Lead cables

[Tony Way]

When's the last time someone came across lead cable as a still functioning part of a lighting circuit?
Mine was Friday!!

 

[jon small]

had some feeding wall-lights a couple of years ago during a refurb - ir tested better then some of the pvc cables

 

[vjsmarwick]

Still see some of them in the old houses up here too but getting less by the way cut in to 4" bits the make great fishing weights

 

[fascally 07]

One of the first things I was taught when I was an apprentice was to put one hand behind your back when cutting lead cables.

 

[sparks1973]

one of the neighbours has it....still in service after god knows how many years....
when i rewired my mothers place down shrewsbury there was a lot of it in there...together with some very crusty VIR..lol...

 

[Fin170]

2 weeks ago I was in a place that had lead cables running about the place, couldn't find any live

Also had some of the cotton insulated in wooden trucking stuff going about as well

Wondered if I should of took it out and handed it to a museum :lol:

 

[sparks1973]

2 weeks ago I was in a place that had lead cables running about the place, couldn't find any live

Also had some of the cotton insulated in wooden trucking stuff going about as well

Wondered if I should of took it out and handed it to a museum :lol:

well ...i suppose the science museum would have had it...
theres a load of cloth cable at this mill/factory i am currently working on....it was feeding a dis board for lighting...on each floor (4 floors)....

 

[kingeri]

My house had loads of lead cables, as well as VIR, all unused, but I just can't be bothered to remove them. I have cut off most off the visible stuff in the cellar, but there is loads in the fabric of the building. It might actually be holding the place together!

 

[sparks1973]

My house had loads of lead cables, as well as VIR, all unused, but I just can't be bothered to remove them. I have cut off most off the visible stuff in the cellar, but there is loads in the fabric of the building. It might actually be holding the place together!

holding the place together eh..lol.....dare you have a weigh in?..lol...

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Removed loads of lead earlier this year after a BG loft insulation team took a deep "sucking through teeth" breath as they downed tools....

 

[sparks1973]

Removed loads of lead earlier this year after a BG loft insulation team took a deep "sucking through teeth" breath as they downed tools....

lol...what would a bunch of plumbers know about our cables?..lol...

- - - Updated - - -

and loft insulators?..lol...

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

Feeding an immersion in Holyhead last August , once I removed the lead sheaf , the cloth insulation of the conductors was still waxy, almost like new, I did and IR test.....about 155 Meg I think for a 15 metre circuit

 

[vjsmarwick]

Can I ask what you were feeding the immersion with ? I never seen one at the table yet lol

 

[PEG]

Yep,still have some functioning lead in my old 1937 gaff.Will get my man Hector to check it out when he returns from the opocathary with my laudanum.

 

[vini]

I am going to a job this morning which has lead sheathed cable and cotton cloth covered wires. It also has a new 17th edition CU. I thought with wiring this old it should be condemned and replaced. It might be 60 to 100 years old. Am I to assume if it is working fine and testing fine it should be left?

It is in an old tenement in Glasgow with beautiful plaster cornices and ceiling roses. The customer bought the flat two months ago and if it is to be rewired ( lighting only) the mess will be horrendous for them.

I would assume that whoever installed the CU would have left a test cert. but somehow I doubt it, as I think the new board was simply to make things look ok for selling.

 

[kevyn]

It is rife in sw Scotland. In my old job we rewired 5 houses in the same street one after the other. All lead no vir or anything else. There will still be some houses with lead aswell

 

[Engineer54]

I am going to a job this morning which has lead sheathed cable and cotton cloth covered wires. It also has a new 17th edition CU. I thought with wiring this old it should be condemned and replaced. It might be 60 to 100 years old. Am I to assume if it is working fine and testing fine it should be left?

It is in an old tenement in Glasgow with beautiful plaster cornices and ceiling roses. The customer bought the flat two months ago and if it is to be rewired ( lighting only) the mess will be horrendous for them.

I would assume that whoever installed the CU would have left a test cert. but somehow I doubt it, as I think the new board was simply to make things look ok for selling.

If the tails of Lead and/or TRS are in good condition and not heat damaged (usually by encased or batten holder incandescent lighting fittings, or overloading of socket outlets etc), and it's IR tests are proved good, it means that the wiring hasn't been stressed over it's long life, and will probably be good for another 30 odd years if it remains unstressed and free from heat damage..

Controversial it maybe, but if these cable's are still in good condition, then they will remain electrically sound!! lol!!!

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

Not came across lead, but found VIR on either side of a chimney breast when doing an EICR last week forming part of the downstairs ring.

Oh, and all test results were sound.

 

[vini]

There is no requirement under building regs in Scotland to do anything about 100 year old cables. What was said to me was to look in the IEE regs. The wiring does not conform to the 17th edition regs as cables have been run on top of door frames on the surface and are located within door frames as are some switches. The insulation in the some of the switches is frayed.

However if 100 year old cables conformed to 17th edition wiring regs and tested fine, would it really be ok just to leave them?

 

[Engineer54]

There is no requirement under building regs in Scotland to do anything about 100 year old cables. What was said to me was to look in the IEE regs. The wiring does not conform to the 17th edition regs as cables have been run on top of door frames on the surface and are located within door frames as are some switches. The insulation in the some of the switches is frayed.

However if 100 year old cables conformed to 17th edition wiring regs and tested fine, would it really be ok just to leave them?

Your the electrician, ...it's your call, and the householder's of course!!