Wiring under suspended timber floor?

domcq

I'm having an old 1960's terrace rewired and i'm wondering is it good practice for the electrician to lay cable under the suspended timbre floor downstairs and chase the short distance to the sockets from under the floor?

Is there a risk that rodents might damage the cables at a later date? if this is the case should I insist that we run the cables from the ceiling down? - I know it's more to chase but I don't intend having to redo this anytime soon.

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to be sure I'm getting it right as it's costing a fair bit.

Mr.Fred

It would be standard practice to run cables under a suspended floor.

Is he drilling the joists and routing the cables through them? It's unlikely rodents will chew through the cables I've yet to see this happen myself and I've been sparking for a while. Sure you'll come across mice rats stuck to cooker terminals etc but yet to see one chew through a cable.

You are perfectly entitled to ask him to run the cables from the ceiling down. However don't be surprised to hear that the extra chasing/cable/time weren't accounted for in the original quote and as a result the price and completion date will increase.

DublinDilbert

As the poster above says it's standard practice to run them under the floor. If you want you could ask him to use some cable clips and fix them to the joists, but this may mean more floor boards have to be lifted.

I've seen lots of houses where they are just run below the suspended floor and never been a problem. Sure you can get rodents below the first floor or in the attic, they don't seem to chew the wires there, so I can't see this being a problem.

Be careful not to over-think things, you'll create one hell of a mess if you chase from the ceiling down for each socket.

tomdempsey200

i wired a power shower in 3*1.5 flex from a switched spur outside bathroom door

got a call back a couple months later

shower not working

eventually i pulled at the flex at shower and it pulled right out about 6 foot back where it had been bitten clean through
while the switch was off


only time i ever seen a cable bit clean through

seen loads of damaged cables and industrail palnt breakdowns due to rodents
inside steel trunking ...everywhere

domcq

Thanks' for the input and reassurance folks.

When the floors go back down there will be little or no access for rodents so i'll let him lay under the floors. I'll be doing the chasing so less work for me!