How to retrofit a duct for Fibre?

irishbuzz

Reposting here as my original post in the Broadband forum did not receive any replies (although that could be due to the recent decline of boards traffic rather than posting it in a less-optimal section).

I'm doing some work soon laying a patio and some garden landscaping. There's an eir manhole on the footpath just outside my property and I was planning on laying some 2-inch ESB duct from there to my house while these works are being carried out. Have spoken to Eir engineer before and he says provided I leave a coil of extra duct at the end of my property then it should be possible to tunnel it into the duct in the future.

My question is that all of the information I've found so far for Fibre ducting has been for new builds where they can put a hockey stick up through the wall cavity and incorporate an ETU box into the outer leaf. This obviously gives a nice tidy finish.

My house is a block cavity wall build with pumped insulation and is already plastered and painted. I'm wondering what are my options here? I guess I could surface mount a box and run the duct up into it in front of the wall but that would look very ugly IMO. The Eir Fibre documentation recommends that the duct remains at a minimum of 2 inches all the way to the box but I'm wondering would it be possible to transition to a narrower (maybe more flexible tube) for the in-cavity bit and that way I could cut out the box slot and then push this flex duct down through the cavity from there below ground level and cut another slot to fish it out at the bottom and join the ducts. I'll have a lot of insulation beads to contend with but I think it would be a tidier finish.

Interested to hear if anyone sees issues with this or has any better suggestions.

Thank you

listermint

You've given the common two solutions here.

Duct up external box

Or

50mm hockey stick up into the cavity.

Your cavity being pumped with have no bearing on this. You can still push a hockey stick up there and you'd have to open a hold on the inside leaf to access the end of the stick. Closing the hole by remediation works after.

One of these is easier and less expensive. than the other it's up to you what you want to live with.

Is overhead not an option btw ?

irishbuzz

I do already have overhead copper telephone cables connected yes and it is currently providing my VDSL broadband. The main problem is that my house is not supplied directly from a ducted telephone pole that will eventually be equipped with Fibre. It is an intermediary pole and the total distance back to the 'main' pole is probably +150m. Can't remember where I saw it but I believe in these circumstances Eir will only provide a connection over the existing copper cabling and FTTH will be impossible.

listermint

Tbh. I'd find that out for sure before doing any works

Unless you are in the process of landscaping and driveway work like I was. I wouldn't do this. I did it all at the time I was laying new driveway so cost was minimised to just the roll of duct.

irishbuzz

Aye, I'm doing works already so laying the duct is straightforward enough. The trickiest part will be 'terminating' it at the house.

standardg60

Cutting the slot for the box would be your first step, then you could see whether you can actually push a duct through the beading.

May be just as easy to chase the wall to ground level and then replaster over.

Yellow_Fern

Id actually like to do this same project for a SIRO connection. I would be very keen to see how you progress. Pictures would be great.