 9, 2015

Just a note before any further posts.

From previous posts, the OP appears to be a landlord with a copy of the regs, posted about this identical issue over 3 years ago, was on about getting an EICR done a year ago, and also appears to undertake his own electrical work.