Chasing for a new electrical outlet and a coaxial TV cable

blueandgreen

Hi,

My living room has a TV point and electrical socket on a dry wall beside the TV. I'd like to tidy up my cables and hardware (such as the satellite receiver) by installing a new socket and TV point behind the TV (and mounting cables and hardware on the wall behind the TV). It's a solid wall and is at a right angle to the drywall section. I'm planning on chasing through the solid wall section. I have a few questions about this:

How deep into the solid wall do I need to go when chasing? The wall is 130mm think and I don't want to weaken the wall in any way, obviously. There seems to be about 20mm of plaster covering the blocks.

I was thinking of chasing the electrical cable and the coax cable in the same wall channel and shielding the electrical cable using a steel conduit as wells as shielding the coax cable using white plastic conduit. The width of that combined channel is about 80mm (60mm steel conduit and 20mm plastic conduit). Does this sound okay? (within regulation)

I will need to run the electrical cable along the solid wall (about 450mm above the floor) before running it up towards my new power outlet (about 800mm above floor)- i.e. I will need to make a 90 degree turn in the chased channel. Is this okay (angle won't quite be 90 degrees due to the width of the channel).

Thanks!

jumbone

How deep into the solid wall do I need to go when chasing?

Don't go more than the lower of 1/3 of the wall thickness or 30mm

I was thinking of chasing the electrical cable and the coax cable in the same wall channel and shielding the electrical cable using a steel conduit as wells as shielding the coax cable using white plastic conduit. The width of that combined channel is about 80mm (60mm steel conduit and 20mm plastic conduit). Does this sound okay?

80mm is fine but I would not use steel conduit - it would need to be bonded to earth

Also using oval conduit would allow for shallower chases

FYI - it is allowable to encase cables in plaster

I will need to make a 90 degree turn in the chased channel. Is this okay 

100% NO - a 90 degree turn without an accessory will take you out of safe zones

see http://professional-electrician.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/021_PE_DEC17-copy.jpg

couldn't find an irish reference but same principle applies

kirk.

Ya those are the zones as far as I recall , blue and green plus the horizontal and vertical

Vertical is the only 100% safe one to use, I've never used blue and green, don't consider them acceptable at all.

Steel is too much work for the right-angle , SWA is allowed afaik but not great as it's damaged once a drill hits it.

blueandgreen

Thanks for the input. One further question: do I need to add an FCU to the new socket?

(new socket will power TV, satellite receiver and soundbar)

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058237171/chasing-for-a-new-electrical-outlet-and-a-coaxial-tv-cable

Just in case it be on outside wall... i brought sat cable down the back of a downpipe (same color) white... clipped to the bottom of white plinth and drilled hole directly behind tele... its invisible...

blueandgreen

hi @jumbone

80mm is fine but I would not use steel conduit - it would need to be bonded to earth

Also using oval conduit would allow for shallower chases

FYI - it is allowable to encase cables in plaster

Yes, I had considered using plastic oval conduit (and have used it on another job). I just thought that steel capping (not conduit) would be more secure (for potential future drilling). This is what I've used: https://www.screwfix.ie/p/tower-25mm-channel-2m/78425. I didn't know that it was permissible to encase directly in plaster- thanks.

I've been reading conflicting reports on whether the steel capping would need bonding to earth. However, I will make sure I do it (if I use it at all).

100% NO - a 90 degree turn without an accessory will take you out of safe zones

see http://professional-electrician.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/021_PE_DEC17-copy.jpg

couldn't find an irish reference but same principle applies

Basic question here: I guess the accessory would be a junction box (that I would install behind the drywall section)- is that right? To be clear, the angle is not quite 90 degrees, it's curved so is probably something like 110 degrees.

jumbone

Basic question here: I guess the accessory would be a junction box (that I would install behind the drywall section)- is that right? To be clear, the angle is not quite 90 degrees, it's curved so is probably something like 110 degrees.

Nope - an accessory is anything like a socket, switch, FCU, blanking plate etc that you can see on the wall that will serve point from which the horizontal and vertical zones apply