Commercial office buildings regs

dragon-av · Nov 13, 2008

HI Chaps slightly odd question...

a contact of mine is moving to anew office and wants some screens for meeting rooms as i am a custom AV installer we are looking at a contra agreement wher etehy will do some work for me in return for me speccing installing and setting up the meeting rooms, a good day or so in work. They have Dado run all over the building for power and data and the screens will be above Dado with PC etc below what i need to know is.

1: Can i fit a spur to power the screen or would this require a cert?
2: Can i run video cable through the Dado? where the T&E runs
3: Do i need to run video in trunking in the dado?
4: Anything else i need to be aware of?

Fitting a spur is always most logical to me and looks much better but i am unsur eof the regs for office buildings i know in a house outside of a special area i can fit a spur...

Please help chaps also what is the going rate for 2 3A SFS in dado for an office?

montybaber · Nov 13, 2008

As this is a commercial environment (I assume it is) part p is not applicable so you could wire in a spur for the equipment so long as you are competent to do so and your installation is tested and certificated etc.

I worked years in a large distribution centre with many offices and the dado trunking used had seperate compartments above and below the compartment where the mains cables were run, if the dado trunking is single compartment i would recommend not running it with t&e.

dragon-av · Nov 14, 2008

Thanks for that the dado has a top section stuffed full of Cat5e a large centre T+E hoping the bottom is empty for my cables!

hughesy · Nov 24, 2008

a certificate should allways be issued for any electrical work undertaken ,and you cant run telecommunications or data cabling with mains power cabling ie T&E.

ian.settle1 · Nov 24, 2008

hughesy said:
a certificate should allways be issued for any electrical work undertaken ,and you cant run telecommunications or data cabling with mains power cabling ie T&E.

If the dado trunking has seperate compartments for power,data and telcom cables then you can, as long as they are run on their own that is why it is made for this purpose.

hughesy · Nov 24, 2008

ian.settle1 said:
If the dado trunking has seperate compartments for power,data and telcom cables then you can, as long as they are run on their own that is why it is made for this purpose.

I know this i said you cant run them together should of worded it better.thanks anyway

dragon-av · Nov 25, 2008

If you have to cross the T+E is it OK to fit a small length of trunking in the dado to safely get the cables past the T+E?

montybaber · Nov 25, 2008

im sure it will be fine if just passing through the compartment, i think the problems arise when the cables are run parrallel to each other in the same compartment

adamh · Nov 25, 2008

could always drill a 20mm hole and fit a piece of conduit, seen this done b4

dragon-av · Nov 26, 2008

adamh said:
could always drill a 20mm hole and fit a piece of conduit, seen this done b4

These are my thoughts i have to get power up to the screens in any case. so will conduit just need a small bit to cross the power and gewt out of the Dado

Kris · Nov 26, 2008

Being a commercial contract building control dont have to get involved, this means you don't have to be a member of the NIC or anything like that. Secondly any work you have to do will need certificating for this job, a minor works permit, schedule of inspections and a schedule of tests. As to the AV cables inside the dado normally you wouldn't do that, but in reality if the leads you use are 230V rated its not a problem. As to the person saying about problems from running in parallel to the T+E your on about eddie currents and induced EMF's not a problem if you use shielded/screened cables which being AV cables I would expect them to be especially if they are 230V rated (this will be printed allong the length of the cord).

hughesy · Nov 27, 2008

Kris said:
Being a commercial contract building control dont have to get involved, this means you don't have to be a member of the NIC or anything like that. Secondly any work you have to do will need certificating for this job, a minor works permit, schedule of inspections and a schedule of tests. As to the AV cables inside the dado normally you wouldn't do that, but in reality if the leads you use are 230V rated its not a problem. As to the person saying about problems from running in parallel to the T+E your on about eddie currents and induced EMF's not a problem if you use shielded/screened cables which being AV cables I would expect them to be especially if they are 230V rated (this will be printed allong the length of the cord).

thats good to know thanks mate.