July's Q&As of the Month: Ask the Experts...

Old Wiring:

Q. There is house where the tales from the meter board are the old ESB cables. They look like 6mm singles red and black in colour. The house has no cooker or shower so there has not been a heavy draw on the cables. The house owner is looking for a shower to be installed. What is required for the ESB to upgrade the tales. A full rewire as it is over 30 years old or a test on the existing.

A. The existing installation should be fully tested and if found to be acceptable a shower could be installed after the tales from the meter board have been upgraded to 16 sq mm. The bonding should also be upgraded on the installation. (Response from RECI)

Does Concrete Burn through SWA Cabling?

Q. I am currently on a site where it appears that a civil contractor has covered some light SWA cabling with concrete they were trying to get rid of. When inspected it appears that the concrete has eaten/burned through the PVC casing and severly damaged the cable. There was no mechanical protection on the cable as it had been laid in a purpose built trench. I am aware that concrete can burn the skin, but can it be responsible for the severe cable damage?

A. We would suggest that you refer your question to the manufacturer of the cable concerned. 

If the armoured cable is Prysmian Cable, and it has been installed correctly and not been damaged during installation, we would not expect standard concrete mix to cause any damage to the cable.  However, more specific details would be required before confirmation could be provided. 

We would stress that if the cable is not Prysmian cable, you must refer your query to the manufacturer, as their cable may not be suitable. (Response from Prysmian)

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