Cable Capping is NOT required and DOESN'T protect!

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Piratepete

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Hi Guys
As a regular electrician, may I please lay some myths about cable capping.

1. Cable Capping is not designed to protect against nails, but to protect the cable from the plasterer's trowel on traditional plastered walls and particularly aggressive lime based plasters.
Neither the steel version nor the plastic (which I will occasionally use) will protect against nails.

In fact, only steel conduit, steel trunking or SWA (steel wire armoured) cable are considered by BS7671 (The Electrical Regs)to offer adequate mechanical protection against nails and such like.

2. Where walls are being dabbed (or battened) and boarded on top of the cable it follows that capping is not required - I put in a enough clips to keep the cable straight and supported.

3. If I'm doing a rewire I'll cut a chase no wider than the cable and make sure it's clipped down below the surface - less work for the plasterer and less for me and less mess for the householder.

Has anyone got any problems with this?

Cheers
Pete (p'd off because on latest batten and board job, plasterer first complained about the lack of capping and then managed to put a nail straight through an armoured cable! Point made! Using a nail gun I think.)
 
I think we know plastic is not nail proof but thanks for saying we are all thick,most plasters contain lime which we believed could be corrosive to the sheathing and copper in cables,also believed the capping was required as proper practice..
 
its not the capping so much. its the fact that most electricians don't tack cables tight and neat. capping keeps it all together. oh btw tuck your fu.cking wires in
 
beddy said:
its not the capping so much. its the fact that most electricians don't tack cables tight and neat. capping keeps it all together. oh btw tuck your fu.cking wires in
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It was a plasterer, years ago, who told me not to bother when I was struggling to nail capping into particularly hard mortar!

Johniosaif -I understand that there isn't a problem with PVC and gypsum based plasters. Rubber and lime is a different story.

Also, apologies to the majority of you. This particular guy obviously thought that steel capping was for protection against nails.

Pete
 
Whats your thoughts on magnetic plaster pete....???

And do you still do gangnam style:RpS_unsure:
 
Pete? :RpS_unsure: You there? :huh:

Im also an electrician Pete, I think I know you, where you from in the midlands?
 
I could rant and rave about sparks all day long- especially those who leave about 300mm off cables coming out of sockets! In about 10 years I've only came accross a handful of sparks that try and help us plasterers out!
 
MHLPlaster said:
I could rant and rave about sparks all day long- especially those who leave about 300mm off cables coming out of sockets! In about 10 years I've only came accross a handful of sparks that try and help us plasterers out!
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There are 2 spark firms in my area who I know will do a good job and all the cables will be coiled in the boxes nice and neat etc.. The job I'm on at the moment is a different story
 
ryanswart said:
My sparkie always tug the wire pipe into chase and box nicely as easier to patch up / float over - he is neat and tidy chap as I am his sole plasterer - he look after me likewise. I know many other Sparkies are mess and get it over with quickly and leaving spreadies more work.
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Spreadies? :-)
 
Nisus said:
Ah I see, wot no bacon? :RpS_unsure:
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for me i usually have a set one in the morning which is 2 bacon, saussage, egg, beans and some bread (brown) i find this is a nice little start up to the day not too much that you dont want to move but enough to tide you over for a while.
just changed to 2 brown toast with 4 poached eggs marmite ketchup and a saussage though the marmite sets it all off just lovley
 
Jace said:
for me i usually have a set one in the morning which is 2 bacon, saussage, egg, beans and some bread (brown) i find this is a nice little start up to the day not too much that you dont want to move but enough to tide you over for a while.
just changed to 2 brown toast with 4 poached eggs marmite ketchup and a saussage though the marmite sets it all off just lovley
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Sounds good apart from the brown bread :RpS_biggrin:
 
Piratepete said:
:-0
Hi Guys
As a regular electrician, may I please lay some myths about cable capping.

1. Cable Capping is not designed to protect against nails, but to protect the cable from the plasterer's trowel on traditional plastered walls and particularly aggressive lime based plasters.
Neither the steel version nor the plastic (which I will occasionally use) will protect against nails.

In fact, only steel conduit, steel trunking or SWA (steel wire armoured) cable are considered by BS7671 (The Electrical Regs)to offer adequate mechanical protection against nails and such like.

2. Where walls are being dabbed (or battened) and boarded on top of the cable it follows that capping is not required - I put in a enough clips to keep the cable straight and supported.

3. If I'm doing a rewire I'll cut a chase no wider than the cable and make sure it's clipped down below the surface - less work for the plasterer and less for me and less mess for the householder.

Has anyone got any problems with this?

Cheers
Pete (p'd off because on latest batten and board job, plasterer first complained about the lack of capping and then managed to put a nail straight through an armoured cable! Point made! Using a nail gun I think.)
Click to expand...



Sounds like a decent spark, few a far between!


MsN
 
I have always assumed it was a simple etiquette between spark and "spreadie" Tuck your cables into boxes on first fix and come back to lovely clean boxes. leave cables hanging out of the boxes 5 yards and have no boxes left to second fix . Simples
 
Im skimming some flats that are being renovated the now, and the sparks are rewiring, its a disgrace, almost 1 metre of cable hanging out of everybox. And the chases for the cables arent deep enough for the plastic capping. So yeterday I went around with the tin snips and cut back every wire and got the lad in to redo cappings. We'll see if next flat is anybetter or boxes will start being filled
 
Cables hanging out of back boxes is a bug bare. Im forever curling them round and tucking them in. Might just start filling box with bonding. See how they like it
 
RobJack said:
Cables hanging out of back boxes is a bug bare. Im forever curling them round and tucking them in. Might just start filling box with bonding. See how they like it
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hi rob -just cut them to short for the sparkies to work with :RpS_thumbup:
 
puddove said:
hi rob -just cut them to short for the sparkies to work with :RpS_thumbup:
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Ha ha. Dont understand the problems between different trades. I work and try not to leave any problems for other trades. Eg. I clean any smeg that get onto a pattress box so the spark diesnt have to waste time breaking it out. We all work together in the end so why not make things easier for each other.
 
RobJack said:
Ha ha. Dont understand the problems between different trades. I work and try not to leave any problems for other trades. Eg. I clean any smeg that get onto a pattress box so the spark diesnt have to waste time breaking it out. We all work together in the end so why not make things easier for each other.
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cos there is always 1 awkward barsteward that wants to ruin your day:RpS_laugh:
 
and whats with electricians and plumbers that they cant put back down a F*****g floor board after themselves?
 
haha i was thinking the same thing today when i was working off ladders as ceilings over normal height, would be a peice of piss on me stilts but theres so many holes in the floor i dont have the time to repair them and cnt take the risk of trying to avoid them
 
And a sparks idea of cleaning up after himself is to brush his mess to a corner! And carpenters for that matter.
 
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