Extra Insulation in Attic over existing Electrical Cables

indabunka

Folks,
Looking for advice in laying an extra layer of 200mm Insulation over he joists in my attic. Have purchased 30 rolls for build4less and was reading that you should not lay this over electric wiring. My problem is that the wiring is very tight and in a lot of cases I will not be able to put the insulation under the cables.
I was going to get the insulation done by a (supposed) professional company but it was proving cost prohibitive however they were stating that there would be no problem laying it over the wiring.
So my question is "What are the consequence of laying the insulation loosely over the existing wiring which is in good condition". The house is about 25 years old.
Any advice appreciated and apologies if this is already covered under a previous thread.
Thanks

MicktheMan

indabunka wrote: »

Folks,
Looking for advice in laying an extra layer of 200mm Insulation over he joists in my attic. Have purchased 30 rolls for build4less and was reading that you should not lay this over electric wiring. My problem is that the wiring is very tight and in a lot of cases I will not be able to put the insulation under the cables.
I was going to get the insulation done by a (supposed) professional company but it was proving cost prohibitive however they were stating that there would be no problem laying it over the wiring.
So my question is "What are the consequence of laying the insulation loosely over the existing wiring which is in good condition". The house is about 25 years old.
Any advice appreciated and apologies if this is already covered under a previous thread.
Thanks

To avoid the risk of overheating, electrical cables should be laid above the insulation or be adequately rated to ensure they do not overheat.

DublinDilbert

Firstly what cables are they?

Is it a bungalow or two story?

Do you have an electric shower?

You probably have some TV/sat/alarm cables, no issue covering these.

Lighting cables are usually never near capacity, so I wouldn't have an issue covering these.

If your house is two storey, all sockets will be wired from below, so shouldn't be any cables in the attic.

If there's a heavy electric shower or oven cable, I would lay the insulation under this, as its probably the only cable that's carrying any amount of current.

DublinDilbert

Also if you've any spot lights on the ceiling below make sure you keep insulation away from these and use metal plant pots..

indabunka

Thanks for all the feedback lads. House is a bungalow so socket wiring is going to be an issue and also there are a couple of long runs of heavy duty electrical cable to power showers in the bedrooms which are very tight. Looks like a partial rewiring job in the first instance.